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central american parasite. symptoms: ear drainage,deafness bulging eyes possible stroke, swollen face
Hi what is your question?
I think This person has a parasite in her brain. Do any Central American immigrants have a problem with parasites that cause similar symptoms plus a change in personality? In S. Tx. some people get a parasite that migrates to the brain requiring surgical removal. This is from eatig wild hogs that are not fully cooked. This person is suffering and has had two ear surguries to "clean out" her ear canals to stop infection. Could her problem be a specific parasite?
Can you please be VERY specific about the other symptoms? I think that you are thinking of trichinella (for the S. Tx) one.
It is just my uneducated feeling that there is something wrong with her other than a simple ear infection. No antibiotics have worked, she has had her ear canals scraped two times (both ears) and still the drainage comes back. she is in pain, speaks limited english and acts like part of her speach problem is stroke related. She is legal as far as being a citizen but periodically goes back to her mothers home in Guatamala. Her eyes keep buldging out more and more like a person with Graves disease. (Sorry if mispelled.) Is there a specific parasite that she may have gotten in her system when she was a child? Her pain is intensifying after the last clean out procedure and her personality is changing and she is doing things she has never done before personality wise. Some of our family got amoebas while ranching in Honduras and she does not act like it is an amoeba problem.
hmm. well, has she been tested for thyroid issues? What lab tsets have been done?
As I said she is very hard to understand and my husband who speaks spanish says he does not think she understands the doctor when he explains things. I am worried because she is my daughters nanny and the twins have severe ear problems too (since the draining of her ears started). The DR only concentrates on her ears since her face swells and then the discharge starts again. With her change in personality I was and am concerned that a parasite may be making its way up to her brain. Is there any place I can look to see if there is a specific parisite that causes this list of symptoms before it exits the body? As far as lab tests she says only that she is now immune to all the antibiotics she has been given.
Well, if she is having bulging eyes and a personality change, she really needs a comprehensive physical exam and possibly some imaging studies of her brain. There is a parasite called T.solium which is very common in Central America and in Mexico which causes neurocysticercosis which is an infection of the brain causing seizures. It is conceivable that this might contribute to personality change, but that is not very common. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1176337 There are no signs you can look for. She needs a CT scan of the head. As well, she could have a thyroid imbalance which can certainly cause her buggy eyes and personality change. I agree with you- this is concerning and she needs to see a doctor right away. best wishes press the green accept button if this was helpful
Experience: American Board Certified in Emergency Medicine- Ivy League trained
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND HELP! KF
you are welcome