Candida

Alright so here goes. Over the years, I have always thought of myself to be pretty healthy as far as not having very many heath issues go. I don't know if it just comes with marriage, or having kids or what-but it seems like once I had Chance, my health went out the window. I swear these kids really do suck the life out of us. My memory is crap, my energy level is crap and over the years is has just gotten substantially worse. There was that 8 month period that started in March 2006 and lasted until November or so when I was constantly sick with those stomach issues that would literally wake me up out of a deep sleep. Never did get an explanation for that after a million and one trips to the doctor (lol, well I take that back. A Nurse Practitioner said it was probably a stomach virus. Um yeah, a stomach virus that lasted eight months. Okie dokie then) , but the pains have only showed up maybe three or four times since then so whatever it was, it's not really an issue anymore. That's just one example. More recently I have had an issue with my legs. I remember exactly when this started. It started after I came back from North Carolina back in summer of 2007. I've gotten no relief at all, it's gotten worse since when it first started. Not really any answers from a doctor. I was given a referral to have a nerve test done but it involved sticking a bunch of needles in my legs and shocking me. Which sounds as appealing as a lobotomy so I opted to forgo that test after discussing it with a few other people who have a little bit of medical knowledge. But you can imagine after almost two years of dealing with the problem, it has gotten a bit annoying. I wouldn't know what "normal" felt like anymore. I only know this tingly, crawley, burning feeling I have every day. It's hard to explain. But the best I can do is that they are "on" all the time and they never turn "off".

So I have spent endless hours googling my little heart out trying to self diagnose what this could be since I have given up on doctors.

No idea when but I came across something one day about Candida. Not sure of the exact page I read-but i'll just quote from one I just found.

Symptoms vary from person to person and fluctuate in severity, or may come and go. Most symptoms are invisible, which makes it difficult for others to understand the vast array of debilitating symptoms with which we contend.

The most common are:

* an incapacitating fatigue
* problems with concentration and short-term memory
* flu-like symptoms such as pain in the joints and muscle
* extreme tightness in the shoulders and neck
* hyper-acidity/acid reflux
* brown colored mucus in the back of the throat
* blisters in the mouth/tongue/throat
* either white or "blood blisters"
* un-refreshing sleep
* sore throat
* white coated tongue
* dark circles under the eyes
* an aversion to being touched or jumping
* "crawling" skin
* chronic sinus problems and headaches including migraines
* chronic dental problems

Visual disturbances may include blurring, sensitivity to light and eye pain.

Psychological problems may include:

* depression
* irritability
* anxiety
* panic attacks
* recurring obsessive thoughts
* personality changes and mood swings (irrational rage or crying for no reason - fear of talking to people, any kind of confrontation, isolation)
* paranoia

More of the physical symptoms may include:

* chills and night sweats
* shortness of breath
* dizziness and balance problems
* sensitivity to heat and/or cold
* alcohol intolerance
* gluten and/or casein intolerance
* irregular heartbeat
* irritable bowel
* constipation and/or diarrhea
* painful gas and abdominal bloating
* low-grade fever or low body temperature
* numbness, tingling and/or burning sensations in the face or extremities
* dryness of the mouth and eyes
* difficulty swallowing
* projectile vomiting

Also:

* menstrual problems including PMS and endometriosis
* recurrent yeast infections
* recurrent ear infections
* rashes and dry, flaking skin
* eczema
* dermatitis
* acne
* skin discoloration and/or blotchiness
* dandruff
* jock and rectal itching
* chronic athlete's foot
* chronic toenail and fingernail fungus
* ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
* allergies and sensitivities to noise/sound, foods, odors, chemicals
* anemia
* weight changes without changes in diet
* light-headedness
* feeling in a fog
* fainting
* muscle twitching and muscle weakness
* restless leg syndrome
* low sex drive and/or numbness in the genital area

These are only the symptoms most commonly reported and documented.

Not even going to bother naming off all of those symptoms that I have, but it was enough of them to make me stop and say "whoooooa". The crawling skin thing really made me wonder if this was it!

If you want to read more on it, here's a good article:
http://www.womentowomen.com/digestionandgihealth/candida.aspx


So once John and I decided it was time to shed the weight, I also decided it was time to once again battle with the Candida. There's a simple test you can do at home that is supposed to be as accurate as it gets, but I have yet to try it. I really should do it, and I might still give it a try-but for now I'll just post directions for the test if anyone is curious.

The Spit Test
Might I have a problem with Candida Yeast?

You can try this simple test to find out.

First thing in the morning, before you put ANYTHING in your mouth, fill a clear glass with room temperature Bottled Water. (*apparently it's important that it is NOT tap water)

Work up a bit of saliva, then spit it into the glass of water. Check the water every 15 minutes or so for up to one hour.

If you have a potential problem, you will see strings (like legs) traveling down into the water from the saliva floating on the top, or "cloudy" saliva will sink to the bottom of the glass, or cloudy specks will seem to be suspended in the water.

If there are no strings and the saliva is still floating after at least one hour, you probably have Candida under control, and have nothing to worry about. Congratulations.

If you want to see an illustration of what the result may look like-you can check it out on this page: http://www.adhdrelief.com/CandidaTest.html

Anyways, I guess I have been taking the grapefruit seed extract regularly for about a week now. Before that, I would forget and not take it every day like I should. Then on Saturday, I started taking my probiotics again. Along with that, I try to eat some *organic* yogurt daily. I am picky about my yogurt. I don't bother with that crap Jamie Lee Curtis is slingin', but I use Stonyfield Farms only. It has all of the good bacteria you need to kill off the bad. They have six live cultures in their yogurt, it's gluten free and it's ORGANIC! I'm not even gonna step up on my organic soapbox for now, but it's really the way to go and i'll leave it at that. To my yogurt, i'll add some fresh fruit. We went to Costco the other week and loaded up on fruit! I came home and washed everything, then cut up what needed it and put it in the freezer. So now I use this for my yogurt or when i want to make a slushie. Lately I have been adding All Bran and flax meal to my yogurt. Just to give it that extra little something. Usually when I cook, I always add an insane amount of garlic to whatever it is I'm making which helps as well. If a recipe calls for "one clove" of garlic that translates into my head as "at least four cloves" lol. Can't get enough of that stuff. But I haven't cooked much lately due to the heat so that doesn't really apply to my regimen this week.

So I haven't really changed things much. Some of the things I have read say to eliminate all carbs while you are getting rid of it but I'm still eating fruit. However, I have actually noticed over the last few days that I am not really craving bread or sweet stuff at all. I had Subway the other night for dinner but I can't say it was a dire craving by any means.

I can tell my efforts are working. The die off symptoms can be a real drag but that's just my body telling me it's working. My body hurts, especially my lower back and my knees....my head is cloudier than usual and I just have an overwhelming feeling of overall BLAH. They say that die off feels alot like the flu which is somewhat ironic at the moment haha. Although, I might want to knock on wood since John hasn't been feeling well last night, and still feeling bad today. Chance even seemed warm to the touch earlier before karate but it's 90+ in this house so I figured that was why. I will definitely keep an eye on them both though and myself just to be on the safe side.

So yeah, that's all I am really doing for now. Not working out yet, but the Bowflex will be here in two days and I plan to start once that is put together assuming the die off subsides a little. Who knows if this will really help me in the end, but I am all for at least trying. So far I have lost some weight, my stomach is not so bloated as before, not getting giant zits like before and a few other improvements. Who knows if it would work for anyone else-but this is just to clarify what *I* am doing to try and feel better overall.

I've also talked to John about maybe visiting a chiropractor to see if that could possibly help as well. He said he would go with me and give it a try as well, just need to find someone in the area who is reputable but also reasonably priced since our insurance doesn't cover them at all.

Alright so that blog took all day. Had to stop on and off all day to tend to laundry, making Chance and I lunch, go to karate etc. Lol, so no I didn't type this all out in one go.