“Doctors won’t believe me here in the UK”, states this reader concerning the organisms that have been plaguing her for three years. She asks that we identify the organisms for her, and shares her story of her struggles with these creatures.

To start off with, we want to caution our readers that there are some photos included that some may be sensitive to. Viewer discretion is advised. Secondly, our reader makes it very clear in her submission that these organisms are affecting her health negatively, and that they are coming from her body. For that reason, we will unfortunately not be able to identify the organisms, as this situation is medical in nature. Instead, what we can do is refer our reader to some resources she can use to find a medical professional who is qualified to diagnose her problem. We specifically recommend that she consult a medical parasitologist, as they specialize in infections caused by organisms, such as parasites.

What we suggest is that our reader do one or more of the following:
1) Search for a medical parasitologist in her area using this directory of medical parasitology consultants: https://www.astmh.org/for-astmh-members/clinical-consultants-directory.
2) Search for a local parasitologist by doing a Google search for “medical parasitologist (name of the closest big city)” or “tropical medicine specialist (name of the closest big city)”.
3) Get in touch with Dr. Omar Amin at the Parasitology Center at https://www.parasitetesting.com.
We also want to stress that, unlike a GP who has likely not had any training in medical parasitology, a medical parasitologist will take her seriously.

Now, when she consults a medical professional, we urge her to show them the same photos she showed us, as well as give them all the same information. Our reader’s story is as follows: Her problem started with two “nodules” (abnormal skin tissue growth) under her skin that stayed for several months. This later progressed to itchy eyes, and then rashes forming on her back. She also experienced a loss in weight and energy, holes forming in her teeth, and digestion issues (she alternated between diarrhea and constipation). The symptoms have changed over the years, but she worries that this may be dangerous.

The worms are “hair-like”, and feel like “rubbery” “splinters” that “break.” They tend to stiffen up when they die and will stick in her skin. Additionally, she noticed “lots of white bits” in the water when taking baths, which would also come off of her clothing. Similarly, she has seen “floating tiny white hairs” moving in the dust, and they continue to move even when settled.

To treat this infection, our reader has tried herbs, seeds, pinworm medication, scabies scream, sulphur, vaseline, probiotics, and multivitamins. All of these have helped a bit, but soon after using them, she will have another flare up. All of this is “possibly linked to cat contact”, her “new partner”, or “gardening”, she notes.

In conclusion, we are unfortunately not qualified to identify these creatures. We nonetheless hope that the resources listed above come to use and that our reader can get the help she needs soon. We wish her the very best!

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