I've been reading a lot of great replies to Kt's post on fibro fog...so I wanted to chime in on this in a different way.
Last year I was dx with fibro and lupus and during this time the fog had become relentlis and had made my life come to a stand still. A couple of months ago I added to my list of doctors a lyme literate doctor...not only did she find coinfections of lyme, but candida albicans. I've never known much about candida, except for a yeast infection or two in my life. Long story short, the doc put me on a month of diflucan and next month switch to a different antifungal. After being sick from the die off of this nasty fungus, it is an absolute miracle...I've had 5 good days of no fog. I have not felt this clear headed in years! Am I totally cured? No...but something is definitly changing. Also I have been on a no sugar/gluten diet but recently kocked off fruit except for berrries. I'm telling you about this because there was NO reason for me or the other doctors I'm seeing to suspect candida...but this lyme doc checks everything. If you are on a bunch of medications, like I have been for my lupus and fibro...your gut too could be totally out of whack and be causing candida while adding to your fog. How could it hurt to get it checked?
allergic is on the same regiment, she will talk to you for days on this! I'm still mostly in the dark about the yeast, but am learning about the lyme because of the area I live in and having the grandkids often.
I hope that your treatments are successful, so glad your fog is lifting, amazing!
Wishing you continued success, and get with allergic, she is all up on this!
Tracy....I've been battling canida for a long time. I've been through a round of Diflucan and felt relief but then it all came back again. That was about two years ago. Now I'm on Nystatin, probiotics, prebiotics and Caprylic Acid, and digestive enzymes to break down the biofilm. I'm having really bad Herxheimer reactions this time lasting now for seven weeks.
I was told that most patients that have chronic illness, autoimmune issues, have taken alot of antibiotics or have celiac or gluten intolerance or heavy metal toxicity will usually end up with candida overgrowth. I have several of the above so I didn't have much chance of avoiding it.
I hope your recovery is lasting. You may have gotten it cleared in time. If a person gets diagnosed early and treated for the candida overgrowth it doesn't have a chance to build up biofilm and become resistent to the antifungals.
The testing does not always show it either, have to go by the symptoms. The average doctor does not know a thing about it. That's why I prefer seeing a holistic physician in addition to my other mainstream doctors.
I haven’t heard about the candida/yeast issues before but I have recently heard that those with Fibro sometimes do better on a gluten free diet, so a connection certainly makes sense to me. Anyone that learns more about this please keep us posted.
Thank you very much for sharing this with us. It's nothing short of amazing that you've responded so well and that your doctor found the Lyme and candida. I'm so happy for you to have some restored health and clarity of mind! I know that allergic posted a list of lyme literate doctors and I want to go to one to see if Lyme is an issue. I am just amazed that your doc was able to find this stuff and its TREATABLE!!!! Woo hoo, you go, girl!
I wish my diagnosis was that simple. I have structural issues with my fibro. Kyphosis, a Bat-wing Anomaly in my left hip and bursitis in both hips, Unless the Candida goes into bone structures at a young age, is not my diagnosis. It is primary Fibromyalgia. I have been tested for Lupus twice and from 2 different labs Same as for Lyme, Thyroid issues (multiple times). You name it, I have been tested by it more than just once in the last almost 13 years.
But what is your right is to, make sure your doc doesn't just brush you off when you talk about how you feel. Make sure that all other issues are ruled out, from low Vitamin D to Anemia. Unfortunately suffer from both and it makes the Fibromyalgia worse. So definitely get all the blood work you can and make sure you are all clear from other issues.
Thank you SK...I will...and good for you learning about lyme...we all should know more. I live in the city in southern CA, so you don't have to live near the woods to become infected. Take care!
Great information, thank you. I'm on the pro/prebiotics and enzymes and several other supplements. The doc I see, I would describe as right in the middle of traditional and natural medicine...so she covers bases that my rheumy or pcp does not.
Who knows when this started but I can take a guess, about 10 months ago my rheumy put me on 2 weeks of prednisone and it gave me thrush so i took cipro...seems like things started going down hill fast after that. But with every new symptom came a new drug to mask it. So I'm very grateful to have found out about this candida. It's very serious stuff.
I have also read a bunch on it and understand that it can reoccure in a heartbeat...so I will remain on a type of eating plan that does not promote the feeding of the fungus.
It was for candida albicans (IGG, IGA, IGM)...now this was among a very long list of other testing...but if you only want to get tested for this, it should be pretty straight forward. Ok, so I read about a controversial 'saliva' test...some say it's rediculous but, for what it's worth...after I found out I had this candida, I did this little test...took a small cup of water in a clear cup, spit in it and they say if it grows legs going down in the water, it is a sigh of candida (or possibly another bacteria)..ok so anyway, I did this and it immediately was growing gobs of legs...after I started the diflucan after a few days on it, i did it again...nothing at all was happening...so tell me this doesnt work?! :-) But I did have the confirmation on the labs to back it up. Sound silly but, was interesting non the less.
As we say in the aviation world, "A good pilot is always learning". Well, here...we are always learning something new about these conditons that make us sick. Take care!
Hi Wendy, Thank you for sharing that. And yes...been tested for the vit D, etc..you name it...I'm so tested out it's rediculous. But all of it has been worth it. Bless you!
My holistic MD and kinesiologt doctor both emphasize the importance of gluten and sugar free diet with FM. I get brain fogs, pain and other symptoms immediately after eating them. I can't believe how I used to eat lots of bread, pasta and sugary foods. No wonder I was bed-ridden.
Me too! It doesnt take long for the symptoms to show up but takes a couple days to get rid of it...just not worth it. I didnt really notice until I completely cleaned up my diet...then if I foolishly eat something that is a no-no, I feel the sypmtoms clearly. In addition to not eating sugar and gluten, I add to that dairy and meat...I've been a vegan for a while so it wasnt hard to adhere to the doctor's diet plan exluding these things. And for goodness sakes, all of us should only eat organic everything, especially produce! :-)
I am proud of you being a vegan! I am also trying to avoid dairy although both of my doctors actually recommend organic lean meat (I don't like meat, though). Are you vegan for health reason or other reasons as well. It hurts me to even imagine how animals are killed so I eat only local organic humanely killed meat but I rather not eat meat at all. I've been a vegetarian for many years but I started eating meat upon doctors' recommendations. I don't drink milk or eat icecream but the hardest thing for me to give up is butter.
It was very challenging for me to switch to gluten-free since I had severe withdrawal reactions when I quit cold-turkey, so I had to make the change gradually.
I agree- we should all eat only organic produce - and no processed foods. My doctors told me that the ill effects of gluten can last for 6-9 months - even from a single bite! People don't realize what's making them sick because it may not affect them right away. It's like ingesting toxic chemicals (there are a lot of them in our foods!) little by little - it may not kill you but it will certainly make you sick eventually.
When I went to see a homeopathic dr. She actually recommended I see a Lyme literate dr., but then my primary said even if it was diagnosed the treatment is antibiotics, which would be difficult bec I am allergic to everything, that being said, I do believe I have some over growth of yeast. My fibro began after an episode of diverticulitis & a whole month on antibiotics, the same thing happened this year and my symptoms got worse.after reading your post I do think I will make an apt with this Lyme litterate dr.
Tracy thank you for your post it has given me so much hope !!! I really watch my sugar because I know it feeds the yeast causing it to grow, but it’s so hard everything has sugar in it.
Hugs & blessings
Hey when the doctors go down the list of things for me to eat and they get to lean meats, I just say 'I don't eat animals'. That's that....never had a doc try to talk me into eating it...it's the end of the discussion and surprisingly not even a disapproving look. Anyway, I mainly don't eat it for ethical reasons...but over the years I whittled down my consumption because it just didnt digest well...even fish became a problem...but the more i've learned about factory farming...the more disgusted I became over the whole industry. I think everyone should at least know the journey all animals take to end up on your plate...it's not a pretty picture, I can assure you...but most of us don't have the stomach to watch it. Lord knows you can go to youtube and find anything these days. I must say that cheese and eggs were something I had to learn to replace with other things...now it's no biggy.
That's interesting about the gluten effects can last so long in us...well, now it's definitly a reason not to be tempted.
There is something called Ghee, it is clarified butter that you might try. Yes it's dairy but without the whey solids...I'm not an expert on it so cant say much about it..just that the docs said that would be ok to eat IF I wanted to. But i stick to my coconut oil. :-)