Candida Vs Lyme - HUH????!!!!

Ok, so I stopped treating Lyme with antibiotics three weeks ago. Happy happy joy joy, BUT

I finally realized that what I am dealing with now is Candida. Not happy happy joy joy!

anyway, long story short, I finally did some research on candida, and I absolutely cannot believe the similarity in symptoms. I can now tell that some of the symptoms I was experiencing while I had lyme were indeed due to candida.

I am not saying I still don't have lyme, it's only been a few weeks, but I surely don't feel sick, weak, fatigued, I am sleeping great, never had brain fog, have plenty of energy, great libido, etc.....

So I am hoping I got enough of those critters to keep them at bay, plus hopefully the herbs I am taking will be sufficient. I have to concentrate at what's at hand. As soon as I stopped the Zithromax, I stopped the nystatin. Big mistake. I also ran out of my probiotic, so I missed a few doses. That surely didn't help. This all lead to a vaginal yeast infection and bladder irritation. I took terazol 7, went back on nystatin, back on probiotics, initiated femdophylus, initiated D mannose, and started the nystatin back up again.

I am better with my UT, but what was interesting was during this time, I had heartburn, I had lots of little pimples on my forehead, my muscles started to feel achey, and I herxed when I started the nystatin again. And since I started the nystatin, the pimples went away, and my stomach calmed down.

My LLMD thinks that I am making the right call. she said that Candida can sure act up in a furious way once you stop antibiotics.

Anyone have any advice? Do you think I am correct here? Anything else I can do besides the low sugar, yeast diet? Also, seriously, what is the easiest way to distinguish Candida from Lyme???

Thanks!

something that has helped me a lot is using virgin coconut oil (down there!). I read somewhere that it kills candida. Every morning and night I do it. It has helped me so much! I also do a baking soda douche - per my acupuncturist suggestion. That helps relieve some symptoms when I have a yeast infection, but I only do that when I have an infection. I eat tons of Sauerkraut (not the pickled kind with vinegar ingredients should just say water & salt/probiotic), Bio-K probiotic, kombucha and the coconut oil. This has helped me tremendously. Because I am taking so many antibiotics, I was getting a lot of yeast infections, but since I started with coconut oil, I have kept them at bay. Another thing I am a big believer in is oil pulling with Sesame Oil.

thanks everyone. greenblue - I am very weary of coffee enemas! thx for the suggestion though. good luck with your research! cccmama - thanks for all of that info!! opugirl - that sounds about right, garlic is excellent, but I didn't realize how much more effective the raw natural garlic is! i cook with garlic, but gosh, that has to be painful on the tongue! LOL. what do you do exactly? i am going to definitely have a clove a day from now on, its worth a try, just gotta figure out how to do it and still have my husband kiss me, LOL

opugirl, looks like you treated with abx for less time than me. what herbs did you remain on after you stopped abx? bc i am still a bit worried that what i am experiencing may not all be due to candida. i keep saying what if its the lyme coming back....

Can coconut oil be taken orally? Is i t safe to use vaginally when ur sexually active? Using protection of course bc of lyme. I don't know anything about it. Gonna do some research now!

Yes I second the Saccaromyces Boulardii - we use Klaire Labs. Both my husband and I have used it periodically during and after antibiotics in the past with great success. I am currently taking it again. That would have been a more conventional suggestion than my coffee enemas. :)

After my LLMD put me on an anti yeast diet, I found a lot of useful information in the book "The Candida Cure" by Ann Boroch.

Chapelle!!! I don't think sugar is added! It's all organic! I buy it at the health food store. Honestly they don't taste sweet at all. I think they are working wonderfully.

lymepickle, congrats! that's great news!!

Candida hits me mostly in the gut and has from the beginning. Diarrhea. Plus the center of my back gets rashy and itches like crazy. I use Diflucan when I have it, the one that works the best for me is Ketoconazole but the MD's here don't like to prescribe it. I just take it 3 days to avoid liver problems. You can also use the Nizoral shampoo on the skin and let it sit for a few minutes. I always need probiotics and have for years.

thank you guys!! georgia - I dont have any MTR issues. I am definitely going to get black cumin seeds - but where do I find them?? and how much do I use? Lighterbeing - wow nizoral shampoo? interesting! I took diflucan back when I was sick, I may see if I have any refills left. my dr said I could try it again for like a week or two, but I am trying to go natural. nystatin is relatively safe compared to most other antifungals.

also, how do you know when the Candida is knocked out?? just by the look of my tongue? I started nystatin again last night and the skin on my hands already feels smoother.

ok, wow ebay huh? ok will do!
yes, I still have gas issues too - forgot to mention that. thanks for reminding me - I will use that and my white tongue as a guide, LOL

I don't think we ever get rid of candida 100% either, which is why I am going to have to stick to this diet forever with cheat days here and there. I had endometriosis when I was younger and discovered that there was a link btwn the two. I also realized that the stomach issues and the constipation I had when I was in college was probably due to Candida as well. Had no idea back then. Now it all makes sense. I always said that my "IBS" diagnosis was "BS" LOL - its just a diagnosis when they cant figure out what's wrong with you.