Parasites

Hi Everyone,

I've been on a UC research binge all week following a very painful abscess last week sent me into a bit of a physical and mental tailspin (amazing how needles and scalpels where the sun don't shine will motivate you).

Anyway, I found a podcast with a NYC doctor who stated that as many as 1 in 5 of people who are referred to him with ulcerative colitis don't actually have ulcerative colitis at all but actually have a parasite. He said that he makes sure he sends his stool samples to a reputable lab that takes the time to thoroughly review these samples for parasitic activity. Has anyone heard this before? This struck me as odd only because about 4 years before my diagnosis of UC, I had my only other GI issues after returning from Dominican Republic. I had a persistent, dull cramp in my gut for about a month after returning with no other symptoms. At the time, my general practitioner diagnosed possible IBS and threw some pills at me with no work to identify the cause of the problem and no referral to a GI specialist.

Fast forward 4 years and I basically developed UC overnight. One day I'm healthy, the next day I have violent gas/mucus that eventually turns to severe pain, blood, inflammation and a trip to the ER. When I described my symptoms to my GI she didn't think it sounded like IBD but eventually made the UC diagnosis after a colonoscopy. I fully realize that I'm still in a bit of denial about my diagnosis but wanted to take a look down this road for peace of mind.

I definitely will be asking my GI about it. Have any of you researched this? Is it typical to check for parasites in stool samples when diagnosing GI issues?

I'm so sorry to hear that you've developed UC. I too am going through my first flare and it's very challenging.

I'm a health practitioner on top of being a UC sufferer, and I regret to tell you that there is no real help out there if you want to cure this. There are modern medications and procedures, but they are not true cures. You are embarking on an epic journey to heal your gut and learn more about your body than you ever thought possible, and you will emerge stronger for it.

I've been to many health practitioners since my flare began months ago and the parasite narrative is an extremely common one that practitioners feed to clients, often without real evidence. I've done all kinds of parasite protocols, many of which just exacerbated my symptoms, and did not resolve my UC. Our bowels are filled with bacteria, fungi, and protozoa that are all native to our GI and supposed to be there. The notion that most people have parasites... I'm not sure about that. Possibly. Either way it's kind of an empty statement. What matters is what's going on with *you*, not the rest of the world, right?

Chances are, you've had low grade inflammation for years, and it's been building, to your ignorance. Eventually you get an acute attack and wonder where the hell it came from, but it was always brewing; and without you knowing about it, you wouldn't have been able to take lifestyle steps to prevent its escalation. I know that's difficult news to hear, but in most cases it's the truth. UC sufferers have a disposition combined with a lifetime of exposure to triggers, until finally their body gives in.

I've actually had parasites before many times, due to traveling in developing countries. Their symptoms are obvious and you don't have to micro-analyze your body to find them. The thing I'd like you to consider is that perhaps you actually have leaky gut combined with dysbiosis. The gut lining is degraded and the bacterial flora are off kilter.

The only stool assay available I know of in north America that can actually find occult parasites is the one available at the Great Smoky Mountain Lab, in North Carolina if I recall correctly. Modern medicine's parasite assays can only detect about 50 of the parasites of the hundreds humans are susceptible to, and they only check about 15-mL of your total stool sample. I had amoebic dysentery after a visit to India and the hospital here in Canada did not find anything in my stool until the 3rd test, and by then I was basically hemorrhaging from my bowel. So if you really want that peace of mind, you'll have to send your stool off to a lab that does a much more thorough investigation. Though, from my clinical practice, and my recent experience, most UC is not due to parasites but gut flora imbalance and erosion of the gut lining.

May the force be with you :)

There are some labs that sell stool tests direct to patient that always seem to find some "parasite, species not identified"

IMO, it is a a crap line to make their report sound more legit.

But, if your GI has not done a stool test for parasites (or one for c.diff) it should be done. But get it don through you doc - not direct to patient.

Even if you do have some parasites, it does not mean they did not multiply after you got UC - not before. We all have some stray microbes and possibly parasites. Usually our bodies eliminate them or keep them in check. When UC is active,some microbes and parasites get out of control. Some people become more susceptible to c.diff infection.

You are wise to be careful of "denial". A good pathologist can tell chronic UC conditions from acute colitis conditions. Misdiagnosis does happen - but that 1 in 5 sounds like bullcrap. But it might be incidental to UC. If it was that common the standard of care would be all over parasites. My suspicious mind wonders if the website author does not own stock in a medical lab selling stool tests.

Good luck