I don't know if I had candida, but I had some similar problems for a long time. The said I had leaky gut syndrome. Even my regular doctor talked about it being a problem. I did some restricted dieting and supplements and they helped immensely! They really did. I was on seven meds and now I only use some estrogen cream for dryness. That's it! Good luck, Lydia and I think you are doing the right thing. These kinds of exams and treatments are becoming more mainstream now.

Daily ingestion of things like yogurt, Yakult or tablets/liquids from the health store with the same intestinal bacteria can re-populate your bowels so they function properly. This may take a couple of weeks.

As you mentioned, eating lots of sugar (and white flour) can encourage the growth of yeast and make things worse.

Years ago I had the same problem as a result of antibiotics. I talked to our chiropractor (in our state they are licensed and have extensive training in nutrition).
She recommended a rice-based product called Ultra Clear Sustain as part of a bowel-cleansing fast. It corrected my problems rather quickly, and we can buy it for less from our local compounding pharmacist.

Lydia, Acidopholis (sp?) will help. And any time you are given a script for antibiotics, ask for one for Dyfulcan.

Sugar and vinegar will feed the yeast (candida). I have a yeast imbalance, and took acidopholis for years. I wish you good luck and hope you feel better soon.

Tami

What Tami said - take Acidophilus and Diflucan during/after any antibiotic treatment. Good luck!

I have ate yogurt daily for years... I like the Yoplait kind though which isn't really very helpful since it has the Splenda or sugar in it. :-( I have been taking Acidophilis Pearls for about 2 months now. There has been some improvement between that and Grapefruit Seed Extract (mixed in water), which acts as a natural anti-fungal.

Part of my problem too is that I have been taking hydrocortisone for adrenal insufficiency for a couple years... I wasn't aware that that could cause yeast issues. Apparantly so do birth control pills and Progesterone! I only took the antibiotics one day (a large quantity though for a different problem), but I guess it was enough to put me over the edge.

Thanks everybody.

There's a highly regarded naturopath about 50 miles from me who uses kinesiology to test for reactions to various substances. I've been to her twice, and twice I tested strongly positive for candida. It was pretty dramatic: She pushes on my arm and I push back while she passes the substances under my nose. Every time the yeast got near me, I lost muscle strength.

She gave me an anti-candida diet to follow, which I thought would be no problem because I'm so used to eliminating things from my diet. But it was very limited (she pointed out that I would not need to follow it forever) and we were close to the holidays. So I put off doing it, and still haven't gotten around to it.

I don't eat sugar, BTW, but I do eat fruit.

One possibly related thing . . . A couple of years ago I was suffering (!) with painful IBS. When I gave up chocolate, beef, popcorn, and yogurt, it cleared up completely. Yes, yogurt. Plain, unsweetened, non-fat yogurt. A GI doctor told me that I have such an overgrowth of flora that even the addition of good bacteria (as in yogurt) will cause problems. He wants me to take an antibiotic that works only in the small intestine. I almost agreed, but then he said it was likely to be a temporary fix and would have to be repeated every three months. So I'm thinking it would probably be smarter for me to embark on the candida diet . . . after the holidays. :-)

I've heard of the kinesiology, but never knew anyone who tried it. Interesting!

If you look around the internet you'll find a lot of different anti-candida diets... some are less strict than others. I don't know yet how strict the diet is that the doctor recommends, but I may try a less strict diet. No need starting a diet we can't stick to!

I've read that starting the diet without taking some sort of candida killer (Oregano Oil, GSE, Nystatin, ect) causes the fungus to dig deep into your body changing to a different form. You may want to consider this before you start the diet.

The link has what looks like some good recipes.

Here is a link that might be useful: Candida cookbook

Alisande, here's another good link. This doctor thinks it's okay to have some fruit and even dark chocolate! Maybe the diet won't be so bad?

Here is a link that might be useful: Candida treatment

Thanks, Lydia. I'll check into them when I get home. The folks at the fibromyalgia forum I sometimes lurk at seem to like Threelac as an anti-yeast remedy. It's rather pricey......

I've heard of Threelac (and Fivelac). There seems to be some dispute of whether or not it is safe though. Do a google seach for Dangers of Threelac and decide for yourself. Irregardless of what is taken there might be severe die-off of the Candida which will worsen symptoms for a couple weeks to the point of feeling like you've been hit with the flu (now won't that be fun during the holidays??!).

Oh, geez........pricey and dangerous?? Forget it!

Good to know, Lydia, thanks.

No reason for me to offer suggestions as you have already gotten good advice but I just wanted you to know that I certainly know what you are talking about. I had a ruptured colon that was leaking into my abdomen for heaven knows how long and got a massive infection and they wouldn't/couldn't do anything about it till the infection was contained so I was on high powered antibiotics intravenously and by mouth for over two months and like you said...Horrible...and I will tell you something else...I still have yeast issues after all these years...I have to be careful what I eat. I know a flare up is coming when I get little red spots in the corner of my mouth...but at it's worst, my whole body was affected...My head itched so bad I would just lay in bed and scratch my head...and every place where skin met skin was the worst...even under the boobs and in the armpit...but at least I didn't die from the infection. I had prescriptions for all of the issues...female and otherwise.

OK, I've only skimmed the other responses, so forgive me if I repeat what has been said umpteem times already.

As one who suffered from yeast infections in the past, and as one who used to work for OB/GYNs, I can tell you this...

We all have a certain amount of "healthy" bacteria in our bodies that we need in order to maintain balance. When we take antibiotics to combat an infection - e.g., sinus infection, a cut that becomes infected, etc., the antibiotic will kill off the bad bacteria, but it will also kill off the "good" bacteria. Without the "good" bacteria, the yeast in our systems will continue to grow, unchecked. It's when we get an overgrowth of that yeast that we women end up with a yeast infection. Anyone who has had one knows that feeling where you could kill for a bottlebrush!

Anyway, yes, drinking milk or yogurt with acidophillus, or taking acidophillus pills, will help prevent a yeast infection, but when you already have a raging yeast infection you need to "attack from a different direction." It used to be that the only way you could get the medication was to go to a doctor for an exam and a prescription. For many years now, the medication has been available "over the counter." The most widely used and known medication is Monistat. Years ago you could only get it as a cream, and you had to apply one applicator full each night for 7 nights. Now, however, you can get a prefilled applicator for a one-time dose. You can also get it in a large tablet (also applied intravaginally) for a one-time use. You can also get the cream for a 3-night course of therapy, if you feel that might be better.

So, my advice to Lydia, especially since you say your insurance won't cover any of the stuff the doc wants to do, is to go to the store right now and buy the Monistat. You can find it in grocery stores, in the same section where they have bandaids and stuff like that. Depending on which package you buy, it might cost as much as $25, but that's a whole heck of a lot less than what you're looking at with the tests your doctor wants to do.

By the way, babies get yeast infections in their mouths. It's called Thrush.

Ruthie, sorry you still deal with this from time to time. It really is a miserable thing!

Lindsey - If I had a normal female yeast infection, one of the doctors I've seen would have gave me a script for something. Unfortunately this is not that kind of Candida infection, mine is affecting the bowels mostly as well as causing depression and balance issues. Mainstream doctors don't even acknowledge this type of Candida problem.

I always get the weird health issues!! Where's Dr, House when you need him? lol