Blastocystis Hominis gut infection

[Guest guest]

Does anyone else have any experience with gut infection by B Hominis? It

is widely regarded as harmless in normal people, but many docs think it is

capable of causing severe symptoms in immunocompromised people. That means

me, and a lot of other people on this list must also fall into the

" immunocompromised " category.

I have severe recurring gut pain which is only stopped by abx, but then it

always comes back after 3 weeks to 3 months. The only thing showing in

culture is B Hominis. I don't want to have to go through this cycle for

the rest of my life, but it is not clear that B. H. is actually the cause.

Many docs think that it only appears to cause problems because it occurs

alongside some other pathogenic but unidentified bug which is actually

causing the problem.

My doc " fixed " another patient with the same problem with amoxycillin, so

that is what I am on today. This does not appear in any documentation I

can find, all of which recommends Flagyl etc.

Does anyone have any suggestions for identification or cure?

n

[Guest guest]

How about a longer course of abx. It sounds like the abx work, but

the infection comes back because the bugs weren't all killed, and

if you are like me, your immune system isn't in good enough shape

to kill the bug.

Mike

> My doc " fixed " another patient with the same problem with

amoxycillin, so

> that is what I am on today. This does not appear in any

documentation I

> can find, all of which recommends Flagyl etc.

>

> Does anyone have any suggestions for identification or cure?

>

> n

[Guest guest]

I have B Hominis. When tested a few years ago I had a whole lot of

it. It doesn't cause a lot of gut symptoms for me really. I think

you're right that it is more of an oportunistic infection- present in

a lot of people and in excess in immunocompromised ones. It was my

first misdiagnosis, followed by CFS. I took Flagyl and another drug

(can't remember the name now) for it. The flagyl made me extremely

ill with fever and a reign of miserable malaise, aches etc... I quit

after about 2 days on that and continued the other drug for a while.

When I tried to add the flagyl back again I felt miserable within a

couple of hours. MY doctor (no doubt influenced by my grievances

against flagyl) thought I probably just couldn't handle flagyl and I

stopped after just one dose. I took that other antiparasitic drug for

some months and finally quit as it wasn't making me feel better.

Later I found out that Flagyl often causes severe herxhiemer reactions

in lyme patients by opening the cysts of Borrellia. It can also cause

herxing in cases of Giardia, so I imagine it could possibly with

Blastocystis too. Amoxicillin is widely used to treat lyme as well.

Very suggestive if you ask me. My general impression of B. Hominis is

that it's pathogenicity (is that a word) is very controvertial, if it

is a problem it is when growing out of control in immunocompromised

patients, and that it is EXTREMELY difficult to kill completely. If

antibiotics make you feel better, I'd say keep taking them. I'd say

there is a good chance your affecting the organisms that's screwing

your system up in the first place. That's just my two cents. If you

react positively to the amoxicillin, I would strongly consider the

possibility of a lyme diagnosis as most of the other organisms

implicated in ME ( " CFS " ) are not treated with pennicillins, and in

fact some are made worse according to Nicholson and Jadin.

Good luck

E.

Ticks suck, but lyme disease bites.

> Does anyone else have any experience with gut infection by B

Hominis? It

> is widely regarded as harmless in normal people, but many docs think

it is

> capable of causing severe symptoms in immunocompromised people.

That means

> me, and a lot of other people on this list must also fall into the

> " immunocompromised " category.

>

> I have severe recurring gut pain which is only stopped by abx, but

then it

> always comes back after 3 weeks to 3 months. The only thing showing

in

> culture is B Hominis. I don't want to have to go through this cycle

for

> the rest of my life, but it is not clear that B. H. is actually the

cause.

>

> Many docs think that it only appears to cause problems because it

occurs

> alongside some other pathogenic but unidentified bug which is

actually

> causing the problem.

>

> My doc " fixed " another patient with the same problem with

amoxycillin, so

> that is what I am on today. This does not appear in any

documentation I

> can find, all of which recommends Flagyl etc.

>

> Does anyone have any suggestions f

[Guest guest]

Yes I agree, as does my doctor, but it is so speculative. Sometimes it is

3 months before it returns, which doesn't seem likely if I never got rid of

it. The variabillity in relapse time seems to indicate re-infection from

outside more than continuous infection.

As you know taking long abx courses is not without risk, so I am reluctant

to try this unless I was more sure. If I KNEW that I wasn't killing the

bugs off, I would do this in an instant.

Still I am thinking about it, this pain is no fun at all.

Cheers,

n

At 10:49 08/09/01, you wrote:

>How about a longer course of abx. It sounds like the abx work, but

>the infection comes back because the bugs weren't all killed, and

>if you are like me, your immune system isn't in good enough shape

>to kill the bug.

>

>Mike

>

> > My doc " fixed " another patient with the same problem with

>amoxycillin, so

> > that is what I am on today. This does not appear in any

>documentation I

> > can find, all of which recommends Flagyl etc.

> >

> > Does anyone have any suggestions for identification or cure?

> >

> > n

>

>

>

>This list is intended for patients to share personal experiences with each

>other, not to give medical advice. If you are interested in any treatment

>discussed here, please consult your doctor.

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks for this info . I don't seem to react to amoxicillin, nor to

Flagyl but I still think I may well have Lyme (!). Actually that may not

be true, it seems that anything I take seems to make the gut pain worse,

but no other symptoms. I have yet to decide how to approach my possible Lyme.

I agree with your thoughts on B. Hominis and I probably have never been

free of it since it has shown up in my only two tests - 6 years

apart. Does it cause me a problem? Who knows. I do know that something

is causing me more pain than anything I can remember and that if I don't

get some sleep soon I'm going to shoot myself with frustration. (not

literally).

I am going out to get some Flagyl today.

Cheers,

n

At 13:59 08/09/01, you wrote:

>I have B Hominis. When tested a few years ago I had a whole lot of

>it. It doesn't cause a lot of gut symptoms for me really. I think

>you're right that it is more of an oportunistic infection- present in

>a lot of people and in excess in immunocompromised ones. It was my

>first misdiagnosis, followed by CFS. I took Flagyl and another drug

>(can't remember the name now) for it. The flagyl made me extremely

>ill with fever and a reign of miserable malaise, aches etc... I quit

>after about 2 days on that and continued the other drug for a while.

>When I tried to add the flagyl back again I felt miserable within a

>couple of hours. MY doctor (no doubt influenced by my grievances

>against flagyl) thought I probably just couldn't handle flagyl and I

>stopped after just one dose. I took that other antiparasitic drug for

>some months and finally quit as it wasn't making me feel better.

>Later I found out that Flagyl often causes severe herxhiemer reactions

>in lyme patients by opening the cysts of Borrellia. It can also cause

>herxing in cases of Giardia, so I imagine it could possibly with

>Blastocystis too. Amoxicillin is widely used to treat lyme as well.

>Very suggestive if you ask me. My general impression of B. Hominis is

>that it's pathogenicity (is that a word) is very controvertial, if it

>is a problem it is when growing out of control in immunocompromised

>patients, and that it is EXTREMELY difficult to kill completely. If

>antibiotics make you feel better, I'd say keep taking them. I'd say

>there is a good chance your affecting the organisms that's screwing

>your system up in the first place. That's just my two cents. If you

>react positively to the amoxicillin, I would strongly consider the

>possibility of a lyme diagnosis as most of the other organisms

>implicated in ME ( " CFS " ) are not treated with pennicillins, and in

>fact some are made worse according to Nicholson and Jadin.

> Good luck

> E.

>Ticks suck, but lyme disease bites.

>

>

>

>

> > Does anyone else have any experience with gut infection by B

>Hominis? It

> > is widely regarded as harmless in normal people, but many docs think

>it is

> > capable of causing severe symptoms in immunocompromised people.

>That means

> > me, and a lot of other people on this list must also fall into the

> > " immunocompromised " category.

> >

> > I have severe recurring gut pain which is only stopped by abx, but

>then it

> > always comes back after 3 weeks to 3 months. The only thing showing

>in

> > culture is B Hominis. I don't want to have to go through this cycle

>for

> > the rest of my life, but it is not clear that B. H. is actually the

>cause.

> >

> > Many docs think that it only appears to cause problems because it

>occurs

> > alongside some other pathogenic but unidentified bug which is

>actually

> > causing the problem.

> >

> > My doc " fixed " another patient with the same problem with

>amoxycillin, so

> > that is what I am on today. This does not appear in any

>documentation I

> > can find, all of which recommends Flagyl etc.

> >

> > Does anyone have any suggestions f

>

>

>

>This list is intended for patients to share personal experiences with each

>other, not to give medical advice. If you are interested in any treatment

>discussed here, please consult your doctor.

>

>