Brief Answer:
Stool examination for ova/parasites advised....

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

I am sorry for the situation you are in.

First, can you send a photo of the current lump you are having?

Next, you are reporting a personal history of hives and nothing conclusive. Apart the substances you mentioned in the "allergy" section, I'd like to know if you have examined your feces for ova/parasites.

I have seen many of my patients suffering of intestinal worms that have the same hives problems for years. Once I have treated them with deworming drugs, their hives got subsided.

You can send your stool to the lab for further examination. I usually recommend my patients to complete their bowel motion first on a clean bowl, then, mix all the mass before putting inside the container.

Some of intestinal parasites cannot be present at the beginning or middle bowel motion, but they reside in the upper part of the intestines. So, by mixing up, it will be easier for the lab technician to identify the parasite.

Do not forget to send the stool sample within 2 hours after bowel movement, or can store at the refrigerator. You can talk with your doctor about this if you did not run any stool test until now.

By the way, can you send the reports of your immunological and blood tests you did to analyze them further?

Thank you!
Dr.Albana

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Brief Answer:
Once again:parasitic disease to rule out...

Detailed Answer:
Hi back,

Having a personal history of Giardia infection confirms my suspicion of parasites being the culprit of your hives. Please bare in mind that Giardia intestinalis (lamblia) is one of the intestinal parasites.

Actually, it is a protozoa and not a worm. When you get your stool examined fro ova/parasites, they will look for Giardia cyst or trophozoites too along for other intestinal parasites.

I have been studying Giardia infection for many years now (still doing research on this topic), and as mentioned earlier, I have seen many cases of patients suffering of chronic hives (intermittent), the cause of whom resulted to be Giardia infection and other intestinal worms. Once I have treated them with anti-parasitic drugs (3 consecutive cycles of anti-parasitics); my patients have reported improvement.

With regards to other family members being infected, please bare in mind that not all members will show the symptoms. Sometimes, immunity of the patient matters. However, they are all infectious diseases that can be transmitted among family members via oral-fecal route. It is important to implement good hygienic measures, especially when preparing food or after visiting bathroom.
XXXXXXX River Fever is caused by the virus with the same name. It is not contagious as parasitic diseases, but it can be contracted via mosquito bites. Rarely, the disease gets chronic, but do not show rash or hives; the main chronic symptoms include fatigue and arthralgia (pain of the joints).

At the end, from your current medical history and data, my suspicions are toward intestinal parasites. Get your stool checked in the lab for final conclusions.

Hope it helped! If no more questions, do not forget to close this discussion and rate my answer!
Dr.Albana

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