8 More Days

Obviously I'm still counting the days until I finish this Iodoquinol prescription. I'm beginning the most painful phase, the last week, when I get more nausea, bloating and diffuse (all over) intestinal pain, rather than just pain in the lower right quadrant. I recall experiencing those side effects toward the end of my first round of Iodoquinol. My doc attritubed those symptoms to 'die off' of the dientamoeba parasite. I scoffed at the 'die off' notion, because I didn't experience 'die off' with candida. However I was sick with gastro symptoms for 72 hours of Alinia (nitazoxanide) treatment for cryptosporidia parasite. I don't know whether those symptoms were caused by alinia side effects or die off. Nevertheless, the pharmacist who compounded my dairy free Iogoquinol said that bloating and all over cramping pain toward the end of the treatment period was indeed die off. I sure HOPE the d-frag critters are dying. Enough already with symptoms and treatment side effects!

After I finish this treatment on August 22, I need to wait for 7 days before I can get a blood test (comprehensive metabolic panel) which will test my liver function, among other things. My doc wants to check my liver after my past several years of taking drugs for pathogenic bacteria, parasites and candida fungus. I don't have any impaired liver function symptoms. However, I know that both flagyl (which I initially took for c-diff bacteria) and Iodoquinol can definitely impair liver function. I also know there are a few herbal treatments (including milk thistle) which can improve liver function. I just hope this 2nd Iodo treatment irradicates the d-frag critters and I survive with a healthy liver. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Abstaining from acidic foods and taking mastic gum again helped reduce the burning stomach pain I recently experienced after taking Iodoquinol. However, today I succumbed to cravings for a decaf iced coffee. I haven't had decaf (or any kind of coffee) in a couple of years, since before I first took HCl capsules for digestion. I know caffeine can relax the lower esophageal valve and allow reflux. Nevertheless, because I'm not taking HCl, I indulged today. I may pay for that 'treat' with insomnia tonight. I'm so exhausted by the heat, fighting d-frag and insufficient sleep last night.

On a brighter (or perhaps morbid) note, I found more 'Giant Microbe' souveniers in the Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe on the Seattle Waterfront today. Last year, when I was struggling with Clostridium difficile, I found a c-diff giant microbe (soft model) at the University Bookstore. I should have also bought the Candida yeast model, but I was sooo hung up on treating c-diff, that I only bought the c-diff doll. However, today I found and bought the H. Pylori bacterium 'doll' to add to my personal gut bug souvenier collection. I checked http://www.giantmicrobes.com and found a few other familiar faces from my distant past (like HPV and TB) but no models of candida, cryptosporidia, enterobacter cloacae, klebsiella or dientamoeba fragilis. I really would like souveniers for all the gut bugs I acquired, suffered from and treated over the past 4 years. LOL