Finally....answers and mystery solved! (Please read if you have ever traveled abroad or plan to!)

Hello friends...it's been a long time since I've posted. Besides working and playing taxi to my two wonderful children who have soccer practices, tennis lessons, church activities, 4-H, school activities....I've been dealing with chronic GI issues that just won't let up despite what I do. I've tried medication and special diets...I feel better for a while but then my symptoms return. By symptoms, I mean abdominal pain, cramping, fatigue, bowel issues, GI bleeds, bloating...things that would make anyone miserable. I had been told by a GI doctor that my issue mimicked ulcerative colitis but it didn't fit the textbook case. My daughter told me I should be on that "Mystery Diagnosis" show. Then, one day, my mother-in-law made a comment about how it seemed that all this started shortly after I returned home from the Philippines. This then triggered a memory of a conversation I had had with a co-worker whose father had been stationed in the Philippines during World War 2 and had returned to the States only to have all these GI issues that went undiagnosed until he had a Filipino nurse who recognized his condition as an amoebic dysentery. Amoebic dysentery is an infection of the intestines caused by an amoeba (a parasite found in tropical locations). They can go undetected in your system for months, even years. I looked this up on the internet, and I had every symptom. It even stated how this condition mimics ulcerative colitis.
I returned home from the Philippines in March 2009 and did not start having major GI issues until May 2010. Having discovered some female issues and having surgery January 2011, I thought this would take care of things. Only, it didn't. I had two separate issues going on and I believe they were both aggravating each other. Doctor after doctor, test after test...no one was able to really solve what is wrong with me. Even the medical test showed everything was fine. So, how is my mystery finally solved...


http://http//www.abachiropractic.com/doctor/chiropractor/4L/toledo-chiropractor/meet-nancy-pickens.htm


My nutritionist.! I started seeing a nutritionist after a friend shared how much she was helping her with her issues. I shared with Nancy, my nutritionist, what I was experiencing, and she listened. (Something a lot of doctors did not do....) She said she wasn't surprised that the medical tests came up showing nothing as parasites are difficult to detect. She started me on a 6 week homeopathic parasite detox program. Within a few days, I began to feel better. Within a week, the GI bleeding had stopped. And this past Sunday, I told my husband that I am starting to feel normal again.


Why have I had to go through all this? It has cost me literally thousands of dollars trying to figure out what is wrong with me. I have no idea where I picked this infection up...was it the milkfish with the eyeballs still on it (delicious but a little disturbing seeing a fish on a plate look back at you), the salad, the Tang I drank at the orphanage, the countless pieces of fresh fruit...who knows. Why did I get ill and the rest of my family seemingly all OK? Maybe my immune system and my GI system are naturally weaker...I don't know. But I do know that I am feeling better, this issue has strengthened my faith, and I have learned a whole lot about nutrition and myself.


And the lesson I learned in all this to share with everyone...if you aren't feeling well after traveling...please tell the doctor you have traveled to another country. My GI doc never asked me that question once. And if the doctor you are seeing isn't helping, seek another one, and don't be afraid to think outside the normal medical box and seek alternative help.


When I return to the Philippines which we hope to do in a few years, I will be much more careful what I eat knowing now how sensitive I am. And, I'll be more knowledgeable if something happens again so I don't have to deal with it for almost 2 years like this time!!!

As for now, I am just thankful I am feeling better and just celebrated 3 years with my son!