Parasite Question

In my ten years here, this is the first I've heard of it...anyone else?

Never heard of it. Maybe she drank cistern water that wasn't clean. Could happen, but definitely NOT 3 out or 4 transplants get it.

sounds like the doctors are trying to discourage people from moving to the islands!

I haven't even heard of 1 out of 4 people experiencing dysentery from drinking cistern water, much less that 75% get parasites. What about locals? Are they supposedly immune to this parasite?

Ciguatera from eating infected reef fish is the one parasite I've heard to be wary of, but that affects locals more often than transplants, as more locals eat the potfish likely to be infected.

Cats and dogs get assorted types of intestinal worms. Perhaps a human could get something like this if tape worm segments were in a cistern. A doctor should be able to cure that quickly, though.

If they figure out what the truth is about the parasite, please let us know. It would be one for the books. I hope she gets the help she needs and feels better.

Thanks for all your replies to this post. I had never seen anything like that posted on this board so it made me wonder what is really going on. I for one am glad to hear that it is not a common occurrence! Would hate to think that this type of parasite thing was just sitting around waiting for me to get there!

Has she had her white blood sell count checked? I say that because it sounds serious. I would like to know the name of that doctor,because it sounds shade. Parasites are animals, they have names and they don't discriminate.

I ,too, would want to know the name of the doctor... Did she see Dr Macariola who specializes in infectious diseases? I would also like to know the name of the parasite.

BTW, that "mold in buildings" deal is pretty sketchy. In the states it is a huge insurance scam for people to get work done on their houses. And as I understand it there is no evidence that "mold" causes al the symptoms that people come up with.

I too, have never heard tell of such a thing! Cistern wise, there was a problem at Sibilly school way back when when leaves from Mango trees got in it and it was treated with Clorox as well. This did present an unhealthy issue and had to be resolved. Can't remember now the name it was given.

As for the mold, I believe it is certainly possible. Drywall really isn't a desired product in the Islands, I would certainly use other alternatives. I have seen how moldy that drywall can get when exposed to water.

Been here 8 years and never heard of this before.

do people usually refrain from drinking cistern water? are there conditions whereby you'd drink your own cistern's water or do you rely upon bottled water at all times? i read some info on UV filtration for cisterns but also read that someone said never to drink the water in your cistern. what's the general rule of thumb?

Most don't drink cistern water unless they have some sort of filtration system. I have a sink-top filter and it tastes OK to me...

I don't have a filter and I drink my cistern water. I do chlorinate the cistern and down spouts regularly. I admit that I like the taste of Aquafina better than the taste of cistern/rain water, but Aquafina is the only brand of water I prefer over cistern/rain water. I also drink tap water when I eat at restaurants and I've never had a problem.

And, let's face it...you can really drink just about any water...I mean, dogs drink out of mud puddles and it doesn't hurt them! Our bodies are designed for drinking water wherever we can find it....

Been in my house 28 years and drinking the cistern water the whole time - one must take mineral supplements since rain water has no trace minerals - have a small particle filter before the pump that needs emptying about every 6 months - also I have never bought water , that might change my mind. I do not use chlorine and have had the water tested by UVI once or twice.

This excerpt from the linked site. Scary!!
http://www.gcnm.com/colon_cleansing_detox.html

"It is true that most of these infections occur in developing countries, but the rate of parasitic-related disorders in North America is skyrocketing. An astounding number of people would test positive for parasites. This is from the Parasitology Department of the University of Cambridge, England: “Pinworm. An extremely common nematode infection, particularly in temperate areas such as Western Europe and North America… It has been estimated that the annual incidence of infection is over 200 million, this probably being a conservative figure. Samples of caucasian children in the USA and Canada have shown incidences of infection of 30% to 80%, with similar levels in Europe.”

Thanks for all the replies and I am glad to hear that this "parasite" thing is not a common occurence. I have sent her an email asking for her Dr's name. Hopefully she will get back to me soon. What ever it is that she has she has lost 65lbs. There isn't much left of her. They (the Dr's in STT) reccommend that she leave the island until she gets better. So she is moving back to the states at the end of April for an unknown period of time. As for the mold she is staying at Blue Beards Castle. Supposedly, according to her, there are alot of condos (I guess that is what they are - it looks like an oversized apartment) that have mold in them and are making people sick. I personally don't have first hand knowledge of either of these things in her condo so if someone is living there please do not take offense. I am just going by what I was told by her.

I just heard back from her. She used Dr. Goldstein and Dr. Dukes.

I thought Dr. Macriola was a peditrician??? Am I missing something or has my child been going to see the wrong Dr. since Christine left?

No, Dr Mac is both. He is the ID guy at the hospital. Must be Dr Goldman, the GI guy. Dr Dukes is an OB-GYN. Well, if it was Dr L Goldman, he is in the know. But still would like to know the name of the bug...

Oops. I did forget to ask her the name of the bug. I will find out.

Moving back to the mainland is not going to do anything to rid herself of a "parasite". Parasites go where you go and leaving the island will not make her well.

If the doctor gave her the advice that she needs to leave the island until she gets better, he is telling her she is suffering from something in her everyday enviroment/surroundings.

Which could be mold (everyone has different degrees of tolerance) or allergies or fumes, etc.

Dr. Dukes is a OB, so I highly doubt he has a lot of knowledge in this field.
She needs to see someone that has this knowledge!
Wishing her the best and that she comes up with some real answers soon!

Re: "toxic mold"- http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/toxicmold.html

She needs to see an Internal Medicine MD. Does she have hiccups? I had a patient about 20 years ago in Louisiana who spent alot of time in the woods and marsh and he picked up a lung parasite, He took several different meds. including IV antibiotics for months in the hospital and finally got well and went home. He had hiccups day and night, poor guy. The doctor did alot of research to figure out how to treat him because this was so rare. They first should get a sputum culture, chest xray and of course bloodwork. Hope this helps and hope she has good insurance,
Donna,RN

Been trying to reach her. She is between there and here. Her cell phone contract was up so she didn't renew it and is waiting till she gets back her to get another one. She still sounds very sick. At this point I am unsure of what is wrong with her. She said the parasite has a long name. She would have to look it up and let me know exactly what it is called. Thanks for everyone's help and insight to this matter!!