My Blastocystis (Blasto) Hominis Story which includes my experience with the triple drug therapy from CDD:
I was diagnosed with Blastocystis Hominis in February 2008 by a stool test (ova and parasite) performed by a gastro. My symptoms leading up to the visit were the following:
(1) Lethargy;
(2)Headaches;
(3)Constant bloating;
(4)Feeling of constipation even though I had regular movements;
(5)Mushy stool (looked like oatmeal);
(6)Very very putrid gas;
(7)Disturbed sleep;
(8)Brain fog, difficulty focusing;
(9)Irratibility;
(10) Strange body odor according to my wife who has known me for 20 years;
(11) Frequent urination. Strange I know
I’m not sure how I picked it up but in the years prior to diagnosis I had been to costa rica surfing 6-7 times. I also have participated in numerous triathlons in which the swimming was done in freshwater lakes throughout Florida and in Idaho and Arizona. I don’t recall the exact time it was picked up but I do recall a gradual decline in health and the above symptoms gradually became more and more prevalent, The decline and increased symptoms occurred over a period of 6 months while I was training for an ironman triathlon.
After the ironman my stomach was a mess. Since it didn’t get better I went to a gastro 4 months later and he ordered a stool test to test for Ova and Parasites and Giardia. The test came back a week later and was positive for Blasto. He prescribed Flagyl and I took a 7 day course. I immediately felt better while taking Flagyl. My stools hardened and my symptoms listed above disappeared. On day 6 I didn’t want to quit taking the drugs for fear of my symptoms returning. After the treatment my symptoms came back within about 14 days. I was retested immediately after taking the flagy and Blasto was gone. A retest a week later showed that Blasto had returned. I went back to the Gastro and he basically told me my symptoms were IBS and that Blasto wasn’t a pathogen. I asked him if that was the case then why did he prescribe flagyl initially. Of course he didn’t have a good answer. This is when the real fun began. I knew something was wrong with me but couldn’t figure it out. I suspected the Blasto but since there was disagreement over whether or not it was pathogenic I decided to make sure Blasto wasn’t an innocent bystander to a larger problem.
Over the next 24 months I went to 2 different general practitioners, an endocrinologist, 3 different gastros, hormonal balance dr., chiropractor and 2 infectious disease doctors. Almost all (except the chiropractor) took blood and opined that I was in perfect health. The only reading that was consistently out of range was my CRP test which was high. CRP measures inflammation. I also had the following tests:
(1)General blood work up;
(2)Extensive and very specific blood work done regularly
(3)Ct scan of the abdomen with Barium;
(4)MRI of the stomach and abdomen with Barium;
(5)Endoscopy;
(6)Colonoscopy;
(7)Bacterial overgrowth test;
(8)10 stool tests from numerous companies;
(9)Tested for celiac numerous times through blood work and the endoscopy;
All tests came back fine except for the higher reading of the CRP blood test (c-reactive protein). CRP test measures general inflammation throughout the body. Interesting because my intestines felt inflamed during the ordeal. I have seen articles that IBS sufferers have higher CRP readings.
I could not have been more disappointed in the doctors. If they couldn’t cure you within the first 5 minute consultation and a quick prescription they basically didn’t want anything to do with you. Or if the test didn’t show anything wrong they assumed you were a hypochondriac. During the course of 2 years I saw more doctors than I have in my entire life combined. Prior to 2008 I hadn’t been to a doctor for anything in 12 years. I’m not a hypochondriac yet I wasn’t going to stand by and accept that nothing was wrong with me when I knew I was in very bad shape. I simply felt terrible all the time.
During the time frame I also spent my free time researching what could be wrong with me and possible cures. The only thing that kept showing up in tests was Blasto therefore I began to believe that the Blasto had to be the problem. Especially because my symptoms were so in line with others that have had Blasto.
While researching I discovered the triple drug therapy used in Australia and after 2 years of research and ensuring nothing else was the cause of my symptoms I decided to give it a try. Since I had already taken Flagyl with no success I was afraid to try another drug combination due to the fact that I was concerned the Blasto, if not killed, would be that much harder to kill after an unsuccessful treatment. I therefore felt my next drug exposure should be rather extreme due to the super bug fear. For example Alinia, rifaximin etc.. seemed to show potential yet the triple drug cocktail seemed to have a higher likelihood of success. This at least was my thought process.
Also, during the ordeal I ate like a bird. I barely ate because I didn’t have much of an appetite. I also had no desire to drink alcohol or eat foods high in carbohydrates. I gave up gluten and this helped slightly. Sweets or unhealthy foods were also not craved. I really just wanted to eat fruits, vegetables and meats. My whole life revolved around the discomfort. Food, activities, socialization etc…. I had no desire to socialize or eat out. I was obsessed with ensuring I had enough fiber so that I could have nice movements so I didn’t feel as constipated.
BTW, I’m not crazy. I am the owner of three successful businesses. I played sports my whole life, have a beautiful wife and kids and a large social network. I have never posted on this board and may not ever post again. I would rather not have spent my time in a doctors office or reading health blogs. I mention this because I do believe certain people on this board may have hypochondriac issues and/or have motives in which they are trying to sell a product. I also believe there are numerous persons reading this site that have legitimate problems and are seeking a positive exchange of information. I am posting this because I feel I owe my health to the people that have posted about the Australian clinic that created the triple drug therapy. I hope my story will help someone like someone elses story has helped me.
Moving On. I felt as if the risk of doing nothing far outweighed the risk of the drugs. I actually have a few friends that are Doctors and they agreed, in my particular situation, the risk of the parasite was greater than the risk of the antibiotics. I believed and still do believe that the the blasto would have manifested into a larger problem given enough time i.e. cancer or some type of disease resulting from high oxidative stress /toxins i.e. Parkinson etc….
I am a US citizen and found a gastro that was willing to prescribe it. I ordered the drugs and they arrived. I took the drugs and will outline the specific drugs and dosages below at the end.
My experience with the drugs was fairly rough. The course was 10 days. The first day or 2 I felt great and my stools hardened from mush to normal. Days 3-8 I was extremely weak, very tired, had a severe headache. I also slept a lot during this time frame. I had diarrhea from day 3 or 4 until 5 days after treatment. The difference though was that I had relief after I went to the bathroom. After the treatment I was weak but was able to function in my normal life. I was very hungry immediately after treatment and was not certain the treatment worked. Actually for the next 120 days my stomach and intestines felt better yet not great. I truly had good days in which I was convinced I was cured and had days in which I wasn’t so certain. I am posting this blog 15 months after the treatment and have had 8 consecutive months of good health. My symptoms are gone and I feel the best I can remember in years. I don't think about my stomach anymore. I am ecstatic to be well and truly feel my life is back. I know if you are reading this you may be struggling, as I had with health issues. I would definitely rule out any other causes of your symptoms prior to trying the triple drug treatment. Yet if nothing else seems to be causing your symptoms and blasto consistently shows up then I would definitely try the triple drug therapy from cdd. It takes a while to recover from the infection and the drugs but after about 6 months I felt normal almost 100% of the time. The drugs I took were Secnidazole 400mg (3 times a day) Diloxinide 500 mg (3 times a day) and Septrin DS (2 times a day morning and evening). Septrin DS is the only drug available in the US.
I know this is long but I hope this can help anybody struggling with this terrible parasite. I spent 2 years of my life fighting this thing and thank god for the triple drug therapy as I don't beleive anything else could have cured me.