I saw an interview with George Clooney last night. He said he contracted malaria on a trip to Africa and was treated for a month...hmmm...a month??
He also said this was the second time he has had malaria.
Sounds like he is relapsing from insufficient treatment on the first bout?
Anyway, I thought it was interesting.
Posted by 17hens (Member # 23747) on :
A friend of mine recently adopted a 1 year old from Africa. While she was over there to get him, he became terribly ill with malaria.
She said he had a high fever, eye's bulging out his head, tongue lolling out side of mouth.
She said they put him in the hospital and gave him 5 injections (1 injection a day) of some medicine so strong they had to use a different vein with each injections because the medicine would just ruin (burn?) the vein each time.
She took him out of the hospital on the 5th day to catch the plane back to PA. As soon as they arrived, she took him to Geisinger Hospital for another week of treatment. Now he's well.
Apparently the baby had had malaria in October too, but they said this was a new illness (not a relapse). My friend said there were swarms of mosquitoes everywhere so she didn't doubt it was a new case.
I am curious, how can they get rid of malaria in under 2 weeks when it takes us months/years to get rid of babesia?
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
i'm a bit skeptical. we have a friend who has relapsing malaria. he said he probably won't ever get rid of it.
so i'm curious about this george thang...
Posted by lymeboy (Member # 24769) on :
I noticed he looked kind of gaunt... that explains it
Posted by blinkie (Member # 14470) on :
17hens. That's an amazing story. Can you find out what med they gave the child?
Posted by bashibazouks (Member # 28286) on :
I had malaria in 2007 when I was living in Kenya. It was cured very quickly and easily with Coartem, although for 2 weeks prior to that I was very, very ill. After that experience, and having babesia now, I don't think they're very similar at all. I know they're both protozoal diseases but the symptoms as well as the ease/difficulty in treating them were very different for me.
Posted by imagine2 (Member # 3136) on :
bashibazouks, Can you describe the differences? Are you saying that Babesia was more difficult to eradicate than malaria? Did you ever relapse from Malaria?
Hope you don't mind my "picking your brain". Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
Just my opinion, and I'm not a doctor, but I think the reason babesia has such a hold on Lyme patients is because of the borrelia. I believe it's more easily treated in the absence of Lyme, but I can't remember where I read it, but I do think it was Dr. B who said so.
Posted by 17hens (Member # 23747) on :
blinkie, I'll post it on this thread if I can find it out.
Posted by sparkle7 (Member # 10397) on :
Just a quick reply since I'm not a scientist... syphilis & Lyme are both spirochetes but they are very different. Same is probably true of malaria & babesia.
I also believe there are different strains of each illness. There are probably variables in treatments for both - including other potential infections.
From what I have read, babesia is hard to diagnose since the tests are not accurate.
Posted by bashibazouks (Member # 28286) on :
No problem! It's a toss-up as to which was worse for me because while I felt much sicker with malaria, it only lasted 2 weeks-- I'd gladly go through with it all again instead of years and years of milder babesia symptoms.
I had Plasmodium falciparum which is the most severe of the 4 malaria species that affect humans. I had an extremely high fever (up to 105, 106) that made me completely delirious and miserable. I had hallucinations, I threw up everything I ate, and I lost control of my bowels for the first time in my life. The worst thing, though, was bleeding from my eyeballs-- it was like crying blood.
My babesia isn't as bad as it is for some other people I've seen post here. With babesia I just have headaches, lethargy, and vivid nightmares. So, for me, malaria was more severe, but at least it was short-term. I'm very grateful I never had any relapse/recrudescence.
quote:Originally posted by imagine2: bashibazouks, Can you describe the differences? Are you saying that Babesia was more difficult to eradicate than malaria? Did you ever relapse from Malaria?
Hope you don't mind my "picking your brain".
Posted by Rumigirl (Member # 15091) on :
Several differences between malaria & babesia: by the time most of us get dx'd with babesia, we've had it for a very long time. And we usually have it with Borrelia and multiple other TBI's that we've also had a very long time.
Plus, Babesia seems to be much harder to treat anyway and get rid of.
The same is true of Borrellia and syphillis. And syphillis is a MUCH less complicated organism and MUCH easier to treat. Not that any of them are any picnic.
I had a friend who got malaria in India and either never quite got over it or had it several times (or both). He eventually had to have a liver transplant, and eventually died. But that is not the usual case.
Posted by 17hens (Member # 23747) on :
blinkie,
My friend replied with this, "Working, so I don't have it in front of me. The main malaria med he got is not readily available in US. Has to come from CDC. Geisinger said if used, patient must be in ICU. Has serious cardiac side effects."
I'll contact her again and ask for the med name.
Posted by blinkie (Member # 14470) on :
thanks, 17hens.
Posted by imagine2 (Member # 3136) on :
I asked LLMD today why one can be cured in 1 month from malaria and babesia takes much longer.
He said it has to do with the replication.
Posted by imagine2 (Member # 3136) on :
bashibazouks, WHAT dreadful experience. If I had seen my eyeballs bleed, I would have freaked. So sorry you had to go through this. Posted by Pinelady (Member # 18524) on :
imagine2--if its replicating in the presence of borrelia I believe then its call resistant strain. So they can make new vaccines....
Posted by imagine2 (Member # 3136) on :
Pinelady, I don't know. Wish I had more details.Will try to remember to ask at next visit.
Posted by arkiehinny (Member # 26546) on :
My ex-husband got it in Vietnam in 1969. I'm not sure if he relapses, but he never did when I was married to him. He did have burning joint pain for several years from Agent Orange exposure.
Posted by canefan17 (Member # 22149) on :
Sixgoofy,
That is my opinion on all co-infections.
The best i've ever felt on treatment was when i went after Lyme and Lyme only (not to say coinfections don't need to be dealt with)...
I just think in real bad babs or bart ifnections that lyme is underneath going to work!!
Posted by 17hens (Member # 23747) on :
blinkie,
I don't know if you still want to know this... but my friend answered me today.
She said that her notes were in a file at the lawyer's office (for the adoption) but from what she remembers, he received 3 quinolones. She thinks the drug he recieved in Africa by IV was quinidine.
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