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Bad Bugs? Dientamoeba Fragilis & Blastacystis Hominis

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 9/9/2008 6:24 PM (GMT 0)
I was just released from the hospital after two weeks and am having a more than difficult time getting through this 'flare'...my tests come back recurring colitis and I feel real bad...on 60 pred but unable to add anything else due to side effects...

feel unable to get nutrients so I feel as if I am starving...

 

Now to the reason I posted...While in there, several nurses were quite inquisitive of my condition and past 13 year year history...They truly wanted to help me...My husband had seen these BAD BUGS on badbugs.org and questioned them for the past several years...Each time I mention to test for them through Genova, each doc walked away, never to mention it again...After 3 doctors, I was taking the hint...However, one nurse told me a very interesting story...A camping trip in Maine where out of 300 fireman, only her cousin got sick...Severe colitis, steroid dependent, life ruined... On full disability and due to that they had to investigate...One year later they tested the water and found those two bad bugs...Again, only effected one person, but like many of us sufferers, it took his life away....

 

Has anyone here had experience with these? Been tested? Outcomes? Insight?

 

Two of my nurses feel there is a need to investigate our drinking water...They were very concerned about all the colitis they were seeing up here in Maine and the patients being labeled as Crohn's or UC patients and put on lifetime drugs... (Their words) Noone interested in looking for the actual cause...(again, their words)

 

My first problem was in Mexico, then with Nsaids but for the past 13 years , no rhyme nor reason for flares...My last two were hideous, the prior almost costing me my life due to med interactions and such....

 

So darn sick right now but hoping to hear from any of you regarding these bugs as the possible culprit or at least a direction to turn for more info...

 

One of my docs said I just need to 'deal with the cards I've been dealt' and 'likely 20 years from now they will find it was a bacteria'....WHAT???? This has just got me thinking idea

 

Hope everyone is feeling better than I....I feel like poo smhair

 

Peace to all~MamaDove

 

PS. Any ideas how to get extra nutrients other than those unhealthy ensure and boost drinks?

Posted 9/9/2008 8:28 PM (GMT 0)
The bad bug connection is fairly likely, but I think that there are more than a couple. The antibiotic approach does not work forever - it just makes the bad guys resistant. Antibiotics have shown good results in several of our posters here, but the posts were about feeling wonderful while they were on antibiotics. The antibiotics that are used are fairly nasty with side effects like peripheral neuropathy and they also eliminate the bugs that reduce inflammation allowing the nasties to take over once the antibiotics are stopped. IBS (not IBD) is also a hazard of taking antibiotics. The best solution to this problem is probiotics - Lactobacillus bacteria supplements. Since the amount of bacteria in a pill is 1/1000th of the number in the gut, feeding the good guys that are already in the gut is a good plan. The best way to do this is with a home-made yogurt/kefir (aged 24 hrs+ to eliminate the lactose). There is also lactose-free milk (lactaid milk) that should do the same thing, if you can tolerate it. There is research showing that whey selectively supported the growth of good bacteria which resulted in the competitive elimination of some bad ones.
Posted 9/9/2008 9:55 PM (GMT 0)

Thank you Keeper...

I wonder why I am craving Lactaid since I have been in the hospital and it has helped tremendously...

I need to get on with some good probiotics too, like Flora Q, I wonder when to add them esp. now that I am dealing with a gut that clearly does not work as well as prednisone which just eats me up altogether...

Will the lactaid milk be enough to add the goodies back for now just so I don't have to add anything new like the FloraQ as of yet?

I have tried Kefir and Yogurt but they don't seem to do me good...The lactaid is so 'comforting' and that is quite a feat being that my last two years experience has made me afraid of anything I put to my mouth...

I hope I can figure this all out for good and this will be my last dealing with toxic guts and the dreaded pred tongue

Thanks again for the pep talk on what the abx can cause to kill those bad bugs...I needed a dose of reality...

Peace~MamaDove

Posted 9/9/2008 10:36 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Mama-dove! Hope you get to feeling better soon. Did you at least find a better hospital to go to than the one where you had your bad reaction? I had all my symptoms before I moved to Maine so I wouldn't put me in the "maine" group for that. But I'm always open to new theories!
Posted 9/10/2008 1:23 AM (GMT 0)
Hi MammaDove...I hope you feel better real soon!

I don't have any insight, just a couple questions....

Why do none of your docs not want to use Genova? And why do you want to use it? Are they considered more reliable for detecting parasites? Just curious...

Also, Keeper, are probiotics effective against parasites as well as bacteria? It seems that badbugs.org website is talking strictly about parasites, though I didn't spend lots of time there....

MammaDove, have you ever seen a naturopath for anything? I just wonder if some of their options for testing for and eliminating parasites might be helpful... It's really interesting that two of your nurses recommended getting your water tested. Maybe they know something... Are you on standard municipal water?

These are just my thoughts and questions. Wish I had some answers for you. I do know, though, that our GIs believe Crohn's is caused by an infectious agent (bacteria? ...a parasite never crossed my mind....). I will keep you in my prayers!
Posted 9/10/2008 5:09 AM (GMT 0)
MamaDove - if you have been taking antibiotics, you will need to take a probiotic to repopulate your friendly gut bacteria. They are more readily killed and once the other bacteria have dominance, it is hard to re-establish the friendlies.
EMom - parasites are antibiotic resistant because they are quite different from bacteria and don't die off from antibiotic treatment. Likewise, the probiotics don't displace them because they are so different from bacteria. They can be treated with other means though. Propolis is a fair anti-parasite agent and turmeric is also somewhat effective. It does depend on what parasite is involved. For a quick reference, see: http://www.innvista.com/HEALTH/MICROBES/PARASITE/TREATPAR.HTM
The usual source of bacteria-caused immune reaction is normal gut bacteria. A research paper examined the immune globulins in blood and identified several normal gut bacteria that had caused the immune reaction. Crohn's is apparently due to gut permeability which permits gut bacteria to pass through the gut lining and trigger the immune response. That is fairly common and the problem arises from the abnormally strong immune reaction in Cronnies. Known causes of gut permeability are: gut infection, NSAIDS, stress, alcohol and a number of others, but those are the main ones. Gut inflammation depletes the glutamine reserves and taking a glutamine supplement helps gut healing. Turmeric is also a good anti-inflammatory and has a component that aids in repairing gut damage (as well as being an antibiotic etc.).
Posted 9/10/2008 6:42 PM (GMT 0)

Would taking probiotics help me ABSORB nutrients again???

I am losing weight now daily and feeling like I can't eat enough...Also, what kinds of FATS would be helpful at this time? I usually eat lowfat due to no gall bladder and what I consider to be an unhealthy lifestyle...I was also diagnosed with fat malabsorption by Genova (duh) so if I am not absorbing fat how do I gain weight and get nutrients???

OMG...I can't do this crap anymore, it's exhausting allready...

Sorry, losing hope fast shakehead

Thanks for any help anyone

Posted 9/10/2008 7:06 PM (GMT 0)
MamaDove if you don't mind me asking what happened with the LDN? You were doing so well on them and now sounds like you went downhill fast. I am so sorry you are suffering so, I will pray they find out the cause of these problems. (((BIG HUGS)))
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