What Causes Weight Loss, Lack Of Appetite And Vomiting?

Posted on Wed, 29 Jun 2016

Question: My son was in Argentina serving a church mission, he felt really sick and pain shooting throughout his body he went to the hospital 4 times there and could not find anything, I have taken my son to a natural pathetic Doctor he claimed he found a worm and parasites . to make a long story short , I did finally take him to a medical doctor ,he has been seen by neurologist , Gi , a lot of blood test, stool test . No results My son use to weigh 150 and now weighs 129 it is difficult for him to eat food he fills like he is going to vomit. Have you ever heard of Chagas? I even went to the extent to find the medical code for this and no one seems to know what it is . I don't know if he still has a worm or not I think that he needs to see what it in his intestinal track. I tried to take him to the Mayo clinic but the rejected him. don't know what to do

Answered by Dr. Shoaib Khan (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
I am sorry to hear that, I have a few suggestions though, pls try them

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome.

Thank you for writing to us.

I have gone through your query with diligence and would like you to know that I am here to help. I can understand how all this can get frustrating, but you also need to understand that your son's case may not be as simple and will take time to diagnose. But at the same time, I also feel your son has not received attention from an infectious disease specialist who would be able to diagnose him in a more accurate and rapid manner.

Here are a few suggestions for him:

1. Thin and thick blood smear for direct visualisation of parasites (will also help diagnose or rule out Chagas disease; which I have heard and read about, but haven't encountered in my practise yet)
2. Stool analysis for parasites to be conducted every 2 days, at least 3 times
3. PET scan: To rule out any tumours or growths that can also cause some unexplained symptoms along with weight loss
4. GI endoscopy: I recommend this investigation because of the fact that he is finding it difficult to feed, which should not be present even if there is a parasite infestation. Please get a flexible upper GI endoscopy conducted for this
5. Colonoscopy: Not as important as the above mentioned tests, but this will also help if any of the above investigations do not provide us with important or conclusive information

I am sorry to hear about Mayo, and really hope the information I have provided can help your son. Please be patient, and try your best to get in touch with a specialist who can physically examine your son. But in the meantime, if there is any information or guidance required, I would like you to know that you can surely rely on me sir/ma'am.

Best wishes.

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar