Patient's Query
Hi doctor,
I feel like worms moving between my toes and feet with long, slim white lines. They have two brown streaks, and they bite with skin penetration, and my skin turns white. They have penetrated my nostrils also, and they have dark purple lines with two dots at the end. It looks like eyes. These lines have moved up my nose and around my eyes, inside my lower eyelids with visible thin black lines.
I have attached my pictures. I think that it moves through my hair follicles also because I can see tiny black dots in my hair strands, and sometimes it remains half white. I have been suffering from this issue for a year. I have consulted many doctors, and when I talk about worm parasites, they say that it is impossible to have them without examining me. My condition is getting worse, and I am scared.
My vision is getting worse with stomach pain, low energy in the body, anemia, and swelling in my joints and muscles. My doctor does not have any idea about my condition. Kindly help. I never had these problems like this until I traveled and bought capuchin monkeys. The liver enzymes of me, my dog, and my monkeys remain high. I have a negative result for hepatitis A, B, and C. It remains focused around my face, nose, ears, and eyes. Previously, we had a problem with black horseflies in my home.
Kindly help me.
Hi,
Welcome to icliniq.com.
Your symptoms seem to be caused by cutaneous larva migrans, a skin infection that happens due to a hookworm called Toxocara, usually spread by infected cats or dogs. It is best to get some tests done to confirm this, such as an ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) test for Toxocara canis and Toxocara cati.
For treatment, you can take Albendazole (antihelmintic) 400 milligrams twice a day for five days. If this infection keeps coming back, try to find out the source; it could be from your pet dog, cat, or other animals nearby. Please share some pictures of the affected area for a clearer understanding.
I hope this helps.
Thank you.
Patient's Query
Hi doctor,
I have attached some pictures. I am so scared. I took the tablet Albendazole for 21 days, and it helped me a lot. After stopping it, my symptoms came back again. I do not know the reason for having tiny black specks with two lines under my hair strands at the roots. My hair strands have turned grayish-white, and my hair moves on its own. It is so weird. I have attached a video.
When I urinate and wipe, I can see black specks and tiny red specks on the toilet paper. I saw some tiny straight lines on my clothing, skin, and even on the leather seats of my car. I will send the pictures of it. These things that bite and bury in my skin have a black shadow around them with white glowing dots. I am attaching a picture of it.
These things that eat me from outside or inside have the scariest face. I have attached their images. Kindly tell me why I see these things with their face- and body-like figures. Their grey face resembles a mouse face with two black eyes, a black nose, and grey or half-white with a long body and spiky sticks all around the body. They bury my skin faster. These white lines appear to move around my body. My eyes remain red and tired. My vision is getting worse, and there are white lines wrapping inside my nose, traveling up my nose, and around my eyes also.
One day in the morning, I woke up with two large bites on my left inner lower leg. These bites resembled a snake bite, but it was not bitten by a snake. The first bite looked like the same bites I have now. I had another bite on the inner side of my left nostril, and I was able to feel things moving inside my nose.
After taking the tablet Albendazole, I was able to blow and pull out worm-like things. Then I started freezing and it lasted for several weeks. I had stomach pains and diarrhea without energy. I am still dealing with this issue. I got hospitalized and found that I was anemic, and so I was given blood. After having a nose bite, I felt something moving in my left nostril up to my upper eyelid.
Kindly help.
Hi,
Welcome back to icliniq.com.
I understand your concern.
I am unable to view the attached picture, so please attach it again. Proper treatment depends on finding the exact cause, as different worms can lead to this condition. The most common ones are Toxocara canis and Toxocara cati. Since you have already taken Albendazole (antihelmintic), it seems to have given you some relief, so you can continue with the following approach.
You can take Albendazole 400 milligrams twice daily for 21 days, followed by a break of seven days. Repeat this cycle for three months. This helps in long-term control of the infection. To confirm the diagnosis, you can have a direct smear test from the affected skin or eye area, which can be checked under a microscope. An ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) test for worm antibodies is also available in some laboratories and can identify different types of worm infections in humans.
You can also apply Scablin lotion (Permethrin) 60 milliliters. Use 30 milliliters on the first night and the remaining 30 ml on the second night. Apply it after bathing with warm water and drying the skin properly. Apply the lotion from the neck down, but avoid the face.
After using the lotion, wash all clothes, bed sheets, pillow covers, and sofa covers with bleaching powder, as this helps remove mites that can cause similar skin symptoms.
For itching, take Fexet (Fexofenadine hydrochloride) 120 mg once daily at night for four weeks. It is an anti-allergy medicine that helps reduce itching and irritation. You may also consult an infectious disease specialist for further evaluation. If your doctor finds any worms, observing them and testing a direct smear can help confirm the diagnosis.
I hope this helps.
Thank you.
Patient's Query
Thank you doctor,
Can I have any other stronger medication other than Albendazole for three months?
Hi,
Welcome back to icliniq.com.
The dose of Toxocara injection is five days. On looking at your picture, it seems to be a Toxocara infection. But other hookworm infections like ascariasis and strongyloidosis have to be ruled out. You can do ELISA-based antibody testing for the complete worm panel. You can have a possibility of having two or three hookworm infections. Once you get the results of your tests, you can take treatment accordingly for a few days.
The other parasitic medications are Ivermectin (antiparasitic) and Nitazoxanide (antibiotic). If you have taken Albendazole for some time and you have a recurrence of symptoms, then you can use other medications such as Scablin lotion and Fexet 120 mg tablets daily for four weeks and see if there is any improvement. I suggest you do tests and then take treatment accordingly for a few days. As you have a recurrent infection, it is good to have treatment for a longer duration.
I hope this helps.
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Answered byDr. Ajeet Kumar
Medically reviewed byDr. K. Shobana
Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!
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