Earlier this winter I suffered for prolonged constipation symptoms that lasted for three months. Then in May my intestinal habits alternated and I developed a strong urge for bowel movements early in the morning which is still present till now. Before the beginning of all these symptoms I had no health problems , followed athletic lifestyles and participated competitively in endurance races.
Since the symptoms began I my energy levels gradually dropped, I started to become itchy eyes and under eye circles and lost some weight and muscle mass. I also become abdomen pain and bloating after fairly light meals
I visited my family doctor in June ,had blood tests that came clean but with my white blood cells a little low. I started eating larger portions and maintained fitness habits {endurance ,strength training} and managed to gain weight and my white blood cell levels came normal in the next test.
However morning diarrhea{although milder} , tiredness , and itchy ,blurry eyes still persist. My endurance performance surprisingly gets better {I run 10km in 43 minutes and for the last season my best time was 46 minutes} but my muscle mass is weakening. I sleep really well but when I go out with my friends and time goes past 21.30 my eyes become really dry ,I get blurry and can't have fun.
I did some research and found that a serious intestinal parasite infection could be the cause for my symptoms. What do you guys think?
Well I am currently researching parasitic infection for my 4 months of chronic fatigue, diagnosed with 'post viral fatigue'. Like you I too was an endurance athlete, triathlon, marathon. Was swimming in the black sea in July, became noticeably unwell early November. i'm not sure if that is consistent with parasiticinfection but doing a course of herbals can surely do no harm. I suggest you do the same. Or you can get a complete parasitology test, but I think you will need to find a nutritional therapist/naturopath to order the test for you. Good luck. I have zero energy for my previous activities, walking 5 miles is my limit. 34 years old, shocking !!
Hey David,
Thanks for your reply.Since September I followed cleansing diet. I consumed alot of herbs, tea , garlic , apple cider vinegar. I also tried relaxing a bit more and decreased my training volume. Endurance training 3 x 1.5 hours per week and strength 2X 1.5 per week. I also took mild vitamin supplements and ate slightly more red meat. Following those steps I have noticed a significant improvement. I am not 100% back to where I was but I feel I am recovering. Diarrhea symptoms have stopped , energy levels are higher . Itchy eyes persist , althogh symptoms are getting milder. I hope the above steps will aid your recovery,too. Listen to your body do not get obsessive with your training when you are not feeling well( thats what I did in July and symptoms intensified.) All these symptoms could also be stress related. Mine appeared right after I finished my university-entry exams and started getting milder as successful results came out.
Wish you rapid recovery..Let's stay in touch through the forum and update one another as we got similar symptoms.
Hi, thanks. Well done. Wish I had similar progress. I'm not feeling well at all. Training is reduced to walking 5 miles not even everyday. I've already lost nearly half a stone, and all that will be muscle, not weight training since unwell. At this stage I doubt whether I will ever recover sufficiently to train in any enjoyable way.
You can get a simple test for parasites at any infectious disease clinic or tropical disease clinic.
Let us know how you get on.