I'm going to add some thoughts in green.
Â
Â
1. Without onion and garlic you have normal stools--is that correct? No, just slightly less whacky. 75% bad, instead of 100% bad.
Â
Ok. I think if at all possible you need to figure out what's going on in there. 75% bad means something is an issue and it may well be the thing you need to address to get a lasting handle on that yeast. That said, given you did see change removing those two foods you've got to consider something else is an issue (maybe intolerance). This can be tough to do. With my son I ended up doing a four day rotation diet (so eating different things each of those days) and records of his GI responses. It did help me figure out the culprit. Setting it up was a pain in the rear though.Â
Â
2. Thrush is tough. My sister tried everything and finally resorted to diflucan for both. I think it's diflucan. I'm not sure you can do oil of oregano while nursing. Maybe you can. When I'm dealing with something that long in duration and difficult to treat sometimes I think it's better to use a big gun treatment like diflucan to have the best chance to knock it out and then clean up the after effects. Having said that the body should keep yeast in check unless there is something else going on that is stressing it. So there is an underlying cause of this that has nothing to do with yeast imo. Finding that will be key. With my third baby I did 30 days of diflucan with no real change (yes, the dose that usually clears it up in people with only one day). With my fourth I did 90 days. After 45 or so it was gone and stayed gone until 3 days after I stopped taking it daily. I feared for my liver at that point and did not go back. It came back like it had never gone.
Â
My instinct (this is only because of my son and what I've learned from an Integrative Med. MD I trust) is you need to address the underlying issues so that your body can do what it should with the yeast. You may still struggle some but clearly treatment didn't stick for a reason. My guess is that reason is something unrelated.
Â
3. Thyroid levels are normal now--yes or no? They've always been in the range of normal, but just barely. I'm going next week to have them rechecked now that I'm no longer pg.
Â
I hope you find it's ok! I'm sure you're aware that a lot of your issues could by thyroid related. Remember also (something I learned myself the hard way) that identifying one issue doesn't mean there isn't something else as well (related or not).
Â
4. Have you ever had vitamin D levels tested? If not you want a 25 (OH) D lab unless you're already dosing at high levels. I did 10,000 IU per day of D3. That's safe for healthy adults but I'm not sure how nursing impacts dosage levels. Also having this tested next week. I take 2000 IUs daily.
Good! 2000 is probably too low but the test will tell you for sure. Most people need about 1000 IU per 25 pounds to maintain (not increase, maintain) vitamin D levels. Of course genetics and environment play in there though so I'm glad you're getting tested. If you're below 50 you're low no matter what the lab says is normal (some will say 20 and some 30 and both those numbers are actually quite deficient). You want to supplement with D3 but you probably already know that. I will not be surprised at all if you're low and that can be a big part of the fatigue and similar symptoms. (not the GI of course). Get copies of your labs.
Â
5. Have you ever been tested for celiac? Your mother? Your mother would benefit from a metametrix stool imo if she's at all interested in finding out the cause of the IBS. She probably needs a celiac lab too. I know you're not asking about her. She would like to know, but she's sick of drs so she just deals. No, neither of us has ever been tested for celiac. I've never had a direct correlation reaction to wheat or barley, so I never considered it... I guess I need to check it out and ask for that test, too. Do you have a website that talks about the metametrix? I don't even know what it is to sound like I know what I'm doing when I go in.
This is the Comprehensive Stool. Lots of good information on the site. But it will look at parasites (some called d. fragilis and b. hominus are very common in IBS and chronic GI patients in studies in medical journals and most labs don't look for them--my son had them--none of the rest of us did). If you do this test make sure you get samples from all parts of stools including the very end as b. hominus hides out at the end of the stool and the rest will be at various points. The stool will also look at digestion, indicators of food issues, immune function, bacteria, etc.
Their urine lab will look for signs of bacterial or yeast overgrowth (that's the dysbiosis lab which you could run instead of the comprehensive I linked). The comprehensive might point to some issues in terms of the fatigue and supplements that might help. My hesitation is that you have to pay for these upfront. I can't remember how much they cost us but hubby will know. They are expensive though. Our insurance did reimburse at out of network. They have been so very helpful in treating my son particularly who has had a slew of issues. My entire family did the stool because complicated kid was carrying a load of issues (parasites, bacteria, immune, etc.). All of us were fine except we all had h. pylori. These are very good tests and if you can swing if financially (I know especially this time of year it would be difficult here) it would be very helpful I think. An alternative to metametrix is Genova. They will look for those parasites I mentioned I know. I don't know much about their labs except they don't do DNA (so you need two seperate 3 day stool collections of the end of the stool (and throughout) to rule out b. hominus for example whereas metamerix DNA should find it in one collection). However, I know some people's insurance have some sort of agreements with Genova that cover the cost or something. As far as doctors metametrix may know of doctors in your area that already order labs from them if your doctor is unsure.
Â
I think celiac is a possibility for both of you. That's actually relatively common in the population and devastating to health. It often goes undx'd for a long time. Your doctor should be familiar with initial celiac tests.
Â
6. Do you snore? Do you wake tired? I don't snore. I don't have apnea. I sleep so lightly, though, that I wake my husband during apnea episodes and make him roll over. I can hear his pauses in breathing.
I was sleeping lightly and didn't snore but I did have mild apnea. Beyond that though I had UARS...so I was coming out of deep sleep before obstruction to maintain the airway. This is very disruptive to sleep and affects deep sleep. I wear a dental device that has made a world of difference for me.
Does your husband snore or is his sleep apnea being treated? Partners of snorers have disrupted sleep just like the snorer in some studies because of the sound. That's a possiblity for you?
Side note: I hope husband is being treated for his apnea and this is moot...
Â
I am literally always tired. Tired enough to fall immediately asleep, no. But do I have the energy to go to the park, or play, or do anything that involves activity, no. Do I find myself putting off a trip to the store because I'll have to sling my 13 1/2 lb baby and I'm just too tired, yes. Can that be either an hour after I woke or after I've been awake all day, yes. I rarely get to sleep until I wake on my own, but when I do I can sleep well more than 12 hours. I've been that way for as long as I can remember; 10 or 11 yrs old.
This was me too...I'm really wondering about your sleep. I sleep 8 hours and wake up on my own now with that device. I've never done that ever that I recall. I was like you and if I got all the sleep I wanted I, too, would sleep 12 hours. That said, it's hard to tease out all the issues (hubby, thyroid, etc.) and the fatigue at this point. Just remember that sometimes it's multiple things (it was for me).
Â
7. You may have to do healing foods without dairy. I'm sure you're aware of that. But if you're dealing with an allergy to dairy very likely any dairy is going to be an issue in my experience. Intolerance maybe it would vary. But you may have to do this non-dairy and many people do. Maybe after a time of healing dairy will be ok. But you don't need dairy to heal. Dairy often adds to allergy issues on it's own. Yes, I know I may have to do without dairy. Thing is, I notice reactions in my kids, but I've never seen a reaction in myself. No change when I consume or when I'm off of it for months at a time...
8. Do you have a doctor who would run metametrix? I think it might be helpful to figure out what's going on inside for sure. You may need digestive support for example. I like their urine labs too. They find gut stuff and much, much more. If you can run both it would be helpful I think. Our insurance did reimburse us at out of network rates but we did have to pay up front. I had no idea there was a test that might tell you what's going on inside you. I've been asking for this since my mid-twenties and every test they ever do comes back normal. I really need to learn more.
9. Do you take any supplements? What? B12, active folate? I'm on a rx prenatal, D3 drops and a B complex. With the baby being allergic to corn and rice I can't really find supplements that are totally allergy-free, so I just do my best with my essentials until they're old enough that it doesn't bother them so much. Then I add C, calc/mag, and a few others that I can't think of at the moment. I've only just learned the term active folate here in the past few days and I don't really know what it is... Corn is so hard!  My sympathy. My son has some very tough to avoid allergies and I've always felt relieved that at least it wasn't corn.
