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Just diagnosed with "parasite present, taxonomy unknown" !!!!

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 7/30/2012 8:25 PM (GMT 0)
What in the world does THIS mean?

My history- 44 year old female diagnosed with UC approx 15 years ago. Am currently on Asacol and Remicade (14 months).
4 weeks ago I went to a "non-traditional" MD and did a DNA stool test (can't remember the name off hand). The results were as above, "parasite present, taxonomy unknown". My Dr is trying to come up with a plan of action.

Could this POSSIBLY be the issue instead of UC?
What sort of crazy meds does one take for unknown parasites?????

I'm not sure what to think. Are parasites better or worse than UC?????
Posted 7/30/2012 8:59 PM (GMT 0)
Forreal, try to find out the name of your test. That's pretty interesting you have an idea of why your immune system is under fire.

I also had the same exact diagnosis as you, through a stool test done through Metametrix labs. Except my parasite was half a parasite, and dead.

Anti-fungals are your best bet to ward on parasites, Garlic is especially toxic to parasites. You could pretty much follow the same protocol as I am, a candida-control diet, because like candida, parasites feed off of carbohydrates (sugar + starches).
Posted 7/30/2012 9:01 PM (GMT 0)
Yes! It was Metametrix labs. So how did you eventually find out that it was 1/2 a parasite and that it was dead?
Posted 7/31/2012 2:47 AM (GMT 0)
Sounds like a jumble of "Stone Temple Pilots" lyrics - "half the parasite I used to be," combined with "dead and bloated"

yeah

Sorry I couldn't help myself devil
Posted 7/31/2012 3:06 AM (GMT 0)
Ah, what I wouldn't give to have a parasite smilewinkgrin

So if you get rid of the parasite, Uc symptoms are gone?
Posted 7/31/2012 3:19 AM (GMT 0)
"Sounds like a jumble of "Stone Temple Pilots" lyrics - "half the parasite I used to be," combined with "dead and bloated"

Hahaha! My thoughts exactly...(well close anyway)


Red_34 said...
Ah, what I wouldn't give to have a parasite smilewinkgrin

So if you get rid of the parasite, Uc symptoms are gone?

I have no idea. I am waiting to see what this Dr pulls out of her sleeve for me. I will be floored if I've been going around like this for the past 15 + years all for a frickin' parasite! The drugs, the experiments, Remicade....ugh.....
This will be really incredible. I wonder how the bad the drugs are going to be that I am going to have to take?
Maybe I still really DO have UC but I also have parasites?? Geez, so many questions.....
Posted 7/31/2012 3:53 AM (GMT 0)
oh dear! well hopefully the dr will be able to clear things up for you shortly! It'll be good news if its not UC, but rather something that can be treated. Good luck to you.
Posted 7/31/2012 4:00 AM (GMT 0)
What kind of lab returned the result? Usually you submit 3 stool samples to be tested for "Ova and Parasites". And if positive you get an exact identification. However, if present in small numbers they might not be easy to find (and that's the reason for multiple samples).
I am not an expert but wouldn't DNA give you an exact identifcation too? I mean if it can point to a criminal highly likely why not your bug too?
Posted 8/2/2012 10:14 PM (GMT 0)

forreal said...
Yes! It was Metametrix labs. So how did you eventually find out that it was 1/2 a parasite and that it was dead?

Forreal,

I went to see my naturopathic doctor who went over the results with me, and when we hit upon the parasite section, he said the lab identified a parasite (a dead one or what was left of one) but they could not identify the actual parasite. He then explained how it could have gotten into my body, which is when the immune system is under-active, allowing pathogens, bacteria and invaders to come in... and then it became overactive.

I suspect I was smoking too much marijuana/drinking too much in college which crashed my immune system (I was always sick with colds, fatigued, etc) and then all the sudden was having all of these problems! (UC).

Garlic is the best supplement to get rid of parasites.

Has your test results revealed anything else about your auto immune activity? For me, my doctor sees the high level of Yeast in my system is a crazy threat (causing auto immune), and we tested what drugs would get rid of it, and its very resistant, so we are going the supplement route.

All of the supplements (ADP, paraguard, etc) are in my signature! I hope your doc prescribes them on top of whatever meds he is going to prescribe! =]
Posted 8/2/2012 10:28 PM (GMT 0)
Please don't take this as critic but rather a sign of my lack of knowledge in this area;

How many scientific studies has actually proven that what you say is correct regarding parasites (garlic, carbs, staraches). There is lots of mumbo jumbo out there on the internet regarding candida
Posted 9/23/2012 2:13 PM (GMT 0)
hello curl3d,

Go to the HUMAWORM website. Just add .com. They will tell you all about it. 90% of us have them and 97% of people in the funeral home test positive, so they are obviously destructive. In less than I week I went from barely walking to going up stairs and from blurry vision to clear. I have a list of problems that are all explained by a parasitic infection. Please read their info right away. I read all about parasites for a week and read that the prescription for this "unidentified" parasite is expensive and that they often come back quickly. They say you can become resistant to these drugs. The pharmaceutical companies, in my opinion, keep the doctors in the dark so we can fund their one billion a year business. The product I am suggesting is all natural and herbal. It is not expensive compared to others and it is easy to use. I have no affiliation with them, I just cannot believe I have spent 40 years being sick and finally am getting real results and not just a bandaid without treating an underlying problem. I do have a kidney issue so I cannot blame all on this but the fibromyalgia and the lyme disease were helped too. Good luck.
Posted 9/23/2012 3:46 PM (GMT 0)
I don't want to rain on your parade because I chase after parades myself. It is very possible that maybe you have discovered something that could lead you down the path of getting "cured". On the other hand, I think you should take your new knowledge with a grain of salt. I'm not convinced right now that the test results were of any value or even reputable. Some of these places just tell you something that they think you want to hear. I don't understand how they can identify that you have a parasite but can't tell you which parasite it was. How can they tell that? I'm just saying you shouldn't take this thing at 100% face value as if it were absolutely true. Also, I'm guessing that we all have some parasites of some kind, even healthy people. If you find out anything further please keep us informed.
Posted 9/23/2012 3:51 PM (GMT 0)
Yup we did that test three years ago with my daughter and had the same result. Tried every low carb diet and anti parasitic supplement under the sun (and I'm really not exaggerating much) but nothing. If you search this site, you will see this is a result that is not uncommon in Metametrix. I don't believe now that it means much. I'm not saying don't pursue it but that's been our experience. Also, I showed my GI that test and she said that the best medical labs in the world could not give you a breakdown of the contents of your gut like metametrix did so she doubted an alternative lab could. That doesn't mean it's not legitimate of course but I would be cautious.
Posted 9/23/2012 4:21 PM (GMT 0)
I wouldn't take the diagnosis too seriously either. I always thought I had a parasite as well and I'd love to do the testing but I did regular stool tests and they didn't show anything in the results... I also tried antitbiotics without any huge improvement in my condition. People will say whatever they have to to get you to go back and spend more money. I am not saying this is definitely the case for you but keep your eyes open.
Posted 9/23/2012 4:23 PM (GMT 0)

notsosicklygirl said...
I wouldn't take the diagnosis too seriously either. I always thought I had a parasite as well and I'd love to do the testing but I did regular stool tests and they didn't show anything in the results... I also tried antitbiotics without any huge improvement in my condition. People will say whatever they have to to get you to go back and spend more money. I am not saying this is definitely the case for you but keep your eyes open.

gotta get rid of U.C. somehow. I don't believe the immune system keeps attacking randomly. It attacks something. I wanna know what it attacks and why.

why does it keep triggering.
Posted 9/23/2012 6:39 PM (GMT 0)
Somedude: I have some experience in having had two autoimmune diseases. Having said that, there are theories out there of all different kinds and really no evidence. That's why the doctors themselves don't know diddly. I think the main accepted theory in autoimmunity is that you have genes which make you susceptible to autoimmune diseases, providing the right triggers come into play. That means that even if you are genetically predisposed to getting an autoimmune disease it doesn't mean you ever will if none of the so called triggers ever comes your way. What the triggers do is trick your body into forming antibodies against something in your own body. The trigger could be an antibiotic or a virus or a bacteria, or probably a million other things. Lets use a virus example. A virus enters your body and your immune system forms an antibody to fight that virus. Unfortunately, the DNA in your colon, or a "good bacteria" residing in your colon, has a somewhat similar structure as the DNA structure of the virus. Your immune system manufactures antibodies to fight this structure and keeps the antibody design in a kind of body computer file to be remembered forever. Your body attacks and may or may not completely kill the invading virus. Unfortunately, since your colon or that good bacteria in your colon has the same similar structure as the virus your body will then keep on attacking that DNA structure, maybe forever. This is why so many of the treatments for autoimmune diseases revolve around slowing down or stopping your immune system and this is also why when you taper down or quit these medicines altogether, your immune system will fire back up tapping your bodies computer code file containing the antibody recipe and you are back at it all over again. Of course this is just one of the main theories and there is really no proof for any of it. Sometimes just eliminating the trigger will not work because the antibody's recipe is already been stored in your body's computer file.

Post Edited (garylouisville) : 9/23/2012 12:46:12 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 9/23/2012 6:44 PM (GMT 0)

garylouisville said...
Somedude: I have some experience in having had two autoimmune diseases. Having said that, there are theories out there of all different kinds and really no evidence. That's why the doctors themselves don't know diddly. I think the main accepted theory in autoimmunity is that you have genes which make you susceptible to autoimmune diseases, providing the right triggers come into play. That means that even if you are genetically predisposed to getting an autoimmune disease it doesn't mean you ever will if none of the so called triggers ever comes your way. What the triggers do is trick your body into forming antibodies against something in your own body. The trigger could be an antibiotic or a virus or a bacteria, or probably a million other things. Lets use a virus example. A virus enters your body and your immune system forms an antibody to fight that virus. Unfortunately, the DNA in your colon, or a "good bacteria" residing in your colon, has a somewhat similar structure as the DNA structure of the virus. Your immune system manufactures antibodies to fight this structure and keeps the antibody design in a kind of body computer file to be remembered forever. Your body attacks and may or may not completely kill the invading virus. Unfortunately, since your colon or that good bacteria in your colon has the same similar structure as the virus your body will then keep on attacking that DNA structure, maybe forever. This is why so many of the treatments for autoimmune diseases revolve around slowing down or stopping you immune system and this is also why when you taper down or quit these medicines altogether, your immune system will fire back up tapping your bodies computer code file containing the antibody recipe and you are back at it all over again. Of course this is just one of the main theories and there is really no proof for any of it.

This is great. I thought about something like that. You wrote it well, good stuff.

Now, all we need is something to reset this, or make it forget. SOMETHING!!!!!...

Ok...Gary, now theorize why some people get diagnosed with U.C. and then go in remission randomly for 10 years doing the same thing they did before...

...you see, I could use 10 years right about now.
Posted 9/23/2012 8:58 PM (GMT 0)
I'll have to think on that one. Could be any numbe of reasons since everyone is so different. I'm going to be busy for a day or two but I'll think on it and get back to you.
Posted 9/24/2012 12:42 AM (GMT 0)
There are so many variables to this and everyone is so different it is almost impossible to come up with good theories about anything. Much of it doesn't even make any sense. One thing I will say is that everyone has a different definition of remission. Most people consider remission to be not having any symptoms or a clear colon scope, even though they are still taking meds. In these cases the underlying autoimmune disease is still at work, just under control as long as meds are taken. In cases where someone is more on the cured side, not having any symptoms and not taking any meds, it could very well be that whatever triggered their UC in the first place is no longer present. I believe that in many cases it is not just one trigger but several triggers. We'll call them A, B, and C. You may be living your life just fine and trigger A comes along, no problems. Trigger B comes along, no problems. But, when you add triggers A, B, and C altogether at the same time, poof - you have UC! In my previous virus example, I am starting to believe that your immune system is not actually attacking your colon cells but that your immune system has been tricked into attacking and killing one of the good bacterias in your colon. There is a lot of evidence that in many UC patients there is a huge imbalance in the good vs. bad bacteria in your intestines. Maybe this is a result of the immune system killing the good bacteria, allowing the bad bacterias to thrive in your colon, giving you UC. Most of this is over the heads of even the specialists so there has to be a lot of luck involved in finding an answer to anyone's particular case.
Posted 9/24/2012 7:18 AM (GMT 0)
Yer this is a good theory,I think that in some ways is the premise of the SCD diet,(breaking the cycle) that is the the food we are eating when the intestinal balance is up the creek,is starving the good bacteria and allowing the bad bacteria to feast (on carbs)
Posted 9/24/2012 2:42 PM (GMT 0)
Everyone I have heard of getting tests from this lab gets that parasite line thrown in. I think it may be a catch-all for everything they don't identify.

Also, while a parasite could cause diarrhea, or even degrade the mucosal barrier, it is unlikely to create the specific histological changes in mucosal cells that are the hallmark of UC diagnosis.

get some meds to kill the parasite, but don't get hopes too high that this will cure UC.
Posted 9/24/2012 3:13 PM (GMT 0)
I wouldn't be so quick to critique an outside lab test, like Metametrix, that has years of recognition on it. I could go further into saying that a lot of researchers suspect many cases of crohns and colitis are propelled by bacterial/parasitic elements. I don't thinks antibiotics will never do anything for your condition except 1. eliminate all bad and good bacteria, creating more problems, or 2. making viruses/fungi more resistant to leaving the body.

What meds do you know of that kill parasites from within the gut?
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