Nov 18, 2018
I’m going to rip it off like a bandaid. Are you ready!?
So basically in a nut shell I found out that in addition to a recent diagnosis of Celiac Disease, I was also carrying around two pesky parasites in my gut! Eww, amiright!? The good news is that it’s not a tape worm cause that would be probably feel like the creepiest grossest thing ever.
Buuuut… Let’s start from the beginning.
First things first:
How did I find out I had a parasite?
Welp, after going gluten free and dairy free, and soy free and nut free and corn free and sugar free and basically EVERYTHING free, I STILL felt terrible. I had low energy, bubbly tummy, loose stools and constant nausea. I wasn’t sleeping well at ALL and was losing weight because I just didn’t know what I could eat. It felt like everything was going wrong in my system. I wasn’t making any progress, and it felt like my symptoms were getting worse by the day.
They say it takes a long time for your gut to heal because the damage didn’t happen over night. So I decided to hang in there and stick it out for a few months while I kept those thoughts in the back of my mind. But, I was still losing weight, and unable to feel like a real human on a daily basis.
After my tour, I finally had time to go see a naturopath for the first time in my life, and MAN. All I can say is, Game changer.
It’s like… she actually cared to hear about ALL my symptoms and past medical history. She listened to me and my odd symptoms and ailments throughout my life for almost an entire hour. On top of that, she made notes and tried finding potential cross links to help identify a cause.
Whatttt?!! Something who actually cares about my entire history of health and is trying to help me get to the bottom of it!? I know. Ahhhmazing. Can I marry her please!? lol
It was love at first question.
My one single Naturopathic experience has FAR outweighed my experiences with the Canadian medical system that I’ve had my entire life. I was just SO tired of only being able to talk to my medical doctors about one issue per visit. Never once did I discuss my diet or lifestyle with my doctors to find out the culprit of my ailments. And that just seems so wrong.
After going on for an hour with my Naturopath about all the things in my life regarding my physical & mental health, I opted to have 3 tests done.
- Blood test (for thyroid – Exhaustion and trouble sleeping for months)
- Urine test (for hormones – Night sweats & bloating)
- Stool test (Complete GI map for pathogens, bacteria, yeast, fungus, viruses, H pylori… the list goes on and on!!)
Obviously I was the most excited about the stool test because I really felt like it would tell me so many things.
A few of my family members (when I say a few I mean my dad because he’s skeptical) asked, well what happens if the tests come back completely normal?
My response was this:
Your body knows when something is wrong. It’s really up to YOU to pay attention to the signals, because you are the only one in your body that can feel all those things going on.
Do you think its normal that your stomach is bloated every night after you eat, even if you eat like a bird? What about your skin – any acne or breakouts that your system is trying to remove from your body? Do you really believe that the cause of your daily watery poops (sorry for the TMI but I’m a real human!) is from a diagnosis of IDB that isn’t even fully understood in the medical world?
My answer is NO.
NO NO NO! I don’t believe IBS is even really a thing! I believe it’s a made up illness that hasn’t been given enough research because there is no pharmaceutical drugs that exists for it. If you believe something is wrong with your body, LISTEN to it. If you forget what feeling normal is because you haven’t felt normal in years, it’s your body trying to tell you that something is out of balance. When you sit at a restaurant, and look around to discover that nobody else is worried about their stomach making excessively loud noises like yours is, something. is. WRONG.
The body is an incredible biome of cells and bacteria that grow and thrice and die and then the process happens all over again. A million times. A trillion bazillion cells at every given moment! It’s crazy really, and beautiful. Our body is capable of so much – including a display of warning signs that something is a-wire and needs support.
So, what did I do?
I listened to the signs. Acknowledged my symptoms. Saw a doctor and naturopath. Got my results. Took actionable steps to get well and will permanently be taking such actionable steps towards wellness daily.
THE PROBLEM:
- 2 bacterial parasites
- complete out of whack gut microbiome & bacteria
- traces of lingering streptococcus (probably from my terrible bought of strep throat last year!?)
- H Pylori
- High sensitivity to gluten
- Very high immune response results (due to my body trying to fight the pathogens)
THE REMEDY:
A 4 month regimen of a daily multi vitamin with iron to replenish lost nutrients, 2x daily probiotic with several different bacteria strains, four different kinds of natural antibiotics twice daily which include Oil of Oregano, Artemisinin, GI Microb X (the main ingredient in a lot of these is sweet worm wood) and Colloidal Silver Spray. I have also recently added in a gut healer which is reducing inflammation and has L-Glutamine in it. Finally – I am to take Digestive Enzymes when I need additional support during meals. Mainly I take these when I am out in a restaurant consuming high fat, high salt foods and unsure of everything that’s going in my food.
What else?
Only eating COOKED MEAT AND VEGETABLES. Soups, crock pot meals and smoothies, and no boxed or packaged foods. Avoiding raw vegetables and sugar (including fruits), also avoiding corn and quinoa (gluten cross contamination). I can’t tell you how much this advice helped me to really reboot my entire system. I was eating soups for breakfast and lunch, and a crock pot meal for dinner. Eating pre-cooked veggies and meats gave me enough nutrients with sustainable hearty portions, while making it super easy on my digestive system so it could focus on healing.
THE RESULT:
Being 1 month into this regimen, most days I feel a million times better but I’m not 100% in the clear yet. I still have some icky days, and usually that depends on the foods I am consuming. I really have to be careful about processed, boxed and packaged foods. By eating clean cooked whole foods for every meal, my gut and body respond much much better.
Of course I do have cheat days occasionally (gluten free donuts = my nemesis!) and when that happens, I usually pay for it the next day. But I do believe I will get fully back to normal soon, and be able to have treats and fruits more regularly. The great news is that now my digestion is something I only think about a couple times a day, rather than every single waking minute. I’ve reintroduced nuts and minimal amounts of soy, sugar ????????♀️ – guilty. Sometimes, I try a very small portion of cheese / lactose, and seem to be tolerating these foods OK, but I think I still need to take it very very slow.
I am sleeping better now, have energy like I used to, and am back to exercising. I just haven’t felt this way in months and years! It’s truly amazing that it took me sooo long to realize that something wasn’t right.
Looking back, what probably happened was a lengthy build up of an intolerance to gluten (we’re talking years). Since I got a celiac test 2 years ago that came back negative, I thought I was in the clear. I never would have known that developing celiac at a later stage is not only possible, but quite common.
Annnnyway…. The lesson I am taking away from all of this really is to listen to what my body is telling me. I had suffered for a long time without really even realizing it.
As always, thanks for coming on the ride of life with me.
It’s soo comforting having you by my side through it all.
xoxo
Hi there thank you for this information, I have been dealing with celiac for years now and am interested in a parasite cleanse, did you do one or is the remedy you listed what helped rid your body? I was pregnant and now breastfeeding so I am waiting to do a cleanse.I was wondering what brands you use for the products and which gut healer with l glutamine. Also, do you use prebiotics? Thank you again !!
Hi Alyson! I did a parasite cleanse with the help of a naturopath, but I’ve also done them on my own. A long time ago I used Dr. Jess’ formulas, though I don’t think she is making them anymore. The L Glutamine I’ve used on it’s own, but it’s also available in a supplement form with many other gut healing herbs like marshmallow etc. That one is called GI revive powder by Designs for Health. You have to be careful because there are a lot of fake supplements on the market. So finding a reputable naturopath or functional medicine doctor/nurse practitioner to prescribe them would be my suggestion. I used prebiotics when I was going through my SIBO treatment plan but not anymore as I’ve been feeling really good the last while. Finding a health care provider to help you do some testing and find out the root cause would be a place to start! Sending a big hug to you!
Parasites are very real in US food and no one is taking notice . Gluten is what parasites feed off of. Now what do see in store gluten free food. Cause they know. Parasites are in farm animals than we buy it at supermarket. I was told I had IBS forever til I almost died from cryptosporidium . I live in US,not a foreign country,still don’t know how I got it. It has destroyed my well being. No sugar,dairy,I have to boil everything and take medication and parasitic cleanses the rest of my life. Parasites can lay dormant and come back when immune is down. All natural herbs do work to stop infection but they can stay in system,that is why u feel good but than get sick again. Or be infected with different type..
Thank you so very much for the story. It is so similar to my own story but I was fifty at the time so the doctors assumed I had a mental disorder because I asked them to check for parasites. And also much like you, my only relief was from alternative medical practitioners. I have to ask were you able to work throughout this whole process and were you able to pay for all of the supplements and practitioners? This is where I struggled. Your story is a blessing to anyone who is out there who feels sick when they eat. And no one seems to help.
Hi Sandy! I’ve worked through some of my gut issues, but unfortunately more issues have also arisen. I take it one day at a time. The supplements are expensive but to me they are very helpful and worth it…. Much better than antibiotics and harsher medicines. I wish you speedy health and recovery!
I am glad I stumbled upon this article. It’ll hopefully save my life.
Thank you!
Thank you so much for this article! I have just gone gluten free in the last 2 months. I am not sure if it is Celiac as I can not afford the Dr bills at this time. I have felt like I am truly sick since I have stopped eating gluten and have been convinced I have something much worse. In the last few days I have discovered that I somehow got a pin worm infection. So now I am researching how to fix things with my body. I just found a wormwood suppliment and an Iron mix vitamin. I am going to try and pick up some of the other things you suggest as well. Hoping this works! Very glad to see that I am not the only one.
Oh dear. You could be experience “die off symptoms” — your gut is going to behave more out of whack before it gets better! Always have to remember that it took years for your gut to get unhealthy – so it’s going to take years to fix it. Trying looking into a parasite cleanse – that might really help you! Iy helped me sooo much!