Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again. Thank you for the encouragement. Another update. I will be seeing my PCP mid-morning. When I finally had the urge to "go" this morning, I used my grandkids' porta-potty and then filled the stool sample containers that the urgent care doctor had given me yesterday. OMG.

I am super freaked out now, because in my poop I have seen worms with my own eyes. Lots of them. In fact, I have even seen the eyes of one of the worms. (I took close-up photos and then zoomed in.) So yes, I will definitely be taking anti-parasitic medication. Now it is a matter of determining not if, but how much and for how long. (I guess we need to find out what kind of worms these are from the samples, for that.)

It is so weird, because if I had just eaten all of the sauce at the same time that I ate the meat chunks, I never would have had a clue (at this point) that anything was amiss.

But... on the bright side... at least I'm not neurotic...??

(It's a sad day when I get my validation from worm-laden poop.)

WTAF!! Your grandkids porta potty? How on earth did you manage that? Are you a miniature adult?

There's no way this isn't a troll with fecalfascination

It would have been so much cheaper to fly to Costa Rica or Panama and gotten checked and bought medicine there. I went backpacking in the Amazon region with a cousin for a month then went to visit relatives in Costa Rica. I started getting diarrhea in Costa Rica and my aunt immediately had me take a stool sample and we took it to a lab to get checked. I did have something (it has been a while (25 years ago) so now I can't even remember what parasite I had but the medication was of course cheap.

Anonymous wrote:Nothing about this post makes sense from a timeline perspective. There simply isn’t enough time for OP to go from ingesting these “worms” to seeing them replicated in her feces.

—farmer who knows more about worms than the supposed “doctors” on this thread

I will say that it is possible if she already had them. But not from meat ingested 6 days ago.

Nothing about this post makes sense from a timeline perspective. There simply isn’t enough time for OP to go from ingesting these “worms” to seeing them replicated in her feces.

—farmer who knows more about worms than the supposed “doctors” on this thread

I am sorry and appalled that is is costing you so much but seriously, it is much less than you will spend if it isn’t throughly treated! I’m guessing you’re taking albendazole and that test will confirm its cysticercosis.

OP here, laughing about the last two comments. So sorry and embarrassed to have written the most disgusting thread on DCUM!

As to the porta-potty, I know it seems a bit crazy but it works. I am not a miniature adult, though I am on the small side (5'2", 118 lbs). I am in my upper 60s, so yes, it's probably a bit unusual. I used it when traveling (for peeing) during the first part of the pandemic when I didn't want to go in any public restrooms. At first (in my car in the pandemic) it was a bit hard to crouch on it as it sat on the floor behind the driver's seat. Then I realized I could just use the smaller bowl part, rather than the whole thing, with a towel on the driver's seat and another over my lap, and just slip the bowl under me, pee, and slip it out again, pull up my clothes, pour out the pee in the dog walking area, wipe it out and go on my way. So this morning, in comparison, it was actually very easy since I had a whole bathroom and didn't have to go through contortions to sit on it.

As to sanitizing everything, I am being very conscientious, but a PP has raised some things I hadn't thought of, and I will disinfect the refrigerator and the kitchen and the bathroom as thoroughly as I can today. Luckily I have been using a bathroom all to myself and will continue to do so. I always wash my hands thoroughly with soap and water, with extra care when I have diarrhea, so I feel okay about that.

As I've been reading about parasites, I've learned that some are more easily transmissible through unsanitary handling practices (including not washing hands carefully), while others are more likely to be transmitted through undercooked food. It seems that most of the ones I've read about that are contracted through undercooked food are not likely to be spread through unsanitary hygiene, but there are some that can be spread by both routes, and since I don't know what I've got, I do agree I need to sanitize everything and probably isolate as much as I can.

I would think I could wash my underwear in hot water and not throw it out! But whatever. Getting new underwear is very cheap compared to the insanely expensive doses of this anti-parasitic drug. (It's also in short supply. I had to spend mega-bucks on a few doses at one pharmacy ($70 per dose! that's with the discount coupon!) until another pharmacy can stock it tomorrow at "only" about $20 a dose (with discount coupon.) And I have just found out that Medicare is not going to cover the cost of the special anti-parasitic lab test, which means my secondary Medicare supplement isn't going to cover it either, so that will set me back $850.

But as I took my first super-expensive dose and bid my first "good riddance" to these invaders of my body, of course my overwhelming sentiment was that it will be worth whatever it costs to get back to my usual state of health.

This might be the all-time most disgusting thread I have ever read on this site.

Anonymous wrote:OP again. Thank you for the encouragement. Another update. I will be seeing my PCP mid-morning. When I finally had the urge to "go" this morning, I used my grandkids' porta-potty and then filled the stool sample containers that the urgent care doctor had given me yesterday. OMG.

I am super freaked out now, because in my poop I have seen worms with my own eyes. Lots of them. In fact, I have even seen the eyes of one of the worms. (I took close-up photos and then zoomed in.) So yes, I will definitely be taking anti-parasitic medication. Now it is a matter of determining not if, but how much and for how long. (I guess we need to find out what kind of worms these are from the samples, for that.)

It is so weird, because if I had just eaten all of the sauce at the same time that I ate the meat chunks, I never would have had a clue (at this point) that anything was amiss.

But... on the bright side... at least I'm not neurotic...??

(It's a sad day when I get my validation from worm-laden poop.)

WTAF!! Your grandkids porta potty? How on earth did you manage that? Are you a miniature adult?

Anonymous wrote:OP again. Thank you for the encouragement. Another update. I will be seeing my PCP mid-morning. When I finally had the urge to "go" this morning, I used my grandkids' porta-potty and then filled the stool sample containers that the urgent care doctor had given me yesterday. OMG.

I am super freaked out now, because in my poop I have seen worms with my own eyes. Lots of them. In fact, I have even seen the eyes of one of the worms. (I took close-up photos and then zoomed in.) So yes, I will definitely be taking anti-parasitic medication. Now it is a matter of determining not if, but how much and for how long. (I guess we need to find out what kind of worms these are from the samples, for that.)

It is so weird, because if I had just eaten all of the sauce at the same time that I ate the meat chunks, I never would have had a clue (at this point) that anything was amiss.

But... on the bright side... at least I'm not neurotic...??

(It's a sad day when I get my validation from worm-laden poop.)

You should throw away that portapotty and use a separate bathroom and no public facilities until you are completely done with treatment. Wash your hand extremely thoroughly after every bathroom use and I would throw out any underwear you wear during this time. Wash all bathroom surfaces with bleach daily. These infectious are contagious and transmissible by fecal-oral routes and anyone who is a household, kitchen or bathroom contact of yours is at risk of getting it, especially while you are shedding worms and probably for several weeks after you finish treatment. Please take precautions. Also disinfect your kitchen and fridge.

This is why I don't eat meat...

OMG I have to rethink everything in my life, at least in my kitchen. I'm vegetarian but I cook a lot of meat for the family. Someone please explain what is happening. OP-good for you for being vigilant.

Thanks for sharing your story, OP. It's a cautionary tale for others.
Thank goodness you caught the issue right away.
Wishing you a quick and easy recovery.

Omg OP.
I hope you clear it all soon!!!!

I think you’ve also swayed me against pork forever. Not a terrible thing tbh.

OP again. Thank you for the encouragement. Another update. I will be seeing my PCP mid-morning. When I finally had the urge to "go" this morning, I used my grandkids' porta-potty and then filled the stool sample containers that the urgent care doctor had given me yesterday. OMG.

I am super freaked out now, because in my poop I have seen worms with my own eyes. Lots of them. In fact, I have even seen the eyes of one of the worms. (I took close-up photos and then zoomed in.) So yes, I will definitely be taking anti-parasitic medication. Now it is a matter of determining not if, but how much and for how long. (I guess we need to find out what kind of worms these are from the samples, for that.)

It is so weird, because if I had just eaten all of the sauce at the same time that I ate the meat chunks, I never would have had a clue (at this point) that anything was amiss.

But... on the bright side... at least I'm not neurotic...??

(It's a sad day when I get my validation from worm-laden poop.)

Came here to follow up. Glad you are getting treated. Take the medicine no matter the cost and take all of it. There might be some grossness in your stool so brace yourself for that possibility. This and the cost are way way better than missing the diagnosis until later.
-Doctor