UPDATE: Dr. Mark Stengler, ND was excellent for my first visit!

Hello Charly and for others who might be interested:

Thank you for the suggestion Charly! I visited Dr. Stengler yesterday afternoon--at a point of desperation. I had started vomiting again, the severe diarrhea was persisting and I was only becoming weaker. I really had fleeting thoughts that I could be dying of something and no one is going to figure it out. I thought that I would just go to my family doctor the next day, get something stronger than Immodium and be put onto a plane back to Washington DC where I have no family members. I guess it is not out of the ordinary to feel you might be dying of something when you are sick with candida/ parasites for years? I really have been quite ill for a very long time, but it has reached a tipping point recently.

Fortunately, I got worse yesterday and called this Naturopathic Doctor and got in the same day! (Otherwise, I would have just gone to my regular GP) I explained that I could only afford a half hour appointment ($150). Dr. Stengler was extremely generous and thorough, and actually spent well over an hour with me. My mom went into the examination with me and was impressed as well (which is saying a lot. She said she would go to him herself!) He listened to all my "Curezone" ramblings about how I "treated" myself of Candida--and he did not dismiss it as other doctors had done. He spoke with me rather than at me as most doctors do. Though most holistic practitioners do have this more egalitarian bedside manner. It is just so refreshing after being insulted and belittled by these other so-called "doctors" with their attitudes and their snarky comments for so long. I really appreciated that Dr. Stengler was kind and genuinely concerned.

He also physically examined me. Took my stats. Examined my abdominal area. Interestingly, he poked my liver area which is something not one of the 4 or 5 doctors I have seen in the last year have done! I exhibited pain, and so he is runnning tests. Full blood and metabolic, as well as now doing the three-day stool sample thing. Very fun with liquid diarrhea! NOT! (Sigh!) But finally we will find out what exactly I have. I should have probably done this YEARS ago!

Dr. Stengler also gave me some Homepathics to help calm my vomiting and diarrhea, and I immediately noticed a difference. In fact, my stool was beginning to normalize today! (EDIT: that was only for a few hours, my diarrhea returned though was less with the homeopathics). Among the homepahtics he gave me was sulfur--not sure what that was for, but it all seems to be helping.

I really can't wait to get the lab reports in, though there is a possibility I could have problems beyond the parasites such as with my liver--possibly hepatitis.

I will keep everyone posted on the results of my test. Dr. Stengler seemed quite convinced I have parasites. Perhaps I should have also listed this under the parasite forum? Sorry, I'm still pretty new here.

But, feeling quite a bit better overall thanks to Dr. Stengler and Charly for pointing me in the right direction!

+peace+
LISA