I had this? The Dr had no idea what it was and it went away on its own although I did try self medicating. Fertiliser? Interesting.Re: the rash on the hands - that won't be a parasite. I have known two people to get that in Cambodia, and both times it was a form of toxic poisoning, most likely from eating vegetables doused in fertilisers. Cambodian farmers don't have the greatest grasp on fertiliser application, and have been known to spray it even just before sending to market 'so it looks nice'. And the vietnamese are pretty gung ho with it. It should pass when the stuff wears out of your system....
Me and my parasite
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- I Love 440 More Than Real Life
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Bad idea man!! Just because you have stopped taking the medication doesnt mean its out of your system. Indeed, after just 24/36 hours off the medication the level of drug in your system is greater than at any time up until the final dose. I once almost killed myself drinking heavily after medication.RockyMtnJay wrote:I guess it is actually more correct to say my parasite and I? I will try to write this as gross free as my feeble mind will allow. I assume most of the local guys here will know all about parasites. But for some reason, after spending more than a third of my time in SE Asia since the start of 2006, I didn't know.
Started having some G.I. tract problems very late in January. A pain a bit below my stomach with intermittent diarrhea. For the first few days I just assumed it would pass (no pun intended).
It drags on and I start checking the Internet. I find a lot of articles about travelers diarrhea. Usually treated with ciprofloxacin but the bugs in SEA are supposedly mostly immune to cipro so azithromycin (Zithromax/Zimax) is recommended. I waste a week or so playing with Zithro. Sometimes it seems to help but I later figure out some days are just better than others. So after a couple of discussions with an expat that had suffered the parasite problem twice its off for a stool test.
I arrive at Naga Clinic late afternoon. They give me a little bag with a small pill bottle and wooden tongue depressor to use as a scoop. I walk in the bathroom looking at this little bottle thinking this is going to be interesting. As chance would have it a couldn't make a sample so I take the kit and come back to my hotel.
The next day and the following day I don't need to go all day. Hallelujah, I have been cured. In fact I think maybe I now have the opposite problem. But later that night it's back to reality and the bathroom.
7 AM the next morning my stomach wakes me up. I take a sample and head off to Naga around 9 AM. They take the sample and tell me to call back for results around 5:30 PM. I call back at 5:30 and get the report I have the dreaded single cell parasite. I've made occasional fun of amoebas over the years. They apparently have chosen now to get even. You can get a stool test at Naga without seeing a doctor. The total damage for the test was $28.
Next morning I have an appointment with a doctor at Naga. I only have to wait 10 minutes past the appointment time to see the doc, not bad at all. He is French with a very thick accent. He seemed very competent but I made him repeat a few things with the thick accent. It takes less than 10 minutes for him to give me the script and all the advice/info. No drinking alcohol while on the meds. I also had him check another problem which took a couple of minutes. Total charge for the doctor visit was $30.
I got the script filled at the pharmacy at Naga. Seven days of 2x a day Flagyl (500 mg) and Intetrix. The total cost of the meds $14.54. BTW the Intetrix was very hard on my stomach.
I finished my meds yesterday evening so I can once again tonight. I'm going to paint the town red (rouge) tonight. If you see a totally pissed American out tonight, it could be anyone of us.
In our next medical episode I'll discuss having a fungus infection in a very bad part of your body while on parasite meds. So basically things like walking and other fun things you might do with that area of your body were out. This article will be called '101 fun things to do in your hotel room in PP'. It may take a while to complete as so far there are only three thing on the list...
So leave the drinking off for another 3/4 days and just stuck to water and juices!!
Fertilizers you say? I failed to mention that during that time, my wonderful penis grew several inches. Now it all makes sense.LadyD wrote:Crikey I've been battling a parasite and self medicating with cipro on and off for a couple of weeks - and you guys have scared the crap (or what's left of it) out of me!
Re: the rash on the hands - that won't be a parasite. I have known two people to get that in Cambodia, and both times it was a form of toxic poisoning, most likely from eating vegetables doused in fertilisers. Cambodian farmers don't have the greatest grasp on fertiliser application, and have been known to spray it even just before sending to market 'so it looks nice'. And the vietnamese are pretty gung ho with it. It should pass when the stuff wears out of your system....
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I don't know which are the reputable pharmacies and which aren't, it was at least in a store. They did come out of a box but I only took one blister pack of six tabs and they seem to have done the trick, although it might just be that my body has passed it in that time.SunSan wrote:Depends on what you're treating! And to be sure of that, you need to see a doctor. Self- diagnosis doesn't always work.
Check the info paper or whatever it's called, in the box... you did buy the cipro in a box, didn't you? At a reputable pharmacy? Or just unpackaged tablets...?
I think I just ate some bad stall food in Ratankiri or Snoul. Either way I was sick a little while longer than I would normally expect to be so took them to be on the safe side I guess.
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The half-life of Flagyl (metronidazole) is 7-8 hours. From what I can see on the Internet Intetrix has a slightly shorter half-life. So it is mostly flushed out of your body after 24 hours. The doctor told me it was OK to drink after 24 hours.tropicsman wrote:Bad idea man!! Just because you have stopped taking the medication doesnt mean its out of your system. Indeed, after just 24/36 hours off the medication the level of drug in your system is greater than at any time up until the final dose. I once almost killed myself drinking heavily after medication.
So leave the drinking off for another 3/4 days and just stuck to water and juices!!
Apparently Flagyl (metronidazole) interacts with alcohol much like antabuse. So you don't want to drink until it is mostly out of your system. I had no problem after 25 hours. YMMV
Many medications have a much longer half-life. So they can stay in your body for days.
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oh please never let this happen to meguyd2 wrote: At that point, the two assisting nurses put a leather bit in my mouth, and hold me tight. The doctor picks up a stick, about 15in long, thick as a pencil, with a hook at the end. I'm thinking "uh oh".
The first centimeters you don't feel much (yeah, sedated skin), until the needle hits your liver. Once the liver is punctured, things go very slowly. And extremely painfully. Imagine a bullit penetrating your body, in slow motion.
After a few minutes of pure torture, the doctor retracts and looks at the needle, and says "we have to do it again, you moved". I remember vaguely uttering something like "you motherf^&%er", so I undergo a second bullit.
_g