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What Causes Heart Palpitations, Chronic Neck Pain, Itching In Anus And Cough?

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Posted on Mon, 15 Dec 2014
Question: Hello, After travel to Dom Rep, in 2011 I developed many allergies, skin rashes & several surgeries for breast abcesses, diarrehea then constipation with orange stool, thyroid went out, nauseated w vomitting several times daily, appetite poor, nail striations, + chronic fatigue(not like me). In XXXXXXX IgE was 320, w other indicators-bilirubins off etc, and then seen what looked like a worm, then another, & again. Told Dr and he prescribed Albenzadole for ascaris. After treatment seen many dead 8"+, allergies went away, no more nausea/vomit, & thyroid & skin went to norm. Then new Dr decides to test worm while on meds-negative. Now w new Dr doesnt believe since test false neg. Taking herbs-treating self, had colonoscopy, then stopped herbs 2 wks before stool test-came back negative. Im getting all symptoms back 10 fold and still seeing many white larvae & worms in stool like when i eat cayenne. Took enzymes & now I feel like something crawling in abd. region all the time. Please help.

Also had chronic feet itching, eye goobers & problems, & can feel them moving through intestines and going into other organs while laying still, lymph nodes swollen all the time, hives, freq urination-seen worm-like things out of urine after Albenza rx. Coughing like I have pneumonia/broncitis overnight for 1 night, then coughing brings up yellow gel w black spots in it. Then chronic diarrehea, abd pains, bloated feeling but cant eat. I can feel shooting pains like when they are going through elastic tendons. Have heart palpitations, and chronic neck pain and then small bumps sometimes, symptoms went away after Albenzadole. AFTER Albenza, had hives for 8-10 wks. Also heartburn & acid after coughing. Anus itches somtimes and is seperate of something crawling on me.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Shoaib Khan (1 hour later)
Brief Answer:
Need to retest stool sample

Detailed Answer:
Hello ma'am and welcome.

Thank you for writing to us.

I have gone through your query with diligence and would like you to know that I am here to help. With my personal experience I have myself seen many stool samples with live parasites (worms) in them, but the laboratory has yet returned a negative result. I do not always understand how this is possible, but the simple explanation is that the stool sample tested may not have the worm or even the eggs of the parasite, which at times is all the technician uses to report a negative result.

But this technique is incorrect, and a repeat sample should be taken at least 3 times before reporting a negative result. I would thus recommend one or both of the following:

1. Retest at more than one laboratory

2. Change your doctor if he/she does not see the recurring symptoms or believe in retesting. I would not normally suggest this, but I do not support negligence and so if your doctor does not want to retest or atlas consider to recognise that there is a problem, then you should consider changing your doctor

I would like to ask you why exactly you are taking the hormones? Is it to prevent pre-menopausal symptoms?

I hope you find my response helpful. Please feel free to write back to me for any further clarifications, I would be more than happy to help you.

Best wishes.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Shoaib Khan (1 hour later)
Thank you. What are considered hormones? as I am not taking any that I know of. Can you give me any idea of what type of parasite you think it may be? I have been sick 4 yrs & couldnt figure out, then earlier in yr found many 8"+ worms. I have changed Drs but either they dont believe me, or are not versed in Parasite education, & symptoms are chronic again. If I can get SOME IDEA of what Im dealing with, it would make it much easier. Please. Is there something I am eating or doing that would cause neg results, even though I see worms and white larvea in stool. Could it possibly be sub standard tests, or uneducated testers. The lab has been given the actual 8"+ worms & still said negative. Did you mean to have 3 sets of 3, ova & parasite tests? (you know how you get 3 containers in one for lab-for 1 test, or 3 sets of the 3 tubes? Can you recommend any Parasitologists in the XXXXXXX Ohio area? Or how I can get diagnosed correctly when stools are negative but still have symptoms and see worms.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Shoaib Khan (16 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
3 different samples to 3 different labs

Detailed Answer:
Hello once again ma'am.

I am sorry, I mistyped hormones instead of enzymes. Which enzymes are you on and why are you taking them ma'am?

It is very difficult to tell which worms they could be without testing them in a laboratory but they could be pin worms, ascaris, etc.

Unfortunately there is nothing you are eating or drinking that can cause a negative result but just inexperienced technicians in my opinion. What I meant by 3 stool samples was to provide 3 samples to 3 different laboratories.

Also make sure you request you stool to be tested for parasites and ova, and not just ova. As the parasites are quite visual, make sure the technician tests them for both parasites and ova. If at all you could put in a request to speak to a technician personally as is possible in my side of Europe, please try to do so.

I am sorry I am unaware of any Parasitologists in XXXXXXX Ohio. But please understand that I myself have faced this issue several times, patients have brought in their stool samples and I myself have seen the parasite in the stool sample but the laboratory reported a negative result. These things can get a little tricky as the technicians sometimes look for ova in the sample and not the parasite, and vice versa.

Please make sure you submit a sample each to a different laboratory. I hope and pray you find success with this, as this is more of a technical issue and not a medical one, but it takes experience to understand your issue because only if you have gone through this, like I have with my patients can you understand and believe it.

Best of luck ma'am
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Shoaib Khan (3 hours later)
Hello again & Thank you.
The enzymes & probiotics were suggested to get digestive tract back in order as with worms & treatment, my body was malnourished as evident w nail striations, & chronic fatigue. Could enzymes be causing outer abdominal crawling on me?(as crawling started after I took enzymes)
As I was originally diagnosed w ascaris & RX-Albenza(gave me hives-not sure if hives were result of worm die off or worms becoming immuned to drug), before original treating Dr retired, what is best treatment. I ve read all over it takes sometimes 2-3 Rx before issue resolved, I m just trying to get retreated, but w succession of errors, is becoming the immpossible. How do I know when the life cycle of eggs/worms are, as obviously the eggs arent always there. I feel them go into lungs-coughing/pneumonia feeling. Can you see the eggs, what do they look like if you can see them, can you provide a link to identify them. Could I have worm type that just go from worm to larvae, or baby worms? Or something rare? Would they be identified by a sputum sample?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Shoaib Khan (17 hours later)
Brief Answer:
Extremely apologetic about delay

Detailed Answer:
Hello ma'am and my sincere apologies for the delay in responding.

Enzymes can make you feel the sensation you have described, but this is rare and you could confirm the same by requesting your doctor to stop the enzymes temporarily and see if your parasite crawling feeling disappears.

in my opinion the hives could have been caused due to the parasite themselves and not the medication (albendazole) or because of the parasite becoming immune to the medication.

You see ma'am, each parasite has a particular drug of choice; like for ascaris albendazole is considered effective, there are other medications like mebendazole, ivermectin, etc.

Yes, parasite infections require either a long course or 2-3 courses as the live parasites die with the first course, but the eggs then grow and develop into adults causing a reinfection, thus requiring another course.

The life cycle of each parasite is different, and so it is important to find the parasite and analyse it in a laboratory to find the specific parasite, and so understand its life cycle.

At times we tend to overthink things, making us feel like the condition is worsening or even experiencing symptoms that are unrelated to the current condition.

Most of the parasite eggs may not be seen through the naked eye in the stool, which is why they have to be examined through a specific microscope in a laboratory. You could google 'helminth parasite eggs', and see some of the eggs but these are not all seen through the naked eye.

I cannot comment on which type of parasite you could have, and whether it could be something rare or not without the laboratory confirming the diagnosis. I am afraid we cannot confirm the type of infestation through the sputum sample ma'am.

I am extremely apologetic once again about the delay, and please do not hesitate to write to me for any further clarifications, I would be more than happy to help you.

Best wishes.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Shoaib Khan

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :2009

Answered : 9409 Questions

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What Causes Heart Palpitations, Chronic Neck Pain, Itching In Anus And Cough?

Brief Answer: Need to retest stool sample Detailed Answer: Hello ma'am and welcome. Thank you for writing to us. I have gone through your query with diligence and would like you to know that I am here to help. With my personal experience I have myself seen many stool samples with live parasites (worms) in them, but the laboratory has yet returned a negative result. I do not always understand how this is possible, but the simple explanation is that the stool sample tested may not have the worm or even the eggs of the parasite, which at times is all the technician uses to report a negative result. But this technique is incorrect, and a repeat sample should be taken at least 3 times before reporting a negative result. I would thus recommend one or both of the following: 1. Retest at more than one laboratory 2. Change your doctor if he/she does not see the recurring symptoms or believe in retesting. I would not normally suggest this, but I do not support negligence and so if your doctor does not want to retest or atlas consider to recognise that there is a problem, then you should consider changing your doctor I would like to ask you why exactly you are taking the hormones? Is it to prevent pre-menopausal symptoms? I hope you find my response helpful. Please feel free to write back to me for any further clarifications, I would be more than happy to help you. Best wishes.