I received an email from my mother-in-law yesterday urging me to ask the dr. for more bloodwork to check for parasites. She is concerned with how thin I've become and feels I am not getting better fast enough. ;)
Initially, when the D became a problem, I too worried about parasites. The reason being, my D started after a trip to El Salvador. While in El Salvador, most of our team got sick, including myself and my daughter. Everyone else got better, but my daughter and I didn't. I went to the Dr. and received an antibiotic. My daughter got better. I never did, and from then on, my D got worse and worse until my diagnosis a year and a half later.
In the meantime, I did express my concerns to my dr. that perhaps my symptoms could be caused by a parasite, so I did have several stool samples taken and blood work done. I have all the records with me. (I got a copy of them.) The dr. told me they tested for antigens or something like that. I was under the impression that they thoroughly tested me for parasites, but my mother-in-law's email has me wondering if perhaps they missed something.
When I first met with the GI, I told him my concerns as well, and he said he'd take biopsies to check for parasite infection.
But again, I do wonder if they might have missed something, probably partially because lc is so odd. ;) And because it started after my trip to a third world country. ;)
I'd love to hear thoughts on this.
can parasites cause lc?
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Hi Jennifer,
Sure, anything that can cause enteritis can lead to LC, but that doesn't mean that you still have parasites.
So what did the pathology report show after your GI doc took biopsies? You should always ask for a copy of the original pathology report, because the summary that most GI docs provide to the patient is typically dumbed down so far as to be virtually worthless. GI docs are notorious for missing important clues in pathology reports, because they often lack the training needed to recognize their significance. And many of them even ignore the recommendations made by the pathologist, incorrectly thinking that they know better.
If you have a copy of the original pathology report, it should contain the answers to your question, provided that your GI doc actually remembered to request an analysis for evidence of parisites in the biopsy samples. You have to be able to interpret doctorspeak in order to read many parts of a pathology report, but it's not rocket science, so some of us here can interpret those reports.
I'm not sure that you'll find most parasites by means of blood tests, though. For that, cultures from stool samples are more reliable, and certainly more accurate.
Tex
Sure, anything that can cause enteritis can lead to LC, but that doesn't mean that you still have parasites.
So what did the pathology report show after your GI doc took biopsies? You should always ask for a copy of the original pathology report, because the summary that most GI docs provide to the patient is typically dumbed down so far as to be virtually worthless. GI docs are notorious for missing important clues in pathology reports, because they often lack the training needed to recognize their significance. And many of them even ignore the recommendations made by the pathologist, incorrectly thinking that they know better.
If you have a copy of the original pathology report, it should contain the answers to your question, provided that your GI doc actually remembered to request an analysis for evidence of parisites in the biopsy samples. You have to be able to interpret doctorspeak in order to read many parts of a pathology report, but it's not rocket science, so some of us here can interpret those reports.
I'm not sure that you'll find most parasites by means of blood tests, though. For that, cultures from stool samples are more reliable, and certainly more accurate.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Well, I usually get mine direct from the records department at the hospital, but your GI specialist can provide a copy, (hopefully, he won't be offended). I would think that your PCP would also be able to provide a copy of that report, but I'm not certain about that.
If the copy you have is the original version from the pathologist, it should contain the pathologist's signature (possibly in electronic form). If it contains the gastroenterologist's signature, instead, it's your GI specialist's interpretation of the pathology report. The formats probably vary somewhat from one hospital to another. If your new PCP is from a different facility, she or he will probably need your written permission in order to access your previous records at another hospital/clinic, unless you have already requested that those records be sent there.
Tex
If the copy you have is the original version from the pathologist, it should contain the pathologist's signature (possibly in electronic form). If it contains the gastroenterologist's signature, instead, it's your GI specialist's interpretation of the pathology report. The formats probably vary somewhat from one hospital to another. If your new PCP is from a different facility, she or he will probably need your written permission in order to access your previous records at another hospital/clinic, unless you have already requested that those records be sent there.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
I grew up moving back and forth to Latin America and got sick all the time. Only once of twice from parasites. The single most common cause of traveler's diarrhea is:
My daughter got sick in Guatemala when she was 2, including some blood in her diapers and diarrhea that lasted more than a month. Cultures showed Shiga toxin in her stool, so it was determined she had E.Coli 01:57 or equivalent, although it could have been Shigella too. She now has mild, persistent diarrhea every day and mild food allergy to all legumes, and I'm taking her to a GI specialist. I suspect this form of E.coli has the ability to form biofilms, or somehow never exists the system after the initial infection.Enterotoxigenic E. coli, a type of E. coli that can cause severe watery diarrhea. It is very common in developing countries, where it's often spread on unwashed fruits and vegetables, and in drinking water. It is probably responsible for the majority of traveler's diarrhea, and is very likely the leading cause of childhood diarrhea in developing countries.
