Giardia poll

A recent study indicated that giardia infection can lead to a chronic CFS-like condition. Check out an article on that here. Now we ask whether you have ever been tested for or diagnosed with giardia..

I see the poll now.

That's troubling. I can see it and was able to participate in it......Another strange internet occurrence.

I voted "have not been tested", but I've had dogs that tested positive for this and were treated, so it's not at all out of the question that I may have been infected at some point, although if I was, it passed without note.

CJB said:

I voted "have not been tested", but I've had dogs that tested positive for this and were treated, so it's not at all out of the question that I may have been infected at some point, although if I was, it passed without note.

Click to expand...

Same here. Though if I contracted anything as a result, it was 6 months prior to getting ME.

I've never been tested, but I backpacked in the Colorado mountains -- an excellent way to contract giardia, so I wouldn't be surprised to find I'm infected with it along with everything else. On the other hand, I have none of the typical GI symptoms associated with ME/CFS, so giardia infection seems unlikely for me.

February 8, 1991 First clear CFS symptoms.
May 10, 1991 First GI symptoms which continued until about 1995 when I finally gave up all physical exercise.
October 28, 1991 Giardia screen (EIA). Negative.
January 15, 1992 B. hominis found.
February 8, 1992 B. hominis found.

I have never been tested for Giardia but my first symptoms were GI and exercise intolerance which have continued unabated until now.

In 1992 i moved to a new town with my partner and baby, for the next two years my partner and i had constant stomach bugs and GI 'flu's' I then developed IBS - in 1994 i developed M.E. I was told my IBS was incurable - but when my M.E went into remission in about 1999 my IBS symptoms dissapeared, but returned with my relapse in 2008.

An important point i would like to make is that in most cases in the UK you are told you have ' The flu, a virus etc' no matter what you actually have. The NHS rarely tests for which actual thing you have unless they suspect you have a notifiable disease such as measles. Most of us in the UK would have no idea what the trigger nfection was. I even had a lung infection at one point for 14 months and nobody thought to do a sputum test!

Metronizadol - i wasnt treated for the GI issues withh this, but was 4 years ago to try and clear up that lung infection - it made me so ill i thought i was going to die.
All the best (and thanks to Oceanblue for the article)
Justy x

I had never considered this before this great article, thanks Oceanblue

Two months before I developed Whooping Cough & M.E I had a severe bout of what was beleived to be gastroenteritis. The cramps were horrendous, I could not hold any fluids for more than a few minutes & lost 6kgs in a week.
At the time I worked with animals.

Considering how many of us were never tested, maybe this rules out, at least to a greater extent the treatment being the culprit?

Ive never been tested with it... my ME started off virally symptoms which dont sound like this illness.

I know some of the water holes where I used to camp are affected by Giardia as I know someone who got it from drinking out of one. (all the wild goats out there use the same drinking sources)

"The most common symptoms of giardiasis are diarrhoea, nausea and stomach cramps. However, in some cases there may be no symptoms at all."

I do doubt I could of ever caught it (I think I did boil all water from there), I did thou swim in that water (but I already had ME at when I went swimming there).

A very bad, long bout of giardiasis was the final straw for my immune system, after which I was diagnosed with
"CFS" based mostly on some bloodwork. If ever you get it go *straight* to Tindamax!

I had cryptosporidium and blastocystis hominis at same time 3 years ago (along with candida, campylobacter and SIBO).

Also, "parasite present - taxonomy unknown", still have this one.

I was diagnosed with a Giardia infection not quite 32 yrs. ago. My symptoms included severe fatigue. What was a bit unusual was that I was severely constipated. I think the internist suspected the infection because I worked at a ski resort, and frequented the backcountry. ( must have eaten some yellow snow). The symptoms manifested during a river trip. Maybe constipation was a fortunate condition in that case.

I have had many periods of CFS that were concurrent with IBS. Now that I think about it, when one was most extreme, so was the other.