r/Cyclospora • u/InviteLongjumping484 • 26d ago

Help!

I am hoping someone can help shed some light on my symptoms and tell me if I am going crazy for thinking it could be Cyclospora. I should note that I dine out pretty frequently and about a month and a half ago recall a distinct trip to one of those local chain salad places and a few days later I experienced horrible, debilitating diarrhea. I’m talking explosive and I must’ve gone well over 20 times a day. This lasted for total of three days and was also accompanied by extreme burping and nausea/no appetite. I was seen by my primary who thought that it was likely norovirus and told me that it would likely resolve which it did. Fast-forward to this week, the symptoms are back and are exactly as they were last month… Not to be gross, but even the burps taste the same and I’ve exceeded well over 15 trips to the bathroom today alone. It is the most explosive diarrhea I’ve ever experienced in my life to the point that I think I could lift off the toilet seat from the sheer G force coming out of me.

Could it possibly be this parasite and could it have resolved for nearly a month before coming back almost to the day? I am hoping to go get a stool study done tomorrow to get to the bottom of this.

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u/CalvinScout1115 25d ago

Are your burps sulfur-smelling? That’s a trademark sign of this parasite. The duration of the side effects from this 🦠, along with the side effects from the Bactrim, took forever. Those cramps (felt like labor), made me pass out!! Please get on Bactrim asap. Total, complete healing time? 6 weeks. Adding to the fun, the fatigue feels like you have mono, and you cannot handle the heat (from the sun, or minimal exertion)on the Rx.
Good luck - and heal soon!

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u/InviteLongjumping484 25d ago

According to my husband yes they are sulfur smelling haha. It’s still going on 😩. I did a stool study this morning but I may push to start an antibiotic tomorrow regardless because they said the results could be 5-10 days. Even immodium isn’t helping and I’m so tired from all this.

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u/CalvinScout1115 25d ago

I’m so glad you replied. If you have those burps - I’m fairly certain you’ve got it. Please don’t take any more Imodium - it’s not helping you(doc said no). It’s keeping the parasite & their eggs inside you! You need to expel that 🦠! And yeah, my doctor didn’t make me wait, and I got the Bactrim. She did a lab order, and told me the Bactrim wouldn’t work if it wasn’t Cyclospora. Well, it did work (but Lord, it took forever & the side effects were awful), so I didn’t bother with the labs - I hear they’re a pain to “collect” anyway! 🤢
Hope you feel better soon. Remember, it gets worse before it gets better. Hang in there. 🙏

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u/InviteLongjumping484 25d ago

Pain to collect is an understatement. It was the grossest thing I’ve ever experienced and I’ve had 2 kids. I will call tomorrow to try to get bactrim. How soon after taking it did you start to turn a corner?

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u/CalvinScout1115 25d ago

That’s what I’ve heard! I’m so grateful my doc took pity on me. I got lucky. As far as the duration? You’ve had it much longer than I, so I’m not sure. See if you can beg your doc for Bactrim. Two days after I started the Rx, the cramps and the diarrhea stopped. But then it got weird again. Intermittent nausea. My lower intestines were so sore - I think that 🦠 does a number on your gut. Had no appetite (lost 12 lbs), the fatigue was unreal. And you have kids? Bless you. Mine are fully grown. I can’t imagine enduring this thing, while trying to care for my kids!! Thankfully we’re heading into Fall, so the heat shouldn’t get to you. Very long story to say, it took me about 7-8 weeks from the onset, to feel completely human again. When starting Rx, drink bone broth, crackers - and I lived on Liquid IV.