Well to make a long story short I've had some of the worst stomach pains since the middle of November, it's debilitating and keeping me from work and school, and the worst thing is, no one knows what the problem is. We've ruled out a lot of causes and I'm still getting more testing done, gastroenterologist next week to get and endoscopy and an ultrasound. I've also started taking probiotics which seems to be helping.

Case in point, my parents and Doctor think that I'm getting sick from my reptiles (all 3 of them). They believe it to be salmonella poisoning and think that it may be airborne in my house, because I'm extremely sanitary before and after I deal with my herps. This week I've cut my collection and passed along everything that I was working on, so now I only have three well concealed tanks and a few tupperwares with bugs. I plan to get some fecals done soon as well (on my herps ). I've also invested in an ozone generator and sterilized my entire living area, yet I'm still getting sick at my house, not my girlfriends. Now i've only been getting better over the past two days, so it could be any number of factors because I have been trying everything, except getting rid of all my herps

Does anyone have any medical experience with this or know of any articles? I've had my herps for about 4 years, nothing like this has ever happened. I would like to know if this "Is or is not" why I am getting sick, or if anyone has heard of anything like this. I've heard of allergies but never a continual transmission with out contact. I also had FF's in my room (lots of yeast), could this be something too? This is probably the worst pain I've ever been in, I really don't want getting rid of my favorite pastime to be the only cure, what a conundrum. Thanks for any help.

I dont think it is herp related. are you throwing up? salmonella would cause throwing up not just extreme pain. not to mention you would have constant diarhea with salmonella as well. I have read a few articles but dont have any on hand, sorry. One sickness I can think of with extreme stomach pain and doctors never find it is pleuresy (sp) sorry dont really know how to spell it, but my wife had it just before we got married and had it for months, they had her on some antibiotics but took a LONG Time to get over it just at the doc said... keep us posted on what you find out.

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Jayr & Mandy Robinson
J&M Herp Shack
"Are you watching closely?"

Just looked up pleurisy (you were close ), it is more of a chest pain as its the pleura of the lungs becoming inflamed. But I will ask the doc to rule it out.
I didn't think salmonella for those reasons as well. Now there are more than one type of salmonella poisoning (I think), but your right, general symptoms are vomitting and diarhea which I don't have, I just hurt. I'm really hoping the endoscopy turns something up.

I think rehoming your herps might have been premature without having a fecal done on them. There are several kinds of the salmonella strain and herps carry only one of them as far as I know. The test can be done in a short amount of time...even on you. Were you tested specifically for salmonella?

The bacteria often goes unnoticed in many people. We may get a hold of the bacteria, but a healthy immune system is able to fight it off and we never even know the battle was raging.

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Zane Neher.

The great and strong man is one who bears within his character many contradictions.
Crocodilian care.

I didn't rehome any of my herps except a BD, but I have been trying to do that. I just got rid of alot of fomites and stuff that may have been infected. I have not yet been tested for salmonella, the more I read and am contacted by members about what they know I think it is something more than a pathogen infection, but it is also weird that probiotics seem to be helping alot. However, when I do get to my doctor I plan to have everything possible checked, even pregnancy .

Hmmmm,... this is the first time I have ever heard reference to salmonella being an airborn pathogen. If so, it would seem that there would be a problem with anyone who worked with or around reptiles or any animal for that matter. As stated Salmonella is more like a case of food poisoning with vomiting and diarrhea.
Of course your doctor may be of the old school that anytime a reptile keeper got sick it was salmonella and he got it from the reptiles!
Regardless I hope you get to the root of the problem and get to feeling better.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

My husband just left for work but I’ll ask him in the morning (he is an RN). Something I have used in the past with my rabbits, guinea pigs and the cocktails, etc. is a product called OdoBan it a concentrated cleaner that gets rid of 99.99% of all germs even HIV. It has a pleasant smell and can be rinsed down with water to make sure everything is removed. You can buy it at Sams for about $10 a gallon. A gallon will last me over a year.

hope you get better fast. doesn't sound too pleasant.

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yes i am a she ^_^

~My Babies~

1 Rosy Boa (male) Chaos
1 Snow Corn (male) Blizzard
1 Anertherystic Corn (male) Bullet
1 Senegal Parrot (male) Shadow
2 dogs (male) Spot and Bear

I had a similar episode to this a while back, it was a type of food poisoning from under cooked chicken.

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