[DaiCroParticipant]

Tom, Mavis, Tina , Liz and all,

Thank you for your support.:-)

Well it really does seem that the problem has sorted itself out…. At least for now but I am a believer in self healing and perhaps my tactical use of paracetamol and my usual regime of eating little (although my appetite has been more than fine) and drinking fluids for Wales has given my body the chance to boot out the bug of its own accord.

If it does return I will go straight in… But I am hopeful. I am still feeling a tad fragile but it is 'DexDay tm' today and that should boost the system nicely.:-D

Thank you all for your support… It was getting to me with so many off days but I am being positive and looking forward to a healthy Olympics and the rest of the Summer in full bloom.8-)

Dai.

[HelenParticipant]

Hi Dai
Glad to hear you are improving, now …. Which event was it that you were taking part in……..
Love Helen

[DaiCroParticipant]

😀 Armchair rowing, swimming and cycling… this week and a whole range of Armchair athletics from tomorrow onwards… its a good way to keep fit.:-D 😎

Dai.

[eveParticipant]

Hi Dai
You sound like my grand daughter,her exercise is keeping her eyes open to watch the Olympics.:-)Eve

[DaiCroParticipant]

Woke up this am feeling very good… then out of nowhere, at 1210.pm my temperature shot up to 38.2.:-P

Of course it's the weekend… :-S

I'm fighting it in my usual way… Movicol, plenty of liquids and a couple of paracetamol… but the paracetamol has only managed to 'hold' the temperature, whereas it usully breaks tit. The decision to 'call in' by 5pm.:-(

Its in the gut again… and I had been doing so well since Wednesday.;-)

Dai.

[tomParticipant]

Dai what is it with you and week ends? Bless it always happens at w/ends.
Hope it soon settles before the 5pm mark? and that aint long now??
Good Luck Dai

Tom "Onwards and upwards" x

[eveParticipant]

Hi Dai

How are things going!!!!

At least you have had some good sport to watch,why you are feeling off colour,I just hope it was in your own home and not in hospital with a high temperature.:-(

Slims in today in the day unit,they are taking his line out at last!!!although his platelets are only 50 I think it is a good thing. Eve

[DaiCroParticipant]

Hi Eve,

I hope that by the time you read this Slim will be line free. I remember feeling whole and physically released after my Hickman Line came out.:-)

Who knows perhaps this freedom will boost his system and bring his platelets up to scratch?

I have had an awfully uncomfortable weekend… I rang in with a temperature of 38.65 on Saturday and after consulting a doctor the bleep Nurse told me to keep an eye on my temperature and to come in to the Day Case if it was still a problem on Monday. I was told to take paracetamol and drink lots but that was it. I was flabbergasted.:-(

So I have had to live with stomach gripes and cramps, excessive wind, extremely uncomfortable visits to the toilet and temperatures that have been swinging from normal to fever with no rhyme or reason.

It's the same complaint I had for the last 2 cycles and after looking up the symptoms I am convinced that I have a parasite called Giardia Lamblia… which can be treated with a drug called Flagyl (metronidazole). I have an appointment with my GP, the same one who was thorough and brilliant the first time round and I am going to discuss the options with him.8-)

The hospital passed the buck on Saturday… at that temperature they should have had me in for examination but I can only surmise that they didn't have any beds… I am not impressed.:-S

Dai.

[eveParticipant]

Hi Dai
I would agree with you about the infection,hope you are taking a sample when you see doctor,you have to find out which one it is.:-P

When Slim was discharged from Kings he was given 200 paracetamol,bit of a shock to be given so many,as you cannot buy more than 30 over the counter,get depressed enough,they might help.:-(, I do not take Slim in for 38 temps,they consider it border line anyway,just dose him up and do my own ops every 2 hours.No beds border line,hours in A&E just not worth it.

I would ask for a list of all side effects for your chemo as you will find your symptoms on the list:-S they often forget to tell you,if you look at how much chemo you have had,the gut and bowel are the last domain for it.

Lets find some good news the Olympics have been good and they seem to have restored some pride in GB,and its been so nice to watch so much of it,specially for Slim as he is a bit house bound.he even watched all the Doris,s playing foot ball lol,If your tummy bug carries on you will have to get a TV in the loo:-0 love Eve

[DaiCroParticipant]

My appointment with my GP resulted in a mutual agreement to test for a bug (Giardia Lamblia) an intestinal parasite that causes the exact symptoms I have noted). 😎

I had tried to be prescient by taking in a sample… but the test requires 3 stool samples from 3 different visits to the WC. So home we went with an appointment to see the doctor Wednesday am. I completed the 3rd sample mid-morning and Janet rushed the samples into the surgery… only to find that the first sample from the previous day had only just departed to the lab… which meant the other 2 samples won't go off until Wednesday am.:-/

In the meantime I felt as ill as I ever have since diagnosis… barely managing to make it to the en-suite and back to the bed. I felt absolutely washed out and in continual pain and discomfort. Janet (bless her) had watched over me all evening and several times during the night… she asked for another appointment for yesterday (granted for 5:30pm) because she felt that I desperately needed something to alleviate my pain and discomfort. When she got home I had her cancel the appointment… I know that I have to wait for the test results and hopefully the treatment which works extremely quickly by all accounts. I will attend tomorrow and hopefully the results will be in from the first sample… my GP was very reluctant to give the treatment blind and I agree. As soon as he has a clue he will prescribe. Apparently the tests can identify several types of parasites, so hopefully we will know better soon.:-P

My discomfort has eased today and the pain is localised. It was batten down the hatches times… the Olympics on iPlayer on my laptop… plenty of liquids, my fan on blast and the window open… I just wanted to be left alone (excluding Janetxxx) – no phone calls or visitors, just a huddle in my bed with my earphones and iPlayer.>:-(

I have been seen by several doctors over the past 12 weeks (since the first symptoms showed… with approximately 2 weeks of the 12 free of the complaint). Each time I have seen a doctor I have meticulously listed my symptoms but not one of them thought to test for a parasite. Jo suggested the possibility to me on this thread… so I looked it up on medicne.net, wrote down the particular bug that seemed to fit closest to my symptoms (about 95%) listed all of the symptoms and presented it to my GP. He was very interested straight away and kick started the tests… he also asked if he could keep my list for research purposes.8-)

So hopefully we can nail this now… I'm still not very good but at least I can function.:-)

Thanks to all… especially Jo xxx.:-)

Dai.

[tomParticipant]

Well done Jo 😎 you just might get dai on the straight and narrow again (i can hear Dai saying "not before time")

Good Luck with it all Dai am sure you and yours are well and truly fed up to the back teeth with it:-(
The pain is bad enough but when you are that washed out its bloom harder to cope with but as i have said before you my friend are the one to do it.

Keep fit

Tom "Onwards and Upwards"

[DaiCroParticipant]

Thanks Tom… and thanks indeed to Jo who put me on the right path. I have had H.Pylori myself in the past but didn't even consider that possibility.8-)

So… 3 separate samples off to the lab and we had our meeting with my GP on Wednesday am. He said that the tests take 48 hours from receipt to process a result… after looking closely at Giardia Lamblia he was pretty sure that my complaint was in that ball park and that the tests, while aimed specifically at Giardia, would pick up up on most kinds of parasitic involvement.:-|

That being the case he said that if I was in agreement he was willing to prescribe Flagyl (metronidazole) now. I was in agreement and Janet was mightily relieved.8-)

Now on my second day of Flagyl (3 times a day for 5 days) everything seems to be moving along nicely. I am feeling nauseous (the favourite side-effect along with a metallic taste which I have managed to avoid) but I am willing to put up with that as long as the drug works… and it seems to be doing that. My motions are returning to normal, my cramps and gripes are lessening and generally I feel I have reached a corner and I just need to go round it and put some distance between me and the bug.;-)

I still feel very weak… the act of going to the WC, washing my hands, admiring my new goatee and returning to bed leaves me breathless and washed out… but I am sure that will ease once the bug has been eliminated. This is my rest week from Revlimid and today should have been my DexDay but I felt so nauseous when I woke that I decided to leave it until tomorrow. 😐

I have my consult on Monday next and all being well (apart from being ill with a stomach parasite I feel Okay) I will start Cycle 7… hopefully feeling fit enough to start enjoying what is left of the Summer.:-D 😎 🙂

Dai.

[HelenParticipant]

Hi Dai
You do sound a bit more cheerful.
I'm glad to see there is a possible reason/cure in process, how has this latest development affected the armchair Olympics? Will you be disqualified now for taking life enhancing drugs?
Love Helen

[tomParticipant]

Dai My you do sound (and i know its silly to say) better than you have on the other posts 😎 I also am gonna use the "Mystic Jo" if ever i feel ill 😀

Good Luck with the new Tabs and hope the little beggers are soon Flushed away Lol.
Am sure we would all love to see your "New" Goatee 😎 so will a photo be posted?

Keep Flush and strong.

Tom "Onwards and upwards" x

[DaiCroParticipant]

Thanks Helen and Tom and you are both right,

On day 3 of 5 with Flagyl (metronidazole) and 'Voila' it seems to have worked a miracle. I woke this morning and took my temperature (I didn't need to because I felt 'cool' for the first time in nearly 2 weeks) 36.60… perfick. Grumbles and gripes gone, just a smidgen of internal wind, motions normal, birds singing on my windowsill (hold on, where's that slipper… good that's got rid of them).:-D

So good news, with 2.5 days of treatment to go. From what I have read online Flagy seems to be very effective against parasites and often produces 'miracle' like results. I was slightly sceptical given the length of time I have been in such discomfort but I was hopeful… and Flagyl has seemingly triumphed!:-D

Rang the surgery this pm for results of my tests but as yet none returned… so I left the good news for my GP… with such tawdry returns from the testing centre I am ever so grateful that he prescribed in advance… I felt so bad on Wednesday before starting the treatment, barely managing to drag myself from bed to WC and back and now here I am, 2.5 days on Flagyl, feeling almost normal… still washed out but that's to be expected but hopefully a couple of days up and about and fresh air (with sunshine please) and my recuperation will be complete.;-)

Working my way back to Tickety Boo.8-)

Dai.

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