I haven't felt well (or at least, my normal baseline) since mid-September. Back then, you may recall, I ended up with bronchitis. The usual 5 days of Zithromax didn't do the trick this time - my bronchitis actually got worse and began to develop into pneumonia, so the doctor put me on a stronger antibiotic, Cipro, for another week. That finally got rid of the bacterial infection but left me struggling once again with yeast overgrowth.
We know a lot about yeast problems in our house - we've fought this battle many times before! So, from the time I started the first round of antibiotics, I was already on a super-strict diet and taking loads of extra-strong probiotics and all the antifungal supplements in our arsenal. None of that mattered - I still developed yeast overgrowth.
This has been a stubborn case. I've been taking prescription antifungals for about 6 weeks now, and I still have some visible thrush in my mouth. Worse are the immune systems - terrible aches all over, every day.
To make matters worse, I've been extra busy around here: running my car to the shop and the DMV to try to beat my re-registration deadline (I thought I'd left plenty of time until my car failed inspection the first time!), driving all over town taking my father-in-law to doctor's appointments, plus my own commitments. So, bottom line - it's just been a really difficult couple of months.
My doctor saw me again Friday and switched me to a stronger antifungal med, alternating days with the one I've been taking. I hope this works because I've been feeling so frustrated and fed up with all this. I also have a cervical biopsy scheduled for Tuesday after an abnormal Pap smear, so I've been worried about that (I went through the same thing about 10 years ago and it turned out fine, but now I know how much the biopsy hurts!). All of this just has me feeling like I'm on the edge of an emotional breakdown - you know what I mean? Sometimes with this illness, you just feel like you can't take anymore.
I've been planning to write an in-depth blog post on yeast overgrowth/candida, but I keep waiting until I resolve my own problem so I can write about what finally worked - no luck so far! In the meantime, if you are also struggling with yeast problems, you can check out this older post on yeast overgrowth for some information.
Hopefully, these new meds will finally do the trick. I'll keep you posted. Wish me luck!
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| One joy lately: the brilliant fall colors! I hate to see them go. |
6 comments:
Hi Sue, I ran across this and appreciate Dr. Craig's info and insights as she has ME/CFS but does quite well now. Her story is very similar to mine. Check this out! A probiotic toothpaste help rid her of thrush years ago after it had been very persistent. http://www.drcourtneycraig.com/blog/candida-tongue
Thanks so much for the tip! I'm going to try it - just ordered some!
Sue
You're welcome, Sue! I hope it does the trick in combo with the med and maybe prevents future problems. I'm just going to do the GI Effects and SIBO Hydrogen breath test from Genova Labs since I've had IBS for years and see if they can find any treatable contributing factors. We know the ANS which includes the enteric nervous system is afected in CFS...it's just finding out what causes what!
Jane - What did the trick for me for IBS was eliminating dairy. Even though I'd drank milk every day for 37 years and never had a problem before, CFS made me dairy intolerant. I didn't believe it until I took Dr. Bell's advice and tried eliminating it - about 90% of my GI problems disappeared like magic! Good luck finding your own root causes.
Sue
Good luck Sue with the biopsy.
Sue, my dad is lactose intolerant and I believe it started after many antibiotics for repeated sinus infections partly as a result of terrible allergies as a kid. And his dad suddenly became lactose intolerant in his 40's after loving dairy and eating it regularly prior. I quit regular milk usage and replaced it w/ almond milk around the beginning of this yr in hopes of improving acne. I still eat cheese, yogurt, and occasionally ice cream however. IBS-C w/ cramping is my issue. Magnesium daily helps...I wonder also if it is partly a sign of the magnesium deficit spoken of in CFS. I recently upgraded to magnesium citrate after mag oxide for yrs...not knowing it wasn't that great. I had a colonoscopy at 19 a few yrs ago after it hit hard (had some as a kid that I was given med for and then it went away for yrs), my mom had the same experience as teen. Dad has it too but more towards IBS-D. Around the time it hit me at 19 there were a cascade of things which CFS probably made me vulnerable to. IBS-C, then bladder infection as a result of a somewhat rare kind but cleared w/ Cipro after sent to urologist to be sure that would do it, and then while on Cipro I broke out in a rash that I later learned (after an ER visit for possible allergic reaction since never had Cipro in which they didn't tell me what was going on) in about 6 wks was a bad case of Pityriasis Rosea. That drug me down but I managed to keep going to Jr college and finish off the sem. I had lingering immune effects for a few mos such as skin peeling at the back of my throat and fatigue. The allergist/immunologist I have had for allergies since 5 said my immune system had gotten out of whack but w/ a couple mos time after Pityriasis Rosea resolves, it should straighten out...and it did.
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