The diagnostic search did not begin in a laboratory, but in the margins of old notebooks where thirty years of unexplained systemic fatigue, migrating joint pain, and cognitive fog were recorded. I had a blood fluke living in my bladder, laying eggs for 25 years. Luckily for me, I was able to get checked out after my first symptom. Early detection is the key to survival. Blood Flukes are not common in the USA. I did travel with my business, but I personally think that my exposure was from a freshwater fish tank. Goldfish are raised overseas where flukes are very common. That yellow thing in the headline picture is what came out of my mouth after taking Proxaqual.
Mapping the Decades of Chaos
For nearly three decades, I lived with neurological and gastrointestinal symptoms that never seemed to fit neatly into one diagnosis. I went through the medical system looking for explanations, but eventually became frustrated by what I saw as a major blind spot: parasites were rarely seriously investigated as a possible piece of the puzzle. When conventional approaches weren't giving me the answers I needed, I began cataloging my symptoms, tracking patterns, researching the scientific literature, and asking questions that weren't being asked.
The Pitfalls of Segmented Medicine
My background in manufacturing and hygiene—including work producing hygiene-related products for the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA)—gave me a practical perspective on contamination, sanitation, prevention, and how organisms move through environments. I began applying that same systems-thinking approach to my own history. Instead of treating decades of seemingly unrelated symptoms as isolated problems, I started examining whether they could be connected under a single hypothesis involving parasitic infection, chronic inflammation, and the body's long-term response.
Moving Beyond the Idiopathic Label
That journey became the foundation for ItMaybe.org. I don't believe frustration with modern medicine should lead us to abandon science; I believe it should push us to ask better questions. My goal is to investigate what may be overlooked, distinguish evidence from assumptions, and encourage greater awareness, testing, prevention, and research on parasites and their potential role in human disease. Sometimes the most important question is the simplest one: What if we're looking in the wrong place?
