Hi Mae
Thank you very much for your reply. I always thought candida was a vaginal/oral infection but after your reply I looked into it and I was quite surprised at the symptoms.
I have done the saliva test and it was positive (I haven’t done the blood of fecal test). I also completed a candida score test on a website and my result was “severe candida condition”.
I’m not sure what to do next but maybe I should do a Candida treatment in the New Year? (hard to stay off sugar during Xmas! I have a very sweet tooth.. 🙂
Thanks for all your support.
]]>I would also tell you to get tested for the candida overgrowth (blood and fecal tes), as I told Raquel in my reply above. It’s an alarmingly common problem and it causes all of the same symptoms.
]]>This is only from my experience but in addition to the gluten allergy I found out I had after at not feeling well from age twelve to twenty three, I also had a severe overgrowth of candida (yeast) that had spread through out my body from all of the antibiotics I’d been prescribed over the years. The symptoms for gluten allergy and yeast overgrowth are similar, but in addition if you’ve had bad cramps, severe pms, frequent uti’s (although that symptom goes away eventually), asthma, thrush (white/gray coating on tongue), bad breath, hair loss/thinning/excessive shedding, and many other symptoms that vary by individual. Basically the test for it that seems to be most effective at detecting it at advance stages is the blood test, though for intestinal overgrowth the fecal test is better. But for treatment they recommend most people detox heavy metals first, yeast bind to them. Then it is combination of diet avoiding all sugar containing products and alcohol, coffee, and some other foods, processed stuff especially, and taking probiotics and replenishing nutrients from deficiencies. I would look into it especially if you’ve taking alot of antibiotics or steroids over the course of your life. Having a damaged digestive track from years of allergy damage makes it easy for the yeast to break the blood barrier and to spread and cause the more severe systemic infection.
]]>Lynne, you sound like you are describing celiac disease, including the cancer.
I’m not saying that’s what you have, but it seems very likely. So I have two pieces of advice for you, and I suggest you follow both, but try to do them in order.
1 Get tested for celiac disease. There are several different tests. If you test negative for one, it is worth trying another.
2 Cut out all gluten from your diet.
If you cut gluten from your diet before getting tested, the tests are more likely to show a negative result, even if you are celiac. If you test negative, still cut out gluten and see if that solves the problems you’ve listed. If it does, stay religiously and fanatically gluten-free for life.
Hope that helps, and if not, I hope you find the answer. I’d love to hear how you’re doing so do please drop by with an update when you have more news.
]]>Hi Raquel,
I would cut out both gluten and dairy at the same time. Here’s why.
You have already noticed an improvement after cutting out gluten. Stick with it and you’re likely to see even more improvement over time.
Dairy is a very common problem for many people, especially celiacs. It usually isn’t an allergy, although that is possible. More often it is an inability to digest lactose, a type of complex sugar found in milk.
Cut out both and see how you feel. Cutting out dairy is likely to prove fast results if that is the problem, unless you have an allergy to it, so cut it out for a month or two even if you don’t see an immediate improvement.
]]>I have been feeling unwell for so long that it sorts of become routine… Then one day I started to realize that at 38 I have been feeling unwell for over half my life and not getting any better!
I still suffer from acne and atopic ezcema (both appeared at 15 and have been with me since). I was diagnosed with asthma about 6 years ago although it’s sort of seasonal. A couple of years before that after many complaints to my GP about my digestive problems she diagnosed me with IBS (always very bloated after meals, stomach cramps, constipation). I have allergies to cats and dust, when I was little I seem to have always a cold, I was always sneezing, it’s got a bit better… Tiredness has always been an issue, I used to tell my husband that I felt as if a cloud was in my head, I never heard the term “foggy brain” until I started researching gluten allergies a month ago on the internet, it makes so much sense! Oh, and back pain is a daily thing now.
(Not sure if this is relevant but my brother has Chron’s disease)
I did get tested for celiac disease 4 years ago but it was negative. I found a GP who was interested in my problems and told me to come back for a follow up but I didn’t, got pregnant, moved house… I wish I had now.
I have decided to give the gluten free diet a go (I did go on a wheat free diet for a while and on a dairy free diet, not together, but I don’t think I lasted very long in either). It’s been 3 weeks and I have already have noticed an improvement on the “foggy” brain but I still get bloated. I have noticed a reaction to dairy and I’m cutting down on dairy.
My question is: should I just stick with the gluten free diet for 2 months and then cut dairy or should I cut both completely first and then reintroduce them?
Sorry for the long post…
Raquel
]]>Hi Ninfa,
Your question is a good one.
I need to do more research before explaining the various types of test available.
Here is a very short summary:
For celiac, there are several tests, including a small intestine biopsy, blood test, and stool test. I’m told that the stool test is the most accurate.
For gluten allergy, there are skin tests and blood tests, but none are all that accurate. Best to follow an $elimination-diet$ for that.
]]>I have suffered with stomach problems as long as I can remember. I am 55 years old now and I finally went to a gastoroligists because I was having acid reflux and belly hurt. He did an endoscopy. Found polyps in my small intestines and my lining of the stomach was irritable and inflammed. Took biopsy of that and they came back negative for cancer, ulcers or H pylori. Now I’m back to square one. I am currently taking an acid reflux medication from doctor. I am avoiding spicy foods, acid drinks and eating small meals. I have to go back to him to see about another test. Now someone has told me about asking him to check me for gluten allergies. I have no knowledge on that study. Can you suggest anything else?
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