<p>Okay… DD thinks she might have picked up a tapeworm in Nicaragua. She will be going to the doctor on Monday to see if this is the case. Articles I read online scare me, since they don’t give percentages of people who live happily with tapeworms without problems, versus those that get scary cysts and develop all sorts of nasty problems (including needing liver transplants, developing blindness or dementia, etc.)
Any info out there that would help? :(</p>
<p>She has a stomach virus like everybody else!!! She’ll be fine!</p>
<p>Muffy, how can you be so sure she just has a stomach virus? Are you her doctor? </p>
<p>Parasites are a lot more common than people would like to think. No harm in being cautious and getting her checked out by her doc. No need to live with it when it’s easily remedied.</p>
<p>I thought mom was going down the road to dementia and liver transplants when the daughter wasn’t even going to see the doctor till Monday…just trying to counter all the online horror stories 
And I think everyone I know right now has stomach virus in their household.</p>
<p>I think tape worms are fairly innocous compared to some things she could have caught- don’t they primarily take the nutrients?
But there are treatments and easy to diagnose-</p>
<p>How long ago was she there?</p>
<p>Remind her to practice antiseptic hygiene so she doesn’t reinfect herself</p>
<p>Not a stomach virus - she’s almost asymptomatic. (has lost some weight -guts been alittle wacky for a while) She’s pretty sure she passed a long (9"?) worm segment. Okay, enough for the graphics - I was hoping for reassuring anecdotes.</p>
<p>Oh, sorry, that is yicchy. Someone was entertaining me at a Christmas luncheon with tales of all the intestinal parasites she and her friends had encountered in their adventures around the world. As far as I know, no permanent damage.</p>
<p>she might have giardia- it is pretty common as well- good thing she is going to the dr- she will get better soon Im sure</p>
<p>I am fairly sure tapeworms are segmented- they look like rice grains</p>
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<p>True. I agree it’s a bit premature to be worried about extreme complications like that.</p>
<p>I would think docs can get rid of tapeworms easily. I know my vet just gives a pill for my dogs & cats.</p>
<p>There are, however, many other parasites that many people can have and not even realize it. There are many herbal formulas on the market that claim to address those. I know people who have used them and actually saw parasites expelled. yucky to think about, but more yucky to think about leaving them in there!</p>
<p>This is graphic - my sister threw up a taper worm when she was under ten (I was there). Our doctor gave her some medicine to take care of it. She is 45 now with no liver transplant.</p>
<p>On a side note; welcome back leal! The political debates on this site haven’t been the same since u’v been gone.</p>
<p>Thanks! I’m glad to hear someone missed me! Unfortunately I’m not allowed to participate on any more political debates, though. :(</p>
<p>ANXIOUSMOM - sorry to hear that your gal is dealing with this - you too. The good news tho is that if it is a tapeworm - it can be treated with oral medications which are pretty effective - tho they can have some side effects that may have to be tolerated. Once on medications - your gal will really have to have tests done every few weeks to check the effect of the meds. She needs to use very very good hand washing - so as not to re-infect herself - or others.</p>
<p>Have faith - she is going to be ok. Good thing she has/had a clue that something was not right in Denmark and the appointment for monday will get things started.</p>
<p>My D got giardia when she was 2- she is fine now with no transplants. she does have a sensitive stomach with IB but since there is a strong genetic history with IB-I truly doubt one has anything to do with the other. It was a nasty bug to say the least. She had abdominal cramps and nasty nasty gas.</p>
<p>Anxiousmom, from your D’s graphic description of the presumed parasite and her weight loss, it seems very likely that she has a tapeworm infection. But as jeepMOM said, the treatment is simple. Usually an oral medication such as praziquantal or albendazole (single dose) is very effective.</p>
<p>I have to say this is probably the grossest thread I’ve ever read on CC! Yuk. So why read it? A good friend of ours’ daughter (college junior) is in Nicaragua right now on a medical mission thingy to make her resume more attractive to med schools. Hopefully she knows to be careful, or at least is with other medical personnel who will warn her!</p>
<p>my daughter is going to Ghana next month and not only did she have lots of shots but she is taking things like antibiotics and tummy medicine with her
( the industrial strenght DEET they buy there,- the Ghanian Skeeters, laugh at what we call mosquito repellent )</p>
<p>I don’t think a short period of infection with a tapeworm is likely to cause lasting problems. The important thing is to get the problem diagnosed and treated properly without any undue delay, which is exactly what your daughter is doing.</p>