Stomach Bug that never leaves

[WhatCanItBe]

Around the beginning of August just after that very hot spell, I was eating some hamburger that probably was very rare.

I suddenly got this weird

[Life Is Good]

Can antibiotics alter the make-up of a parasite making it difficult to detect?  My symptoms cause me to believe that I still have a parasite or maybe I still have Giardia but it continues to show up negative for some reason.  I just don't know.

[Life Is Good]

I started eating oatmeal the next morning after reading your entry about that.  I've eaten a lot of oatmeal since then.  My stomach is still a total mess.  I really am convinced I still have some type of parasite.  

My initial diagnosis for Giardia was based on one stool antigen test.  The Flagyl definitely relieved some of the syptoms associated with the Giardia such as the substernal burning but I never regained healthy digestion.  Since then I've had four negative Giardia tests taken at various times.  I've also had negative Ova/Parasite tests but I don't know what this looks for.  You mentioned a test you had done that looks for over 400 types of parasites.  I need to find out what they've actually looked for.  

I've started thinking I would have to live with Irritable Bowel Syndrome for the rest of my life and I've been trying to find some healthy alternatives, such as L-Glutamine to build up my gut and flaxseed oil to soothe a bit.  This hasn't helped.  

I gave in and took the Bentyl.  Amazingly, the tingling sensation went away but my stomach pain worsened, terrible headache, fatigue, so I stopped after 3 days.  

The Doc is baffled.  She's now running tests on my pancreas.  I pray to God that He gives them the wisdom to find out what is wrong.  They obviously can not rely on their own wisdom.  

[WhatCanItBe]

If you tried to reach me at the address above, I deleted it and so just use the username Jane instead. I did that to foil spammers.

I had two good days but today I am back with that flu-like feeling, and general malaise, sore kidneys and black circles!!!!

[WhatCanItBe]

Another thing Giardia loves is BILE. So you might need more meds to get the buggers out of your BILE DUCT. That might explain your liver tests?

I am not sure I understand those tests and what they show.

[WhatCanItBe]

This is for Life and Pete:

You both said you had positives for Giardia.

I now find out that my test for that was not valid because it was only ONE test. I have recently sent more samples, taken at intervals, which is the PROPER way, to a different lab and should find out shortly if anything showed up. The lab claims to test for 400 things.

I have read that Giardia can do these things:

-Cause illness even after cured - such as certain food intolerances and irritated stomach
-Not be totally cured by one round of meds
-And you could have had something else with it in the same infected food

I have had blood, urine, ultrasounds all negative. EKG fine.
I've not had a fever lately, but I do sweats/chills from time to time.
I *seem* to be getting better, but I hate to even SAY that because I fear just when I think it's gone, it's back!

So, I will let you know if I find out anymore.
What about another treatment for Giardia since you both DID get positives on that?

[PeteMan]

In april 2006 I ate an undercooked hamburger at a friends cookout and experienced the worse illness of my life.  I was previously quite fit and active running about 8 miles each week.  The doctors were completely baffled and the illness was completely debilitating for months.  Symptoms included dry heaves and nausea almost every day, horrible malaise, and fatigue.  My initial diagnosis (after a month) was Giardia.

Finally I found my comprehensive metabolic panel showed elevated ALT/AST which suggests some type of infection in the liver.  Another test called salmonella agglutinins (from Quest or Mayo) showed strong evidence my illness was Salmonella Typhi which causes Typhoid!  Many will say this test is flawed, but the research of Dr. Levine (U of MD) in the American Jour. of Tropical Medicine shows very few false positives for this test in the US.  Notably I never traveled outside of the US in the past year.  My workup included negative tests for almost everything else imaginable.

Antibiotics helped a bit, but mostly I felt like I would die for months.  Finally after 5-6 months the symptoms have started to abate.  I'm still not completely well, but I'm gaining a little more strength every few weeks.

Hang in there.  Ask to see your comprehensive metabolic panel.  It may show something the Dr. hasn't told you!  A few Dr.'s told me it was "in my head" but I doubt I can mentally raise my liver tests over a few weeks!