Hello;

This is my first post here. I'm glad to see that a Candida board is included with this low carb site!

I've got a question. I don't know if I've got Candida or not. First, a bit about my background. I'm a 47 year old, 6'4" male (196 pounds) who lost 45 pounds a year-and-a-half ago doing Atkins. So I'm a big believer in low-carbing! I was also doing a lot of running at the time (which helped for sure, but was not totally necessary for losing the weight...). Anyway, in December of 2004, I had a knee injury (torn meniscus) and a herniated disk in my neck that finally reached a point I had to do something. So I had surgery on my neck (replaced the disk with a cadaver bone and a titanium plate used to hold it all together) in February of last year. Then I had surgery in October of last year on my knee (arthroscopy).

Three weeks after the second surgery, I started getting dizzy spells (almost sort of vertigo spells I guess) and heart palipitations. I was diagnosed with insulin resistance (through a glucose tolerance test and fasting insulin test) and hypoglycemia. I was subsequently put on metformin (generic glucophage) for the condition.

OK, to the question: During the spells in November, I would get a feeling of being "high" or getting a "buzz" anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes after eating. After being on the metformin for a while, the feeling sort of went away. However, last week it has starting coming back. It feels like I've drunk a glass of wine just from eating. I've read up on Candida, and it seems to be the only condition I can find that seems to indicate this as a possible symptom.

Are there others here with the condition that feel this way? I've searched back through a couple years of posts and couldn't find a single reference to it so it makes me wonder if it's not a very common symptom (or I just missed it during my search). Are there many of you with this symptom?

Again, I don't know if I have Candida or not. There are many other symptoms I don't have, and a few others I do (such as fatigue again recently, and of course insulin resistance, and high blood pressure).

I'm desperate to talk to anybody else with this experience to find out what their docs have told them . I have not yet gone back to the doc with this symptom yet (I will in a couple of weeks).

Thanks,
Kevin

Do you get these feelings even after eating a low carb, anti-candida meal? Did you have a course of antibiotics with your surgerys? Could you be gluten intolerant or lactose intolerant instead of candida?

I would suggest trying the anti-candida diet (getting out all yeast and mold too) for a week, and see if it improves. also, while youre at it, get rid of dairy and gluten. its not THAT hard to do if youre well disciplined and keep in mind that eating certain foods makes you SICK. then start adding some things in and really really pay attention to how you feel after you eat it. specifically GI issues (diarrhea, constipation, bloating) and this 'high' feeling you have.

Remember, if you try the anti-candida diet, no soda, caffeine, sugar, artifical sweeteners, mushrooms, cheese, vinegar, or vinegar products (mayo, ketchup).

and remember, im only a 24 year old girl, pursuing a degree in organic chemistry. I'm no doctor! But i have recently read a lot about candida and gluten intolerance.

Feeling drunk/high after eating a high carbohydrate meal is not unusual if you have candida as yeast waste is alcohol.

I do eat low carb, but more at a maintenance level. However, I am very strict about NO sugar, bread, white flour, or any starches.

I do eat a lot of cheese, cream, and butter. I also eat pickles now and again (vinegar). And I have eaten a lot of mushrooms over time (but none in the last few weeks).

Aetheana, I may indeed have something else going on. If I were lactose or gluten intolerant (although I don't eat anything with gluten anymore, except maybe low-carb tortillas... I'll have to check) would it give me the "high" feeling? If so, why? Note that I don't feel sick after eating anything, I just get a "buzz" (and sometimes it's better than others; indeed, the buzz is not always present).

It's hit me at meals with very little carbs (which may indicate it's not Candida... not sure). For example, Friday night we went out to eat and I had a big steak with cheese on it, a little creamed spinach (ok, it may have had a touch of flour as a thickener, I didn't ask), sour pickle pieces, and broccoli. I did, however, have a diet coke. I had given up caffeine, but recently added some of it back (I know I'm going to have to give it up for good). From this meal, I felt as though I had drank a glass of wine! And this was partway through the meal, not sometime after the meal (which sometimes also happens).

And no real GI issues. Except for when I eat an occasional sugar-free chocolate with maltitol...

I'm going to the doc tomorrow to discuss with him. You may be right, I may need to just try the anti-Candida diet and see what happens.

I don't know if I had a big dose of antibiotics with the surgery or not. I'll have to check on that.

One other thing that struck me today. It seems both times I've had this really hit big time was right after I went to the dentist! No extensive work, just a checkup/cleaning and flouride treatment. Could this be related?

Thanks!