SIBO, Candida and Fun Times!

Hello friends! This is my first post, I thought it was about time -I've gleaned so much information from CureZone and my condition has progressed such that I feel it would be interesting and valuable to the community. I don't think this will be a short post! Though this journey began on Memorial Day weekend, I feel the real trip has only just begun. Let me explain.

On that fateful weekend, ironically attempting to improve my body and get stronger, after a refreshing workout session I went more rambo than usual and downed TWO protein shakes. These shakes contained a quantity of chia seeds that I soon came to regard as a massive mistake. Within a day, my stomach was distended, I felt terrible and got a huge headache. The headache somewhat subsided, but a short while later, the burping started.

I initially took it as a humorous sign of being retarded that would straighten itself out. However, a week later, long long after the chia seeds had passed (I intentionally looked out for them), I was still burping like crazy just about all the time. I couldn't comprehend the source of the gas, and briefly considered it was behavior or a hiatal hernia -perhaps caused by expanding chia seeds pushing my stomach up against my diaphragm. (My chiropractor later told me I had a slight hernia, but it's my very last concern).

I began doing research online while hitting myself with the typical battery for GI distress -I tried Pepto Bismol exactly once just to mark it off, and then aloe, fennel, ginger, and others. I began to suspect SIBO -small intestine bacterial overgrowth, based on my findings. I then used a combo of cinnamon, garlic, olive leaf and oregano.

After a week of that, the gas had greatly subsided and I became overconfident of victory. I could burp if I forced out a tiny one intentionally -hardly the incessant nonstop belching I had dealt with for several months. I began taking probiotics to restore the "good bacteria", and moved antimicrobials down to just olive leaf -I didn't want to kick the good guys in the ass too hard. I now know my problem was far from over, and the inulin in the probiotics devastated that momentum.

The gas returned quickly, but I am still very happy for the short lived victory, because it gave me real-world evidence that the burping COULD be alleviated. It greatly fueled my optimism going forward, and man I needed it.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to replicate that success again, and went to a GI. I told him I suspected SIBO and mentioned yeast in passing as an alternative diagnosis. He said I was probably just swallowing air and might want to see a shrink. He scoffed at the chia seed story. I knew of (and coveted) Rifamixin, which he mentioned as I pressed him more on SIBO. I finally convinced him to schedule me for a breath test.

Long story short, the test was positive, and he rX'd me for Rifaximin (P.S. I don't have insurance, but I had just received by tax refund. Timing is everything). For several silly reasons, I waited over a month to actually get the medicine. During this time, I lost my voice so badly I could practically not use the telephone at work. Last year I acquired a small business that needed work and suffice to say that running my company hasn't been easy through this, but I'm still doing it. I got my voice back doubling down with antimicrobials and adding more like Grapefruit Seed Extract. At this point I felt confident that my methods were at least preventing greater health problems and it was "contained" to merely burping. Bad but not life-threatening.

Before I continue it's important to expand on a different health condition I have which I was born with genetically, hyperkalemic periodic paralysis. To be succinct, with varying conditions my nervous system's ability to control my muscles is impaired and I feel weakness ranging from mild to can't stand up. I have managed it well, but here's the part where the entire Candida Forum shrieks in disbelief and storms out: it is greatly alleviated by fast Sugar and carbohydrates. In fact, though I avoid it personally, many people with my condition cancel an oncoming attack by drinking soda.

Fascinatingly, while researching SIBO I learned much that had implications for my HyperPP. For example, though I now use glutamine for intestinal repair, I was unaware it's also turbo muscle fuel and protects them from damage. Rare synergy such as this is what has kept me barely afloat as I narrowly restrict my carbs and sugar.

At the time though, I was confident in the abilities of the Antibiotic and was having many bad days with the HyperPP, and cheated several times stopping at a drive-thru in desperation, even...-gasp! Drinking a soda. This was all a setup for catastrophe.

Early on the Rifaximin course, I had a few bad die-off reactions which encouraged me. During this time I saw improvement with my ileocecal valve, which I suspected had been stuck open and I was trying to help with slippery elm -I even thought the chia seeds may have funked it up, leading to the dysbiosis. My chiropractor confirmed it was indeed messed up, and then reported it was fine a week into the Antibiotics . And it did feel a lot better. But after two weeks on it my gas was the same if not worse. I decided to stop and consider other means, although I still have a large supply. This was mere days ago, and I began to suspect yeast. Indeed, though I had tested positive on the SIBO breath test, it seems yeast was the real offender for the gas, and in taking out the bacteria and letting in some carbs I had only created the perfect opportunity for candida to take hold. In hindsight my gut has likely, for all this time, been high pH. The inulin-free Lactobacillus Salivarius pills I was taking, though a super germ, were powerless alone to make headway against that environment. Trying to keep carbs from getting too deep in the gut, I tried allowing my muscles scraps with rapidly absorbed foods like jasmine rice or a few Smarties (yes, Smarties. They're made of dextrose.) Big mistake again! Though it did help my HyperPP when I needed it, it didn't have the symptom-limiting effect I'd hoped.

Seeing candida as the only potential source of gas remaining, I altered my tactics quickly to restore acidity. No wonder my digestion had been so terrible. My stomach is usually a tank and I took supplements like tumeric, ginger, black seed and others well before this all started. I think if I hadn't my system might be falling apart instead of merely down a round. I had noticed food sitting in my stomach a long time, though I wouldn't get constipated and still evacuated well -L. Salivarius was a huge help there.

I quickly got together coconut oil, garlic, found my bottle of cinnamon, Bragg's apple cider vinegar, betaine HCL, a digestive enzyme complex, and went to town. My food consists of eggs, spinach, lettuce and sardines/chicken/few pieces of bacon, all doused in minced garlic.

Even as I was taking these steps lately and noticing a reduction in gas, I also noticed something else that to me confirmed it's candida. My joints suddenly started cracking often. Before it was just cracking, but now I'm getting some pains too (literally developing as I type). This all began only days ago.

I understand that candida cannot thrive in the acidic nature of the GI which is why it usually chills in its dormant form, mutating into little werewolves only with an increase in pH. Thus it stands to reason that anything acidic, or acid causing (ie lactic acid bacteria, acid in coconut oil, etc) is your friend, and that by following such measures you can fight the overgrowth. However, your blood pH is much higher and regulated, and attempting to change it is dangerous and foolhardy. My fear is that the yeast has already spread to the rest of my body and will lead to a far longer and harder battle to fight on that front.

However I also have (slight) optimism that the joint issues are a die-off reaction, considering my bloating has gone way down and though I still have gas, it's not forcing itself out. I fear it's more likely though that the Antibiotics took out its last resistance causing it to spread through my body, allowing them to escape to a high pH environment just as I was readying to douse my system in coconut oil (how dramatic! This should be on Broadway).

Yet still on the other hand, it's possible my liver and kidneys are tanked from everything and the many toxins are messing with my joints. However popping/slightly achey joints are my only symptom -no headache, no cramps, no wanting to jump off the Titanic, etc.

I am now awaiting S. Coagulans, undecoic acid and Galactomune to come in the mail. I stopped ACV after a few days realizing that though it acidifies your gut, its minerals alkalize your body, exactly where I'm worried about the yeast running amok. It's also potassium-rich, which aggravates my HyperPP.

After perhaps 4 days of fighting candida starting with the likes of coconut oil, colostrum and garlic, my gas is WAY down, which would make me very happy, except the joint symptoms mean this isn't quite over and I have an entirely new problem. Stacked on top of my HyperPP, this will be too much if allowed to get worse, which led to very impatient action. I took the day off work, drove straight to whole foods, and loaded up on CandiGone, Cayenne/Garlic pills, pumpkin seeds, milk thistle, Black-Walnut and Wormwood , several fermented foods, and Synergy kombucha to hold me over until the big guns arrive by mail. Yes, I know, it's not the best and has a bit of sugar, but my muscles motivated me to cheat a little bit, pleading "Josh! It has B. Coagulans and S Boulardii and nothing else, the STARS! It's okay man!" and I gave in. And, oh yeah. Primal Defense Ultra.

I had intended to lay out my more-or-less treatment routine, but this is still new and developing and I see I just typed a novel-length epic. Most of the info is dispersed through the post already. Also, I stopped typing in the middle of this post to douse my entire upper body in castor oil on a random whim (why not try it?) and must complete the remaining half. It's better to picture this as being done by Marlon Brando. Thanks for reading the story thus far! Tweet