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Plagued by Parasites: Truth or Delusional? Part IV
Tried innumerable methods to heal my gut, from rectal ozone insufflation to fecal transplants.
Date: 5/10/2015 1:49:06 PM ( 9 y ) ... viewed 1503 times Many doctors assume that parasites are only found in the digestive tract. Dr. Paul noted that helminthes reside in the intestines (Letter to Dr. S, 2015). She also wrote, "Ascaris, Toxocara, Hookworm and Tapeworms do not penetrate the viscera and migrate to other tissues." In immunosuppressed individuals "Helminth infections can sometimes infect other body sites. With trichinella, eventually the worms can penetrate the muscles, the heart, the brain, and can cause death." (www.medicinenet.com). "Erratic adult ascaris worms may invade other organs. In immunocompromised individuals, strongyloide worms may disseminate to other organs. Larval worms of enteric nematodes that migrate through the tissue to complete their lifecycle may lose their way, end up in the wrong organ and cause severe disease. Ascaris Lumbricodes can perforate the intestines and enter the peritoneal cavity, respiratory tract, urethra and vagina. Released larvae penetrate the intestinal mucosa, enter lymphatics, portal system- carried to the liver, heart and lungs. Migrating adults provoke severe pathology when they wander into the organs. Hookworms can also wander, hence the name hookworm disease, and their distribution is in moist, warm climate: Africa, Asia, and America." (http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/hookworm-infections). "Both tapeworm infection, known as taeniasis and cysticercosis occur globally. Cysticercosis is a parasite tissue infection caused by larval cysts of the tapeworm Taenia sodium. These larval cysts infect brain, muscle, or other tissue, and are a major cause of adult onset seizures." (www.cdc.gov/parasites/cysticercosis/). In addition to a low immune system "An ineffective ascaracide (like the Humaworm herbs that Dr. Bradshaw had me take) may stimulate the parasites to migrate to another location/ extraintestinal sites." (Wikipedia).
Doctors also use the presence of eosinophils as a predictor of hyper-infection. Dr. Paul (Letter to Dr. S, 2015) commented on symptoms of Trichinella infection, "moreover, a heavy infection would result in eosinophilia". Eosinophils is not a completely accurate predictor. "While the presence of an increased AEC (Absolute Eosinophilia Count) is highly suggestive of infection with a tissue-invasive parasite, the absence of eosinophilia does not indicate lack of parasitic infection. The human host does not always mount a severe inflammatory response to tissue-invasive parasites....Eosinophilia tends to decrease in persons with chronic infection as the host adjusts to the presence of parasites. A normal eosinophil count does not rule out parasitic infection (http://refugeehealthta.org/physical-mental-health/health-conditions/infectious-diseases/parasites/eosinophilia). "In severe complicated strongyloidiasis, the eosinophilia disappears and is an indication of poor prognosis." (https://books.google.com Manson's Tropical Diseases, page 1535). Therefore, my low eosinophils is not a good sign.
The lack of attention and treatment by the medical professionals on parasites is sad for those plagued in the modern era. "The problem is most physicians are not taught about parasitic disease. It often does not get recognized until it is too late." (www.consumerhealthday.com). "The lack of familiarity for health care and potential for hyper-infection makes strongyloidiasis an emerging infection to reckon with." (www.ivdresearch.com/strongyloides). "Few doctors can recognize common symptoms or problems as parasitic infections. The Southeast United States has the most cases of Toxocara." (www.DoctorOz.com/ Why Aren't Doctors Finding Parasites?).
Earlier I made the statement that I never once thought I had parasites, not when the diarrhea first began, not as it increased. Now, however, I am convinced of it, both because of my physical symptoms and because of the lack of knowledge that has been used by doctors in eradicating my symptoms. After I gave birth to my son, I saw Dr. Michael Cichon (Nov. 2012). People travel around the world to see him. He said, "You'd be better off to see a veterinarian than to see a physician," when I told him I was going to University of FL Health to be treated. I wish I had listened to his advice. I tried to cure diarrhea with diets (Weston Price Diet, Body Ecology Diet, Low Fodmaps Diet, Gluten Free/Casein Free/Egg Free/Grain Free Diet, Enterolab Allergy testing). None of that worked. I used diets, innumerable supplements, allergy testing prescribed by professionals (Dr. Dahlmean, IgG Allergy Testing; Dr. Alan Lieberman, immunologist/ Skin-Prick Allergy Testing; Roxanne Smith, Macrobiotic Diet; Dr. Keith Holden, Candida Diet, and then tested positive for blastocystis hominis parasite; Mihaela, GAPS: Gut And Psychology Syndrome diet practitioner; Dr. Her, NAET practitioner and acupuncture). With no success I continued at UF Health, under the care of Dr. Sarah Glover, IBD gastroenterologist. She did the conventional O&P (ova & parasite test) that only comes back positive in 1% of the cases. Mine came back negative. A nurse of sixteen years at UF said she had never once seen an O&P come back positive. I asked Dr. Sarah C. Glover to treat me for blastocystis hominis; she refused. She suppressed my immune system. She put me on Entocort/Budesonide steroid, Lomotil, Cipro/Flagyl, numerous Coticosteroid IVs for weeks at a time, Hydrocortisone, Prednisone, Remicade anti TNF infusions, 6-MP/Imuran, PEG feeding tube, Asacol, Specific Carbohydrate Diet. When I was laying on the hospital bed, prior to agreeing to the PEG tube procedure she convinced me to get, I kindly asked her if she would please empirically treat me for parasites first. She looked at me and said, "No....if only it were that simple, Karen." Dr. Sarah Glover said she could prove that I had Crohn's but she was never able to; she put me on immunosuppressant drug therapy anyway. Tests revealed I had Charcot Leyden crystals, indicative of high level eosinophils at that time, and skin eruptions (on my buttocks). Dr. Glover did not perform a gut permeability test, saying, "We know Karen has an extremely permeable gut."
When medical treatments failed to stop my ongoing diarrhea, I used "alternative medicine", rectal insufflation and fecal transplants. A Traditional Chinese Medicine/Qi Gong guru instructed me to insert a catheter into my rectum for ozone insufflation treatments. He cleaned patient catheters gathering them together and putting them in plastic Tupperware. Then, he sprayed them with disinfectant. "Parasites are typically transmitted through improper sanitation...." (http://www.ncbi.nim.nih.gov/punned/24140284). Following the ozone treatments I developed a bout of C.Diff. After antibiotics for a sinus infection, I developed C.Diff a second time. I tried many fecal transplantations. I used five different donor's feces, on separate occasions that were administered in a medical facility via colonoscopy and rectal retention enemas. The people who donated their feces included: my husband, father-in-law, my husband's friend, and two strangers whom the doctor selected. Research indicates: "Fecal transplants can transmit HIV, prion disease, E. coli, worms, shigella, and other dysentery causing infectious agents. Current laboratory testing is unable to detect all possible pathogens, especially prions. It is therefore impossible to declare a stool sample 'safe' with our current technology." (www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/fecal-transplants-getting-to-the-bottom-of-the-matter/).
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