Candida? Something else? Not sure...

I haven't been treating Candida - but if I remember correctly, you need to treat longer than 14 days with the nystatin if you have active Candida.

I can't say if the lump is from the Candida....as I had the sensation of a lump in my throat - one of my earliest symptoms that came with LD....had it checked out...nothing there...and over time, with treatment it has gotten better - I would say completely gone...except now and then...usually with a herx, it comes back for a day or two.

I did see an ENT - had the tube with camera down my nose to look at my esophagus, vocal chords, etc...and nothing wrong.
Did a barium swallow x-ray, as well - nothing showed up.

I think it's a good idea to get the pure nystatin powder...and read through the thread.

Ok, thanks. Lots of good info in that link from what I've read so far.
The hairball in the throat thing seems like it could be other stuff, too from what I've read. Hard to know... I will probably get it checked out, though, just to be on the safe side.
Yay...another doctor appt! :/

Hi afiya4health,

Yes...I was dealing with small intestine bacterial overgrowth prior to being bit by the tick, so luckily I was already used to eating low sugar, low dairy, low carb and gluten free. I'm wondering if I need to completely eliminate fruit. :/ I eat some low glycemic fruit now. Usually 1 or 2 servings a day.

The probiotics I take are refrigerated, so I think I'm good there. But I was reading S. Boullardi can be helpful in crowding out the yeast. Anybody know if that can help candida?

Thanks so much, Pirouette!
So...update is that the lump/hairball in the throat has gone away, thank goodness! I am still taking diflucan 1x per day. I called my dr. about the nystatin powder and she was not willing to prescribe that now....she said to finish the 30 days of diflucan and then we will see how things are. :/ So, that's frustrating... I also started taking cat's claw last week. Still have some yeast overgrowth on the tongue and in the nether regions, but it's getting better very slowly...

Here's a new issue that's come up...I am suddenly SUPER constipated....could that be the cat's claw? I read it can cause constipation in some people. I'm taking magnesium citrate at night, which usually helps me go, but it is not working! Not good! Any suggestions on what could help with that? I'm thinking of stopping the cat's claw to see if that gets things moving again.

What garden of life probiotic do you use? I was just looking at those yesterday and wasn't sure which would be best...there were a few varieties available.

Thanks for any input!!

Well, perhaps try again w/ your MD. Approach it this way and see if it makes a difference:

Lay out the context for treating y/f overgrowth…this is key: as long as you're on abx, you'll have to be on an anti fungal.

So issue #1:
trying to knock out future y/f overgrowth w/ one course or one month of Diflucan isn't going to cut it. Y/f is growing because an imbalance has already occurred. It's too late to rely on probiotics (for most people). So, this means you're going need to be on either the systemic (Diflucan) or a local (Nystatin powder) LONG term…

So, let her know you've weighed those options:
Diflucan is a systemic anti fungal that is intended to leech though your mucosal intestinal lining and into the blood stream, which means your liver has to filter it…

Issue #2:
Adding another toxic load to your already overburdened liver (if you're in lyme tx). Due to its systemic functionality, if she's not testing your liver enzymes every few weeks while you're on Diflucan, she should be. Most people end up w/ high enzymes after taking the systemics. High enzymes can be addressed w/ milk thistle seed and burdock root.

Issue #3:
Added costs: expense of Diflucan long term, additional blood tests, additional liver support and these are expensive herbs.

Bringing up the impact on the liver will help articulate to her that you have done your homework and know what you're talking about. And, what YOU take for YOUR condition is ultimately YOUR decision. It's YOUR body... Perhaps make it an economic argument. She’ll have a hard time explaining why she’s expecting you to take a much more expensive approach to an obvious solution because she doesn’t want to spend the time to educate herself.

Issue #4:
And then share that the Nystatin powder not only coats every surface of your mouth and throat but your entire alimentary canal, all throughout your intestines and all the way to the rectal area. Gently ask her why she wants to wait that long to "see what happens" when it's almost guaranteed the safer, cheaper, more effective powder will work immediately on contact with a couple swishes of the powder in your mouth… that’s where your white tongue is. Pills cannot do that, and you're taking a very long route to get to your problem areas tongue and nether regions and what does reach the problem areas is diluted (because the blood system carries a small amt of the antifungal to all the different parts of your body).

Issue #5:
Also, the powder is much much safer than the systemic. It's natural and is derived from the earth. And why impact your liver adversely if you don't have to?

She's got it backwards (but most MDs do). It just doesn't add up. You CAN politely demand that she write the powder script. Or, simply share that you'll have someone else write the script.

I'll totally understand if you don't want to push her but she would do well to learn about the powder. Not just for you but her other patients. But more importantly, this is a good opportunity for you to help her see you as a partner in YOUR health, not just a patient. You need the trust in her and this will make you feel in control.

Anyway, good luck and let us know how things evolve one way or another!

p