I have long suspected an infx to be the root cause for my colitis...it goes away with abx.

Eother Bb, Bart or Babs...all have been shown to harbour there.

I have positive test for lyme, babesia, and ehrlichia hme and hge...before treatment my GI tract was a mess...severe pain waking me up at 4 a.m. many mornings in a row...bowel movement pain would become tolerable...back to sleep, nauseau off and on...it would come on like a freight train then leave just as it had come...

Started treatment 6 months ago and in my fourth month was freaking out because I thought I had a CDiff infection...bad cramping, diarreah...I stopped taking what I was taking which was Mepron, Zith., and Septra...then the pain was horrible...

But it was the pain identical to what I had before treatment so I thought back...I had taken a little doxy given to me by a veterinarian who felt strongly I had lyme despite the negative ELISAs - anyway the doxy did the trick for me...I figured if I start taking the doxy and everything just worsens it could be a cdiff...if better then it is the tick borne stuff. Sure enough it was in my case...

So I am convinced one of these infections - Ehrlichia I am suspecting is responding to the doxy...

So yes, I think the coinfections can cause strange gastro things and that most gastro's tests will not indicate a huge sampling of bacteria...I went in and took breath tests at the gastro's office for my small instestine and all registered that there was bacteria in my gut. I had been scoped from both ends and they cultured tissue for hpylori as well had numerous stool tests...nothing showed up but this no name bacteria through the breath tests...

Take care and I sure hope it responds to abx therapy...

One thing I suspect is that due to TBD organisms in the spinal column setting-off generalized inflammation to begin with which, in turn affects the nerves, and the nerves send both real and faulty signals to the GI,and other, surrounding tissues, that say turn on inflammation because somethings there.

herniated disc material, vertbrae impinging on nerves, thereby setting of faulty signals that say turn on inflammation.

Colorectal Dis. 2002 Mar;4(2):97-100.

Intestinal spirochetosis: clinicopathological features with review of the literature.

Alsaigh N, Fogt F.

Department of Gastrointestinal Pathology, Dianon systems, Inc. Stratford, USA, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Presbyterian Medical Center, Philadelphia, USA.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical presentation of patients with intestinal spirochetosis, as it is has not been well described in the literature.

METHODS: We studied 15 patients with colonic biopsies that showed spirochetosis. The study group consisted of 11 males and 4 females, 10 of the males were heterosexual and one was homosexual. None of these patients were clinically immunocompromized. A colonoscopy was performed for evaluation of different symptoms. The histological diagnosis of spirochetosis was made on H&E examination and confirmed by Giemsa and/or Steiner stain. There was no evidence of associated active or any specific colitis in any of the cases. The control group consisted of 30 patients, 16 males and 14 females that were matched for age and clinical indications for obtaining a colonic biopsy.

RESULTS: Colonic mucosa with prominent brush border-like surface colonized with large amounts of spirochetes was noted in all 15 cases in the study group and in none of 30 cases in the control group. The clinical presentation in patients with spirochetosis was compared to the control group. Of the spirochetosis patients 86% presented with some form of clinical symptoms compared with 13% of controls. These symptoms included chronic watery diarrhoea in 40% spirochetosis patients vs 5% in controls; a change in bowel habit was present in 33% of spirochetosis patients vs 3.3% in controls. The endoscopic appearance in spirochetosis patients was reported as normal in six patients, 'polyoid' in seven patients, erythematous in one patient and 'lesion' in one patient.

CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that colonic spirochetosis affects a heterogenous group of patients, the majority of whom presented with gastrointestinal symptoms. The variable clinical findings may be related to the infecting organism and the condition may not be harmless in all patients.

Yeast recently was the huge arse culprit that did that to me, down to the swollen groin. Painful and I never left anywhere close to a bathroom.

Let us know what you find out

I hope you get some answers soon W.C.

I was not tested for Bart...and think that I am dealing with that too maybe. I had been treated for UTIs with Levaquin prior to my diagnosis of TBI -

I do notice it improving now day by day but still. Lots of pain and problems. I think it all has to be related.

Whenever my nerve inflamation flares...so does my bowel pain.

So.........I reiterate what I said earlier...all of them have shown up there..but, I have contended for a VERY long time that that bulk of our problems lie in the nervous system.

Why? If you study meridians, chiro, and plain ole alopathic neurology..you will see..that the bulk of our symptoms can be explained by neurological involvement.

Trout

There is a poster on this board "Caat", who has a lyme web-site which contains some information about Bartonella and G.I problems

She listed the information-link to her website for me the Tuesday before Christmas/2004, or there abouts

If the search feature is working, maybe you could locate the web-site, or maybe you know her from Lymenet, and can contact her

Good-Luck, and I'd like to hear what esle you find out about the Bart/G.I connection

He had previously tested positive for Bart with antibody tests at the time of a relapse where he had swollen lymph nodes in his groin and neck.

Also, there is a pediatric GI doc in NJ who was finding a lot of Bartonella in his patients - even more than Lyme.

My son's inflammation was in the ileum and he had some level of pain - ranging from mild to intense for over five years - until about six months ago. I'm not sure what has led to the disappearance of these sx - he's still suffering from many others. One possibility is that he took a product called AMP Molecure for about 5-6 weeks prior to the resolution of GI symptoms. He was not on any abx at the time. I know that if he begins to have sx again, we will start taking this product again.

The naturopath that we are working with now said that he doesn't think this product is actually that well absorbed....but, SOMETHING changed in his system that resulted in a positive outcome....

Now if we can just get rid of the headache, fatigue, myalgias......
http://www.molocure.com/index.shtml

Yesterday I had an endoscopy and it was normal. Tuesday I'm scheduled for the Hida scan. Can Bartonella present with these symptoms or is it more of a burning on and off pain with diarehha?

It helps mine.

In fact, when I go off of it...I get abdominal pain again.

I am trying to figure out when I can rife with a Coil Machine in this area...I herx in the gut...alot.

Trout

From everything I have researched, the information on the internet about Bartonella in the intestines is so limited. There is also such a small amount of information on Microscopic colitis.

I find this bizarre because so many of us are having GI symptoms. The more we can learn the better. Right now I would even try painkillers, but we have to get to the CAUSE...and knock it dead!

Im looking into the Mangosteen juice supplement too-I hope it helps!

Most of the panel deals with Lyme in the gut, but last paragraph says other coinfections have been confirmed in the GI tract.

I must be doing something wrong because when I look up the article, its so darn tiny I cant read anything!

Did you try to print it out?

Is there a place in the toolbar to enlarge it?

OK, I just tried this. If you get the folder on the screen, you can go to the toolbar and click on any number in the box to enlarge it. I tried 200% (up from 50%) and it fills the screen (will have to scroll over to this panel).

Nancy

For others who want to read this part of the folder and can't figure out how to do it, I have managed to copy it and am posting below:

__________________________________

Gastrointestinal Lyme

Martin D. Fried, MD

Director, Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition
Assistant Program Director, Department of Pediatrics
Jersey Shore Medical Center, Neptune, NJ

Lyme disease has been reported in the gastrointestinal tract
of children and adolescents. Pediatric gastrointestinal Lyme
disease may present as abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea,
heartburn, blood in the stool, and it may mimic Crohn's disease
or colitis. Blood tests for diagnosing Lyme disease may be
negative while gastrointestinal and other Lyme disease symptoms
persist. The diagnosis is made clinically on the basis of symptoms
and by excluding other possible etiologies.

Once treatment has begun with antibiotics, most patients
reported a decrease in the frequency and severity of their
abdominal pain. In addition to antibiotics, a low fat diet further
alleviated some of the abdominal symptoms associated with Lyme
disease. In patients who reported having a crampy, colicky, below
the belly button pain, treatment also included antispasmodic
and anticholinergic medications.

After treatment was completed, some residual abdominal
pain may persist for a couple of months at a markedly reduced
level of severity. This diminished pain usually represents the
activation and persistence of the immune system to fighting the
infection even long after the infection is gone.

In addition to Lyme disease, other co-infections such as
Bartonella, mycoplasma, H. pylori and babesia have been confirmed
to occur in the GI tract.

Having c.diff can set off microscopic colitis. My Gi just told me that.
Now its a matter of a dairy free, gluten free diet and calming down the cramping pain.

I'm going to try Culturelle and a total blah diet, and a anti spasmotic drug called Pamisa. Hope it doesnt drug me out! This GI stuff is so nasty, I dont wish it on anyone!!!