Has anyone had giardiasis parasite?

[Helpimill]

I've picked up this parasite from a farm despite sanitizing my hands. I am so ill. This is day 11 of not holding any food or water. I was discharged from hospital yesterday with antibiotics and sent on my way. I feel absolutely dreadful.

Please, has anyone else has this horrible parasite? How long did it take to get better? I've lost so much weight. I feel so sick and weak.

my kid had it as a baby.we had horrific four months with it.he didnt grow and got tiny.was very scary but antibiotics sorted him out. our doc tested the whole family to make sure we didnt have it as its easily passed on.he's totally fine, but my god that was terrible.interesting to hear what it feels like.obviously he could never tell us but it was awful to watch.

I caught it abroad.....it was an interesting 10 hour flight back. I was ill for weeks, finally diagnosed and took the antibiotics. It unfortunately left me with severe IBS which has caused 15 years of horrendous bouts of it weekly. 2 years ago i tried amitripyline and i am cured!! I have only had 2 or 3 bouts in the last 2 years instead of 2 to 3 bouts a week. It feels amazing to travel without worrying. I just hope it doesnt happen to you and you get well soon. I understand how you feel x

You have my utmost sympathy!

I had it about 25 years ago, given multiple types of antibiotics which didn’t clear what they thought it was and finally 3 months in, they sent off a stool sample. It was deemed very unusual at the time and they assumed I’d been abroad (I hadn’t).
I very rarely vomit but I soon knew every public toilet and even used the absolute worst of ones to avoid soiling myself- I’d get about a minute’s warning max. Grim times.

My insides never fully recovered and over the years I’ve developed multiple intolerances and IBS.
I’d strongly advise you to research now about ways to repair your gut health after you’ve recovered from the initial infection. My diet is extremely restricted and although I’ve got used to it, it’s a PITA at times.

Oh bless you, DH caught it abroad and it was mumsnet who diagnosed him and meant we got medical attention for him. His wasn't too long lasting once treated and he was back on dairy with no ill affects within a couple of weeks. I had no idea it was in the UK! Really hope you're feeling better soon

Best mate caught it in Nepal. Took her about 6 months to recover....sorry.
On a lighter note, her sister bought her a stuffed toy version of the parasite- it truly is a thing Maybe buy one to use as a voodoo doll?

My ds had it in Year 4 bloomin nightmare we had public health out too. He projectile vomited all over the GP's window, while the office staff refused to open the door and see him as they had shut for the day two mins previously....Swimming pools, field water to blame....he plays a lot of footie.He was properly ill for a while, lost weight he could not afford to lose. He got better eventually but it was a difficult year...so sorry for you OP bear with...you will come out the other side.

@radness75

I caught it abroad.....it was an interesting 10 hour flight back. I was ill for weeks, finally diagnosed and took the antibiotics. It unfortunately left me with severe IBS which has caused 15 years of horrendous bouts of it weekly. 2 years ago i tried amitripyline and i am cured!! I have only had 2 or 3 bouts in the last 2 years instead of 2 to 3 bouts a week. It feels amazing to travel without worrying. I just hope it doesnt happen to you and you get well soon. I understand how you feel x

Amitripiline? When I googled, it said it's for mental illness and pain. I have 2 family friends suffering with giardia for years, just checking if this is correct.

I had it when I was living overseas. It was pretty common there. The doc shovelled a load of highly unpleasant antibiotics down me - metronidazole which meant no alcohol for Xmas and New Years. I think I was ill for around 2 weeks then took another week or do to get back to full health as I basically lived off fizzy drinks and couldn’t stomach solid food so was pretty weak plus the medicine made me feel unwell on top of the illness. Good luck and get well soon.

I am sorry to hear this. A friend had this and recovered after seeing a a practitioner called Marc Salmon at The Garden Clinic in West London. May be worth trying if you don't pick up soon.
Best wishes.

Sanitiser isn’t as effective as hand washing for giardia, so you are doing the right thing scrubbing your hands with soap and water. It’s a horrible illness. The weight loss and length of illness is normal, it can take a few weeks to start feeling right. Unfortunately the treatment (metronidazole) can make you feel as sick as the illness, but it’s effective so do persevere all the way to the end of the course. Don’t drink on it, you will be violently ill if you try. The good news is the treatment is effective and you will get better. I feel for you. It’s horrible.

@Bonniface are you a This Podcast will You fan too? OP look up the Podcast on Giardia in the above series. Its very informative
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Aah, yes, it was a lovely gift that returned with me from India. Took two lots of antibiotics to get rid of it and I was still lactose and oil intolerant after that. I managed to wean myself back on to both but 8 years later I can’t eat anything really oily or have too much dairy - a bit of milk in my coffee is now fine but I couldn’t stomach a latte.

I haven't had it but a friend of mine did get it years ago ( early 90s). She ended up in hospital after being ill with it for several weeks as she was severely dehydrated. She didn't know what it was until they tested her during her hospital stay . It did take her several months to recover completely

In the short term, the brat (or at least bland food) diet may help.

www.healthline.com/health/brat-diet#food-list

I know someone who did. It was awful and did last a while. I hope you feel better soon.

DS has it this time last year and it went on for 2 months and several trips to the doctor before it was diagnosed. I thought he was putting it on to get out of 6th form but it was clear it was something serious. Never did find out where it came from either holiday in Mexico or open water swimming. Because of the time to diagnosis we were all tested and DH also had it but nowhere near as severe.
DS has been left with IBS and a sick feeling if he eats the wrong food. We had to give him a bathroom to his self for a while and make sure it was all bleached and clean daily. I ended up buying him a unique set of towels so they were his and his alone.

Good luck it was a long haul and I would say it's not over yet for him.

My daughter had it when she was about a year old.
It took a good couple of months to clear it up and she had to drink pre digested milk (smells like sick)

Thank you all for your replies. I am absolutely gutted. I want to be well for my 2 small children. I cannot imagine being ill for months 😪 I'm so sorry you or someone you know has went through this. It's truly awful.

Did any of you take the antibiotics? Did they work?

It's years ago now but I think I took more than one course of antibiotics.

I had no idea you could get it in the UK actually.

Amitripiline? When I googled, it said it's for mental illness and pain. I have 2 family friends suffering with giardia for years, just checking if this is correct.

It chills you out for lack of a more technical way of putting it, so maybe it works for IBS.

I hadnt heard of it used for IBS before.

Does anyone know exactly how they got it? I had a vague idea about how it might have happened but will never know for sure.

Lassi drinks with ice and/or brushing teeth with local water in Thailand. Super smart.

Not me but my dog. He lost half his weight before we found what it was. Vet said it’s difficult to get rid off.

Apparently it’s present in untreated water all over the world.

Fingers crossed you recover quickly.

For those of you recommending probiotics, how long after my course of antibiotics should I begin them?

You can get some probiotics that you can take alongside antibiotics.