Dear fellow blastocystis sufferers,

I got infected with the bastocystis bug during my stay in Thailand and Nepal 2006/2007. I assume I picked it up in Thailand, followed by extreme diarrhea and vomiting for more or less every day during one year. Apart from that I didn’t really notice any other symptoms (no headaches, fatigue, energy loss despite of the diarrhea/vomiting). After coming home (in Belgium) end 2007, my symptoms continued for a few months, then gradually improved until a stage that my intestines were still sensitive but nothing compared to what I experienced during my stay in Asia. Until today I feel my bowels are still not the same as once before but didn’t seek any medical help for this – until last year.
January 2008 I started a new job in Belgium but after a few months I felt very tired. Thought I had to get used to a nine to five job and got on with it. From end 2009 I also experienced recurrent headaches. My husband – who comes from Nepal and lives in Belgium since December 2008 – also had quite similar symptoms (tiredness, energy loss, pressure headaches – in 2009 he got diagnosed with giardia at the local hospital and was given flagyl  but never really got better ). Last year in June I wake up with terrible pain in my left ear, followed two weeks later by extreme headache that didn’t disappear and a weird sensation of dizziness/lightheadedness (difficult to explain this feeling in my had). I ended up in the emergency room, which was the beginning of a complete year in and out of the hospital with all possible tests (several MRI scans of the head and spinal, spinal tabs, CT scans of the ear and more and more and even more blood tests). All came back negative – so all very positive for me as the doctors say but they seem to forget that I do still experience the terrible headaches. In August 2010 also went – together with my husband - for a check up at the institute of tropical medicine. My results ‘only’ showed blastocystis hominis; my husband was (still/again) infected with giardia. Doctor told us that my husband had to be treated as soon as possible for the resistant giardia (he had to take 400 mg albendazole for 7 days) but this was not the case for my blastocystis – ‘which is a non pathogenic organism’; you all know the story. That time I still had every trust in our medical system and didn’t question doctors at all. What a naive thing to do. Doctor told me that I first had to find out the reason of my headaches and when this resolved perhaps come back to consider treating the blastocystis for my troubles with my bowels. So went on with many hospitalizations. Until this year I read an article from an ayurvedic doctor with the heading ‘Intestines: mother of all diseases’. This awareness, together with my growing scepticism in the general medical system, brought me to do some research about this blastocystis bug and was surprised to find out how many different kind of symptoms might be associated with this ‘harmless’ bug. Recently went back to the institute for tropical medicine with the new gathered information. The doctor is now prepared to try a treatment against this bug but sceptical about the triple therapy protocol from Australia. He proposed to take 400mg albendazole/day during 3 days (he says it’s a broad spectrum medicine in case there is also something else going on that wasn’t discovered), followed by 30 days of co-trimoxazole 160/800 (Bactrim) (first 4 times a day during 10 days, then 2 days a day during 20 days).
Also went to a orthomolecular doctor, who found that I have a ‘leaky gut’; he thinks as a consequence of the parasite.

My main symptoms are: pressure headaches and especially pain behind and on my eyes; left ear pain (also ‘plopping’ of the ear and titinus); energy loss; weakness; extreme fatigue; raynaud’s syndrome (cold and blue toes and fingers); dizziness/lightheadedness; not possible to bear normal hot showers (gives me more headache and dizziness); diarrhea (sometimes up to five times a day; sometimes only once per week); under left bowel pain after eating...

Sorry for my long explanation, here come my questions.
Did anyone of you already did such a long cure with Bactrim? What were your experiences?
Does anyone know if there is some kind of scientific article in which the Australian clinic formulates and justify the triple therapy they developed. This information would maybe convince my doctor in case the bactrim treatment doesn’t work.

Thanks very much and good luck to all of you.