Re: Very foul-smelling stool, parasitic/bacterial issue?

Thank you for your responses and ideas everyone!

linenup, please, I would love to have your recommendations on Klebsiella as it has definitely become resistant! Thank you.

Doctors have been pretty useless in getting me anywhere with this issue which is no surprise but isn't that the big problem with the healthcare system? Anyway, I will say I got my hands on the antiparasitic drugs without a prescription or medical advice, as they were not even available in my country. I had to travel abroad to get the Albendazole syrup and Mebendazole pills, I also took some Praziquantel and Pyrantel from vet pills which I don't think did anything. I think I got the most noticeable effects from the Mebendazole as I did a few 1-week long courses which gave me the fishy smelling diarrhea. I believe it took care of some of my pinworm symptoms described in my OP - anal itching, poor sleep, irritability. However the rest of the symptoms have remained for the past 3 years.

Before I get back to these I want to say that a few months before any of this happened I got bitten by a tick. I was concerned about Lyme so as soon as the tick was removed I started taking Cat's Claw, in hopes it would prevent Lyme from developing in case the tick had it. I should have just had the tick tested but at the time I wasn't aware of this possibility and I wasn't advised of it either. So I really went hard on the Cat's Claw and Berberine herbs as I had read they were very helpful for Lyme and also blood Sugar issues (I sometimes have hypoglycemia). To this day I'm not sure if I had Lyme's and if taking the herbs soon helped - blood tests were inconclusive. I did develop all the popular symptoms as I was taking the Cat's Claw - blue/purple eyebags, restlessness, insomnia, etc... However the Cat's Claw was giving me lots of energy despite the lack of sleep, I was on a constant "high". It was like being on crack I guess, and this continued for a few good months. I was taking the herbs for a while before I stopped both completely. Then I took a long course of Pau D'Arco. I think for the most part my poor sleep had gotten better but the "high" that the Cat's Claw gives was wearing off too. Then I was intimate with the person who smelled funny down there and had the sushi dinners. And a week or two after that my poo suddenly was smelling very very bad (before I got any other symptoms). I immediately started taking Dandelion Root, because at first I thought I was just severely constipated - it does smell a little like you've been constipated for 2 weeks - because the smell is that compacted and horrendous. Initially the Dandelion Root helped clear out the horrible smell and my BMs got back to being regular. However the smell returned about 4 days after starting on the Dandelion Root and has really stuck with me for the past 3+ years. Even though I was being regular once again it still smelled acrid and as if I'm severely constipated. And about 1-2 months later I started feeling terminal tiredness. I was feeling as if I was hit by a truck. At the same time I would still feel extremely energetic and awake in the mornings and during the day. And bouts of tiredness would alternate with the energy and drive of a crackhead. This would continue for a while along with the poor sleep and I think this was around the time I got the anal itching too. I decided to take a course of Grapefruit Seed Extract starting on a New Moon. That had a great die-off effect initially - it helped clear out my bowels in a way which felt great but I think the good effect was lost a few days into it but I continued for a few weeks. However this is when I started to feel really really down. I am guessing at this point the Cat's Claw was completely cleared out of my system and after the high there was a deep low. It was horrible - intense feelings of depression, repression, fearfulness, despair. Terrible feelings I had never felt in my life before and came out of nowhere. I felt like my life was threatened even though there was no apparent threat. My sleep was still disturbed and in my wake moments I was reminded of horrible events from my childhood, that hadn't affected me as strongly at the time. So it felt like my life changed for the worst on a whim. I could not get out of these crazy feelings and I was panicking. I'm not sure if this was the after-effect of the Grapefruit Seeds die-off? As I understand it is harsh on the good flora in your body so I thought it had killed good bacteria too. It's also possible that I was under a psychic attack but I won't get into that here. I also took a mega dose of Tinidazole in case it was Giardiasis. Around this time my sense of smell actually altered (for the worse) and decreased a lot. I used to have incredibly good sense of smell prior to that. I decided to listen to some meditation music on youtube and that helped improve my feelings of doom and gloom and perception of life. I got back on track and travelled abroad to get the Mebendazole and Albendazole. After taking these I would say I got rid of the anal itching and terrible insomnia. However I really no longer was feeling like my usual self - I was feeling weird in general, still kinda feeling as if I'm on crack/being drugged despite never even thinking about taking actual drugs like that! Also health was steadily declining in general, I was less able to cope with daily life and felt drained a lot of the time, yet often unable to sleep well, my usual positive and happy-go-lucky outlook on life had completely changed to that of a scared person who had no idea what is wrong with them and generally everything felt incredibly shitty. Once again I was suspecting Lyme due to the severe tiredness and the little-to-no ability to cope with life and the bad sleep. However these are also symptoms of a cortisol / PTSD situation too so it seemed like I could literally be having everything at once going on - Lyme, parasites, bacteria (well the 3 actually create a very symbiotic situation in the host, right?) and a very exhausted and enervated body from all this stress. So I experimented with taking Peony Root Extract, which I dont recall having any benefits for me. However I was often having various insatiable cravings and always felt malnourished despite trying to supplement minerals and vitamins too. Talk about the morphine effect though! I often did not feel my body properly - in terms of pain. I knew I would have this pain here and there but would often not feel it at all. Also my usual sensitivity to outside temperatures was very diminished - unless they were extreme - which could really be felt as a positive, despite being abnormal. Not sure if that was the morphine effect or my immune system being completely shut off due to all the stress my body was experiencing; or both. I would then seasonally take a course of Dandelion and Burdock root. The first time I took these I felt I came back to my senses (finally!) and also had a cold! Which was unusual as I had stopped getting colds - instead I felt under the weather most of the time. I also had an accidental(?) Liver Flush after finishing my course which was really welcome, I know both herbs shake up toxins and congested bile/stones, however once again I then went back to feeling terrible. I would also ate pumpkin seeds occasionally. These would definitely make me feel weird afterwards. I would just feel stunned and in a weird place for a while (wouldn't parasites feel that way after a dose of pumpkin seeds?). I've also been supplementing with Olive Leaf and Garlic, and a general issue I got the past 2 years was what could be described as IBS - just very sensitive and reactive GI. So I was also taking Clove, Wormwood , Black-Walnut Hull concoctions, as well as supplementing with probiotics. On and off I've been trying doing and taking various things without much success.

I want to talk about effects I've been getting with most of the herbs mentioned. I am quite used to taking herbs/supplements long before I had these issues so I know I generally tolerate them well. However after taking these to address my ongoing problems, I noticed they would all have a strange effect. Most of them would bring me down to a depressed, repressed and stressed state. These would be supplements like Cod Liver Oil (Vitamins A and D), Milk Thistle, Artichoke, eating or supplementing garlic, NAC Detox Regulators, Taurine, Glutathione and taking Essential Amino Acids. Especially taking NAC Detox Regulators, Taurine or Glutathione, just 1 pill, would send me into a frantic state lasting about 2-3 weeks. So most of these herbs and amino acids, instead of having the usual wellness effect they should have, they are hurting me! How is that possible? Sometimes my poop would actually smell of garlic or cabbage, as if they were never digested. In general after I've eaten pumpkin seeds or garlic, my poop would look and smell as if it was puked out, as if the food was not even attempted to be digested (parasites?).

My sense of smell is still affected, my sense of taste is also not as sharp either. I'm usually okay sensing chemical smells, like deodorants or perfumes, cleaners of any kind, etc., but I often can't smell organic smells such as flowers, foods, fruits, the fridge, the bin, body odours etc. I can smell food sometimes for example, but not from afar as is normal and I might have to take a deep breath upclose to be able to smell anything. And it may still not be the full spectrum of smells.
The only supplement that has been truly helpful and able to bring me back to my senses and out of any weird/repressed/depressed funk I'm in is Dandelion Root. Burdock Root is also good. I suspect this is due to the detoxifying and cleansing effects both herbs have. So I suspect my liver is burdened and toxic, as well as my digestive system as without being on these herbs I just feel I'm at about 30% battery, with these herbs I go up to 80-90%. And it just baffles me that many other herbs and supplements are bring me down and making me feel even worse, emotionally and health-wise. Taking Ox Bile has virtually the same effect - feeling weird and out of place, not like myself; also could make me feel nauseous and too full. Interestingly, once I take a Bile cap and feel bad like that, and let that effect hang for about a week, then take another cap and then return to feeling normal - almost the way I used to feel before ever taking the first cap. How is that for an effect? That's insane! A similar thing would happen with any other supplement which is supposed to have a specific effect. Let's say Valeriana or Liquorice root - if I feel very anxious and take these they will make me feel better. If I feel fine and happen to drink a tea with Liquorice root or Valeriana - then I'd start feeling terrible and very anxious, and this effect would last for long until I take/do something to break that effect. How could this be?

The Cat's Claw herb I took interferes and disables certain liver detox pathways, and on top of this taking medications which are very heavy on the liver and kidneys, such as Mebendazole, I think really led me to become intoxicated, on top of any parasite and bacteria I might have that is also putting a huge burden on my body. So I'm now a bit reluctant to self-medicate and experiment with things. I am looking for the deeper cause, and I think my horrible poop smell, which was really the first and most consistent symptom, from the very beginning of my troubles, is a real clue as to what I am dealing with. So I am once again asking you all for further insights, having read my story in more detail. Any ideas are once welcome. If you know any other forums or platforms where I could post my problem that would be great too!

P.S. Matt, I am still supplementing regularly with what I can. MSM, Coconut oil (caprylic acid), Castor Oil, Cod Liver Oil (Vitamin D3), Potassium, Magnesium, Himaliyan Salt, Freshly Squeezed Orange or Lemon juice, Lots of Probiotic Yoghurt, Probiotic caps, Celery Juice, Ginger, etc.
I will look into getting Beta-Glucan and Turkey Tail, they sound promising for that immune boost.
I've been wanting to get my hands on Invermectin for a long time and try that but I have no clue where to get this from - it is not available in my country.
Many thanks for all of your ideas and advice. Tweet