Long Overdue, Update & Candida

Seems I am long overdue for a post or an update. I have been neglecting posting things I've been thinking about but I *have* been thinking about the blog a lot. I've been wondering if I should combine this with my personal blog, it seems I have so many 'special interests' CF, IVF, budgeting/Dave Ramsey, and now being a foster parent and hopefully soon adopting and I can't start a blog for all of them LOL! I considered starting a blog for our fostering/adopting and then I thought 3 blogs, really? no way! I think there are some things on here that are just 'too much' for some in my family readership but I'm torn. What say you.........combine or compartmentalize?

Anyway I just finished a 2 week course of zosyn and tobramycin yesterday. SO thankful that is over. I know some of you are hardcore and handle IVs like a rock star and while I like to think I have a pretty high tolerance for some things IVs are NOT one of them, especially zosyn. The good thing is that it makes me take the time to rest and allow my body to heal. The bad thing is...well, I feel awful, get migraines, extreme fatigue, and nausea.

I started 40mg of prednisone yesterday. I have found the past 2 times I have done IV which for me is zosyn I get very clear, very dry, but also inf lammed. The first time they did a bronch and all sorts of stuff which I've previously talked about to confirm it was "just" inflammation. This time the inflammation is not as bad (I've got my theories on this..in a few) but I decided to ask for a short burst to get everything in tip top shape. this is a risk since I think 1/2 my town is sick right now so I'm staying away from people as best I can aside from picking kiddo up at daycare and that involves hand sanitizer galore! Right now we just got over stomach flu which is going around, I have a 1.5 you nephew who just had surgery for a sinus infection that went abscessed due to MRSA, a 3yo niece with pneumonia, and a 6 week old niece with RSV! Whew. No seeing family for a while either.

So, my 'tip top shape' plan includes drinking the NAC (for me 20% USP grade acetylcysteine) 3x/day @ 1500mg, taking a probiotic that is formulated to eat candida yeast, a probiotic blend that is highly rated, doing the 5 days of steroids, diflucan each day to kill off the overgrowth of candida, loading myself up on HTS treatments to moisten/loosen anything that got dried out and stuck during IV's (my normal pattern is to get clear/dry after a week on IVs then get nothing up then a few days after IVs I get some of the 'stuck' stuff up which I think is stuck due to the inflammation the IVs cause). I also am trying to do some light form of excercise each day but I have to work back into that since I've been out of it for a while.

The inflammatory cause, as I mentioned I have my suspects. I have been treating myself for candida overgrowth of the gut for almost a year now. I don't have it 'beat' by any means but its better and I think that is why my inflammation is better this time around. Candida for me causes a lot of inflammation. So, in addition to the regimen above I am also doing the MEVY diet again, I really should have been doing it while I was on IV's and I did, some days, or parts of some days. I am so miserable on IVs and when I first start MEVY my body was revolting and I was too weak to do both (weak as far as resolve not physically). MEVY stands for meat, eggs, veggies, yogurt which is all you are supposed to eat. I am including some nuts and a few blueberries blended into my plain no sugar yogurt to make it more palatable but other than that it's boring. I am a big fruit lover and true sugar addict so its hard. Having candida actually makes you crave sugar even more because if they aren't being fed ie carbs/sugar they aren't happy. The goal of MEVY is not to provide them with the sugar/carb sources they need to live, effectively starving them out.

If you haven't heard me talk about candida before you can look here to start but you can also look for 'candida' in my tag section and they will all come uphttp://cftoo.blogspot.com/2010/03/my-take-on-candida-in-cf-community.html

Essentially your gut has a balance of good bacteria and yeast however when your body balance is off and favors the candida yeast it can 'take over' killing off much of the good bacteria (in my case they could only find 1 of the 3 kids that are supposed to be there) which is beneficial, this then allows the candida to thrive with no one to keep their numbers in check. Excess of Candida can cause a myriad of factors, check here:   http://cftoo.blogspot.com/2010/03/candida-what-are-symptoms.html http://cftoo.blogspot.com/2010/02/candida.html One way I have heard it described is that it attacks people where they are weakest. For me it causes inflammation, my allergies got much worse, fatigue, and fuzzy thinking/irritability when it was bad.

What are some of the things that offset your bodies balance to favor yeast over beneficial bacteria? Well it seems much of what us CF'ers need to stay healthy in our lungs is hurting the balance of our body and I believe candida is MUCH more common than we know, since it mimicks and or exacerbates our symptoms of cf.

Hormone treatments including birth control and fertility treatments
Repeated antibiotic use
Steroid use
oh and stress....we never have any of that while managing a chronic disease huh?

Clinic History

23Apr2010 FVC 127 FEV1 114 (up 14% WOW) FEV25-75 102 (up 12% WOW)

Notes: this is especially fantastic given my allergies are running wild and I have seen a drop in my peak flow the past few days from it. I normally write down my PEF (peak flow) but he pointed out that mine was off the chart this time, my Peak flow was 11.82 which equates to 150 L/min higher than two months ago i.e. the little plastic things we use measures in L/min.

Clinic Notes: Discussed recent treatment for candida. Fatigue, chronic pain, pleural pain, all gone. Lung functions are the best on record and it is after no drugs or steroids where as the 108% last year was after serious steroids. Please see here for all details:

18Feb2010 FVC 110 FEV1 100 (down 4% more-total8%) FEV25-75 90 (up 2%)

Clinic Notes: This was post IV's (stopped Christmas Eve) and 2 rounds prednisone totaling 5 weeks (1st round stopped New Years day and 2nd round was 3 weeks in January). Infection is gone but still having chronic pain on left side when breathing, especially deep breathing, still intermitten pleurisy, still fatigued and not feeling right, feel like I do right before I get a bleed. Discussed potentially entering chronic pain phase of CF (I do not accept this).  Also started drinking mucomyst N-acetylcysteine since last visit so reported good results in gastro area from this, no large effect noted on the lungs. Discussed going to CA to consult with Dr.Moss on inflammation and also discussed pursuing testing for candida with family doctor.  

**oops missed a couple, need to dig around and find those**

3May2009 FVC 118 FEV1 104 (down 4%) FEV25-75% 88 (up 1%)

Clinic Notes: re-check post steroids and pre-pregnancy (attempt). Everything looks great, feeling good, allergies are problematic and doc did say that my theory on my allergic reactions having residual inflammatory effect on my lungs (which I did another week steroids for) was very possible. His pregnancy recommendations are to be vigilent with physiotherapy especially hit it hard in 2nd tri' to get ready for 3rd when lungs are most compromised and there is the biggest risk.


March2009: FVC FEV1 108 FEV25-75% 87
Clinic Notes: Recheck after end of steroids, feeling good. Best FEV1 ever!

29Feb2009 FVC 111 FEV1 100 (down 3%) FEV25-75% 88 (down 14%)
Clinic Notes: feel inflammatory in nature start 2 weeks steroids 40mg taper. Still got streaking in day 2 steroids.

15Dec2008 FEV1 103 FEV25-75 102%
Clinic Notes: summer steroids early winter cold w 3 weeks cipro)

21Feb2008: FVC 105.3 FEV1 99.3 FEV25-75% 89.1 BP 114/68 HR 59 Wt152
Clinic Notes: was getting huge variability and felt something 'stuck'

25Jun2007: FVC 105 FEV1 97 FEV25-75% 82

4Dec2007: FVC 99 FEV1 91 FEV25-75% 77

Candida Treatment - Wholistic Way

So here is a snippit about some different supplements that are touted as being effective against candida candiasis or candida syndrome. I plan to start doing more reading and research but if you are eager you have a starting point.

Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is naturally anti-fungal, so it’s a perfect yeast-fighter. Eating coconut oil helps fight the yeast on the inside, and it can be used topically to relieve fungal/yeast symptoms on the outside as well. It's also anti-bacterial and anti-viral in nature, so eating it every day is an excellent boost for your immune system.


Oil of Oregano
There are a number of different phenols in Oil of Oregano; carvarcol being the most potent. Carvarcol is antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial and antiparasitic. It has been demonstrated to kill not only Candida Albicans yeasts, but also Aspergillus Mold, Staphylococcus, E. Coli, and Giardia, among other pathenogic organisms.

Clove Oil or Clove Tea
Cloves contain some of the same phenols as Oil of Oregano , namely carvarcol and thymol, among others, which are highly antifungal in nature, as well as antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory.

Cloves are one of the most potent Antifungal Herbs . *Note: there is alot info out there about grinding or crushig cloves and making tea from it so I added that

Grapefruit Seed Extract
Grapefruit seed extract is well known as a broad-spectrum antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and antiparasitic compound.


Raw Apple Cider Vinegar 
One reason that it is so effective is because of its alkaline nature. Not only can a small amount of it bring your body's pH levels back into line, it can also kill the Candida fungus that is causing the yeast infection.


Caprylic Acid
Among the many natural cures for candida, caprylic acid is one of the most commonly cited. This is a medium chain fatty acid (C8H16O2), also called octanoic acid, that is found naturally in coconut oil, palm oil, butter fat as well as in human breast milk. It is known to have anti-fungal as well as some anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties.

Garlic
As a powerful natural antiseptic, garlic can cure inflammations of the stomach and intestine, including the Candida yeast. But unlike other more powerful treatments, garlic destroys unfriendly bacteria while preserving and boosting the good bacteria in your digestive system!

Probiotic
Restoring ideal levels of gut flora is imperative for regaining health. Much of our immune function depends on these proper levels of bacteria in the gut.


Pau'D'Arco Tea
A tea made from bark of a tree. It is a potent antifungal, and is used in many parts of the world to treat Candida and other fungal infections.

Most of the little snippits are from this website: http://www.candida-cure-recipes.com/index.html
or this website: http://www.thecandidadiet.com/index.htm
or from this book: http://www.thecandidadiet.com/index.htm

Candida Plan & Research

So my plan is to document my journey on this fact finding tour of mine. I do not claim to be an expert and in fact 1/2 of what I write I may later find is complete BS but hopefully some of it will be useful and I can distill it down later. Normally I try to be somewhat informed on what I write but here I will be documenting what I think, have a hunch on or have heard about and what I experience. Take it for what you will.

I do know I have a new hobby and that is researching this candida, inflammation, immune response, and even infertility because 'me thinks' they are all linked.

I hope some of my knowledgeable friends will hop on my bandwagon and help me out!!

Treating Candida - Western Way

Based on my results and symptoms my FNP wanted to pursue treatment. She said to start on fluconazole  150mg once a day for 4 weeks and then every other day for two more weeks. Additionally the integrated medicine book that she made a copy of for me mentioned the benefit of grape fruit seed extract, I will detail that in the next post talking about the wholistic treatment of candida.

My FNP has her foot in both worlds so to speak so she tries to integrate alternative and traditional treatments which I find makes her very open to ideas but also cautious which is good. There is an expert in the area for all things alternative but no insurance accepted and my insurance wont reimburse since they are out of network. Oh the fun.

Candida Test Results

So they tested my IgG, IgM, and IgA. Normal is 0-1.0 and mine were 1.3, 1.8, & 2.0

I have to get some additional clarification on my stool culture because it lists:
no negative gram negative flora
rare candida
no (then it lists alot of E.Coli, shigella and others you dont want)

When I was on the phone I thought the nurse said it looked ok becuase it HAD the normal, I find the complete lack of normal flora suspicious. There are 3 main gut flora an imbalance is a bad thing, a complete lack is amazingly bad.

I am also not sure if the rare candida means only a few or a rare species they couldnt ID other than albicans.
If rare means only a few and no normal flora truly means none then I wonder if the sample was bad. Anyway I will talk with my FNP next week.

Diagnostic Tests for Candida

I have found some more specific information for ordering lab tests for suspected candida. This is a physician reference so if you want some interpretation I will see what I can do.
http://www.arupconsult.com/Topics/Yeasts.html

I meant to get a copy of my lab orders but I didn't, I will ask for a copy once I get the results so I can post how it should be ordered since my doctor and lab had a hard time figuring it out.



Yeasts are capable of causing a spectrum of human diseases that range from colonization to uniformly fatal disease.

•Invasive fungal disease occurs in at-risk patient populations

◦Immunocompromised patients

◦Patients on immunomodulatory therapy

◦Patients with indwelling devices

◦Critically ill patients

•Species that most likely cause disease include:

◦Yeasts – Cryptococcus neoformans, Candida spp

•Manifestations of infection may occur in one or more body sites


(1,3)-Beta-D-Glucan (Fungitell®) 2002434


Method: Colorimetric Assay Detect (1-3) Beta-D glucan in serum samples when a fungal infection is suspected.Aid in diagnosis of invasive Candida infections. Use in conjunction with other diagnostic procedures.Does not detect fungal species which produce very low levels of (1-3) Beta-D glucan (eg, Cryptococcus)

Additionally a stool sample is recommended to see if you have an imbalance in good bacteria or an excessive overgrowth of candida.

Supposedly there is a urine test you can get as an additional tool but my doctor, my hospital, and their consultant in the lab at mayo haven't been able to figure it out? Still looking into this.

Candida-spit test-lab test-doctor opinion

Ok so an update. I did the spit test below and mine looked exactly like the picture below. Then because I am a scientist and skeptic at heart I had hubby do it and his spit immediately spread out across the surface of the water and then dissolved into the water within 10 minutes or so. Thus hubby was my negative control. I did not get mucous in the cup but I do reckognize that a CF'ers spit could be different perhaps because of CF and not candida. I made an appointment with my doctor and went yesterday, our discussion is below.

Here's a simple test you can do at home to determine whether you have Candida. (ok I have no idea how valid this is I am just reposting from here:http://www.thecandidadiet.com/testingforcandida.htm)


1. When you get up in the morning, and before you brush your teeth, eat or drink anything, fill a glass with bottled water at room temperature.
2. Spit some saliva gently into the glass.
3. Come back every 20 minutes for the next hour and check for some of these tell-tale signs of Candida:

- 'Strings' coming down through the water from the saliva at the top
- Cloudy saliva sitting at the bottom of the glass
- Opaque specks of saliva suspended in the water

My family doctor is a nurse practicioner who also practices in wholistic medicine I am unsure on her background but she always wears a turbans on her head. She was interested in what I had to say and admitted it is HIGHLY plausible I may have to battle candida because of extensive antibiotic and steroid use, throw in my fertility treatments and GERD and you have yourself a perfect recipe for candidiasis. Not saying i hvae it just that I have alot risk factors.

She said we could just try the treatment and see if it made a difference in how I felt or go through the expense of testing, I chose testing. She warned me NOT to change my diet before testing so FYI. She said about 6 years ago the 'fad' was that everyone had candiasis and now the gluten fad is in and just starting up is the histamine sensitivity fad. She talked about some DO's we have in our area she was disapointed with because they seem to follow the fads and 'everyone' will have this, that or the other. This is part of the reason I like her because she seems well balanced between Eastern and Western medicine.

She warned me that the problem with diagnosing alot of inflammation related items among others (think ABPA diagnosis) is that there is a wide range. So essentially if my numbers are sky high (which I think they will be) you can be pretty sure of candida, if they are super low you can pretty much rule it out, anywhere in the middle and its hard to say. One other thing she mentioned is if my numbers for IGg,b,a were previously checked by my CF doctor we could get a good feel for if they had dramatically escalated over time but were still within a high normal range that may be indicative.

SO tomorrow I will get the following tests done: (I added in the mays)

Blood Test

An Anti-Candida Antibodies test. There are 3 antibodies that should be tested to measure your immune system's response to Candida - IgG, IgA, and IgM. High levels of these antibodies MAY indicate that an overgrowth of Candida is present.

Stool Analysis
Your stool is directly analysed for levels of yeast, pathogenic bacteria and friendly bacteria.

Urine Tartaric Acid Test
This test detects tartaric acid - a waste product of Candida yeast overgrowth. An elevated test MAY mean an overgrowth of Candida.

A number of years ago a friend of mine was having alot stomach problems. She cultured H.pylori and despite antibiotics was continuing to have alot of problems. They analyzed her stool and found high levels of yeast and only 2/3 main 'good' bacteria and high acid. They also found she was allergic to sugar and milk. She has been doing a MELY rotational diet for years and does really well.