To start off I am not a medical professional, I am not a nurse or doctor and most of this is self diagnosis and self help or help from others. This is my story and where I am at today.
I AM GLUTEN FREE and I am on a mission to rid me of this whatever you wanna call it....life is worth it
I am tired of medicine and doctors not helping. I am going to get tested for candida. I am taking steps now to fix my diet to help in anyway. Why? I have nothing to loose. I took 2 at home tests and they were positive.
The reason I looked into alternative answers was that I haven't recovered even after 2 years of gluten free living. Changing my diet to remove yeast once and for all and reboot my system is worth it. my life is worth it. I don't trust doctors they had there chance and blew it. I'll one day have great health like a couple of people I know who never gets sick because their body is a machine of health. I don't want to "have" a doctor, that is not a good sign. Maybe once in a blue moon I'll have to visit.
at home tests:
medical tests:
order a test:
It all started when I was a child. I noticed in some photos I had a bloated belly. Then in my adolescent years I had preggers bloating after eating (which I thought was funny), skin problems, headaches, joint pain etc. When I turned 25 I started to really go downhill. Bloating, sinusitis, migraines, constantly sick, fatigued, eczema, mood swings, gassy stomach, digestive problems, runny nose and just plain bad feeling. I thought this was just life since everyone experiences these things and is walking around like a zombie, tired and achy. When I turned 28 in the later months of 2008 I started seeking the help of doctors. Little did I know that they don't know much about health and diet and knew crap loads about meds and tests.
So I went to my first doctor in California and they put me on antibiotics which didn't do much but clear my sinuses for a month or so. Then I became a serial patient for months trying to figure out why I always was getting sick or felt sick and tired. Then I got vertigo for 7 months which really set off the urgency. I visited doctor after doctor.."you might have a tumor".."you might have an ear infection".."you might have a sinus infection"..."you might have a disease"...Ok so all these mights and tests later showed nothing. Lost time, lots of $$$, prescriptions and 2 MRI's later... I was done with the system that has failed so many. I started researching when I found time. Educate yourself doctors for you only diagnose and treat symptoms. I then went to and ENT in Solana Beach and told the nurse and doctor "I don't want a perscription, I want you to find out what is going on with my health so I can fix it and get better." At this point it was a year and a half later and I was soooo frustrated! The doctor said "Ok. lets run all the tests we can and figure this out for you." 7 tests later she was stumped because she was sure it was an inner ear problem or eye problem. My balance was great and my basic blood work was normal. She did find I had a stubborn bacteria in my nasal cavity so did take some antibiotics that almost near killed me. seriously! I had a severe allergic reaction after 24 hours. But then FINALLY!!! dun dun dun dun...She said "lets check your diet and lifestyle." WHAT!!?? are you serious? your a doctor and your asking me about my diet and lifestyle? its about time someone cared!
I went on and on about what I love to eat, what I eat on a daily basis, my habits etc. She asked "do certain meals make you feel bad after you finish eating?" Yes, I feel sleepy, bloated, nauseated etc. We found out that meals heavy in flours or the typical American meals were making me sick so we agreed that I go on a gluten-free diet for 7 days and report back on the 8th day. The 8th day I was to eat pizza, spaghetti, cake or something with gluten. I reported back that I felt great for 5-6 days after the first days of adjustment then felt deathly sick. I mean deathly sick! The Doc said "so no meds, just stay away from glutenous foods and you should be fine, and all symptoms should clear up!!
I've been gluten free for about 2 years and I gotta say it has helped me tremendously. Bloating is significantly gone, skin is better, less headaches.... but why did I just get 2 sinus infections this year? why am I congested right now? why do i get bloated with sugars, rice and starches now? why do i still have acute skin problems? why do I still fell fatigued sometimes? I eat healthy and eat no gluten whatsoever. Once again back to researching.....
I am a "WHY" kind of person. that is just how I am and how I stay curious and learn.
Unfortunatetly there are alot of people suffering from the same ongoing symptoms. leaky gut, increased new food intolerances and so on. Its so obvious that there are deeper underlying issues going on here when there is no recovery even when following a strict gluten free diet. Once you have successfully gotten on a GF diet the intestinees will be able to repair themselves unless they is very severe damage which needs more than repair of a GF diet for a while.
SURE YOUR INTOLERANT TO GLUTEN BUT WHY? there has to be a reason....
Candida popped up when I started researching....
What in the world is Candida and why is it on Celiac (gluten intolerant) websites?
Candida overgrowth can definitely cause allergies to foods especially gluten and cause confusion. why?
Candidiasis is an infection caused by Candida yeast or albicans, Candida normally live harmlessly in the body controlled by beneficial bacteria in the body and the immune system. If the beneficial bacteria are killed by antibiotics or if your immune system becomes week then Candida can grow out of control unchecked and cause a variety of symptoms.
Candida is implicated in autism, crohns disease, chronic fatigue, and is associated with many negative health symptoms including irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis, sinus infections, allergies, poor concentration or "brain fog", mood disorders, especially anxiety and depression.
There are not many tests for Candidiasis so this diagnosis is usually self diagnosis by reading and comparing stories and symptoms. Changing your eating habits and detoxing (starving the yeast in your body) is way worth it to find out if it is Candida ruining your health. If you want to be healthy, a healthy GI tract is essential. If you have not done a yeast cleanse you need to do this.Yeast is never looked at from the standard medical doctors.
I started to starve the Candida in my intestinal tract today. No sugars is HARD! but is worth a system reboot. I will do the Candida cleanse/detox in depth when I return from my trip.
......................................
Extra information:
Common Candida Symptoms
(often diagnosed as Gluten sensitive but the true culprit to not being able to digest is something lacking or present in the body and people need answers already)
- Rectal itching
- Runny nose
- Constipation
- Urinary tract infections
- Fatigue
- Sore muscles
- Mood swings
- Irritability
- Allergic reactions
- Hives and rashes
- Abdominal pain and bloating
- Sore throat
- Headaches
- Dry, itchy eyes
- Depression
- Vaginal itching and discharge
- Recurrent fungal infections, like athlete’s foot and ringworm
- Bad breath
- Increased susceptibility to infection
- Dizziness
- Irregular menstrual cycles
- Premenstrual symptoms
- Headaches
- Chronic fatigue
- Muscle and joint pains
- Feeling bad all over
- Dizziness
- Asthma
- Allergies
- Chronic sinusitis
- Irritable
- Abdominal pain
- Gas
- Feeling worse when deprived of sugars, starches
- Feeling worse when exposed to mold, dust or pollutants
- Nausea
- Sensitivity to fragrances/chemicals
- Hard to concentrate
- Depression
- Skin problems
- Hair and nail issues (lack of nutrients being absorbed)
