CANDIDA WARRIOR:  MY STORY

 

I am telling my story because ten years ago in November of 2002, I was literally on my deathbed--at age 52. I was not able to walk without support and at one point my husband was having to feed me. I had a continuous rash over my entire body which kept me in so much pain that I never slept, except in utter exhaustion. I became malnourished. Neither my medical doctors nor I had any idea what Candida was or that it could kill.

As a child I developed eczema at age two and through the years my parents tried everything they could think of to keep the rash under control, mostly with topical steroid creams and occasional treatments by a naturopathic doctor. I had a severe outbreak as a missionary in Taiwan and was on two or three weeks of cortisone tablets. As a young mother I developed intermittent asthma, bronchitis, IBS and then chronic vaginal yeast infections and UTI's. I don't recall ever having a normally-functioning digestive system. Then I began having severe allergic reactions and chemical sensitivities. Doctors told me that my digestive disorders were not worrisome and prescribed several rounds of antibiotics for the infection. I continued to get worse.

In the summer of 2002, I decided to go to my dermatologist and ask if there were any new products for skin rashes. He prescribed Protopic. The allergist prescribed Elidel.  Little did I realize, both products are immune suppressors. After that, all hell broke loose. I developed a full-body rash and had "electric shocks" shooting through my legs.

I began doing research online and found a doctor who was willing to communicate through email and telephone calls. He knew what was wrong with me and began to teach me about Candida yeast and the damage it was doing to my digestive tract. He helped me change my diet completely to exclude sugar, grains and fruit and told me what natural supplements to take. These included large amounts of probiotics, anti-microbial herbs, glandular extracts, enzymes, vitamins, minerals, amino acids and herbs for intestinal and respiratory immune support. He also recommended prescription anti-fungals that would help kill the organisms like Lamisil, Fulvicin, Nystatin and Diflucan. So I went back to my dermatologist for help and he listened. I slowly began to recover.

In 2006, I went to a local nurse practitioner who found strep on my back and prescribed Keflex, another antibiotic. She also put me on another three months of Lamisil and I stayed on probiotics.

In 2008 I saw my family doctor for H. pylori and was given two antibiotics. More yeast flare-up. So I took lots of probiotics and added supplements such as slippery elm bark, turmeric, raw apple cider vinegar and raw garlic with olive oil at various times and I finally recovered. Later, the doctor was persuaded to prescribe some Nystatin and Diflucan. I went to a naturopathic doctor for massage and colonics. I have gradually been able to build up to a regular exercise routine.

During this time I asked lots of questions and prayed a lot. I wanted to know why and how everything worked. The computer became my best friend. I Googled everything. I did not and do not now believe everything I read, but I just compiled information in my mental files and watched for patterns of agreement among health professionals and scientists that supported going in a specific direction. I began to see another view of health and nutrition that I had never seen before.

With my husband's help I began to clean up my environment. We bought air purifiers and a filter to clean the air. We bought a water filter for our home and shower filters to clean up the water supply. We got rid of most of our carpet and tried to buy all-natural fabrics. I discarded all my household cleaners and beauty products and replaced them with all-natural products. I learned about nasal rinsing and essential oils.

Most importantly I operated on the assumption that GOD MADE IT RIGHT! He created my body to heal itself if I would take care of it properly. So I began to do anything I could to put only the purest things into my body. I learned more and more about herbs and super foods that were highly nutritious. I avoided all processed and genetically-modified foods.

Year by year I have continued to improve but I am determined to be diligent. My Candida may never be completely eradicated, but I am going to fight for others until I run out of time and then I will turn the fight over to you, the next generation, to continue the battle. May God bless you in your efforts.