23 years old and sick

Your Candida Experiences: Page 4

23 years old and Sick!

“I am 23 years old and I strongly believe I have Candida. I am estimating I have had Candida since I was 9 years old. I read the causes of Candida, a couple of which included pool chlorine and antibiotics, both of which I have abused since the age of 1. My mom used to call me her little fish because I started swimming at the age of 9 months. From age 7 and on I would swim for hours every day. At the age of 9 I was diagnosed with gastritis and have battling gastrointestinal problems since then. At age 15 I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. I have had anxiety since age 6. I have tried every single type of depression/anxiety drug from zoloft paxil lexapro pristiq xanax and klonopin. I have seen therapist, psychologists, psychiatrists, neurologists etc.
In the past year I have gained 80 pounds because of my intense sugar craving and became pre-diabetic. That caused me to develop high blood pressure and ovarian cysts. I started the Candida diet about 7 days ago. My blood glucose levels were 110 (fasting). Today my blood glucose is at 87 (fasting) and I feel that the anxiety is a little better. I’m sleeping a lot better and am praying that this works. I am documenting my progress and will develop a website with my results after a 6 month period. Good luck to everyone with their battle with Candida!”
Shared by Liz

Organic Apple Vinegar

“I started taking OAV for extreme gerd. I am on prevacid for it but it doesn’t work for me anymore. Instead of taking more, I looked for an alternative and it worked. But, I started getting really sick with flu-like symptoms. I went to a health store and they put me on probiotics and between the two, I got sicker. I started researching the net and realized I am going through detox. I’ve been fatigued and foggy-minded for years but thought it was from being on Percocet for 7 years. I’m hoping it doesn’t last forever, but it’s worth it if it works.
The recipe for the OAV is 2 TBS, add 1/4 tsp of baking soda and wait until the fizzing stops. Then add 4-8 oz.s of water and drink. Make sure it’s on an empty stomach and eat 30-60 minutes after. I do this 3 times a day and haven’t had to take even a Tums in 5 days. Another recipe is squeeze a fresh lemon into a glass and baking soda in 1/4 tsp increments until the fizzing stops. Then add water and drink. I’ve been doing this for 5 days and have been heartburn-free but having headaches and nausea due to the die-off. The OAV is killing the Candida because it is a fungus basically. Good luck to everyone!”
Shared by Tina

Candida Is Hereditary

“When I was younger, my mother had what was diagnosed as ulcers and acid problems in her digestive system. In those days, they didn’t do a lot for that disease. What they did, didn’t work and she was sick for most of her life. Not only that, she had a very bad rash that covered her body. One doctor told her it was a runaway yeast infection but did nothing for it. In December of 2007 I came down with what was diagnosed as Acid Reflux. After going to many doctors who gave me medications for Gerd and sending me on my way ….. UNcured. I was sick and tired of trying to explain to them that this is NOT working. I had to do something so I started by changing my eating lifestyle. This helped so much that I then gave up all processed sugars. I was still eating fruits so even though I felt better, I was still not where I wanted to be.
In 2009, my younger sister came down with the same problem and did the same doctor routine that I did, only with different doctors. Finally one doctor told her to listen to her sister (ME) because I seemed to have a handle on it. Can you believe a doctor saying that? This year (2010) my older sisters allergies got so bad that she had to really take a look at her life and eating habits. My youngest sister went to an herbalist and found out she had Candida. We are all now on the anti Candida diet and doing very well. I started a blog on some of the ways I am healing from this disease. http://myjourneywithcandida.blogspot.com/”
Shared by Terry

Thank God for Yeast!

“I know this may sound crazy, “Thank God for yeast,” but as I was reading on this site about yeast and cleansing it out of our systems (which my mother and I are going to start on next week), I realized that it’s the same thing as the High Priest cleansing the temple once a year on the Day of Atonement. Our bodies are “the temple of God,” and Jesus said “Beware the yeast of the Pharisees.” Yeast, body-temple – sins, literal temple. How cool! It’s like an object lesson – yeast is bad in our bodies just like sin is bad in our souls! And you can’t just do it topically; both cleansings must be done internally. Thank God for this site. I’m not daunted by diseases anymore. Cleanse it all at the foot of the cross – yeast and sin.”
Shared by Liz

Diet change for life change

“I am 28 and have been ill for 10 years with acid reflux, stomach pains, chronic post nasal drip, oral thrush (and esophageal spotted on an endoscopy a few years ago), and now early stages of psoriasis. I am preparing myself for the Candida diet gradually as my diet has been made up of fast food, takeaways, fried foods, chocolates, sweets, alcohol, microwave meals and convenience foods for a very long time so the adjustment for me is huge but with the help of this site and other resources I am making steps towards a positive lifestyle change and hopefully a successful Candida battle. I have had all my amalgam fillings (mercury) removed by a safe removal dentist and am also commencing chelation to detox mercury from my body which is strongly linked as a cause of immune system breakdown and Candida overgrowth so is a crucial part of the process. I hope to be fit and well by the end of the Candida program, but I also see this as life long positive changes which are long overdue!”
Shared by Dominic

HIV+ with Candida

“Being HIV+ is difficult enough to live with, but having Candidiasis really compounds the problem. I was so sick and tired that I really thought it was it for me. I had all of the classic symptoms; rashes, migraine headaches, diarrhea, severe fatigue, hair loss etc. What I believe brought Candidiasis on in me was my addiction to coffee, of which I was drinking to counter the fatigue effects of HIV. So I went online to read about the adverse effects of coffee abuse and stumbled across an article linking it with Candida overgrowth. I read several other articles that day and was convinced to try the Candida diet. I totally went off coffee, eliminated all sugars, including fruit and ate only beef, chicken, eggs, green veggies, garlic and water. I avoided fish because it contains mercury and contributes to Candida overgrowth. After six months I feel and look like a new man. Amazingly, I feel and look better than I have my entire life, even with HIV. Candidiasis is an opportunistic disease that can creep up on anyone with a lowered immune system. It is slow growing and thus insidious in nature. I really learned an important lesson about proper diet and have decided to stay on the Candida diet for life.”
Shared by Brian

25 and fighting fit!

“I am 25 years old, and have been diagnosed with Candidiasis in my esophagus, one of the most severe types of Candida overgrowth. For the past week, I’ve had intestinal infections, high fevers, night sweats, fatigue, mood swings. It is even hard to swallow a glass of water, and now I have to face an extreme diet to exterminate this condition. I have already lost a tremendous amount of weight, currently at 140lbs. The doctor prescribed an antifungal (Fluconazole) and a probiotic pill to promote friendly bacteria growth in my intestine. The hardest issue I am facing is staying motivated, keeping myself in a good mood and being positive. In your website I have found a lot of helpful information that will help me in this battle. Thanks! ”
Shared by Christian

A Relief

“Where do I start? I was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel almost 3 years ago, and didn’t know what to do. I had all the tests of intolerances you can imagine, and nothing came back, went to a dietician and still I felt tired, bloated, full of gas, irritable, foggy head, sluggish and all the rest. A friend told me quite a while ago about the Candida diet but I never did anything about it. This year I had to take antibiotics, 3 different courses together over a month and since then I have felt awful. I have had a recurring yeast infection and my symptoms have been getting progressively worse. I was seriously starting to get worried. Iam starting now, I have already skipped my lunchtime coffee that I so loved. I am really looking forward to feeling like me again, it feels like so long ago!! ”
Shared by Sal

Candida is CRUEL and UNFORGIVING!

“I am a 31 year old woman and now that I am aware of them I have had symptoms of Candida for as long as I can remember. I was diagnosed at 18 years with irritable bowel syndrome, constantly constipated, bloated, body aches and pains. I seriously have thought I was dying on so many occasions due to the pain and constant fatigue, irritability, mood swings, depression, anxiety, headaches, vaginal thrush, urinary tract infections, kidney infections and kidney cysts to name but a few. Not to mention my TERRIBLE periods for which I have been hospitalized a couple of times in my early/mid twenties from passing out from pain and blood loss.
I had key hole surgery when I was about 25 to find that I also had poly cystic ovarian syndrome, in the last 5 or so years I have really struggled losing weight even with a strict regime of exercise. I have also tried to be healthy mostly but still crave white refined things such as croissants and Turkish bread and of course chips and chocolate. I feel I have truly tried everything from dietitians, every modality of massage therapy and natural therapies including liver cleansing diets, different eating plans, cleansing, colonic irrigation etc etc. Counseling, naturopaths – you name it I have done it. I have had temporary relief but I just tend to return back to my cravings which lead to aches and pains, infections etc, which makes me feel like its not worth it. It’s just a nasty merry go round that I just want to get off because its making me sick!
I have just had an overhaul with my GP (X Rays, ultra sounds and intensive blood tests) to find out what is going on and to rule out other serious conditions like cancer etc. My results show that everything seems normal except that I have insulin problems and my white blood cell count is extremely low (due to infection). My doctor has said that I need to lose 10kg or otherwise I have a high risk of developing heart disease and more problems with my ovaries (infertility or even tumors), which is scary for me cause my family history all include diabetes, ovarian cancer and heart conditions. I have had doctors over the years tell me ‘its all in my head’ and that I was making my conditions up. I have seriously thought I am going crazy at times and my mental health has suffered immensely.
I am now seeing a naturopath and am on the anti Candida eating plan along with supplements they have prescribed for me. So far I have been on it 9 days – my bloating has decreased, my body has been feeling a lot better, I have lost 3 kilos, I feel less tired and more clear in my thinking and I generally feel better. However I do have a weird cold/flu thing going on, maybe it is part of the detox? My body was feeling terrible yesterday and my throat was so so sore and I have been coughing up this orange colored goop! I am hoping this passes soon and is just part of my body trying to rid the disgusting Candida virus. I am hoping that I can stick to the lifestyle change and not fall back into feeding this awful condition called CANDIDA, I want it out of my life forever so that I can get on with mine. Peace and strength to all of you fighting the same problem!”
Shared by Corinne

Frustrated

“I have been on the Candida diet for about 4 weeks now. I started it because I had bad IBS and was fed up with it. I did the two week strict diet but because I had such bad symptoms from it, I couldn’t start the anti fungal treatment until the end of week 3. Apart from having the side effects of the die-off I haven’t noticed anything to say I think its working. I’m getting trapped wind everyday nearly all day, but I used to get a lot with my IBS anyway. I’m also getting dizzy and headaches. I’m sure that its all from the die-off – its just hard to believe it’s working when I haven’t seen any results that are that positive? I’ve read on here that some people have to stay on it for years till it works or if they come off it, it gets bad again. I was really hoping it would go away sooner than that!”
Shared by Anon
If you’d like to read more about treating Candida, my Ultimate Candida Diet program contains everything you need to know.