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How many of us have candida and don't know it?

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Posted 1/31/2013 10:02 AM (GMT 0)
Hello Everyone,

I was reading Twix410's thread about candida. I did some research and came across this website:

http://www.candidamd.com/candida/symptoms.html

I have many of the symptoms mentioned but not anything like thrush or painful urination and so on. Many of the symptoms mentioned are part of fibromyalgia. I had an upper endoscopy done 6 months ago. Is there a reliable test for diagnosing candida? Would talking with my GP help?

I am very careful with my diet and I find if I eat white pasta or bread or wheat or sugar I bloat and my fibro symptoms worsen.

I tried probiotics for a time and it seemed to do little for me if anything at all.

Thanks.

 

Posted 1/31/2013 12:09 PM (GMT 0)
Hey, almost medfree I think there are tests but I am not positive if they are reliable. There are blood & stool tests from what I read. A GI doctor can diagnose you through and EGD but I don't for sure it that's only if you have oral thrush? I taught I might have it because over the past several months I have had some changes in my GI tract, over the past year I keep getting these crazy canker sores in my throat, and I do have vaginal itching from time to time. One off the symptoms I read was excessive thirst and I always have that too and I don't have diabetes and eat a low sodium diet. I find when you do research online it can be helpful but also very confusing!!! Two weeks ago I had a stomach virus now my GI tract is even worse. I know it's normal after having a stomach virus for your digestive system to slowly return to normal, but I have to say I may be seeing a gastro soon if these symptoms don't subside.

I will be interested to see if anyone else thinks that might have candida.

Have a good day!
Posted 1/31/2013 1:53 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Larissa,

I'm very interested in this because a homeopathic doctor told me years ago that I had a lot of candida. He uses an interro machine and I'm not sure how he diagnosed that. He suggested I go off of wheat and to not eat sugar and what was nice after doing so for a time I was no longer bothered by yeast infections.

I do get canker sores but not in the throat. That must be very uncomfortable. I also have excessive thirst, I drink a lot of water and I don't have diabetes. I also eat a low sodium diet.

This should be interesting. Maybe I should list some of the symptoms of candida that I have at times. Some of these are the same as fibromyalgia symptoms:

Migraines and headaches, depression (if I'm in a lot of pain), irrability and confusion, confusion, anxiety attacks, fast heart beat or irregular, ADD, dizziness, numbness (mine is all over), feeling of floating like being not quite in your body, indecisiveness and difficulty organizing, cravings for sugar, chocolate, bread, vinegar, pickles, alcohol, nuts or fruit, distended abdomen (if I eat the wrong foods), acid reflux, low blood sugar, bloating, flatulence, abdominal pain, asthma, allergies, arthritis, fatigue, muscle or joint pain (fibromyalgia), sweating especially at night, cold hands and feet, uncomfortable at any temperature, sleep issues....

There's many more symptoms listed in the link above that I don't have issues with.

I would be very interested in knowing what some of you think.
Posted 1/31/2013 4:59 PM (GMT 0)

I almost went into pre-med as a major in college.  Medicine interested me and then, when I started getting all my illnesses, I searched even more.  When I read about candida years ago I thought, OMG!!!!  That's me!!!!  The testimonials for a product were amazing and I just knew that if I took good probiotics I would really help myself.  I spent a lot of money on Three Lac...one of the best probiotics out there...and it didn't change a thing.  I'm out the money and am wiping egg off my face.  I still had egg on my face from the Noni Juice I was spending a fortune on and getting no relief.  (I do take probiotics if I've been on a lot of antibiotics.  Antibiotics will kill all bacteria...good and bad...and probiotics help the body build up the good bacteria again.) 

 

I actually was becoming a prisoner in my own body.  I wasn't having any fun...just searching, wondering, going to doctors, taking tests, etc.  I finally decided to stop this and start living my life and enjoying myself.  (Of course I kept and keep all my regular medical appointments.)  I threw away a medical book I had and I didn't search the Internet either.  I generally only search the Internet to check out medications a doctor is trying to get me to take or to check out meds and symptoms for members on the forum...like now.  Most of my time I am enjoying my life and I don't think about illness.  I am a very happy person.  yeah

 

By the way, here is what the Mayo Clinic has to say about candida.  I always check their site since they are considered one of the top teaching hospitals in the US.  

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/candida-cleanse/AN01679

 

I saw a 27 year old young man on TV a couple of days ago.  He was in the military and had both of his arms and both of his legs blown off.  He came home so severely handicapped BUT he also had a magnificent outlook on life.  He said he never has thought of himself as being handicapped!  He just received a transplant of two arms and he is so happy because he will be able to drive again.  He is looking forward to wheelchair racing, too.  Also, a special home was build for him and Hurricane Sandy destroyed it.  It's being rebuilt.  He was so inspiring to me.  I guess the reason I am telling this story is that he is happy and content and looking forward to his life even though it will be a difficult life for him.

 

When I was doing my searches, I thought I had this illness and that illness, was checking my eyes for redness, thinking about how I felt, doing complete body checks and meanwhile my life was passing me by.  I received a subscription to Prevention Magazine for Christmas and I haven't even read them.  Probably won't, either. I'm so glad I don't think about all of this now.  I'm far happier and I sure have far less stress.  :-)

 

Sherrine

Posted 1/31/2013 5:56 PM (GMT 0)
Sherrine,

Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. Yes, I agree with you that it's good to remain positive but when fibromyalgia alters your life to a big degree that can become even bigger with a flare isn't it the right thing to do, to do all you can to help yourself so these times happen less often?

Since going on the virgin diet, my body has felt less inflammed. If it wasn't for learning about this, I would still feel constantly inflammed.

I know you agree, Sherrine, because you are that way yourself, that it's very helpful in this forum to pass around information that might help others. There are so many in here who are looking for answers so they can lead productive lives. There are so many in here who want to make their lives a little bit easier. And there are so many in here who are looking for the right med or meds to help themselves.

When you see the advertisements on television for medications then they list all the side effects, hearing of all the possible side effects is very sad to me. The wide variety of meds for fibro don't help me, they make me feel worse and they cause me many side effects. I'm glad some in here are helped by some of the medications. We are all different.

Isn't it best to be our own private detective to figure ourselves out naturally without allowing it to consume our lives?

Yes, it's good to not focus on our limitations. Yes, it's good to try and be positive at all times. But when one is in the middle of a flare, when one can't sleep because they're in so much pain, when one feels limited in what he or she would like to do, and when one reads in this forum about our members feeling overwhelmed (especially our new members) isn't it best to try to offer a possibly natural alternative?

Thanks for reading this.
Posted 1/31/2013 6:21 PM (GMT 0)
I have many symptoms of candida too but I always figured it was thr fibro. A fibro specialist in nj has candida stuff posted on his website so it's pretty common for people with fibro to have issues with it. I just think this forum is great for all of us to exchange info and share our experiences, knowledge, and of course vent!
Almost medfree I think that's great you don't eat any wheat or white food. I eat wheat and prefer it. It's amazing how many foods can make symptoms better or worse. Over the years I have modified my diet to help with the pain. Oh and canker sores in the throat do hurt a lot but any canker sore is painful. It's just not easy to put medicine back there...lol.
Larissa
Posted 1/31/2013 10:11 PM (GMT 0)
I agree that it's always good to eat a healthy diet. For me, I can eat most anything and it doesn't make a difference. When my Crohn's was flaring, I had serious diet restrictions and they really made a difference for me but dietary restrictions haven't made a difference for me with my fibro. I'm glad dietary restrictions help you, Larissa, Chris and others but you also know there are a bunch of us that dietary restrictions do not help...and I'm one of them.

But, I think my point was about spending so much time thinking about illness and not enjoying the life we have. Another point was about the products being sold to get rid of candida and even pain when perhaps changing what you eat is what works. I don't want to lead people...especially newbies....down dead end roads that can be expensive.

When you suffer with chronic pain like we do, you tend to grasp at straws. I've been there and done that. I've tried so many things that promised you the moon and wasted a lot of money doing so. I want to spare people this. There are a lot of creative writers out there and many make a good living off our pain.

I have been suggesting alternative ways of handling fibro for years. I only take one prescription drug for fibro and I just started taking it last winter. So, yes, I do encourage a healthy alternative to deal with fibro. Yet, there are some members that need more. I have lived through thousands of flares but I know they will pass eventually. This is what I try helping people with. I don't want to give false hope to people either. It's so easy for that to happen with chronic pain suffers.

So, I just keep plugging along, looking forward to each new day because it could be a good one since fibro waxes and wanes. My positive outlook has helped me so much with all the chronic illnesses I have and I try to get others try this. It's an alternative way to handle pain...that is a proven fact....and it's free! It's proven, free, and I don't have to run to a doctor for tests! I plan on living a long life and enjoying every minute of it. I know some might think I don't have much pain but my family, friends, and doctors would beg to differ. I have quite a few illnesses that have altered my life but I work around them to live my life to the fullest. Where there is a will, there is a way.
yeah

Sherrine
Posted 1/31/2013 10:13 PM (GMT 0)
Sherrine, surely you realize that Fibromyalgia effects different people in different ways and to different degrees. Sometimes it really doesn’t seem that you believe this.
It would be nice of you to concede that some people with Fibro don’t have the ability to simply take magnesium, Malic acid and Vit. D to feel better enough to go out and enjoy life. I don’t believe for one minute that there isn’t anyone on this forum who would absolutely love to have their life back.

There are people who do not have the hormonal where with all (adrenalin, e.g.) or who are in such great pain they cannot rise from the bed and go get their life back. It is not a matter of motivation or attitude of faith in God but rather, this illness can be extreme enough to keep you physically down, as in bound – bound to the house, bound to the bed.

And people who have been active are often mentally also alert and active. What will an intelligent person who does not have the ability to go out and socialize or presue their former favorite activities do when stuck with being physically down? They will turn their mental energies toward helping themselves. I’m all for distractions and games and light-hearted fun but I’m also for figuring out anything that will help me get even part of my life back. Therefore research into anything that will help me do that.

I have been a lot of things in my life including ballet dancer, figure skater and most recently avid horsewoman. It’s not in me to be uninvolved and inactive and yet Fibro did change that.
After my first major abdominal surgery, I never asked for pain relief and I was up doing laundry two days later. I was tough, very tough, until this.
You are lucky to not have a very severe case but sometimes it sounds
as if you believe that we can all be just as lucky as you are if we would only get off our butts. It sounds more like you are scolding people and shaming them for not being able to do that, just like any doctor who doesn’t understand. You know, usually I just feel sad reading your posts.
Of course, a glib answer to that would be "Well don't read them, then."
However, because you are a moderator and a knowledgeable person, I tend to read them anyway. Ah well.
Posted 1/31/2013 10:39 PM (GMT 0)
We are all so different, aren't we. Thanks for your reply, Woolrow.

I know where Sherrine is coming from and I know where you're coming from Woolrow. I don't think Sherrine is scolding us, I believe she's just trying to encourage us to be as positive as possible.

Yes, I try to think as positive as is possible in my case but there are days I really need to come in here and vent or offer advice. There's nothing like helping others to make one feel better.

Sherrine, I so much appreciate all of your helpful advice and your taking the time to write us long posts, to me the longer everyone's post the better. I very much admire your positive attitude, Sherrine, but can you imagine not having supportive family members and/or friends? I didn't for years of having fibro. I still tried to be as positive as possible but it was more difficult. Can you imagine not being able to afford doctors? For years I lived with that. There is so much that can bring us down and I'm so glad there are some in here who work at becoming the best they can be without being obsessed by it, like myself.

When I'm in the middle of a flare or I have to do something that I know will put me into a flare it's very difficult to be positive but I am, but you're not going to see that part of me trying to be positive in this forum very often because in here I feel very comfortable about saying how I feel.

Thanks. I hope more will reply.
Posted 1/31/2013 10:46 PM (GMT 0)
Gee, Woodrow, I'm sorry you feel that way. I know you haven't been reading all my posts because I talk about how different each of us are and what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another. I wish I had a nickel for every time I have typed this. I've also told people that it's trial and error with fibro to find what will help CONTROL the pain. I give suggestions of things that have helped me and they have helped others on the forum. I have never implied that if you do as I do you will be just fine. Never! So I don't need to concede anything because I have never done that.

I'm also surprised that you think you know how much pain I'm in. I would never judge someone that way. I do have the pain under control but I'm far from pain-free and I have my bad flares, too. I have worked on this forum in horrible pain but I don't talk about it because I have never found that to help me. It just makes me upset and miserable. But yet others need to vent and there are plenty of venting posts to prove that.

There is no way I'm scolding or shaming anyone. I do know what it's like to live with chronic pain. What I am trying to do is encourage people. I'm sorry you are taking what I am saying wrong. I wouldn't have spent my time hurting people. That just not me. I love to help others and that's why I have spent nearly eight years, sometimes many hours a day, trying to help our members. I am thankful for the people I have helped and they have let me know, too, so I know not everyone feels the way you do.

I guess the bottom line is I will keep on keeping on trying to help others to deal as successfully as possible with this illness and other chronic pain issues. I know what I do won't help every single member. It it can help quite a few though and so i will keep encouraging people as i have in the past. Knowing that i am helping anyone makes me happy and thankful. I'm also happy that I'm not thinned skinned!
devil Again, I'm sorry you feel this way.

Sherrine
Posted 1/31/2013 10:51 PM (GMT 0)
A recurring yeast infection? Or a long term one?

Yes, many people can have it. It would have to pretty darned awful, though, to trump other things.

I would argue that aggregating too many little diagnoses can be self-defeating. Yes, it can add up, too many twigs make for a heavy load, etc. But, this seems, at least to me, to be something into which I really don't need to invest energy.
Posted 1/31/2013 11:07 PM (GMT 0)
Almost Medfree, thank you for your sentiments. I didnt see what you had posted until after I posted to Woolrow. I really do appreciate what you said. Yes, I'm trying to encourage people and I do try to help members deal with family that don't understand, too. I know all about friends that aren't supportive. Ive lost two good friends to fibro....one woman was my best friend for a little over 32 years. It's sad, it happens, but I can't dwell on it. I just made more friends and some of them really are supportive. They truly are a blessing to me.

I know many people need to vent. After all, many of them are angry or upset that they have this illness. We have a lot of venting threads but I rarely post on them because it makes me feel worse. I do read them, though, and occasionally have a response to someone.

I know you are trying to help others, too. I read what you post...some I agree with and some I don't. Sometimes I give my opinion but that doesn't mean my opinion is better than yours! wink By doing this it let's the members decide for themselves what direction they want to take.


I'm glad you feel comfortable here. That is a goal. We all learn from one another. I have had fibro a very long time but yet I'm still learning new things. I just want to encourage everyone to take time to smell the roses along the way. Life is too short and goes by too fast.

Thanks again for your support.

Sherrine
Posted 2/1/2013 12:07 AM (GMT 0)
-mouth opens then closes again-

Okay. We are talking about yeast infections, right? The infections that, ahem, high school and college-age girls get a good bit? Due to the excess drinking of beer, among other things?

-clears throat-

Well, I guess in excess it could be bad. But, yeast growth is a fairly natural thingie. Our bodies do it, like shazaam. It's when that there is an imbalance that life goes hooey.

Last paragraph of the original website. I am cutting some to make my point.

"Two points should be understood with regard to the above list of signs and symptoms of Candida overgrowth.

First, while all of the symptoms listed are definitely seen in Candida patients and evidence indicates Candida causes or strongly contributes to the development of these problems, there are other contributing factors that can also bring about some of these problems.

Second, treatment for Candida alone.... will not be adequate in all cases to restore health."
Posted 2/1/2013 10:57 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for sharing that, Myself, and I like how you personalized your post. Makes it more interesting. It's fun to try to get to know everyone in here little by little.

I guess since I've noticed a change since altering my diet I'll try to go all the way to see if it benefits me more.

Some people put their choice of food and drink before their health. Have you ever heard the old addage: "You are what you eat?" But then again that's great there are some who can eat just about anything and not feel any effects. 

Yes, there are some in here that have tried to change how they eat and they haven't noticed any benefit. But there are also some that might decide to begin changing their diet to see if it benefits them and that to me is exciting to know we may have helped one or more feel better.

Sherrine, you're welcome. I know what you mean about losing friends and then there are the tried and true ones that come to your aid, that support you and care about you. It's like a weeding out process. I thank God every day for what I do have. I feel truly blessed.

Sherrine, I guess what I meant to say about venting didn't necessarily have to do with anger on my end but more like frustration or something negative to say.

Woolrow, thank you again for your post. It is very good for us to share how we feel with each other and to clear up any concerns we may have.

Yes, we have lost what we use to be but now we can be an inspiration to others in how we deal with it.

Posted 2/1/2013 2:45 PM (GMT 0)
I've always been on the fence about candida.

I do think sugar is really bad, but if I crave something sweet, and nothing else will do, I take just a bite of something sweet. Also, I try to eat a little raw garlic every day (or take garlic in capsule form if I'm going to be around people!) and that seems to really help me all around, though it does take getting used to.
I tried pau d'arco tea a few years back, since it was supposed to be good for fighting yeast, but didn't like the taste. When I eat garlic, I take it with some small crackers and I think that helps my stomach, too.
Posted 2/2/2013 12:59 AM (GMT 0)
I had to make a major change in my diet last July when I was diagnosed with interstitial cystitis. I had to give up LOTS of foods, too numerous to mention. And I've lost one size due to the weight loss, so for this former Atkins fanatic, it proved to me that I could eat potatoes and bread and lose weight. Of course, I'm most comfortable on an Atkins diet.

I think the most important things I quit were diet drinks and chocolate. Those things aggravate interstitial cystitis. Quitting diet drinks had an immediate effect.
Posted 2/2/2013 10:52 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks, Luv and bw, for sharing.

Luv, have you ever tried eating dates? That gives me a bit of something sweet. I heard chicory root tea is good for candida.

Bw, can I ask what kinds of foods you were encouraged to eat? Congratulations on feeling better.
Posted 2/2/2013 1:30 PM (GMT 0)
almost medfree: Good idea to eat dates! I do have them, but rarely. I sometimes cut up a couple and put on my oatmeal. Haven't done that in a long time, though!

(edited to add:  Thanks for the tip on chicory root tea, too.)

Posted 2/2/2013 2:30 PM (GMT 0)
Hi,

I'm doing some more research on foods to stay away from if you suspect you have candida. Dried fruit is one of them.

http://www.thecandidadiet.com/foodstoavoid.htm

Let me know what you think of this. It might be a bit too overwhelming to try.

Posted 2/2/2013 3:55 PM (GMT 0)
I'll say I have a permanent medication on file for treatment of thrush. For my ee I have to swallow 4 puffs of Flovent a day. I get the infection deep inside my esophagus, at least that is where I feel it. It actually has the same symptoms of my ee so I try the medication first then schedule an egd if that doesn't work.
Now, I don't know if fibro has any effect on the thrush. I never had yeast infections and such, still don't.
Posted 2/2/2013 4:22 PM (GMT 0)
Hmmmmm.

The problem with those "symptoms" list.... at least for anybody with Fibro, is that that since most of us have, or at least, have had, a TON of negative symptoms relating to our condition, it would be hard to read a long list of symptoms "and NOT" have any of them.... or even just a few.

I promise I could post the list of symptoms for 20 different diseases, and many of us, would almost certainly experience many of the symptoms, on each of those lists.

I agree with the Mayo Clinics assessment, that cutting out a bunch of garbage / processed foods in ones diet, is quite likely to make anyones health conditions improve, at least a little > even if it had nothing at all to do with reducing Candida.

All this said, cutting out processed sugars and other not so healthy stuff, doesn't sound like a bad, or unhealthy thing to try. And then, if you think it helps, well by all means.....

Just MPO,
Fish
Posted 2/3/2013 1:49 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for your replies, fish and angelic.

Angelic, what is ee? Your throat condition sounds awful. Might participating somewhat in a special
diet help you get rid of this?

Fish, you are so right. Yes, many diseases have some of the same symptoms. But it does give one a great feeling to be their own detective and help themselves. I know you know that feeling. Then to pass along any possibly helpful information...
Posted 2/4/2013 8:49 AM (GMT 0)
almostmedfree, I have to eat foods that keep my body in a more alkaline condition, so anything acidic is forbidden, like any citrus fruit or juice, anything with vinegar in it, any drink with carbonation in it, anything with sugar substitute in it...you can look up interstitial cystitis and their site can tell you what you can and can't have. It has made a difference in how my bladder feels and how many trips to the bathroom I have to make every day.

I honestly don't know why carbonation in drinks has anything to do with it, but I sure miss my diet drinks. I thought for a while I could drink a regular soda occasionally, but I can't get by with it (as I sit here in pain after drinking cola all day).

There is a free app you can download on your phone (mine is an iphone) that tells you what foods are best and the ones to avoid.

I looked for an interstitial cystitis forum here when I was first diagnosed, but there isn't one. :(

Sorry to hijack the thread.
Posted 2/4/2013 10:24 AM (GMT 0)
Bwfm,

Thanks for the information, what you wrote wasn't a highjack at all. I've also heard carbonated drinks aren't good for us.

Can I ask how you were diagnosed? Can I ask what your symptoms are or were?

I find I can't tolerate products with vinegar or acidic foods.

Is there a good website for interstitial cystitis?

Thanks again.
Posted 2/4/2013 11:35 AM (GMT 0)
bwfm:  I just found this forum for interstitial cystitis:

http://www.dailystrength.org/c/Interstitial-cystitis-IC/support-group

 

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