znowman
08-14-2005, 07:19 PM
hi, this is a problem my mother is having, and any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
she has been having an extremely itchy patch on her right shoulder blade for a long time, and recently sought help from the local doctor, who prescribed her a cream (dont know the name, but it is apparently made from peppers). after a few days she started getting and intense burning in the stomach (which she describes as a red hot arrow going through her) she also had diahorrea and sickness (although this seems to have been due to anxiety about the initial pain)
after another trip to the doctors, they prescribed an anti histamine, this seemed to work immediately and all was well, until a few days after taking the last of the tablets, the pain returned. so another course of the tablets was prescribed, this time it took longer to work, but after a few days, the symptoms cleared, but again, after a few days the pain retured, and again the tablets were prescribed, but this time they did not work.
my mother was now getting burning pains all over her body, also prickling feelings around the body and a banging head (like she had been running and the blood was pumping) these symptoms are very sporadic and can come and go in minutes and sometimes last for hours, when she is well, she is normal
the doctors could not answer the problem and hospitalised her. after numerous water and blood tests, no apparent illness was found, the doctors even let a psychiatrist see her, but he said she was not imagining it, and was not going mad
she is now at home and still sufferring from the same problems, from doing research the symptoms seem to be very similar to shingles, although after 5 weeks, no rash has come out
thanks for reading, and any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated, as this is making my mothers life hell, and she has said she cannot live with it much longer
she has been having an extremely itchy patch on her right shoulder blade for a long time, and recently sought help from the local doctor, who prescribed her a cream (dont know the name, but it is apparently made from peppers). after a few days she started getting and intense burning in the stomach (which she describes as a red hot arrow going through her) she also had diahorrea and sickness (although this seems to have been due to anxiety about the initial pain)
after another trip to the doctors, they prescribed an anti histamine, this seemed to work immediately and all was well, until a few days after taking the last of the tablets, the pain returned. so another course of the tablets was prescribed, this time it took longer to work, but after a few days, the symptoms cleared, but again, after a few days the pain retured, and again the tablets were prescribed, but this time they did not work.
my mother was now getting burning pains all over her body, also prickling feelings around the body and a banging head (like she had been running and the blood was pumping) these symptoms are very sporadic and can come and go in minutes and sometimes last for hours, when she is well, she is normal
the doctors could not answer the problem and hospitalised her. after numerous water and blood tests, no apparent illness was found, the doctors even let a psychiatrist see her, but he said she was not imagining it, and was not going mad
she is now at home and still sufferring from the same problems, from doing research the symptoms seem to be very similar to shingles, although after 5 weeks, no rash has come out
thanks for reading, and any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated, as this is making my mothers life hell, and she has said she cannot live with it much longer
Sponsor
quincy
08-15-2005, 01:24 AM
Hi....I would have thought shingles as well as meningitis.
But, the interesting part is the gastro part and a persistence of the skin pains.
I did some searching and came up with something interesting....(I watch too much of Dr. House on TV...haha)...did your mom have a feast of tropical fish before all this happened? One interesting bacterial illness for gastro and skin pain came up....ciguatera. One interesting fact about it was that the symptoms vary and can become worse after months after initial ingestion.
I sure hope there is some resolve for your mom's illness. Please keep us posted.
Best to you,
quincy
But, the interesting part is the gastro part and a persistence of the skin pains.
I did some searching and came up with something interesting....(I watch too much of Dr. House on TV...haha)...did your mom have a feast of tropical fish before all this happened? One interesting bacterial illness for gastro and skin pain came up....ciguatera. One interesting fact about it was that the symptoms vary and can become worse after months after initial ingestion.
I sure hope there is some resolve for your mom's illness. Please keep us posted.
Best to you,
quincy
znowman
08-15-2005, 07:41 AM
thanks for the suggestions, i will definately look into what you have said, there has to be something causing the problems, even though the doctors seem to have given up
again, thanks
again, thanks
ascalapha
08-24-2005, 12:00 PM
Quincy,
Where did you read about symptoms of ciguatera showing up months after the iniial poisoning? I've developed the classic signs but too long after to be typical cinguatera.
Where did you read about symptoms of ciguatera showing up months after the iniial poisoning? I've developed the classic signs but too long after to be typical cinguatera.
quincy
08-25-2005, 03:57 AM
Hi....I didn't say it showed up months after the initial poisoning...I said symptoms can become worse months after initial poisoning.
I don't remember what led me to it in the first place....but I just checked out 4 search pages worth of articles on it. It said that the symptoms last weeks to months.....and for some even years. Alcohol/exercise/sex can increase symptoms. Hot feels cold and cold feels hot for some...
I.V. mannitol is the treatment (but I think it has to be within a certain time period close to the initial exposure). I just read it's possibly sexually transmitted, that the poison can last in the body for possibly 25 years and that the neurological symptoms can continue. Chronic fatigue can be either caused by it or mimic it....that's the interesting part.
This has sparked an interest for me to read more....especially since the push to consume fish and fish oils for omega 3 intake.
How do you know you have it? Did you have the initial gastro/skin symptoms within a few hours/days of ingesting fish?
I don't have permission to post links...
I wonder how many people are misdiagnosed?
quincy
I don't remember what led me to it in the first place....but I just checked out 4 search pages worth of articles on it. It said that the symptoms last weeks to months.....and for some even years. Alcohol/exercise/sex can increase symptoms. Hot feels cold and cold feels hot for some...
I.V. mannitol is the treatment (but I think it has to be within a certain time period close to the initial exposure). I just read it's possibly sexually transmitted, that the poison can last in the body for possibly 25 years and that the neurological symptoms can continue. Chronic fatigue can be either caused by it or mimic it....that's the interesting part.
This has sparked an interest for me to read more....especially since the push to consume fish and fish oils for omega 3 intake.
How do you know you have it? Did you have the initial gastro/skin symptoms within a few hours/days of ingesting fish?
I don't have permission to post links...
I wonder how many people are misdiagnosed?
quincy
ascalapha
08-25-2005, 11:08 AM
Hi Quincy,
Thanks for the reply...I've probably read all the web sites that you have on ciguatera (more, I'm sure!) but nothing substative about late-onset of symptoms. I showed all the usual symptoms (sick soon after the meal, tingling/burning extremities, bone/muscle pain) but some of these worsened 3-4 weeks after they initially appeared. This delay doesn't seem to be covered in the literature although I saw one Australian review that suggested if the toxin binds to fat tissue and there is a sudden weight loss (which happened to me), the symptoms may intensitfy as the toxin is released with the fat mobilization. But I can't find any details on this nor can I find information on any interactions with ciguatera and diabetes (which I have). Seems that weight loss would be a significant event for diabetics who gets poisoned.
Thanks for the reply...I've probably read all the web sites that you have on ciguatera (more, I'm sure!) but nothing substative about late-onset of symptoms. I showed all the usual symptoms (sick soon after the meal, tingling/burning extremities, bone/muscle pain) but some of these worsened 3-4 weeks after they initially appeared. This delay doesn't seem to be covered in the literature although I saw one Australian review that suggested if the toxin binds to fat tissue and there is a sudden weight loss (which happened to me), the symptoms may intensitfy as the toxin is released with the fat mobilization. But I can't find any details on this nor can I find information on any interactions with ciguatera and diabetes (which I have). Seems that weight loss would be a significant event for diabetics who gets poisoned.