Questions, Questions, Questions...Answers Cannot Come Fast Enough!

OK let's start by laying out what we already know...

1) I'm not well.  My litany of symptoms makes this all very frustrating and confusing.
2) Inflammation is very much present in my body in multiple systems
3) I was found to be Vitamin D deficient in March 2012
4) I've been diagnosed with food allergies in late May 2012 - dairy/egg
5) I was recently diagnosed with two neurological conditions (both caused by inflammation in the body irritating nerves) although I am confident this neurologist is missing the mark - neither of the conditions he believes are my issue lead to either pain in the lower extremities past the thigh or memory/focus issues, so although he may be correct those nerves he diagnosed are affected, they are not the only problems. 

Now where to go from here...

1) I'm very well read on Fibromyalgia.  To-date it is the one condition I've extensively researched that seems to match all of my symptoms I suffer with daily.  But what is next if FM is my true diagnosis?

• I need to find a practitioner to do the body mapping to confirm FM and have a starting point.
• I would go on Dr. St. Amand's guafenisen protocol to reverse the symptoms of FM

 2) My naturopath is testing for candida at my next appointment end of July to see if this is a major factor.  I do have regular issues with yeast.

3) I'm going to make an appointment with an LLDM (Lymes Literate Medical Doctor) who can definitively rule this out.  So far, I've tested negative for Lymes in the April 2012 including the Western Blot test.  When I got an email from someone who was in my Guai Support Group that had undetected Lymes not FM, I decided to follow-up on my negative tests because they could have been wrong.  Dr. Burrascano's list of Lymes symptoms is extensive and also match my litany of symptoms. 

Visit www.LymeNet.org  and  www.ChronicLymeDisease.com for more info.

4) Neurological:  I will do the nerve conduction studies with my neurologist.  I'll also find a neurologist at Hopkins or surgeon if needed at Union Memorial for further evaluation, testing and possible surgical fixes if time will not heal these issues.  I still believe if I find the underlying cause of my inflammation taking over multiple systems, then the inflammation causing these nerve pains will disappear, hopefully.

My goals...

I hope to get better within the next 12 months.  No matter the ending diagnoses, I want to find the best, healthiest and most long-term healing and treatment plans possible.  I'm in pain every single day.  All day long.  I live with it.  I type now through the pain radiating in my hands.  I try to make sense in these blog posts despite my sharp mind fading in focus, concentration and memory.  My house is suffering because I have a hard time doing any physical work.  I want to exercise but I hurt my back severely whenever I attempt it.  I want to have energy not fatigue.  I have four kids to raise and want to have more.  I have a life to live.  I can't live it like this.  This is taking over my life.  It's slowing down my success as a mother, wife, household manager, childbirth educator, doula, midwifery student, etc...  I will not allow this to go on.
I will find MY cure. 

More Doctors Practicing Outside of the Norm: How Candida Causes Fibromyalgia

I wrote about Dr. St. Amand last who is an endocrinologist that is the leading expert in Fibromyalgia, a rheumatology disease.  Across our nation there are many doctors who don't just look at your bloodwork, see something negative and send you away.  There are doctors who don't just say "it's all in your head" or "you are too stressed out" or "you have so many kids" and that's why you are chronically ill.

In all of my research and reading on my symptoms including inflammation and a host of others listed on an earlier blog post that most likely fall under Fibromyalgia, I keep reading about candida and how it wreaks havoc on our bodies.  I've read about this many times over the years.

Many think yeast and candida is just a "female" issue but it is not.  And it also isn't just a vaginal infection that women suffer from who do have issues with candida.  Candida becomes systemic when the friendly good bacteria in our digestive tracts are destroyed by antibiotics (been on many this past year but even before from time-to-time), eating the typical Western diet filled with carbs, carbs, carbs, the effects of stress, and other medications (women who take birth control pills), etc...

The candida will thrive in our bodies when this happens and when it goes systemic, our bodies react in different ways.  For me, if this is *my* underlying major cause and tigger of Fibroymyalgia, then I'm going to treat it and hope the side effects it causes (like Fibroymalgia symptoms), melt away!

Dr. Michael McNett, Fibromyalgia Specialist Links Candida to Fibromyalgia


Dr. McNett practices in Chicago running a practice there as both a family physician and in emergency medicine over the years.  He stated in an interview that he sees a link between those suffering from hypothyroidism or fibromyalgia and candida overgrowth.

He believes...

1st - Something causes the immune system of that person to aggressively attack candida cells that most others tolerate,

2nd - This immune attack then causes rupture of the cells and release of their contents

3rd - Our bodies absorb chemicals released by the yeast which then interfere with the thyroid's ability to cause its effect in the cell, and

4th - The patient then develops Fibromyalgia symptoms.

This series of events leads causes the candida to lead to hypothyoroidism and fibromyalgia symptoms.

Dr. McNett addressed the question of why women like me might test negative for hypothyroidism (my tests several times over the years are in the normal range but low and never outside of that range).  He stated this happens because the type of thyroid hormone receptor the blood tests is looking for is not the same as the one present in the brain, skin, muscle, bones and connective tissue.


How to Test for Systemic Candida

First, you can try a home spit test.

Instructions:

How To Tell If You Have Candida  -  The Free and Accurate Candida Spit Test.

THE TEST: In the evening, put a clear glass of water by your bed. First thing in the morning, briefly rinse your mouth, swallow, then gather some saliva in your mouth and spit into the glass of water (be sure to spit out saliva, not mucus). Keep an eye on the water for half an hour -- especially the first few minutes. If you have candida overgrowth, you will see one or more of the following:

1. Strings (legs) hanging down from the saliva.
2. Heavy-looking saliva at the bottom of the glass.
3. Cloudy specks suspended in the water.

My Results:  Positive.  Strings hanging after mere seconds.

Also, there are blood tests that can check for candida overgrowth in your body.  My naturopath has a test kit for me that tests IgG, IgH, etc... using a finger prick test looking for candida overgrowth in my body.  I'll have that test done after I get back from vacation.

Thought, Dr. McNett believes that just conducting a simple questionnaire of the patient and their symptoms and medical history will reveal whether their body is overgrown by candida.


How Do I Get a Balance of Yeast and Good Bacteria if I Test Positive for Systemic Candida Overgrowth?

First, a low-carb diet so that it will starve the yeast and prevent it from growing back. Second, nystatin or another anti-fungal to drive the yeast counts as low as possible.  Third, acidophilus which inhibits the growth of yeast and replaces good bacteria like from eating yogurt and taking a probiotic.


Again, Why Aren't These Conditions Tested and Treated by More Mainstream Doctors?

Dr. Crook who wrote The Yeast Connection basically chose to write a book rather than publish his findings in a medical journal.  More doctors are finding that candida is indeed a real issue and a real problem.  Until the mainstream medical doctors accept this, begin to test for it and treat it, there will continue to be unnecessary suffering.

I plan to get tested beyond my positive spit test above next week by my naturopath.  I'll tackle anything to move forward and get rid of my Fibromyalgia symptoms. 

Resources:

Click here to read Dr. McNett's full interview.

BioTek test kits used by my naturopath - http://www.usbiotek.com/Services_specialty-testing.php