Parasite question
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Parasite question
| Wed, 09-15-2004 - 4:09pm |
Hi everyone!
I'm new to ivillage. I've been having abdominal pain for about 5 weeks now. It's usually a burning sensation around my naval and a few inches above (basically from bellybutton to breastbone). I have occasional nausea and vomiting, maybe the occasional diarrhea (like one time a week), weight loss, fatigue, and it occasionally feels like I have something caught in my throat. I have been on Prevacid for 3 weeks, and so far it has worked pretty nicely, but if I forget to take it one morning, the burning quickly comes back. Lately I've been noticing little black "things" in my stool. They look like small threads (as in needle and thread) and are usually about 1/8 of an inch long. I was originally thinking it was possible I might have a parasite or something because just hours before the burning started 5 weeks ago, I had eaten shrimp that smelled funny and thought maybe it was undercooked or something, but I didn't get food poisoning and didn't vomit. Also, I did spend a part of the summer traveling abroad and thought it might be possible I caught a foreign bug. I've had blood tests done, and my red blood cell and white blood cell counts are both normal. Actually, all of my blood work, urinalysis, and upper GI barium xray all came out completely normal.
I'm new to ivillage. I've been having abdominal pain for about 5 weeks now. It's usually a burning sensation around my naval and a few inches above (basically from bellybutton to breastbone). I have occasional nausea and vomiting, maybe the occasional diarrhea (like one time a week), weight loss, fatigue, and it occasionally feels like I have something caught in my throat. I have been on Prevacid for 3 weeks, and so far it has worked pretty nicely, but if I forget to take it one morning, the burning quickly comes back. Lately I've been noticing little black "things" in my stool. They look like small threads (as in needle and thread) and are usually about 1/8 of an inch long. I was originally thinking it was possible I might have a parasite or something because just hours before the burning started 5 weeks ago, I had eaten shrimp that smelled funny and thought maybe it was undercooked or something, but I didn't get food poisoning and didn't vomit. Also, I did spend a part of the summer traveling abroad and thought it might be possible I caught a foreign bug. I've had blood tests done, and my red blood cell and white blood cell counts are both normal. Actually, all of my blood work, urinalysis, and upper GI barium xray all came out completely normal.
My question is: if I had parasites, wouldn't they show up on one of those tests? And if so, anyone know what the little things in my stool would be if not parasites? My limited diet consists of rice, wheat bread, bananas, chicken noodle soup, and applesauce, none of which I would expect would cause anything unusual. Thanks for the help!

Hi and Welcome to iVillage
Have you had your stool tested?
As someone who has suffered from two parasites, giardia and entamoeba ehistoyltica, it doesn't sound like either of those. Those parasites are microscopic and you would not see them in your stool. They also primarily cause dysentery, and they don't cause vomiting. However, they also wouldn't show up on the tests you've had so far. You would need a stool test, preferably with a sigmoidoscopy and conducted by a tropical medicine specialist, to test for most parasites.
It may be possible that you have some kind of worm. Some of these are visible in stool, and certain types can come up the throat, as well, which might explain the sensations you've been having in your throat (although this could also just be heartburn, especially if Prevacid is helping). Worms are most often contracted from produce, but it's also possible to get them from other infected people or animals (including pets that go outside). Have you discussed these concerns with your doctor? I would definitely let her/him know about it, especially about what you've been seeing in your stool. Again, worms are more associated with diarrhea than with vomiting/nausea, but it's always better to cover all your bases so you can get well as soon as possible. Let us know what the doctor finds. Good luck!
Hi Elleyjay!
Welcome to the board!