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Schistosomiasis the unsuspected signs are the most common

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Having been born in Southern Africa and being exposed to Bilharzia regularly,i have contracted this ailment quite a number of times.(9 times in past 15 years)The most recent time i contracted Bilharzia was in 2002,when i swam in a river in Africa.Shortly after this i moved to the UK and have been here ever since.It was only a number of years later that i suspected that i may have Bilharzia.I went to see a specialist at the Tropical Diseases Dept in Edinburgh and was shocked to learn that the specialist was only aware of what seems to me to be cronic signs and symptoms.He immediatly denied i had Bilharzia! On asking why he had come to this conclusion,he added that i did not show the \"text book\" signs.

These signs:blood in urine,headaches etc are pretty chronic signs seeing as i had the parasite in my system for the past 5 years.

I,from personal experience and views of many other people who have had Bilharzia do not ever experience these signs and symptoms.

A very classic symptom of Bilharzia is severe tiredness and feeling very lethargic.These signs have been very prevelent in past experiences without the presence of the \"text book\" signs.This does not just refer to myself but to a huge number of people who i have come across who are always tired and lethargic.When asked if they had been to a Bilharzia area i.e Asia or Africa a large portion of these people had actually visited these areas.I advised all people to be tested for Bilharzia which they had never heard about and as i predicted , the majority did infact have Bilharzia without showing these \"text book\" signs but only being very tired and lethargic.I suspest there to be a vast amount of people who actually have Bilharzia and dont realise it due to the fact they may think they are constantly tired from working too hard or even the hot weather.At the same time Doctors dont even come close to suspecting this as the text book signs are not there(blood in urine etc)

It took 4 weeks of tests before it was agreed that i had Bilharzia and after treatment,within a few days i was only sleeping a normal 8 hours at night and not 15-20.I was able to wake up easily and get on with day to day activities without feeling lethargic and tired.

I therefore urge people who feel just tired and lethargic to be tested for Bilharzia.You may be surprised to see you have it without even knowing it.And as i have said previously ,it can be in your system for years without all the morbid conditions being displayed.As far as i am concerned,these cronic signs like blood in urine etc are far less common than the unexplained tiredness.

0 likes, 2 replies

2 Replies

  • katrinablank
    katrinablank Guest

    Posted

    Hi there! I'm wondering, what type of test (serology, urine/feces microscopy, etc.) was used to arrive at a conclusive diagnosis? In my research, I've learned that if someone has been infected for a long period time, it isn't uncommon for a serology test to produces a false negative. Are there other testing methods you (or anyone else reading this) might recommend?
  • tamara74938
    tamara74938 Guest

    Posted

    Interested in your experience please re testing also.
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