Story From "The Parasite Files"
While answering fleding's question - I remembered another "parasite file" story. My very best friend growing up is still my best friend now. He and I did everything from fishing when we were young to beer drinking when we were older together. We still go hunting, fishing and to our grandkids dance recitals together.
He has NEVER EVER thought that HE could have worms. Even though over the years, he has gotten fat, weak and sickly. I have all but begged him to just try parasite cleansing and he never would.
This was up until about 2 years ago. He and I had gone to a crawfish cooking - I wouldn't eat any of them because they just didn't look or smell right to me - but he ate his portion and mine too! (straight tailed cooked crawfish mean that they should not be eaten and most of these were straight tailed) Sure enough, everybody that ate that crawfish got sick - including my friend. He called me around midnight freaking out because he had passed a worm along with his severe diarreah. I literally had to get dressed and go over and "look" at that ascaris.
He FINALLY decided that he could take HUMAWORM. He passed a lot of roundworms and hookworms and at the end of the 30 days - he was a new man. The best thing about this whole story is he never teases me about my job anymore and he is my biggest promoter - sometimes to my embarrassment.
We were at the cattle sale last week and I had bought some cattle that needed worming. The man I bought them from and I were discussing what wormers they had already been on - when my friend commenced to telling that man about HUMAWORM and how people need to take worm medicine too. That man looked at us like we had crawled out from under a rock!
The subject of parasites is like religion and politics - very delicately discussed and at the right time and place :)