Subject: Adult
Primary diagnoses: psychosomatic disorder
Length of illness: 5 years, maybe longer
Treatment: Iodoquinol x 2, metronidazole x 2,
Severity of symptoms: moderate
Outcome: still symptomatic

Hi there ...
I've had DF for at least 5 years and probably longer. Vague health/GI problems that I could never quite put my finger on - but I knew something was wrong. Not poorly enough to attract any serious attention from medical industry.
Over last 3 years as my own suspicions ebbed and flowed I would try a course of metronidazole or iodoquinol every now and then. (2 of each did not get rid of DF). Then I would think I was on the wrong track and try to understand these health symptoms from some other angle ... Those symptoms: general malaise, fatigue, insomnia, distended abdomen, depression, an apparent malabsorption syndrome : during each course of iodoquinol those same symptoms would abate - and come right back after discontinuation. Physicians finally interested now - prescribed a course of both the above drugs at the same time.
This whole thing has been incredibly frustrating as the med. world was not interested in DF. I still don't know that DF is the problem but I am interested in the similarities between my symptoms and those of giardia infection as well as that of entamoeba hystolytica. I wonder if DF won't soon be found to be a pathogen from which many people are seen to suffer. (Giardia was considered non-pathogenic not long ago). .....

Hi Jackie,

....last two tests were neagtive for DF. i'm somewhat better after the antiparasitic treatment mentioned below and with the supplements. now i think it's flora imbalance that is the biggest problem. agggh. i can't overstate the positive results while i was on the scrips - each time but especially when both at the same time! but it didn't last.
ciao.

...W

Hello Jackie,

Here's the summary ... On about 4 straight stool tests, DF negative.

Symptoms lessened gradually over the last 8 months or so - with great care on my part. (I spend perhaps C$100 a month on supplements such as flax seed oil, green food drink, high-quality protein, and multis).

The biggest news ... the prescription pancreatic enzymes that I had found
helpful but with side-effects were almost instantly replaced with 1 tsp. of
apple cider vinegar 3 times per day after meals. I never would have
believed this - which is why it took so long for me to get around to it.
Within *2 weeks* my weight was approaching my normal life body weight. ( I have had a very difficult time keeping weight on.)

So the diagnosis is: malabsorption, dysbiosis due to likely bacterial
overgrowth and bowel flora imbalance.
W.
Recent studies (Dagci H, Protozoon infections and intestinal permeability. Acta Trop 2002 Jan;81(1):1-5) have shown that pathogenic parasites cause damage to the intestinal wall which is all the more reason suitable stool collection and testing methods should be used to ensure early detection in symptomatic patients - Jackie.