http://www.tribe.net

19 m Austria here, so glad i found that page actually i’m not sure about what i have but the symptoms seem to be very very similar to what you have described :S i didn’t do any trip to “dangerous” countries in the last months, but i guess that probably i could have been infected by any not accurately washed salad or whatever…anyway it all started 3 or 4 weeks ago with acute diarrhea which i couldn’t stop with the Imodium pills the doctor gave me. They even made it worse and caused even more gas production and i felt so gross! I had to open up the windows of my room every time when…you know the smell is the worst thing in my case i guess. The first week was horrible, i was so afraid of dehydration, i tried all possible remedies, like coke and salty things, all kinds of teas, rice….i just felt as i if i couldn’t eat anything anymore and i guess i lost some weight…i swear that somehow i could understand anorexic persons in that situation. i couldn’t drink anymore milk, i immediately felt it running into my belly :O Diarrhea got better by now, i also did the blood and feces exams with negative results, but it just seems so to be giardia to me. maybe i was lucky because it’s not that extreme anymore (i kind of hope that it’s away since in the last days everything was fine in the bathroom, the smell doesn’t smell as disgusting anymore either) but it’s not the first time it seems to improve…it goes and returns soon after…i’ve become a little bit paranoic and the sulfuric smell seems to be just everywhere, i’m scared every time i go to the bathroom! Anyway i can recommend you those coal pills wich are natural and make the diarrhea and gas better (but they color the stool black, so don’t be scared) they absorb liquids and gas and stuff and they seem to be just healthier than imodium or other chemical bullshit, i haven’t noticed any collateral effect or so even though today it’s better, i think it might return, so i’m trying some things i read here like the garlic thing *eeew*, the fennel tea…and i even toke two spoons of vinegar since someone mentioned that giardia “beings” xD really dislike acid things…i’d try whatever, really!
Thanks for making this site, and let’s keep updated,
have a good:)

as giardia is only picked up in 30% of stool samples

so she have me a strong hit of flagyl (4 tabs at once single dose)(which took away the cramps but not the diarrhea/mushy stools) on Monday and she said if I wasn’t feeling better by Wednesday take NOROXIN for 3 days twice a day.

here’s where it gets interesting….I was taking the noroxin and on the thursday I woke up with acute chest pain (they think it was reflux from all the acid and upsets in my body) which I went straight to the nurse and the doc and they seemed confused..(TURNS OUT U CAN GET HEART ATTACK LIKE SYMPTOMS FROM GIARDIA)….after begging them to put me on a drip they agreed- I had spent 2 weeks with acute diarrhea and was completely washed out- emotionally exhausted and just over it.
They gave me the drip and pethadine for the chest pain- I was high as a kite- all the pain went away and they sent me home told me I have turned a corner and will make a full recovery. That was on Thursday. Friday, sat. sun I was feeling ok- no cramping or gas but still loose stools- not explosive diarrhea but Friday was def mushy/diarrhea. Saturday I had semi formed stools and Sunday had mushy semi formed stools.

then- Sunday night- I had had my plain chicken and rice (for 2 weeks had a bland diet of rice, cracker, soup and bread, mashed potatoes etc) was sitting on the couch when suddenly had severe cramping and then run- as fast as I could to the toilet- 3 bouts of diarrhea like liquid (one of the signs of giardia is fatty floating diarrhea) and I though $$$$$$! ITS BACK- HAD A SEVERE PANIC ATTACK AS I WAS DUE TO START MY JOB IN 2 DAYS! My mum calmed me down and the next morning I was again at the doctors at 730 am who gave me a week’s course of flagyl. I will keep you updated on how that goes- work was really understanding and gave me a week off to recover- considering this is week 3 of giardia I am praying this works but have googled experiences of giardia that last up to 6 weeks sometimes longer with it permanently damaging you. My gastroentologist has said if im not better in 2 weeks I need to have a colonoscopy and rule out any other problems which I hope I wont have to go down that path as thats not pleasant…. so I will let you know what happens on the weeks course of flagyl- first day of taking it again im pretty wipped out it’s a strong drug- still cramping and diarrhea.

Im really down and exhausted- this giardia has knocked all the confidence I had out of me, like many others here I am desperate and sometimes would rather not live than have this. if you have any of the above symptoms giardia please tell me your experience and what worked and didn’t work for you-

id also like to know whats happened since your last posts????

From what I can gather you need to get your immune system built up because the people effected more by giardia are people with a low immune system they reak havoc. Many people with a good immune system probably have no bother or fight them off. So you need to get your immune system as good as you can get it. Parasite cleanse either before or after treatment. Then keep taking safe natural herbs, they say ground clove capsules kills the eggs so that sounds a good one to take on a low dosage say 1 capsule 500mg a day after treatment eat fresh coconut as well and gratted carrots. Drink herb teas Fennel is a good one! You must drink plenty of bottle water throughout the day! Don’t give up as it can get you that way, I am trying all these things myself, I have read up hours and hours on giardia almost like going round in a circle nothing conclusive, you are left trying to figure our what to take for the best and will it work! They hate vinegar, that weakens their grip so they say, that made me think maybe they hate hot curries as well! I have put all this info together after hours of reading up articles, so I hope this might help you as I said this is a terrible thing to have and rid yourself of it seems.

My next step is Ozone/hydrogen peroxide therapy.

Will keep you posted.

There’s a fascinating therapy being used in Australia and some parts of the U.S. for IBS, Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis, clostridium infections and the like (maybe even giardia). Contrary to the title of this post — “eat shit and die” — this therapy might be described as “eat shit and live!”

What is it called? Fecal Bacteriotherapy. Check out the link:

http://scienceblogs.com/aetiology/2007/12/fecal_transplants_to_cure_clos.php

I myself actually tried the therapy for a bug (blastocystis hominis) I thought was giving me problems. Nothing much happened for me, oddly enough — neither good nor bad — despite literally ingesting someone else’s shit. Read my comments — “rk900″ — in the above link for more on that (scroll waaaayyy down).

So, in case you haven’t guessed, I’m of the school thought that the terrain (the immunity of the body) is what truly matters, not the enironment (the bacteria, parasites, whatever). In that sense, a healthy person would never get food poisoning, giardia, or any such thing!

Thank god for the internet and that we can decide for ourselves what we put in our bodies rather than dealing with inconclusive tests.

It started as a mild epigastric pain – upper area under rib cage opposite my heart and then progressed to nauseating burps and lots of gas and (for me) intermittent diarrhea. Explosive diarrhea is the word…From there, I was the sickest I’ve been in my life..

Nausea, gas, inability to eat, unrelenting fatigue. I lost 22 pounds. I couldn’t walk – this stuff put me down for almost a month! It was hell. The telltale sign that indicated this was was Girdia was the YELLOW FLOATING STOOL. Sorry to be graphic, but if you have this, you can’t get any real info on what the actual symptoms are and therefore can’t be treated appropriately, even if you have stool samples.

After 5 days of thinking I was sick from ‘food poisoning”, I ended up in the ER – tons of tests, etc. The test for stool was negative for Giardia but I knew this was it – ( I used to be a nurse and the symptoms were a match). The doctor referred me to a GI specialist for follow-up. Those samples were also negative. Here’s the deal: You can have multiple samples taken and there is a greater than 90% chance it will be negative for Giardia until several months pass and the intestine has played host to the cysts for a while.

When I went to the ER, they subscribed Levaquin, an antibiotic, to treat a broad range of potential bacteria incl salmonella. When I went to the GI doc, I was given Flagyl, (metrodanizole) for 10 days. That did not work, so I was given another 10 days of Flagyl. After all of this, I was still sick. After reading on the web about Tindamax (recently approved for use in the U.S.A.), I called my friend, an ER doctor and asked for the Tindamax. In 24 hours, was feeling much better.

I was sick and in bed for 28 days from this crap. The symptoms continued for a month after. They can continue for years after. I have also been in touch with people who have long term problems with it from improper diagnosis’ such as the woman above with a 7 year issue.

Here is what I uncovered through my research:

1.) The Emergency Room M.D.’s need at least 3 samples to test and they have you in the ER for about 4 hours or less. There is not enough time for the right tests to make a definitive diagnosis which is why they prescribe a broad spectrum antibiotic to treat a broad potential set of problems.

2.) There is a SPECIFIC TEST for the antigen for Giardia. Ask for an Elisa/Immunoassay for Giardia in the ER and at the GP and at the GI office. You may have to submit to multiple tests over several days. An Ova and Parasite test for stool will not cut it – you will not have correct results from this test if it is Giardia.

3.) The source contamination for many is through contaminated water and/or food from improper handwashing. In our area, we have been told that the CDC has been trying to track incidences of occurence but the reports from hospital ER’s is inconclusive due to the test results often being negative. What we have found in lots of late night research is that suspicions surround an “endemic population” working in restaurants (foreign born workers)who have long standing and undetected giardia. If they fail to perform proper food prep, you are at risk. The research also indicates the food location sources we receive most of our cruciferous fruits and vegetables from – ie: Mexico, etc. are often imported from farms where substandard farming practices are still in play and night soils are sometimes in use. Therefore, the theory holds that water absorbed by these foods contaminates them. After retracing my food consumption 3-6 days prior to the symptoms, the most likely culprit was lettuce! Improperly washed and/or handled! Since some people never report findings or they recover, the CDC has a hard time tracking this problem, but they have enough reporting to believe there is an issue in the U.S. with it – all tied to restaurant practices in food prep.

4.) Since this illness, I have read numerous studies about how to clean my own foods – 1 gal of apple cider or white vinegar with 2 caps of hydrogen peroxide kills just about everything according to a widely circulated technical white paper. Immerse your fruit/vegetables in water for 15 minutes that is clean or has been boiled (then cooled) for a FULL 60 seconds.

5.) If you are out hiking, BOIL YOUR WATER. Most Filters are useless to kill the cysts. Water sources in central systems (city water) have demonstrated levels that can cause large scale contamination. Studies have shown that CHLORINATION DOES NOT FULLY KILL THE CYSTS. Boil where possible if possible if you suspect any water could be an issue.

6.) You can get this from your cat/dog. WASH your hands, wash their bedding and wash them regularly. Do not let them “kiss” your face – or risk this stuff. Dogs tend to have mild symptoms which can easily be mistaken for mild GI distress.

7.) The cysts are resistant to certain herbs (mentioned above) and certain other things which help prevent their continued attachment to you, their host. I started by cleaning some vegetables (as above) and then using a heavy vinegar based salad dressing since some research shows evidence of the cysts releasing from when doused with vinegar via food passing through the small intestine.

8.) If you’ve got it, back away from carbs and milk/cheese.. It tends to make a majority of infected persons lactose intolerant for a long while. The gas (GAS, GAS, GAS, GAS) created by Giardia is funny to joke about until you actually have Giardia then you will be crying.

9.) Intergrative Medicine Practioners are more in tune with amoeba, parasites and other bugs – if you can be followed up by them, better than a GI doc who will keep drugs flowing but not help much with the residual effects.