Eliminating sugar worsens my condition

Try doing one at a time. Eliminate the sugar first. Make sure you have it going for a couple of weeks and then go for the carbs.

I think you are shocking your body with trying to do both at once. Our body likes slow, gentle changes.

Also, it is very common for symptoms to get worse after stopping antibiotics if you have not been cured.

Very common. The bugs are having a party because you are not chasing them with medicine to kill them.

Have you had your blood sugar levels checked recently? Maybe hypoglycemia??

Starlight,

I can survive no ADDED sugar, but I can't survive without fruits and carbs.

I can diminish the amount of carbs by substituting it for lots of greens.

But not eliminate it. I feel my organs get consumed, I lose weight very fast (I'm already super skinny).

Good carbs don't cause me bad symptoms, if I don't overdose.

How do you feel bad?

Added sugar is addictive. Laboratory mice can have symptoms like drug-withdrawal, when researchers stop giving their sugar (after they got addicted to it).

Could it be that??

Xylitol may be of benefit. It reduces the bacterial load. The critters think its sugar and gobble it up and die. Low and slow, start with 1/4 tsp and increment it by the same each day. If you get the runs back it off a bit.

You can swish it in your mouth and it will clean there, and then swallow it and it will continue to work.

You are actually hoping it gives you a bit of a herx to let you know its working, but either way it will reduce the bacteria load as well as some of the other undesirables safely.

You need carbs. They're good for you in moderation, but make them good carbs like veg or even a little white rice. My gastroenterologist (a lyme specialist) recommended I have a little white rice everyday. It's helped me feel like I'm not about to pass out.

When I quit ALL processed sugar, I broke out, had a headache and felt like poop. After a few months, I feel better and I can't stand sugar anymore. It takes a while, but it's worth it. I like Stevia, but I don't use it all that often anymore. In fact, I feel pretty good about being able to enjoy the natural flavors of things. One thing I've noticed with this journey is that EVERYTHING is slow, EVERYTHING is hard, but it's worth it. It's hard to imagine when you're feeling bad, but it's the truth and everyone here will tell you that. Stay strong. You got this.

10LymeB -
Good post! I'm glad you made it over the mountain. It's a BEAST.

Starlight* -
The Yeast beasts are demanding to be fed. As long as you feed them, they're happy and they keep your body in balance, even though that is actually dysbiosis.

But the die off and herxing can be a lot worse than the state of yeast imbalance. Some people literally have no yeast/fungal overgrowth symptoms (often, I think they just don't recognize them but in reality, if you're not aware of symptoms, they can be quite tolerable although still unhealthy. But with our Lyme & Co battle, it's understandable to want to put your focus and energy elsewhere. Die off can overwhelm your system just like a herx can).

However, yeast imbalance can also harm the gut and cause immune problems in other ways that can get pretty serious. So, it's usually best to treat.

But as I previously mentioned and others have also shared, you still have to eat carbs and feed your body. And starving the beast isn't enough - you gotta kill it and remove it. So good carbs, pure Nystatin powder, and binders.
www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=30&m=1606610&g=3644275#m3644275

ALSO...
You could have parasites that are feeding off your crappy diet ;)

But try the good carb, nystatin powder, binder approach first and at least lower the yeast volume and then move on to parasites.

-p

You and I both wonder that! I really, really, really don't get why LLDs, of all people, don't have a better grasp on the yeast issue, particularly with all the similarities in symptoms w/ Lyme & co and the prevalence of abx prescribed.

The diflucan/fluconazole and other systemic antifungals do work well on systemic issues, usually (although if you don't have a stool test like Doctor's Data find what strain you have and also tell you which natural and Rx antifungals are effective against it, you sometimes have to try out different antifungals). And if you've had a long-standing overgrowth that has gone untreated for awhile, a systemic might be required.

But most overgrowth originates in the gut and if it's a new infection, it's probably still isolated to the gut and the Nystatin is safer, doesn't cross the mucosal barrier so it generally doesn't have to be metabolized by the liver, won't need enzymes tested frequently, etc. And since it's a pure powder, it kills on contact in the mouth, throat - some even say directly through the alimentary canal.

There's more on the powder in that thread. Let us know what your next steps are and how you're doing!

-p

I go through withdrawal symptoms when I first restrict anything. I don't restrict all carbs and sugar - "only" grains and added sugars. I have had a sweet here or there (because my world is not complete without chocolate), but the withdrawal symptoms I've had usually pass within a few days so if it's going on longer than that, then you have something else happening.

Starlight* -

I'm sorry you see similarities! But hopefully, we can get you turned around. YES, the waxy flakey stuff on skin is so often yeast/fungus - not dry skin. So is dandruff a lot of times.

IMO yes, it is often related. The yeast/fungus/biofilms grow like crazy, within minutes, hours. If the overgrowth in the gut or mouth is significant, it can continue growing and eventually grow outside and onto our skin. I used to be able to tell I had an issue simply by walking outside and smelling a chemical burn, which is the sun killing the yeast? fungus? biofilm? I'm not really sure. I could also feel it when I washed my face.

I started with natural antifungals - too many to name for about a year. Then I started on diflucan and Nystatin pills for 6 months for chronic bronchitis and sinusitis that was fungal in origin. Then switched to ketoconazole for 6 mos. then switched to the Nystatin powder for 6 mos. Then went off everything.

Then a year later I started busting biofilms and had to go back on the ketoconazole and Nystatin in January, then added in pure cholestyramine and going off both Rx when prescription is up.

Yes, yeast/fungal sx, dx, and tx is yet another are not well understood by the medical community - not even NDs, which is very frustrating. I'm so, so very thankful for all the people who shared their research, which I learned and healed from so I'm only too happy to share it all - plus my experiences. And everyone is different so you'll likely need to tweak your approach for what you need but it's a good starting point.

-p

It was a long time. I didn't really figure out what all was going on and how to deal with it until last year! Uggh... wasted time, energy, money, etc. But things are infinitely better now and the biofilm busting SHOULD be the last major treatment shift that might trigger any other issues, and so I'll only need the cholestyramine moving forward while I'm on abx.

Yes, once I got the majority of the initial yeast/fungal infection (and high viral load, and healed my gut) I was able to move forward with Lyme & Co tx and stayed on antifungals throughout the treatment... until this past year when I felt I was ready to go off the antifungals - the cholestyramine was keeping GI in balance. Until I started the anti-biofilm herbs then I was hitting pockets of y/f overgrowth that were hiding in the biofilms. But that's under control now, too, so I went back off the antifungals again, still on CSM.

I think you can resume or start tx once you get the majority of your overgrowth under control. But I've read that once you have overgrowth, you're more prone to it, particularly if you are on abx so it would be good to stay on the abx for a few months after all your y/f sx are gone... then try going off and see how you do - maybe substitute w/ some naturals (carefully). GI health is key.

-p