Hello,

I am new to this forum but would like to start a weekly/daily update to help other through this (maybe I am a little bit selfish but I'd also like to help myself through this).

My history - - I have never suffered from Candida before. September 18th 2009 I fell and severly sparined my foot. I was an advid exerciser and probably put too much strain on my baody already but the sprain put me out until Ocotber 28th. October 29th I fell ill with the flu. I couldn't move drank gateraide, juices and soup broths as well as ate crackers. My dr thought I had come down with a secondary infection so he prescribed Biaxin for me and sent me for a chest x-ray. I took the Biaxin (do not recommend that antibiotic to anyone) for 5 days until I got the call the the x-ray was clear and to stop the pills. I went back to work the next week feeling great. That weekend I crashed again. I went to the dr for a complete blood work testing - and I mean everything. All came back normal. He did persrib me Amoxicilyn for 10 days and another chest x-ray. I took the pills and they seemed to be working so I kept it up. my dr said the chest x-ray was fien but finsish the pills if I was feeling better. I finshed the pills November 27th and was able to come back to work. I havebeen slowly crashing as before. Finally I went to my Food sensitiy lady and she was able to tell me that I had no bacteria, viruses or parasites but I did have Candida. She has placed me on the diet and given me Now Candida Clear. So I am not 100% that I do have it but it is worth a shot as I have tried everything else. I am ready to have my life back so I can function and play with my children!!!!

I am on day 2 of the diet and will start the Candida Clear in week 2 as directed. So far I have been weak and shakly in the mornigs, loose stool and brain fog. The headaches have subsided (for now) but the exhaustion at around 2-3 is pretty tough.

Anyone want to share their struggle daily with me? I can offer help and suggestions. Was looking for any outlet as my husband thinks this is more in my head.

I look forward to helpy you through your daily struggles.

very weak this morning and shaky but I ate a 1/2 of a green apple and felt better.

Breakfast was 1 piece of kamut and flax toast with 1 hard boiled egg and water with vitamins - still weak but muttering through

snack water and 1/2 pear

I hope readers of this thread are aware that Vitamin D3 has anti fungal properties and so it is as well to ensure your 25(OH)D status is maintained at optimal levels, around 55~75ng/ml 137.5~175nmol/l ensures you always have a reserve store of D3 available to fight pathogens.

Using Coconut oil also helps fight candida It contains the same Caprylic acid your Now Foods Candida clear contains.
Coconut oil should be used in the treatment of fungal infections in view of emerging drug-resistant Candida species.

It will also help if you change your main beverage to Green Tea
I prefer Green Tea made properly using TEA LEAVES Patience is required to get the water temperature right. Don't let it brew too long either. I should be green when you drink it not brown.

Be aware that you need to get acclimatised to drinking green tea. What happens is initially you get some candida die off that may cause tummy trouble this may be avoided if you also take some probiotics at the same time

Oddly enough both my General Practitioner and my naturopath agree on that point!!! I have upped my Vit D3 intake to 2,000ui's a day and my kids have been upped to 1,000ui's a day. My GP told me those doses and my naturopoath told me low doses!!! Odd I thought!!

For anyone who is currently deficient even 2000iu/d is low.
Ideally 1000iu/daily for each 25lbs you weigh is about right to get your levels up to 55ng/ml.
After 8 weeks a Grassrootshealth D Action 25(OH)D test would ensure the amount you are taking was sufficient. I doubt 2000iu/daily/D3 will get you over 40ng/ml.

I think this thread is a great idea!!!

I'm one of those who could use a bit of daily support in this. My worst symptom was probably loss of sense of taste, caused partly by candida (it seems to be deep within the tongue tissue systemically, so not just a local infection) plus partly by anemia also due to gut candida and malabsorption.

Today I'm feeling pretty good since I went running and have had high oxygen-type anticandida foods to help with the running. Tongue symptoms were worse after these things, though, which is usually depressing as the rest of me feels a lot better. I'm only 2 months or so into this, though, so I'm hopeful as my case was bad enough to merit probably at least a year to 18 months of candida diet plus treatments. I think it may be die-off partly because whenever I do something to kill the candida, the tongue symptoms get worse for a few hours afterwards.

All in all, though, I don't like to complain to my family and friends too much, since this is my problem, but I do feel I could really use some support and encouragement. This is especially since the candida doesn't seem to be going away as quickly as I would like, although the white spots under my skin on my fingers, face and arms that were very bright white when I first started on GSE and antifungals are a lot less white and fading, but very slowly compared to what I would like to see.

I've also heard about Vitamin D from one of my doctors and so will try to boost it. I'm on probiotics, but was told to avoid green tea because the caffeine in it can still affect your adrenals and give you sugar highs and lows, so I'm on only herbal non-flower types for the moment. (Fennel, peppermint, nothing too sweet).

I look forward to reading the other posts in this thread. Great idea!

PS . . . peteranac, my husband didn't think it was totally in my head but about half in my head. He could see I wasn't really very well, and so didn't think I was completely making it up, but he didn't really believe that candida might underlie a lot of the other issues I was diagnosed with (sub-clinical hypothyroidism, mild liver issues, malnutrition despite being on vitamin supplements etc).

I know it can be tough if your other half thinks maybe you're exaggerating, and that's why I think this is a good thread idea. My parents, with whom we are spending Christmas, are way worse about it and think that this diet is just something I've come up with and I dont' really need to follow. They are planning on serving all the usual holiday foods, most of which I will politely refuse and I will try to cook some things I can eat, but they've been very negative about this idea.

If anyone has any ideas on how to get through the holidays with unsupportive extended family, give me a shout or a PM or something!!! Thanks!!!

If you make green tea properly with water off the boil and ONLY allow it to brew for at most 2mins you will not get so much caffeine.
You can also reuse the tea leaves several times.
So one teaspoon of leaves, allowed to brew for 1~2mins only for 4~5 times will produce only a fraction of the caffeine in each cup that a single cup of coffee contains.
Trouble is most people don't understand how green tea is supposed to be brewed.

Green tea has many health benefits it's worth making the effort to learn how to make it properly

Thanks, Hutchinson.

I like green tea quite a lot so it would be great if I could try it on a candida diet.

hey,

today is day four and I was still weak this morning. Question - those of you who have been doing this for quite some time. My naturopath feels this is the withdrawal from eating and not yet the die off....am I staring down the barrel of more annoying symptoms????? I am weak every morning and get tired easily. I also have a metallic taste in my mouth.

I would like to think that I am not suffering from an extended case of candida as I fell ill in September and normally do not eat high sugar or high starch foods. I only did it for the month that I was ill plus the antibiotics so my naturopath feels that the illness and treatment of the illness was what broke the camels back for me. The last time I went to her (granted it was 3 years ago) i did not have Candida and was tested for it.

I am getting used to the eating and am doing quite well. I do not have cravings which I think is because I do not eat those types of foods anyways.
I'd love to know what foods you are eating to give you the energy to run. I really need to get back into an exercise routine as I have been off of my daily running for 3 months now.

I think this week I am going to try to push myself.

Also my husband doesn't think all of this is in my head he too saw how sick I was (actually got quite afraid for me when I didn't seem to be healing).

This week I am the diet and next week I start the anti fungal. Any tips on what to expect? I am going to be taking Candida Clear by NOW.

Tips on what to expect would be appreciated as it is getting close to Christmas and I have commitments as well as have to work.

Hope everyone is having a great start to their day....it has been a long time since I can say I have!!!!!!!

Hi 20lbtogo

First off, running isn't for everyone, depending on their health at the time. I was off running for 2 years because when I was doing it, I was getting weaker, not stronger for the last few months of it.

At that point they discovered I had severe anemia (that explains the feelings of weakness) and later, B2 and other deficiencies. I gave it up for 2 years while I was on iron and B2, although my iron and B2 levels rose very very slowly back to just above the borderline for anemia.

Hence, if you are feeling weak, it is a bad idea to try to do any form of aerobics or running.

I have been on the candida diet for about 3 months now and antifungals for 2 months. If you haven't started the antifungals yet, I would wait to go back to aerobic exercise until you are past the worst of the die-off and on the road back to feeling more energetic. Once you feel you have your proper energy levels mostly back, then you could reintroduce aerobics or running, which will help kill the candida even more and maybe prevent a return to candidiasis. If you try to do this, try to have a green powder drink (barley or wheat green drinks mixed with water or V8 or something) before you go or just after. These will help with die-off and to make sure your body gets enough oxygen during the exercise.

As for your question on die-off symptoms vary a lot, so I can only speak for myself. I mostly felt great weakness in my muscles, as though I had flu or something, after starting the antifungals. Also, I had headaches, and felt really really run down for a few weeks, although in my case the candida was pretty wide-spread, so you may have an easier time of it.

Hope that helps, although it is only my own experience, so wait for other responses to get a better idea of what is "normal".

Hi Annajen,

thank you for your tips on the working out. I can wait I am just anxious to get back to life!!!!

Which antifungals were you using? I am starting the Candida Clear (NOW) on Friday was told to complete a week on the diet and then start the antifungals. Did you feel worse when you started the antifungals?

Today i am feeling a little bit better. I have been following the diet but and still tired at times throughout the day. I find I get more tired while I am at work. I sit behind a computer all day....you'd think that would be okay for my energy levels ha ha ha.

Yesterday was a good day so I am hopeful that I will see light at the end of the tunnel. I am starting the antifungals on Friday monring. I have been advised top hase them in. Day 1 1x1 a day for 3 days, Day 2 2x2 a day for 3 days and Day 3 3x3 a day for the remainder of the the 2 months. I really hope it doesn't take that much out of me as it is over the Christmas holidays!!!

Hi 20lbstogo and peteranac

Having a tough day today here. I totally agree with 20lbstogo---I sometimes wish this were already all better. I can't wait to get back to normal too.

Glad you're feeling a little better, peteranac! Easing in the antifungals is a good idea. Try to rest if you need to, though, and don't set yourself a really punishing schedule over the holidays.

As for me, my energy levels are good now, but I'm still having some other problems with mineral and blood ph balance I think. When I first became sick with candida and anemia, my sense of taste was badly affected and after a long time I figured it might be permanent.

Then once I tried the GSE antifungals, for 3 days it was PERFECTLY NORMAL. I mean, I could taste everything just like before I was sick. Normally now it comes and goes, some days it is stronger, others weaker and there is no obvious pattern to it, except that if I take an iron tablet (ferrous gluconate 300 mg) after a long time without iron tablets, it's way worse and for about 3 - 6 hours after the tablet I can barely taste anything. I have no idea whether it is due to die-off or what exactly.

Today was an iron tablet day and I'm kind of feeling discouraged because although I see the doctor tomorrow and we can chat it through, it's a complicated problem. I think it may have to do with biochemistry, candida, and how iron and other minerals work with blood ph (which can be affected by both medicines and candida).

Anyway, to answer your original question, 20lbstogo, I started with the candida diet and then, according to my book started to use Grapefruit Seed Extract as my main antifungal, rotating it over the course of a week with other main antifungals such as maximized capryllic acid, berberis (an herb), garlic, and some gentler ones such as apple cyder vinegar, aloe vera etc. This caused bad die-off for the first few weeks, by which point I managed to see the doctor.

He said these were all good, but first put me on a week of Ozovit (hydrogen peroxide with salts to clean the gut) and then that on a rotation of try called Gold Seal [formerly called Candicurb--- and which had a combination of cayenne, turmeric, taheebo (pau d'arco extract)] and GSE, alternate days. In addition he put me on strong probiotics and also digestive enzymes.

After I started that, the die-off was worse again for awhile, but then improved somewhat. If I overdo this and take the medicines he gave PLUS drink 3 cups of pau d'arco tea then I can really feel it still on some days. Overall, though, most of my symptoms are improving, albeit slowly.

Anyway, the good news is, most symptoms are improving except the taste thing still really upsets me a lot. The fact that it completely went away for the first 3 days on GSE (all my symptoms did, in fact, but that was before the die-off set in) means it is reversible, but I have no idea how to reverse it exactly. I notice other symptoms with it, though, such as very hyper dry skin and my finger tips get very very dry, so it seems like there is almost an acid-type reaction afterwards which may be affecting this too---like no skin oils, dry eyes etc. I'm on a very low dose of iron, though, as compared with other anemic people I spoke with, who never reported side effects or taste issues once they started taking iron tablets.

I didn't know then, though, that I also had candida and I think somehow the mix is what is messing up my biochemistry.

If anyone has ever run into anything similar, it would be great if they could share, since I'm pretty down about it all.

Hi Annajen,

Sorry to hear of your loss of taste. Do you have a parasite? I have been told that that is a common symptom of Candida and a parasite.

I am feeling a bit better today. Mildly weak I get tired at about 2-3 in the afternoon and otherwise better. I notice the change by the end of the weeks as they are quite small but at least they are improving. nothing new expect today I have slight pain in my kidney area. Hopefully that is still just the candida cleaning itself out.

I am chilling out his holiday season and not doing too much as I am expecting the die off to occur right in the heart of Christmas!!!!

HI peteranac,

Yes, I have the parasite blastocystis hominis, which they reckon I got in China on a trip there many years ago.

The candida only got very bad in the past two years, but this was partly because I had been running regularly up until then and also because I was on a medication to reduce blood sugar levels, which probably helped keep it in check but didn't really cure it.

No one knew then that I had candida, though, so I had to go off the medicine when I became anemic because it had anemia as a side-effect in some cases. That's when the candida really went crazy (low oxygen, anemia, end of sugar control medicine, high carb diet etc. . . )

Anyway, did you really hear of this as "normal" bad effects for people with candida and parasites? This makes me feel a lot better because I was beginning to freak out about it being something really sinister and not correctable.

I saw my doctor today and he says that we need to think in terms of months to rebuild my gut, not weeks like I was hoping. He says that it will be another few months of die-off, plus months after that to rebuild and start absorbing nutrients properly again. He says that my gut is heading the right way on this diet from what I told him of my symptoms easing up, and that I can't expect a quick fix, but that he thinks this taste thing is reversible and it did reverse for a few days completely, so there is hope anyway.

Chilling out sounds good over Xmas. We're travelling a lot over the next few weeks, so I'm hoping to find candida-diet friendly food somewhere, even if it's just salad and steak. I'm trying to avoid restaurant sauces since they're sure to have yeast extracts etc in, so I may be the only one to lose weight over the Christmas season if I can't find anything to eat.

Anyway, I don't need to nap as much as before now, but like you I notice the changes more week to week rather than day to day (or hour by hour as I was originally hoping for---I have unrealistic expectations about these things. )

I'll be travelling in the next few days and then away, but I'll try to check in via my mobile phone, as I think this is a really great and encouraging thread. Sometimes it helps just to keep my hopes up and see how others are doing. In a way, we can all celebrate each other's progress, which is really nice.