oh sugar

Very badly wishing I could have a glass of one of these lemonades I made for the Freeps blog yesterday. But, alas, I have put myself on a pretty strict, almost entirely no-carb diet for the time being. 

Why, you ask? Well, I recently developed a pretty strong suspicion about the madness that has been going on in my stomach for the past two and a half years. What I once thought could be parasites, Celiac Disease, or Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, I'm now thinking might be candida overgrowth. It would explain so much. The ridiculous havoc of stomach issues, the sugar cravings (duh, it's what yeast EAT), the anxiety, the lack of energy, the brain fogginess and inability to concentrate, the dry mouth, the sudden onset of sensitivity to gluten and almost anything else I eat. Yup, those would all be symptoms of candida.

Plus, my life has been a perfect storm for developing it -- in my 26 years of existence, I've probably consumed more carbohydrates than most 50-year-olds. No joke. That would up the yeast existence within me for sure. Plus, I've been on antibiotics countless times -- including strong dosages for acne. That wipes out all the bacteria -- good and bad -- which would normally thrive in the body, making ample room for yeast to do it's thing. And by "do it's thing" I mean multiply and multiply and multiply. Gross.

Am I sure that it's candida that is the issue? Nah. But I'm not going to see a doctor. Most of them don't even believe that candida overgrowth is even a thing, which... what the fuck? Why wouldn't it be? Even if I were to see a naturopath who does believe in this, the diagnosis usually just comes after hearing me describe my symptoms. I know my body pretty well by now... I'm pretty sure any naturopath would agree that candida may be to blame.

So I'm taking olive leaf extract and caprylic acid to wipe out the ish in my stomach, and then probiotics to help restore all of the good guys. I'm avoiding all types of sugar, but allowing myself just one fruit a day, if that. No alcohol, no rice, no gluten-free waffles. Wahhh. (This will, of course, be lessened for 4th of July weekend, because...)

I started yesterday, and woke up in the middle of the night feeling like absolute shit! I think this is a good thing, because it's likely that the yeast is already dying off and causing me to feel ill. Unfortunately that's what happens. But that means I might just finally be on the road to recovery. We shall see.

So for the time being... no sugar for me. Hmph.

I hope you all enjoyed this unexpected in-depth description of my internal issues. My sincerest apologies if I made any of you feel ill. If anyone has ever had a candida problem, though, I'd love to hear about your experience!!