Why I Stopped Zero Carb...(warning - gross parasite post ahead)

zero-carb-carnivore
illness
(Niko Neko) #1

I was sick for a month, nausea, back pain, abdominal cramping, water pouring out my back side, unable to stay hydrated – and it turned out to be from a [parasite] (https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lUirOY2Xf_4), Cyclospora, from stupid cilantro, which as a carnivore - wasn’t mine and I didn’t eat - but it was cut up on the same cutting board I used for my steak (my bad - I did that).

I couldn’t keep anything on my GI and in desperation got some pectin based, “fruity bear” candy and would have one once in awhile just to get some energy / food into me. I was on the verge on going into the ER (which my doctor recommended) but waited a few days, had an ultrasound at the hospital which came back fine except my liver was slightly enlarged and fatty. I had almost zero appetite, non-stop nausea and I dropped a lot of weight. Pills I took for it were intact in the toilet - insane.

The joints in my fingers swelled up because apparently the parasite can cause an auto-immune reactive arthritis commonly for up to six months.

My fellows did not get sick because I cooked the cilantro they ate and their food wasn’t cross contaminated like mine.

I never watch the news so had no idea there was a large scale outbreak of Cyclospora :nauseated_face: :poop:

Doh!

Anyway my fingers hurt a lot so I probably won’t post as much and it’s going to take me awhile to feel better. :+1: I think I’ll go back to low-carb, for now I can’t digest food too well yet still, although I’m very hungry :raccoon:

I contacted my doctor to see if there is follow up labs she wants to do to confirm I’m part of the outbreak and to see if I should be on the recommended antibiotic. I’ll be back :smiley: :+1:

(Edith) #2

Were you eating your meat raw?

#3

Did you take an anti-parasite treatment?

(Niko Neko) #4

About three weeks ago I made a curry for my husband and son and had bought a fresh bunch of cilantro and I re-used either the knife or cutting board on my steak. Ironically I most likely caught this from cross contamination with produce :sweat_smile:

I always cook meat thoroughly even if it’s steak or a cut I could cook rare, eh’ I just don’t trust food quality these days where I live.

@FrankoBear - I wondered if my doctor was going to put me on antibiotics, this is a protozoan and they give you sulfa antibiotics but he was like: YAWN. He didn’t care at all.

The reaction to this parasite causes a reactive auto-immune arthritis and it made me wonder how many young people get horrific auto-immune arthritis caused by parasites like protozoa and are never told anything other than, “these things happen”

#5

Protazoal infections can go into a dormant cyst stage with repeated episodes of diarrhoea and reactive vomiting. A GI medicine is usually indicated as treatment as the dehydration and gut lining damage can get quite severe. I hope you have recovered.

(Niko Neko) #6

Contacted my doctor today because I’m back to square one being sick and she’s looking into specialized testing for me. :+1::nauseated_face:

(B Creighton) #7

Cooking this steak with a surface temperature of 160 F for more than 6 min should have killed any parasite??? Did you use this knife again after cooking the steak?

(Niko Neko) #8

I’m really unsure, if I did it would be accidental. I used to work as a cook, so cross contamination and food prep surfaces are something I think about a lot, maybe slightly obsessively sometimes, so I thought I was a victim of irony. I always say the universe loves irony, so giving a cook a cross contamination illness from produce when she’s a carnivore is kinda the ultimate cosmic joke.

I’m back at the hospital later today to pick up a test kit and then to my doctors office for an alpha gal test. If I get back definitive results I’ll update everyone.

(Bob M) #9

I rarely pray, but I’ll pray for no alpha-gal. That stuff is nasty.

(Niko Neko) #10

Negative on Alpha-Gal and my symptoms have all improved (finally). I ordered a CGM to test my glucose and get back on track controlling my carb intake.

I just can’t have carbs and control my appetite (unless I have a serious unrelenting GI bug - that actually ruined my appetite so completely that I didn’t know if I would ever eat again…).

I don’t know if I want to go back to Carnivore or include a few other things and be more KETO or KETOvore.

Hope everyone is having a good summer. Despite the GI bug it’s been beautiful here and I’ve really been having a good year. Don’t judge my deck - we’re going to rebuild it soon, lol, but had these little guys up and they’re so cute.

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