Topic: Bart or Parasites? UPDATE: It's Toxoplasmosis
Aniek
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5374
posted
Well, I've got Bartonella or parasites.
I got a call from my LLMD's office today. She wants me to come in because of lab results. I just got a Bart PCR from Igenex and did a parasite test to a special lab. So I'm assuming it's one of those.
I can't make it in until next Friday. I wouldn't be able to start any meds before that anyway, since I have 2 25 page papers due next week. I can't take the chance of new drug reactions until I'm done with them.
So, anybody want to take bets on what I've got? I have been having gastro issues for a year, with lots of nausea. But I had my best improvement on Levaquin, which I think treats Bart.
And if I do have Bart, should I get my cats tested? They are indoor cats, but they could have been exposed when they were kittens, 8 years ago.
posted
My bet is on Bart as it is common with lyme
Parasite are also common but testing is poor. If it is a parasite then my money is on Giardia.
Sorry that you have to go through this while writing end of the term papers.
My hopes are that this will bring you one big step closer to being well.
Posts: 628 | From the south | Registered: Dec 2005
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Vermont_Lymie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9780
posted
I hope that it is whichever is easiest to treat!
Good luck with your papers, I know what that is like! I try to schedule any shifts or changes in treatment by my work schedule...
Posts: 2557 | From home | Registered: Aug 2006
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quote:Originally posted by Vermont_Lymie: I hope that it is whichever is easiest to treat!
OK, so what do I win if I'm right?? I vote for bart, but I'm sure the parasites would be much easier to get rid of....so I'll pray for that one!!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96227 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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Aniek
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5374
posted
It's a parasite test my LLMD just started using. They test for antibodies rather than the parasite themselves. I don't remember the lab, but I had to send stool and saliva samples.
If you win, you get to give me treatment advice
-------------------- "When there is pain, there are no words." - Toni Morrison Posts: 4711 | From Washington, DC | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
It would not surprise me if you have both. If you have bart messing with your gi track it then leaves a great terain for the parasites to run. I have both bart and giardia along with some other parasites.
Posts: 582 | From milwaukee wi | Registered: May 2005
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posted
It would not surprise me if you have both. If you have bart messing with your gi track it then leaves a great terain for the parasites to run. I have both bart and giardia along with some other parasites.
Posts: 582 | From milwaukee wi | Registered: May 2005
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Aniek
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5374
posted
Got my results. It's Toxoplasmosis. It was a saliva test, for the IgA antibody.
The NP said you can't be sure if it's a current or past infection with IgA, but they want to treat me. I can't use the usual treatment, because my LLMD suspects I can't tolerate Sulfa. So they are starting me on clindamycin.
From the quick research, it appears I still need another drug with it (pyrimethamine?) to work. I'll ask when I'm back in 3 weeks. My system probably couldn't handle 2 hard drugs added at once anyway.
-------------------- "When there is pain, there are no words." - Toni Morrison Posts: 4711 | From Washington, DC | Registered: Mar 2004
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Cobweb
Unregistered
posted
Hey- you're not alone- my daughter just tested positive for Toxoplasmosis, which reminds me I need to have the lab work faxed to her LLMD. Carol B
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Aniek
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5374
posted
Of course, it could be from that overly rare hamburger I ate 4 days before the test. I would have sent it back, but it tasted sooooo good.
I've had cats my whole life. And my mom used to feed me raw meat when she made hamburgers. So it's really possible I have had a latant infection my whole life. My cats now are indoor, so it's unlikely it's from their litter.
-------------------- "When there is pain, there are no words." - Toni Morrison Posts: 4711 | From Washington, DC | Registered: Mar 2004
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ConnieMc
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 191
posted
I had toxo and a month of Biltricide seemed to take it out. Do think it is gone, but I am due to be tested again. To make sure.
A vet examined my poop and found it. Also had tapeworm. Took results to my doc and she treated without question. She hooked up with the vet and learned to examine samples herself and now does this on patients who have chronic illnesses. She said she has been extremely surprised with what she is seeing. Like the vet, she thinks parasites are a big problem in humans, especially those with chronic illnesses. Even thinks with some people, the parasites are the CAUSE of the chronic illness.
Why exactly has the medical community at large ignored this concept? It stands to reason that parasites can and do cause illness in humans. So why is this ignored? Money? Probably. The drug companies want illnesses to treat and would rather develop a drug to treat a symptom than try to discover the reason for the symptom.
The vet wants to research this concept. Hope he will uncover some good info. He says there are very few samples he has reviewed that do not have parasites.
Posts: 2276 | From NC | Registered: Oct 2000
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Aniek
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5374
posted
Connie,
One of the big problems is the testing. My LLMD said the tests need to be done within hours of the sample, but that just doesn't happen with the system of our labs.
My diagnosis was made through an antibody test of saliva. Through quest it was negative. I've also had tests done through Geneva (formerly Great Smokies) and I'm assuming they tested for parasites, but didn't find. But it's mailed to them, so who knows what's alive when they get it.
-------------------- "When there is pain, there are no words." - Toni Morrison Posts: 4711 | From Washington, DC | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
I also had toxo - I get a lot of energenic testing stuff done and my LLMD gave me a couple of meds to test out to see which would be the best to nail the toxo. Alinia and malarone were the too that tested out highest to nail it - I used the alinia due that I also had some giardia gong on. The alinia worked and it did not take that long and was not that hard to handles.
Posts: 582 | From milwaukee wi | Registered: May 2005
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posted
I remember reading somewhere that mepron is used to treat toxoplasmosis also. Does anyone know if that's so?
Posts: 70 | From Central NY | Registered: Sep 2006
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savebabe
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9847
posted
I was also wondering if mepron worked.
Posts: 1603 | From ny | Registered: Aug 2006
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posted
One would think that mepron would also work, I did a lot of reading on toxo and pneumosysis and found mepron can be used. But why would you want to get hammered on mepron when malarone could also do the job.
Posts: 582 | From milwaukee wi | Registered: May 2005
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