Jump to content

Menu

Back with a small update (mostly on myself, LOL)


Recommended Posts

I have another thread that I started here on the SN's board.....toward the end of it I mentioned how sick I was getting and was worrying that it might be C-Diff. Well, turns out I have *systemic yeast*. So, yeah, when the dr gave me Cipro for the "white crud in your throat" (thrush), it really kicked it into overdrive. I was a little steamed, I've spent the first 2-4 hours EVERY morning, for three WEEKS, lying on my bathroom floor and trying to keep it together. I've lost 5 pounds in the process (2 years ago I WANTED to lose 5 lbs <insert hysterical LOL'ing>, but now I've lost it and it's really hard for me to gain weight, so I'm a little preturbed about that. OTOH, while my dr missed the mark on my last visit, and needlessly caused me an extra week of racheted up anguish :glare:, he will at least admit that you can get yeast throughout so he has me on a month long course of Diflucan 3x a week and Nystatin 4x a day......I have also gone on a yeast free diet.

 

I still have the sinus infection and he can't give me any antibiotic for it (I'm actually wondering if I have yeast in my sinsuses....anyone?), though he did write me an RX for Sudafed which has helped immensely. He also changed my nausea drug that the first (not my usual) dr gave me. He said it was junk LOL and would only knock me out. The new one actually fights the nausea without making me drowsy so we can have school <insert children groaning ;)>

 

The *homeschooling* aspect of this is that it really made me take stock of what we were actually doing. When you only have X amount of hours a day that you can be vertical and functional, you really start to want to make the most of it. All of my kids needed help, in one form or another, when I brought them home. Even DD needed more time to review the skills she had just learned. So we've gone back to basics. I am using a FIAR type approach with the older 2 using a unit study from homeschoolshare. I'm using a B4FIAR unit for my 8 year old, which makes me cringe a little......but, hey, that's where we are and he's enjoying it. I have a Reading Eggs subscription so I've been putting that to use and it's woooonderful. DS8 used it at school and I never really paid much attention to it when he'd log on at home but I've been sitting with him so he will focus (and so he will read the words out to me, some of the stuff it seems you could "guess" pretty well...) and he can actually read quite a few words. I'm thrilled, but I wish he'd been showing that off all along LOL I'm doing a trial on Dreambox for him but we aren't loving that. It's only day 2 of the 14 days, though, so I'm reserving judgement until the end. I like the concept, but the "flash" card excercises go waaaay to fast for him and, if he does half the excerices in a set it says he's found the "whatever" they are looking for (dino egg today) and it won't then let us go back and finish the other excercises....

 

DD was starting division in school, but when we tried it at home I realized that while she knew her multiplication facts pretty well, they weren't something she had down cold. 8's and 9's particularly, so we are going back to multiplication for a bit. I realized that I could take DS12 back and focus on place value and decimals (something that he never actually got classroom instruction about from the school), so we are. It's been so relaxed and nice. Granted, I know their former teacher's might preach that we only do 2 formal subjects a day.....but I'm over it. The older ones are working on a winter bird notebook as part of their unit, which is covering some pretty nice science, and they are all doing worksheets from homeschoolshare's units which is giving them handwriting practice. The book is also set in the past, which I'm going to flesh out with a few short books, so there's some history.

 

We can always start adding later, when I feel like we have filled in holes left from PS, and when we are more settled in to homeschooling. For right now, given how rough the last two and half weeks have been, this amount feels right for us. I also decided it was pointless to keep frustrating myself and DS8, we will get the neuropsych eval and find an eye dr behind us before we worry about ramping things up for him. I'm also looking at symptoms of systemic yeast in kids and my boys are showing a lot of them. We are about to undergo a diet change. We eat healthy, but what they "crave" are actually no-nos on my new diet. The school also had a bad mold problem (and we are battling mildew in our upstairs at home...), so I think it's within the realm of possibility that they may also be overloaded with yeast. I'll be interested to see if we get positive results from cutting back yeast-feeders. I almost think my youngest may need antifungals, himself. I could've done without the gut wrenching nausea, but I'm glad we found a slower pace before I burned us all out. Just thought I'd share, in case anyone else is in a similar place :001_smile:

Edited by Gingerbread Mama
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sounds like you've been through a lot! Just for your trivia, you don't *have* to do anti-fungals to beat the candida. In fact, some of the advice on it is the exactly opposite of what's necessary. You can't actually STARVE the candida, because you'll starve first. What we've done, with the help of a nutritionist, is doing what's called food combining. So you eat only protein or only starches or only fruit. We'll eat fruit for snacks, fruit or protein for breakfast (not both), starches (grains, high starch veges and nuts) for lunch, proteins and low starch veges for supper. That improves digestion so that food isn't logging in the gut. When things slow down and take too long to clear the gut, that's when they can feed the candida. You cut the white flour and cheese because they clog the gut. You cut red meat because it's hard to digest, again making an environment for candida. Fruit, which they commonly tell you to cut, actually does the OPPOSITE, pushing things through the gut. So the real cure for candida is FRUIT, something they don't tell you.

 

So by all means change your diet, but take your time on jumping onto the gotta starve the candida bandwagon. It is one way, but the lots of fruit and better digestion route plus a good probiotic way will get you there and be a lot more pleasant (and healthy for the littles). I like Primadophilus Optima. I've been taking it for a couple months now, and it's AWESOME. That's what I would put your kids on. You can open the capsules onto a spoon and just give it to them. Try that and just a reasonable diet change (no white flour or cheese, a 3 cup salad every night) and see where that gets you. Think fruit for snacks: bananas and dried fruit in the morning, cut fruit like apples and oranges or grapes in the afternoon. Kids love it and that's all it takes to get their gut on track. The Primadophilus Optima is expensive btw, but it's really, really good. Prescription antifungals kill off the GOOD bacteria too, so you want to avoid them if possible.

 

Ten years ago I was housebound with severe chemical sensitivities from leaky gut, MCS, etc. etc. Now I'm none of that, and that's totally how I got there, with putting in good food, proper food combining for good digestion, and probiotics. I watched too many of my friends starve and not get better on the low carb, starve the candida thing. I did it some myself and actually got worse because I was cutting out too many food groups. But whatever, it's just one of those things to research. I'm just saying mine isn't a theory. It's what I did. :)

Edited by OhElizabeth
Link to comment
Share on other sites

:grouphug: I had this problem too. It was horrible. I did both Diflucan and topical creams for a month (ugh). I also did the sugar-free, low-carb diet for eight months. The nice thing was that I lost 40 pounds. The first month was really, really hard. The second month was better, though I was still exhausted and felt pretty awful. The next six months after that just got better and better and better. The diet worked really well for me, and I ended up feeling the best I'd felt in years. I guess I'd have to respectfully disagree with OhElizabeth (much as I love her!) because starve-the-yeast protocol worked marvelously for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh I'm not saying it can't work. It just doesn't work for all people. It's nice to know there's another way. There are also *consequences* to the antifungals. So especially with the children, it's nice to have some options.

 

Yes, I have to admit I was uncomfortable with how hard the antifungals are on the system. I was soooo sick and uncomfortable and desperate though, and am glad that I was able to get well. I know you feel the same way too--so glad you found the way to get well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:grouphug: I had this problem too. It was horrible. ... The nice thing was that I lost 40 pounds.

 

Isn't it awful? Yuck. The only time I remember being even close to this sick was when I had both Type A and B flu at once (and that was only for a WEEK.) I can't afford to lose 40 lbs, I'm at 124 right now. Now that I'm on the antifungals, I can eat again, so I think I won't lose anymore. I'm just making a conscious effort to veer away from yeast promoting foods. *Sigh* I did love me some cheese :tongue_smilie:

 

 

Oh I'm not saying it can't work. It just doesn't work for all people. It's nice to know there's another way. There are also *consequences* to the antifungals. So especially with the children, it's nice to have some options.

 

I'll have to look further into the information in your first post. I agree, everyone's system is so different, it's hard to say there is a completely right or wrong way to do it. I am eating fruit, but staying away from high sugar ones. I'm also including plain yogurt, and my doctor said I should add a good probiotic now that I'm not so sick to my stomach. I think he just figured I was tossing my cookies every time I ate, so no point in swallowing it when it wouldn't stay down. I haven't even really researched how to treat this in kids, I just remember seeing on a google search that some people found their autistic kids made improvments on Difulcan. We aren't dealing with autism (I don't think) but it made me realize that DS8 shows a lot of signs for being toxic with yeast. I'm just pondering how his behavior and cognitive abilities might be affected.

 

 

 

I'm glad other people have "been there" and made a recovery, it gives me hope. Honestly, I called DH to come home (he works in another state) about this time last week because I figured they were either going to hospitalize me or I was going to die. Either way, he'd need to be around :001_huh: Mornings are still not smooth sailing, but I can function. I just have to be mindful to get up before the kids so I can work my way up to "regular" activity LOL

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well check for the different Primadophilus products in the refrigerator section of your health food store. Optima is really good, and they have one that's even stronger. You can put your kids on it too. Just open the capsules right into their mouths if they aren't able to swallow capsules.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you for the update. I'm so glad something seems to be working. Maybe when you get over the hump and settle a little, you can try those good suggestions of the pp's. Regardless of what you decide to do about diet, definitely get a good probiotic. I also like the brand OhE uses.

 

FYI, I have a friend who has had yeast problems because of long term, heavy duty antibiotics. I remember hearing she had yeast in her sinuses.

 

As hard as it is to go through these periods of illness, you do learn great coping skills. I've had two times like these, and it wasn't easy, but my dc weren't any the worse for it. And it was very good for me to learn to prioritize and focus on the most important areas.

 

I lost more than 10 pounds with CDiff last year so know just how you feel the weight loss. I always thought it would be nice to lose a bit, but when it's from illness, it's not fun at all. It took a very long time, but I'm finally starting to gain it back. I'm getting to the point that I think it would be okay if I didn't gain any more.;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:grouphug: I had this problem too. It was horrible. I did both Diflucan and topical creams for a month (ugh). I also did the sugar-free, low-carb diet for eight months. The nice thing was that I lost 40 pounds. The first month was really, really hard. The second month was better, though I was still exhausted and felt pretty awful. The next six months after that just got better and better and better. The diet worked really well for me, and I ended up feeling the best I'd felt in years. I guess I'd have to respectfully disagree with OhElizabeth (much as I love her!) because starve-the-yeast protocol worked marvelously for me.

 

It worked for me too....but, mostly because I have gluten sensitivities...and I am allergic to wheat...AND I have insulin resistance....sooooooo no carbs for Mamma.....sigh. Oh well, I lost 85 lbs. And when I feel ok once in a while, I can work out:D

 

Anyway, sorry you have been going through the ringer. It is hard, but not impossible to homeschool with chronic illness. I have been doing just that for years. It is hard. It is tiring. Sometimes I want to chuck it all and check myself into a hospital for a month......but, all in all, it is worth it.

 

Faithe...who hopes you are feeling better...oh, I recommend caprylic acid and garlic supplements over nystatin any day of the week. At least it won't kill your kidneys and it does kill the yeast...though you may smell a little funny:tongue_smilie:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...