Omg...i Might Be On To Something

[CarlaB]

Carla, I look into my magical ball and it says that in six months from now, you will be well underway to returning to the Carla that you want to be.

[evilette13]

Thank you so much for your support. I'm very excited to finally have found others who truely understand the constant difficulties and daily challenges of eating. I have a new lease on life and do feel very lucky to be alive. I admire those of you who have come through this with such an awesome attitude. I feel that I'll have a wonderful support group through all of you and hope to assist you guys as well. Thanks for the warm welcome!!

--Monica

[Rachel--24]

Thank you so much for your support. I'm very excited to finally have found others who truely understand the constant difficulties and daily challenges of eating. I have a new lease on life and do feel very lucky to be alive. I admire those of you who have come through this with such an awesome attitude. I feel that I'll have a wonderful support group through all of you and hope to assist you guys as well. Thanks for the warm welcome!!

--Monica

Monica....glad to see you back.

Yeah....one thing about us....we're one heck of a persistant bunch. We dont give up too easy...a bunch of fighters in here.

We've covered ALOT of topics....hmmmm....started with corn...then MSG, all kinds of other food additives/preservatives, ovarian cysts, water (yup some of us have found water to be a problem), natural occurring chemicals in foods (i.e. salicylates and amines), mercury (big topic), vaccines, Lyme Disease (huge topic....100 pages at least), fibroids, thyroid, Fibromyalgia (we're pretty much in agreement that it doesnt exist...sort of like IBS), Candida (I've got a ton of it) and BioSET (I think 4 of us do this type of testing/treatments).....just to name a few.

Theres lots more but I cant remember.

Oh....BRAINFOG....thats comes up alot in this thread too.

So we do all support each other here cuz we're all in the same boat and working really hard to regain our health.

My diet is pretty resticted...I eat 5 foods....but one of them is ice cream.

[dlp252]

That is exactly why I don't work out at home even though I have weights at home!! LOL I used to do 40 minutes of cardio and 40 minutes of weights three times per week. Now I'm doing an hour of weights four times per week. In my Lyme reading it says to work out an hour to get the body temp. up and if you can't last an hour, then lighten the weights so you can. That's specifically for Lyme. So, for weights, I'm doing more, but no cardio. I'm not supposed to add cardio until my stamina can handle it.

It may help to lose weight if you do your weights with less resting because then you raise your body temp. and your heart rate. I know it's hard when you're fatigued ... I rest a minute or so between sets, or longer if I'm winded, but never more than 3 minutes ... you don't want to be "cold" when you lift. Then, when you're finished, be sure to eat a bite of something which includes protein to support your adrenals. With your adrenal fatigue, cardio is a bad idea. I also wasn't lifting for more than 40 minutes when I thought adrenal fatigue was my problem in order to avoid burning cortisol, which is why you need to eat after a workout (to stop cortisol production). I should have posted all the scientificness I was reading back then!! But that is a summary of all the stuff I read and how I put it together to work for me ... of course, maybe what you're doing is what works best for you.

Yep, my problem is I like to lift heavy with fewer reps, but that doesn't take very long. I guess maybe I should do a total body workout every other day and lighten up a bit and maybe that would take longer, lol.

[dlp252]

Okay Rachel, anxiously awaiting the BioSET report, lol.

My sore throat is back! The last two days I lightened up a bit on the Vit. C and my sore throat was back yesterday. I woke up with it just barely noticable, but by the end of the day it was much worse. I started in on the Vit. C again yesterday, and this morning so far it isn't bad, but I forgot to bring them with me today.

Also my teeth have been really sore...the ones that the dentist worked on last week. I've been having to take Advil or Tylenol for the pain...that could be another reason why I'm so bloated right now. Oh yah, I'm bloated right now.

[CarlaB]

Yep, my problem is I like to lift heavy with fewer reps, but that doesn't take very long. I guess maybe I should do a total body workout every other day and lighten up a bit and maybe that would take longer, lol.

I'm still lifting heavy with fewer reps ... I do three sets of each exercise, 8-10 reps, but the last set I usually can't do the 8. I do three or four different exercises for each upper body part (i.e. triceps), so that adds up to 15 different upper body exercises ... that takes an hour.

For legs I do about 8 exercises, three sets, and do abs that day, too.

I also stretch every day for about 10 minutes.

I don't like light lifting either. I don't think it accomplishes much.

You might like this book ... I tried to post a link but it didn't work ... the book's called The Body Sculpting Bible for Women. I really like it.

[dlp252]

I'm still lifting heavy with fewer reps ... I do three sets of each exercise, 8-10 reps, but the last set I usually can't do the 8. I do three or four different exercises for each upper body part (i.e. triceps), so that adds up to 15 different upper body exercises ... that takes an hour.

For legs I do about 8 exercises, three sets, and do abs that day, too.

I also stretch every day for about 10 minutes.

I don't like light lifting either. I don't think it accomplishes much.

When I was doing a single body part per day, I did 4 or 5 exercises, 3 sets each, for each body part, but when my PT guy said I shouldn't lift every day even if it was different body parts because they all tend to use the neck muscles, I switched to doing two or three body parts each time, but dropped the exercises to 3 sets of 2 each. I've been alternating that with a lower body workout, but only do 4 exercises for the lower body. Hum, I do change things up every so often, so maybe now is a good time, lol.

[CarlaB]

When I was doing a single body part per day, I did 4 or 5 exercises, 3 sets each, for each body part, but when my PT guy said I shouldn't lift every day even if it was different body parts because they all tend to use the neck muscles, I switched to doing two or three body parts each time, but dropped the exercises to 3 sets of 2 each. I've been alternating that with a lower body workout, but only do 4 exercises for the lower body. Hum, I do change things up every so often, so maybe now is a good time, lol.

Yeah, they say to switch it every 6 weeks or so. True that there's much overlap in the exercises ... that's why I do upper body one day, lower the next, then rest a day. You might find some new ones in that book. I always refer back to it for new stuff.

There is so much more to fitness than "just" working out ... I've always thought it was about 70% diet, and with all the things you have going on, that's probably what's making it tough right now.

A few sessions with a trainer would be good! It's funny, there are two pt's/chiropractors who are identical twins and advertise at the movie theaters. They are VERY good looking guys! Every time we go to the movies, I joke about needing a personal trainer or an adjustment.

[AndreaB]

Donna,

Sorry about your teeth and throat. Hopefully neither will last long. It took over a year for my root canal to stop hurting but it only hurt when I had hot or cold food.

[dlp252]

Donna,

Sorry about your teeth and throat. Hopefully neither will last long. It took over a year for my root canal to stop hurting but it only hurt when I had hot or cold food.

Thanks Andrea. Yah, I've had the aching after each removal while the temporaries are on, but this seems worse...and those other times I only had to take Advil or Tylenol a day or two. I'm still hopeful it will go away once the permanents are on...if not, I may need another root canal.

Rachel, Peace and any other California Lymies...did you see this post on lymenet about insurance in CA...I thought the last post was interesting...don't know how true it is, but it was interesting....

[it won't let me post a link but the thread is CA Health Insurance Coverage?]

Rhode Island is the only state that requires coverage of longterm antibioitics for Lyme Disease. I think CT may require coverage for 1-2 months.

But, federal law (ERISA) preempts states from regulating employer self-funded plans. So this requirement doesn't apply to plans sponsored by employers who self-fund their insurance, which is most large employers.

In California, there is a law protecting doctors who treat Lyme. It is part of the statute that protects doctors using alternative medicine from discipline by the medical board. Basically, a doctor cannot be disciplined just for treating Lyme disease.

[Rachel--24]

Rachel, Peace and any other California Lymies...did you see this post on lymenet about insurance in CA...I thought the last post was interesting...don't know how true it is, but it was interesting....

Ahhh....thanks for posting that Donna. Remember when I went to IgeniX and talked to the guy about my results?? He was talking to me about my Dr. not being as comfortable with antibiotics as the other LLMD (Dr. Greene) who works with him. He said the other LLMD would use antibiotics first...if thats the way I choose to go. When I brought up the new restrictions he said "We'll be ok here in Ca....we dont have to worry right now". I didnt know what he meant....but now I do. Good news!

[Rachel--24]

Okay Rachel, anxiously awaiting the BioSET report, lol.

I had my appt. with Anna...it went good. When I got there she pulled out like 5 or 6 panels of food though. I dont think theres much else for me to do except foods...so I just went with it. I asked her if they can still re-sensitize if I dont eat any of the stuff I clear. She said that they could if my toxicity level goes up.

So theres goes my plan to just avoid eating the stuff till I get better.

The other panels werent as extensive as the wheat panel...which was done all by itself. Last night I did grains, nuts, seeds, fruits, and I think fish. My glass was pretty full at that point so we had to stop and save the rest for next time.

I wasnt even paying much attention to what foods I had problems with....I have no idea what I reacted to because I was too busy talking.....plus I had some brain-fog.

I was paying attention for half of the first panel....until I saw Tinkyada pasta. I got all excited about it and I have no idea what I had problems with after that.

I always get super puffy and sometimes sore the next day....after I eat Tinkyada...or any rice actually. I was all freaked out because I didnt react to it in the panel. I was saying I ALWAYS react to Tinkyada.

She said I DO NOT have a problem with Tinkyada.

She said my reaction is from Candida....cuz the pasta is high carb/starch and all that. She said not everything I get symptoms from is caused by an immune response...alot of it is also from the candida. Ummm....oh yeah....makes sense considering the nice white tongue I would have if I was eating that stuff everyday.

It pretty much sucks cuz I basically pushed candida out of my mind for the past year....(well as much as I possibly could)...and now I'm having to put all this focus back onto it again. Its like going backwards.

Also...what is gonna happen with my ice cream???

Stupid Candida.

So yeah....all I know is that I *didnt* react to Tinkyada.

Oh...and I reacted to all lentils...not surprising since I had a massive reaction to black lentils last year. I doubt I'll ever get near a lentil again.

I asked her if I could react to some foods in the panel because of something like mold...and not the actual food itself?? She said yeah...I could react for any reason. Mold would be a big reason for me to react to some of the foods....like the peanuts. So theres another one I reacted to....peanuts...I remember now cuz she pointed it out as probably being mold-related issue.

I'm pretty sure I'm not holding the molds....even though I got treated twice. All the peanut stuff was also in the mold panel. The mold and wheat panels were my worst. Molds alone took up like 4 appointments.

I'm thinking no way could I hold those treatments with a big huge mass of fungus living inside me everyday. Candida causes someone to become very sensitive to molds....so I think I'm gonna have this problem sticking with me for a long while. Heck...even when I was on my strict candida diet for 4 months I still couldnt eat any nut butters.

I pulled out all my candida books again. My favorite is "The Yeast Syndrome"....it says you've gotta be on the Nystatin consistently (along with diet) for several months....sometimes even longer for serious cases. I would say my case is pretty serious if a stupid fungus has caused all this.

Maybe I just wasnt on it long enough last time. Also I would get lazy with the Nystatin when I was feeling good....mainly cuz it gives me bad breath. So then when I'd get back on it....I'd have to go through the die-off all over again.....even though I was following the diet to a "T".

I think more has to be done in the way of detoxing and building my immune system back up....detoxing heavy metals, etc. Thats the stuff the Dr. can help me with this time around.

Anna told me if I start getting die-off I can take some activated charcoal. I remember alot of people taking this when I was on the candida boards...but I never tried it myself. She said they have it at WF...so I went and picked some up after my appt. Its supossed to help with absorbing the toxins and getting rid of them.

I have alot of scientificness swimming in my head today...lots more to share....so I'll have to continue later.

Donna, I dont know if you've noticed but Anna is pretty animated sometimes. Not as serious as the other two.....but far more knowledgable. I was trying to make sure I asked all of the questions I had in my head and she was cracking me up a little ....so now I dont know all the problematic foods.

Shoot....now I just remembered I forgot to find out about Canada for Lauralee....again.

Sorry Laurlee....I can actually probably call her and ask though. Is Lauralee still posting here??

Maybe I will have to pm her.

Right before lunch I was driving a pallet into the backroom with one of the power jacks....and I hit someone!!

OMG...I felt really bad....it wasnt a customer....it was one of my dairy sales reps. I thought she knew I was there but she didnt....and she backed up right into me.....lucky I wasnt driving fast! She got hurt though.

I was worried but then after about 10 minutes she was alot better.....so shes ok.

So yeah...now I gotta hear all the comments..."Hey Rachel....dont hit anything driving home for lunch...ok" "Are you sure you're ok to drive?" Blah blah blah.

[covsooze]

Rachel - thanks as always for sharing the info about your appointment

She said my reaction is from Candida....cuz the pasta is high carb/starch and all that. She said not everything I get symptoms from is caused by an immune response...alot of it is also from the candida. Ummm....oh yeah....makes sense considering the nice white tongue I would have if I was eating that stuff everyday.

omg!! I've been wondering about my tongue, hoping like heck it's not candida. But I just googled oral candida and matched the following picture to my tongue:

Open Original Shared Link

I hope that works!

I can see from looking at the other candida pictures that my tongue could be a lot worse, but it's been like this for ages. I also get lots of tonsil stones (like all the time) and I wonder if the two are connected. Now I'm freaking out a bit. How do I know if I've got a major candida problem as opposed to just in my mouth? Could candida explain why I'm having such a hard time digesting so many different foods?

Next issue is if it's candida, what do I do about my elimination diet? Pretty much the only veggies in my diet are starchy ones. My dietician wouldn't have a clue about this, so I'm thinking maybe I need to see a nutritionist?

Maybe I should move to the US so I can I get Bioset!

Glad your appointment went well Rachel. Do you get a print out of what you've reacted to? Are you supposed to change your diet according to what they discover?

Are you recovered from your accident at work?

Susie x

[covsooze]

Okay Rachel, anxiously awaiting the BioSET report, lol.

My sore throat is back! The last two days I lightened up a bit on the Vit. C and my sore throat was back yesterday. I woke up with it just barely noticable, but by the end of the day it was much worse. I started in on the Vit. C again yesterday, and this morning so far it isn't bad, but I forgot to bring them with me today.

Also my teeth have been really sore...the ones that the dentist worked on last week. I've been having to take Advil or Tylenol for the pain...that could be another reason why I'm so bloated right now. Oh yah, I'm bloated right now.

sorry to hear about your teeth & throat Donna. Hope you're feeling better soon. Do you get sore throats a lot?

[covsooze]

Welcome Monica! Stick around on this thread as there's so much to learn here from some wonerful people

[dlp252]

I was paying attention for half of the first panel....until I saw Tinkyada pasta. I got all excited about it and I have no idea what I had problems with after that.

I always get super puffy and sometimes sore the next day....after I eat Tinkyada...or any rice actually. I was all freaked out because I didnt react to it in the panel. I was saying I ALWAYS react to Tinkyada.

She said I DO NOT have a problem with Tinkyada.

See, this is what I don't understand...so she's saying that you don't have a problem with the pasta, it's something else that is causing your physical reaction. A lot of the things on my list I questioned, but then tried to remember that those things have things like sugars, fats, molds, etc. that I am reacting to...not the food itself.

She said my reaction is from Candida....cuz the pasta is high carb/starch and all that. She said not everything I get symptoms from is caused by an immune response...alot of it is also from the candida. Ummm....oh yeah....makes sense considering the nice white tongue I would have if I was eating that stuff everyday.

It pretty much sucks cuz I basically pushed candida out of my mind for the past year....(well as much as I possibly could)...and now I'm having to put all this focus back onto it again. Its like going backwards.

Me too. I have a white spot on my tongue that I've had for years. Every doctor that see it immediately gets that look. Fortunately mine is not hairy, lol...I would gross myself out...but I would also probably be given lots of antifungals instead of what usually happens, which is nothing after I tell them I've had it for years.

I'm thinking no way could I hold those treatments with a big huge mass of fungus living inside me everyday. Candida causes someone to become very sensitive to molds....

See, this is why I asked her if they retest, lol.

I pulled out all my candida books again. My favorite is "The Yeast Syndrome"....it says you've gotta be on the Nystatin consistently (along with diet) for several months....sometimes even longer for serious cases. I would say my case is pretty serious if a stupid fungus has caused all this.

Yep, this is the one I did last year. Perhaps I should reread it, lol.

Maybe I just wasnt on it long enough last time. Also I would get lazy with the Nystatin when I was feeling good....mainly cuz it gives me bad breath. So then when I'd get back on it....I'd have to go through the die-off all over again.....even though I was following the diet to a "T".

I KNOW I wasn't on it long enough. I think I only took it regularly for about 2 months, then decided it wasn't helping much so stopped...course at the time I didn't know about the gluten/dairy thing either, so it makes sense I didn't notice changes right away I guess.

Donna, I dont know if you've noticed but Anna is pretty animated sometimes. Not as serious as the other two.....but far more knowledgable. I was trying to make sure I asked all of the questions I had in my head and she was cracking me up a little ....so now I dont know all the problematic foods.

She WAS fun! I only had her that one time. Oops, I forgot to make my next appointment...better call.

Right before lunch I was driving a pallet into the backroom with one of the power jacks....and I hit someone!!

OMG...I felt really bad....it wasnt a customer....it was one of my dairy sales reps. I thought she knew I was there but she didnt....and she backed up right into me.....lucky I wasnt driving fast! She got hurt though.

I was worried but then after about 10 minutes she was alot better.....so shes ok.

So yeah...now I gotta hear all the comments..."Hey Rachel....dont hit anything driving home for lunch...ok" "Are you sure you're ok to drive?" Blah blah blah.

Wow, glad everyone is okay, but it sounds like it could have been pretty bad. Yikes.

Rachel - thanks as always for sharing the info about your appointment

omg!! I've been wondering about my tongue, hoping like heck it's not candida. But I just googled oral candida and matched the following picture to my tongue:

Open Original Shared Link

I hope that works!

I can see from looking at the other candida pictures that my tongue could be a lot worse, but it's been like this for ages. I also get lots of tonsil stones (like all the time) and I wonder if the two are connected. Now I'm freaking out a bit. How do I know if I've got a major candida problem as opposed to just in my mouth? Could candida explain why I'm having such a hard time digesting so many different foods?

Next issue is if it's candida, what do I do about my elimination diet? Pretty much the only veggies in my diet are starchy ones. My dietician wouldn't have a clue about this, so I'm thinking maybe I need to see a nutritionist?

Yep, those pictures look a little worse than mine, but I've had my white spot for years now.

sorry to hear about your teeth & throat Donna. Hope you're feeling better soon. Do you get sore throats a lot?

Never used to get sore throats until last year....got strep and that was that...then this.

[graindamage]

So theres goes my plan to just avoid eating the stuff till I get better.

Rachel, have you considered taking probiotics? I am gluten intolerant, and I think I might be corn intolerant, however, even after getting rid of these items, I was still feeling sick.

I then began taking 3 types of probiotics on a daily basis from Natren, Open Original Shared Link. I started taking the dairy free versions of Megadophilus, Bifido Factor, and Digesta-Lac. Within a few weeks, all my pains went away. Last week, I got a bad stomach "virus" (these are most often stomach bacterium, not viruses at all), and the bad bacterium seemed to kill the good bacteria and my pains returned. After a week of taking the probiotics again, my stomach pains stopped.

I'm still trying to get to the bottom of my problem (possibly leaky guy syndrome), but I am happy that I've found a way to rid myself of these pains when eating gluten-free foods.

There are more affordable ways to add probiotics to your diet, like eating fermented foods, but this is my solution for now.

-Scott

[CarlaB]

Anna told me if I start getting die-off I can take some activated charcoal. I remember alot of people taking this when I was on the candida boards...but I never tried it myself. She said they have it at WF...so I went and picked some up after my appt. Its supossed to help with absorbing the toxins and getting rid of them.

This is also recommended for herxing. I've never tried it though.

[CarlaB]

Welcome, Scott! Always good to have a new face around here.

We've discussed probiotics here, I'm sure Rachel will fill you in when she gets off work ... something new that I've discovered here on this thread is prebiotics. Google it, it's pretty interesting. I eat so many of the natural prebiotic food, and I have so many health problems but NOT candida, that I think it must be the prebiotics saving me here as I have had candida issues in the past. I also eat a LOT of coconut oil and take garlic every day, so I know that helps, too. I take some probiotics, but I'm not very good about it ... having to remember to take it BEFORE I eat really makes me forget. Now I'm out of them ... I really need to go buy some more ... but I keep forgetting ... stupid brain fog!

[CarlaB]

Yep, those pictures look a little worse than mine, but I've had my white spot for years now.

Ewww, I definately don't have that. I do remember my tongue being white in the past, but haven't seen that in a long time, thankfully.

Rachel, I'm always telling my kids to watch where they're walking, that people don't expect them to all of a sudden walk backwards ... sounds like that may have been what happened?? Glad she's doing okay. Just tell the people at work that they better not make you mad or wear perfume because you have a forklift and will go after them!!

[diamondheart]

I always get super puffy and sometimes sore the next day....after I eat Tinkyada...or any rice actually. I was all freaked out because I didnt react to it in the panel. I was saying I ALWAYS react to Tinkyada.

She said I DO NOT have a problem with Tinkyada.

She said my reaction is from Candida....cuz the pasta is high carb/starch and all that. She said not everything I get symptoms from is caused by an immune response...alot of it is also from the candida. Ummm....oh yeah....makes sense considering the nice white tongue I would have if I was eating that stuff everyday.

When DH said he wasn't allergic to any foods after he saw Dr. F (BioSET guy here in CO), I had to think about the results he got from our other acupuncturist. She said he shouldn't be eating yeast, dairy, or sugar. I put two and two together, and summarized that since he has this intestinal fungus (not Candida), that he muscle tested negative to those foods because they probably just feed the fungus. He doesn't have an actual allergy to those foods. I figured dairy is in there because of the milk sugar lactose. Dr. F told me that I can have problems with foods, like sugar, for other reasons besides an allergy. So, it makes sense. Nice, eh?

Welcome, Scott! Always good to have a new face around here.

We've discussed probiotics here, I'm sure Rachel will fill you in when she gets off work ... something new that I've discovered here on this thread is prebiotics. Google it, it's pretty interesting. I eat so many of the natural prebiotic food, and I have so many health problems but NOT candida, that I think it must be the prebiotics saving me here as I have had candida issues in the past. I also eat a LOT of coconut oil and take garlic every day, so I know that helps, too. I take some probiotics, but I'm not very good about it ... having to remember to take it BEFORE I eat really makes me forget. Now I'm out of them ... I really need to go buy some more ... but I keep forgetting ... stupid brain fog!

I'm taking a prebiotic with immunoglobins, and it really helps my gut. I kinda had to go back to square one when Dr. F ran out of them and I didn't have them for a week. I think the bad bugs didn't get totally wiped out the first time, or I'm getting C. difficle from DH. Anyone know anything about C. difficle and how to prevent getting it again? I'm anxious for DH to get treated, but how do you keep from getting the spores again . Wouldn't I have to totally disinfect my house?

Claire

[CarlaB]

Claire, sorry, I don't know the answer to your question.

I will put a post here on how my doctor's appt. goes, but I don't think I want to post it in as much detail as the email I'll send out. If you want a copy of the detailed email, which I'd love to share with all of you (I just don't want it in such a public place), please email me your email address and I'll be sure you get it (my account is set up to email). If you're not comfortable with me having your email address, I can do it by PM, but it's just a lot easier to add you to the email list. I'll send it out blindly, so no one else will see your email from my email.

Leaving tomorrow morning ... I'm looking forward to it!!

[Rachel--24]

I think the bad bugs didn't get totally wiped out the first time, or I'm getting C. difficle from DH. Anyone know anything about C. difficle and how to prevent getting it again? I'm anxious for DH to get treated, but how do you keep from getting the spores again . Wouldn't I have to totally disinfect my house?

Claire....does he have an overgrowth of C.Diff?? Pretty much everyone has a small amount of C.Diff in their colon. Its one of the pathogenic bacteria that you dont want to let get out of hand.....cuz it can then become deadly.

Usually people will get hit with C.Diff while hospitilized and on antibiotics. Its the same scenario as with candida....antibiotics wipe out too much of the friendly bacteria and C. Diff can overgrow. When it overgrows it produces toxins....C. Difficile toxin A and Toxin B.

A serious problem with C.Diff will cause SEVERE diarreah....the kind that will land you in the hospital and can actually kill you. Two people on this thread have had it...DingoGirl and Evie. Its VERY serious.

I dont know which test your hubby had but the only test I know of to confirm C.Diff infection is a stool test. They can test for the C.Diff toxins and if they are found then it needs to be treated with antibiotics. Usually Flagyl. Aggressive antibiotic treatment....if Flagyl doesnt work...Vancomyacin is used as a last resort.

If it was something that was detected in a test....like BioSET....it could be that its just there cuz we all have some of the bacteria but as long as its in small amounts its harmless....like candida. Its part of the flora.

I had a stool test last year for all sorts of stuff and the only thing detected was C.Diff toxin A. I had NO symptoms of a C.Diff infection....which would be severe diarreah, weakness....usually serious enough to end up in the hospital.

Anyways...I had to go on Flagyl (metronidazole) for 2 weeks....which sucked. I had no change in symptoms so it was not contributing to my illness. A follow-up stool test was normal. I later told my GI about this and he said that if I wasnt having diarreah the C.Diff wasnt overgrown too much...but he said that it was good that I took the antibiotics since they detected the Toxin in my stool. He said it could've *become* a problem later. Who knows....maybe the next time I went on antibiotics (other than Flagyl) it could have flourished??

I dont know...I spent time on the C.Diff message board and they were telling me that its *hard* to get a positive stool test so if I was positive for Toxin A....then I definately had a problem. I really dont believe it was that much a problem.

Actually looking back alot of those people were convinced that they couldnt get rid of their C.Diff after months of antibiotics...that they were still suffering the symtpoms...but that they could NOT get a positive test to prove it to the Dr.'s.

I'm thinking they probably didnt have C.Diff anymore....they probably had something else that kicked in due to the C.Diff infection or the antibiotic treatment for the C.Diff infection.

C.Diff will run your immune system down with the quickness...its a BAD bacteria and it will knock down all of your defenses....I think you would be extremely vulnerablre for other things to kind of take over....like the Lyme bacteria, Candida....celiac can easily be triggered, etc. I'm pretty sure Dingogirl's Celiac was triggered by her C.Diff infection.

So I think all of those people still suffering on that forum and not testing positive for the infection.....likely developed other problems after the immune system took a hit from the C.Diff.

I wouldnt worry about spores or anything like that. If you are really concerned you can probably get him stool tested. I doubt traditional Dr.s would run the test w/out him having the symptoms though.

C.Diff showed up in my BioSET testing too....but I'm not worried about it. Nobody else was concerned about it either....I'm sure its extremely common for that bacteria to show up.

Maybe Donna can tell us if it showed up in her testing too??

So thats pretty much my experience with C.Diff....I honestly dont think your hubby has to worry. Of course we always want to make sure we take probiotics while on antibiotics....to keep these guys in check.

C.Diff infections usually occur during hospital stays and in nursing homes.

Evie just had a real bad experience with this a couple months ago....it got very serious and we were all very worried.

[dlp252]

Hi Scott, welcome!!

Nope, C.Diff didn't show up on any of my tests. I had a stool test done by Camino Med, a stool test by the HN doctors and the BioSET test...none of them showed C.Diff! And, I actually HAVE diarrhea, lol.

Carla - I'm about to email you.

[Rachel--24]

Carla,

When I was at my last Dr. appt...still in the waiting room...I was listening to the conversation between these two guys. One of the guys was there cuz his kid was being tested for Lyme....or was getting results or something. He was explaining what was going on to the other guy.

Most of the people I've seen there are Lyme patients...well...probably cuz all the Dr.'s are LLMD's.

Anyways....Dr. G....shes the most well known LLMD in my area....was the Dr. treating this guys kid.

So the guy was explaining bout Lyme to the other guy and it was all the same stuff we already know and have discussed here. He was repeating whatever he'd learned from the Dr. He started talking about how people can have it and never get sick....it all depends on the state of the immune system.

He was giving an example of one person having it but not getting any problems whereas another person already had thyroid problems when she got Lyme and she got sick from it.

He was talking about Dr. G....saying that she's one of the top 30 LLMD's in the world and that she said that here in my area (CA).....40% of the population has been exposed but the immune system is keeping it in check....most people wont get sick unless something weakens their immune system enough for it to get the upper hand.

We already know all this stuff but the actual percentages were what surprised me. 40% over here.....and get this....she said 90% of the population in the eastern states have been exposed to Lyme.

Obviously I've been exposed but I wonder if even with everything I've got going on...there might be some chance my immune system still has the Lyme in check?? The immune system is a very complicated thing....do you think it could happen??

My symptoms seem more in-line with candida but bacteria infection can also cause candida to begin with...by weakening the immune system and creating the toxicity that leads to these problems.

I have alot of contributing factors even without the Lyme though.

I asked the BioSET lady lady if somehow the candida issue could have become a problem to this magnitude because of the fact that I had very high levels of stress, an overactive thyroid, poor diet, exposure to mercury, radiation for the thyroid, lots of antibiotics...and all of this occurring within the same time frame??? Could it have just been too much at once??

She was like this.

She actually started laughing....couldnt believe all that happened to me at the same time. She was saying that shes never heard of someone having all that at the same time....talk about BAD LUCK! She said with a combination like that.....if my luck were reversed and we were talking about lottery numbers....I could WIN!!

She said its like I got knocked down and then someone went and kicked me some more.....and that just wasnt good enough so I got beat down some more....and then they said..."hey...she's still alive....so lets give her some radiation now." And then I was still around so they gave me antibiotics of all kinds....and yet I'm still here.

So yeah...she said that would definately be enough to cause this.

And thats leaving out the Lyme factor and the fact that I had that bite.

I also left out the fact that I got dumped in the midst of all that...got my heart broken....and that wasnt it....my ex also felt the need to repeatedly kick me while I was down for like a year....breaking my heart over and over again. There is also the fact that while I was really sick and trying to deal with all this I started chain smoking....cuz of all the stress. So yeah...at this point I was already highly toxic and reacting to stuff and there I was smoking a pack a day (at least) and barely eating anything....and getting sicker.

It was a heinous time....ALOT going on in about 6 months time...each thing causing me to get more and more sick.

She said even after all that....there I am.....still trying to get up from one helluva beating. I was knocked all the way down and now I'm like "Hey....I'm still here" ....trying to pull myself up from this whole mess. She said its actually surprising that I'm just sitting there next to her....getting my treatments.

Yeah...I guess I'm a fighter.

So do you think even with all that my immune system could still have the upper hand on Lyme??

I know....it sounds kind of lame.