Little Bluestem
All Good Things Must Come to an End
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- 4,930
Maybe the Mebendazole killed all of the parasites.
Failing 'normal' lab tests now. Any ideas?
- Thread starter justy
- Start date
Hi Justy, did you have the comprehensive parasitology CDSA stool test, I’m not sure on this, but it does not seem to tests for round, hook or tape worms according to this http://www.gdx.net/product/10139 I wonder if it is the right test for you. Might be something to ask the gastro about. Maybe you need a different test.
You said you had been to the tropics before getting sick the second time, how long after your trip did you get sick? Diseases like tropical sprue, and whipples are not diagnosed by examining stool samples, and schistosomiasis is usually diagnosed by anti body tests, they all cause malabsorbtion see http://en.diagnosispro.com/differential_diagnosis-for/iron-serum-lab-decreased/10427-153.html So it can be very important to tell the docs where you have been.
I understand your frustration with doctors that don’t want to talk, but the problem is that patients with long term illnesses with no fixed diagnosis, are a lot of work for any new doctor, who sees them, because there is so much old lab work etc to look at.
The way I found round this, is to make it as easy as possible for them, by writing up before you go to see them, your family history of illness, your personal history, including overseas travel, and any work that you have done that may have exposed you to causes of illness e.g. gardening, the history of your illness, and to write up a list of all failed test results with the date on. And a list of any medications you are on. And a list of any strange reactions to things, like your reaction to Mebendozole. Print it all out and give it to the doctor.
I have found that doctors are very grateful for me doing this, and take me very seriously because of it, they really like all the failed test results written in order, with the dates on, because it saves them lots of time looking through a large number of blood tests. This also saves you forgetting anything, and means the doctor can go back and look at what you have written after the appointment.
Hard to say about your thyroid, everyone’s results fluctuate, all the time, and you are certainly deficient in things that are known to affect thyroid function, unfortunately these kinds of deficiencies will cause thyroid like symptoms, so it’s very hard to say what is causing what, but the cause of the deficiencies has to be found.
Hopefully you are going to have something major show up on your endoscope and that will solve all the problems when it is treated. Something is causing you to be deficient in many things and when it is found there is a good chance of a substantial or full recovery.
Hope this helps
All the best
You said you had been to the tropics before getting sick the second time, how long after your trip did you get sick? Diseases like tropical sprue, and whipples are not diagnosed by examining stool samples, and schistosomiasis is usually diagnosed by anti body tests, they all cause malabsorbtion see http://en.diagnosispro.com/differential_diagnosis-for/iron-serum-lab-decreased/10427-153.html So it can be very important to tell the docs where you have been.
I understand your frustration with doctors that don’t want to talk, but the problem is that patients with long term illnesses with no fixed diagnosis, are a lot of work for any new doctor, who sees them, because there is so much old lab work etc to look at.
The way I found round this, is to make it as easy as possible for them, by writing up before you go to see them, your family history of illness, your personal history, including overseas travel, and any work that you have done that may have exposed you to causes of illness e.g. gardening, the history of your illness, and to write up a list of all failed test results with the date on. And a list of any medications you are on. And a list of any strange reactions to things, like your reaction to Mebendozole. Print it all out and give it to the doctor.
I have found that doctors are very grateful for me doing this, and take me very seriously because of it, they really like all the failed test results written in order, with the dates on, because it saves them lots of time looking through a large number of blood tests. This also saves you forgetting anything, and means the doctor can go back and look at what you have written after the appointment.
Hard to say about your thyroid, everyone’s results fluctuate, all the time, and you are certainly deficient in things that are known to affect thyroid function, unfortunately these kinds of deficiencies will cause thyroid like symptoms, so it’s very hard to say what is causing what, but the cause of the deficiencies has to be found.
Hopefully you are going to have something major show up on your endoscope and that will solve all the problems when it is treated. Something is causing you to be deficient in many things and when it is found there is a good chance of a substantial or full recovery.
Hope this helps
All the best
triffid113
Day of the Square Peg
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- 879
- Location
- Michigan
OMG! Thank you Valentijn! Yes! I have started on Singular and it is causing indigestion pain / chest pain! The problem is that one always thinks it is indigestion but it could be heart attack as I have high blood pressure. But I really thought it was indigestion and plan to bring it up to my heart doc when I go in a coupla weeks. Well, see, I have to take something as allergies are meesing up my thryoid even besides that they are so bad I can't function. What are you taking instead??Good point ... can't believed I missed that completely
In my case I was on one for a year or two, but it turned out an asthma med that wasn't doing anything useful for me was causing acid reflux. My doctor never even mentioned it as a likely cause when I went in about the acid refluxBut when I tried going off the asthma med (Singulair), the acid reflex cleared up completely.
triffid113
Day of the Square Peg
- Messages
- 879
- Location
- Michigan
Justy said: My latest lab tests showed my TSH was 2.39 (range 0.5 - 5.5),
Any TSH >= 2.0 is hypothyroid. See http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2003/nov2003_report_blood_02.htm?source=search&key=TSH reference range
P.S. This is what my TSH is Justy and what causes it for me is low zinc due to allergies. It requires zinc to make stomach acid. And low stomach acid leads to all sorts of mineral shortages and pathogen overgrowth to say the least. Other nutrients required for the thyroid are tyrosine, mB12, selenium, iodine, copper...possibly manganese (read that somewhere, but I never confirmed it), possibly others. On a thyroid website I read long time ago people were saying that "zinc is like a dial to turn up the thyroid". Hypothyroid also causes raised cholesterol. Low sto,ach acid also causes low calcium. I agree with the other poster who says gut issues are key. But the gut issues are caused by low HCL caused by PPI's (which also causes low zinc which will then prevent you from raising your HCL unless it is supplemented). But watch out. Unless you have a concurrant case of h. pylori, which also suppresses HL, getting off PPI's causes rebound acidity. You need to search the web for others who have done it. They get off it 1/16th of a pill at a time over at least 6 months or so. Not easy.
triffid113
Day of the Square Peg
- Messages
- 879
- Location
- Michigan
I should add that I take 1g/day of Olive Leaf Extract and have no gut issues (pathogens) to compound the low HCL I get depending on the zinc level of the moment. (which varies widely depending on allergies).