# A Survey: Tell Us Your Symptoms



## 17908 (Oct 18, 2006)

I'm just curious about what everybody's symptoms are/were. Use this thread to give a quick synopsis. That way people that stumble across this forum will know they have something in common with somebody. (That's how I got here.)1) My symptoms started at least 5 years ago as lots of loose stools with frequent diarrhea.2) "Sluggish digestion" became a huge annoyance shortly after the loose stools.3) Loose stools became mostly diarrhea 3 years ago. I was diagnosed with colitis, and I was treated for Chrohn's and/or Ulcerative Colitis for a year. 4) Colitis was finally ruled out a year ago, and I was told I most likely had a persisting bacterial problem (the colitis was also blamed on an unknown bacterial infection).5) Bloating, pain, sluggish digestion, and loose stools were my major problems for the last couple of years.NOTE: I've been treated with Rifaximin/Neomycin and Zelnorm, and I've experienced a HUGE improvment in symptoms. I still feel like my digestion is sluggish, and without the Zelnorm I think I'd be sliding back to where I was before the antibiotics. Other than that, I'm doing WAY better than I have been for years.


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## Nanobug (Nov 7, 2006)

My symptoms started 20 years ago or so. I think food poisoning might have been the catalyst which resulted in Post-infectious IBS-D. 20 years ago I was diagnosed with "wet colitis" but the diagnostic eventually evolved into IBS-D.Two important things that happened a few years ago were:1) I found out about Glutamine. This was the best thing for a very long time in controlling my D;2) Eventually I also started taking Effexor XR and this helped tremendously with my D as well.Recently, I had another food poisoning experience and my IBS-D returned with a vengeance. I was then treated for Helicobacter pylori with two antibiotics and my IBS-D all but disappeared. That made me do a little bit of research and I ended up finding out about Xifaxan and the work Pimentel is doing with it.Xifaxan (Rifaximin) helped tremendously and I've been doing pretty good lately. No D at all, just a little bit of gas or somewhat looser stools if I eat too much stuff with fructose.The rest of my story is at The Skin Rashes thread.


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## 18835 (Nov 9, 2006)

Lonely person in that I have constipation/lack of bowel movements type IBS, not D. Very little helps this for me - I have to do plain warm water enemas nearly daily. (and yes, I've heard advice that the enemas could aggravate lack of good flora - but without them, I get too many toxic symptoms). Motility is very poor - it's not that "stuff" gets to the colon and then stays put, it's that it doesn't really move down into the colon.I suspect a longstanding problem with candida - did a sugar/white flour fest in college in a misguided and stressed attempt to save money, and have paid for it since.Have not done a breath test.Have tried OTC anti-candida protocols; the only one that helps with toxicity symptoms is a very strict diet (no fruit or any sweet things, and only certain starches), and even that did not help my motility during the few weeks I was able to stay on it.Have read that long-standing candida (which cannot be tested for, by the way, unlike other parasites) really needs to be treated with prescription anti-candida products rather than with weaker OTC products. Am in the process of buying prescription anti-candida products, and will try them with another strict diet soon.I don't think most people on this board are in this same situation; from what I'm reading most of you have D, and very few have posted the kind of toxicity symptoms that I have that I believe are candida-related.


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

Qone What are toxicity symptoms?It sounds like you have a motility problem unrelated to candida.Candida is brought up very often on the bb here and there have been many discussions.Candida overgrowth can be tested for, however I am guessing that is not what your talking about here.As for candidaWhy is there candida in the bowel in the first place in humans?""Candida albicans, and other strains of Candida are yeast that normally inhabits our digestive system: the mouth, throat, intestines and genitourinary tract. Candida is a normal part of the bowel flora (the organisms that naturally live inside our intestines, and are not parasitic). It has many functions inside our digestive tract, one of them to recognize and destroy harmful bacteria. Without Candida albicans in our intestines we would be defenseless against many pathogen bacteria. Healthy person can have a millions of Candida albicans."alsoComment in: Postgrad Med J. 1993 Jan;69(807):80.The role of faecal Candida albicans in the pathogenesis of food-intolerant irritable bowel syndrome.Middleton SJ, Coley A, Hunter JO.Department of Gastroenterology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.Candida albicans was sought in stool samples from 38 patients with irritable bowel syndrome and 20 healthy controls. In only three patients with irritable bowel syndrome was C. albicans discovered and these patients had either recently received antibiotics or the stool sample had been delayed more than 24 hours in transit. C. albicans was isolated from none of the control stool samples. We conclude that C. albicans is not involved in the aetiology of the irritable bowel syndrome.PMID: 1437926Almost no major research on it being the cause was done after 92. IF you search pubmed there is almost nothing."About chronic candidiasisAn overgrowth in the gastrointestinal tract of the usually benign yeast (or fungus) Candida albicans has been suggested as the origin of a complex medical syndrome called chronic candidiasis, or yeast syndrome.1 2Purported symptoms of chronic candidiasis are fatigue, allergies, immune system malfunction, depression, chemical sensitivities, and digestive disturbances.3 4 Conventional medical authorities do acknowledge the existence of a chronic Candida infection that affects the whole body and is sometimes called â€œchronic disseminated candidiasis.â€œ5 However, this universally accepted disease is both uncommon, and decidedly more narrow in scope, than the so-called Yeast Syndromeâ€"a condition believed by some to be quite common, particularly in people with a history of long-term antibiotic use. The term â€œchronic candidiasisâ€ as used in this article refers to the as yet unproven Yeast Syndrome."Real Candidiasis which is a "Systemic Candidiasis are "systemic infections"http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic76.htmIBS is NOT an infectious disease.I have talked to quite a few lab people who do colonoscopies about this and they have never seen "yeast syndrome" but have seen "disseminated candidiasis" in aids patients and cancer patients where the immune system was highly compormised.IN IBS research researchers are using powerful electron microscopes and examing gut cells and still no "overgrowth" of candida.So they are there for a very important reason.Most people with this self diagnoses themselves and self diagnoses is the number one reason for misdiagnoses.Have you ever had a sitz marker test done. That is a test for constipation. The body trys to expell pathogens as quicky as possible, with nausea, vomiting and d to get rid of them before they do damage. The colon wall also sheds cells constantly. IF they enter the blood stream through gut permeability it would be detected by bloodwork.But I am really interested in why your using the term toxic symptoms. Do you have a fever, or blood in the stools or anything like that?IT is way more likely your slow motility is from a different problem then candida. Unless you have chronic disseminated candidiasis and that is veery real and can be seen in the colon and throughtout the body and be tested for with blood work.


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## 18835 (Nov 9, 2006)

I'll start a new thread on this, called "Misc about Candida"


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

Quone, have you ever had a colonoscopy? "Stool tests for candida are unreliable, as they do not shed regularly and many bowel movements (submitted for stool tests) will not show overgrowth even if there is one."The thing is candida is a visable organism. There are also different kinds of course.The medical establishment doesn't believe in the kind were talking about and it can't be tested for and can been seen under a electronmicroscope? It would seem the only way to have this diagnoses is to self diagnose. Yes?Not sure where you got this information from really. The bowel wall is constantly shedding it cells. How does candida stay there? Or not be seen? How is candida toxic if you can find it in the blood or on stool testing. They do a lot of research on bacteeria and the colon, including conditions like IBD and all kninds of conditions as well as IBS. Yet they don'ty recogonized the kind of candida your talking about. A friend of mine worked doing colonoscopies did not beliege in that condition. And others are using electron microscopes. Yet no overgrowth? What keeps them in check from a major overgrowth?Also the gut brain runs a program on pathogens in the gut, it developed to expell pathogens from the body as quickly as possible causes, d, so it would seem even more unlikely to cause c, that would not be benefical to the organism.There also from above"Candida is a normal part of the bowel flora (the organisms that naturally live inside our intestines, and are not parasitic)"Not to mention its there for a reason to fight bad bacteria."It has many functions inside our digestive tract, one of them to recognize and destroy harmful bacteria."Is killing it a good idea or does that open a person up to other harmful bacteria that it defends a person from?On these symptoms "burning eyes, fatigue, hyperactivity, headache." could all possible be explained more easily perhaps. One might be allergies for example. There you might be thinking yu are somehow allergic to candida? That might be a possiblity perhaps. Those are common symptoms to a whole list of conditions though and might not all be describe as toxic or even related to the same problems. IBS and for some other reasons and conditions we have seen on the bb that low sugar diets can help IBS, but for a different reason then candida."See my post in the recent thread on Vivonex and candida."I have to say without references and what I have read and that is quite a bit actually on it and people I have talked to who do the testing, something is amiss.Without the refernces its anecdotal really. Where is the research and the studies? In the last five years regardles of IBS or other conditions have learned a lot about the colon and how it works. Not everything but a lot, especially with new technology. I can say I am no expert either, perhaps some people are allergic to it somehow, but would seem to cause other symptoms oragnic in nature.If I had C personally the first test other the a colonoscopy would be a sitz marker test. That is a major test for c. What if your treating the wrong problems and your doing all this and have something else? For me that is why testing is majorally important and working with a good doctor.Lets say for arguements sake you don't have candida but one of the much more common reasons for c, like pelvic floor dyssynergia or functional constipation which are very common problems. On the amount of antibiotics you took, were you checked for C-diff that is common in such cases. Sugar could be a sugar absorbition problem or sugar feed the normal bowel bacteria and cause more gas and pressure in the gut. Reducing that even in IBS helps some people. The gut works by pressure sensitive cells. But on CConstipation can be classified into 3 broad categories: normal-transit constipation, slow-transit constipation, and disorders of defecation or rectal evacuation.8 Normal-transit constipation is the most common type. Patients report feeling constipated even though their stools pass through the colon at a normal rate and the frequency of movements is within the normal range. Patients may perceive their bowel habits as abnormal because of abdominal pain, bloating, straining, or hard stools.8 Patients with IBS have symptoms similar to those of normal-transit constipation; however, abdominal pain, in association with changes in stool frequency and consistency, must be present before IBS can be diagnosed.9Slow-transit constipation is caused by impaired phasic colonic motor activity, delayed emptying of the proximal colon, and reduced high-amplitude peristaltic contractions after meals.8 It is most common in young women, and onset usually occurs at puberty. Patients report infrequent BMs (<1 per week), although straining is not a common symptom in this form of constipation. Disorders of defecation are usually due to dysfunction of the pelvic floor or anal sphincter. Failure of the rectum to empty effectively may result from ineffective coordination of the abdominal, anorectal, and pelvic floor muscles during defecation.8 Patients with pelvic floor disorders typically describe an inability to defecate despite a sense of urgency, although they often report straining on defecation and the need for manual digitation."Have you ever had a sitz marker test?I hope this post comes out the right way, just trying to help so you know. I understand its your body.


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

Have you seen this book?Book ReviewCandida and Candidiasisfrom Emerging Infectious DiseasesPosted 10/01/2002Mary E. BrandtRichard A. Calderone, editorAmerican Society for Microbiology Press, Washington, 2001, 472 pagesYeast of the genus Candida have exploded into prominence in recent years as opportunistic and nosocomial fungal pathogens. However, the most recent textbook on these organisms was written in 1988. Candida and Candidiasis is a worthy successor in providing comprehensive information on the biology of these organisms.A total of 28 chapters cover the general properties, virulence factors, cell biology, immunity, genomics, diseases, and laboratory aspects of Candida species, with particular emphasis on its most prominent member, Candida albicans. The strongest chapters are those covering research aspects of these organisms. Complex subjects like the chemistry of the cell wall, host recognition and adherence, the cell biology of the yeast-hyphal transformation, and extracellular hydrolases as virulence factors in C. albicans are well summarized with clear, useful graphics and current references. The book is beautifully laid out, with a series of color plates that help describe phenotype switch variants and chromosome maps.The clinical chapters appear rather superficial for an infectious diseases clinician but may be useful to a student seeking basic material. The chapter on identification and subtyping contains information available in other sources for less than the cost of this book. A discussion of current practices in antifungal susceptibility testing of Candida species would have been helpful. Chapters 2 and 4 contain repetitious material, including photographs of C. dubliniensis. A consolidated chapter on the epidemiology of Candida infections should be considered for the next edition. The chapters covering the cell biology are most useful, either as a comprehensive overview or as a reference text for researchers and students interested in the biology of these organisms. Mary E. Brandt, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA Emerg Infect Dis 8(8), 2002. Â© 2002 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also medscape has a lot of info on candidafor example"Changing Microbiologic Spectrum of CandidaAlthough there are more than 100 described species of Candida, only four are commonly associated with infection: C. albicans, C. tropicalis, C. parapsilosis, and C. glabrata.10 Of these, C. albicans has been isolated from more than 60% of candidal infections; the other three major species are seen at rates varying from 5% to 20%. Mucosal colonization by C. tropicalis, a virulent organism, frequently leads to invasive infection. C. glabrata and C. parapsilosis appear to be relatively less virulent,111 and the latter typically causes infection in association with prosthetic materials (e.g., catheters) or glucose-rich intravenous solutions.10 Finally, C. kruseiand C. lusitaniae rarely cause disease, being isolated from fewer than 1% of cultures.10 *The epidemiology of candidiasis has changed, with reduced rates of C. albicans in favor of other candidal species-in particular, C. glabrataand C. krusei.*112 This change is important because C. krusei and several strains of C. glabrataare highly resistant to the triazoles such as fluconazole and itraconazole.10,112A study by the NNIS group evaluated 1,579 bloodstream isolates of Candida species obtained from more than 50 hospitals in the United States over a 7-year period (1992â€"1998) to detect trends in species distribution and susceptibility to fluconazole. C. albicans accounted for 52% of isolates, followed by C. glabrata(18%), C. parapsilosis (15%), C. tropicalis (11%), and C. krusei (2%). Since 1995, C. glabrata has been more prevalent than C. parapsilosis. The susceptibility of all Candida species to fluconazole has remained stable.113a"I highlighted that one sentence because it was interesting.http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/535493http://www.medscape.com/gastroenterology


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## 13840 (May 9, 2005)

This topic has wandered a little, but I would like the original to continue (just out of curiosity to see similarities) so I guess I'll post about my problems.For the past few years I've had ibs-c with obvious distension and sharp abdominal pain. I've also had problems with oderous flatulence leading to emergency runs to the bathroom. I had a full line of blood tests done and abdominal and pelvic ultrasounds, everything coming back okay. I've been on Zelnorm for a while now which helps with the pain and constipation but not the bloating. Two other things I've noticed, although they may be unrelated, is an inability to lose weight and general fatigue. I have energy from about 12 pm to 3:30 pm and am sluggish and tired for the rest of the day. About the same time I started to notice the bloating I also lost my period possibly due to the fact that I was dieting and exercising quite a bit. I think it's unrelated because while I'm the only person in my family with ibs, most of my other female relatives have had menstrual problems. Starting in September I became very depressed and have been off and on ever since, sometimes staying home from work because of it. Recently I've started exploring the possibility of also having sibo (hope to God it's true) and that causing the bloating. My constipation has also lessened a lot and I am able to go at least once a day although I am still straining. Probably once a week I have a day of diarhea.Kirsten


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## Nanobug (Nov 7, 2006)

> quote:This topic has wandered a little, but I would like the original to continue


Indeed! It would be nice if both eric and Qone delete their "non survey" posts given that they don't fit npearce's original intention. They can always move their candida related stuff to other thread.


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## Rick (never give up) (Oct 7, 2005)

Hi eric,Based on your findings, you made me wonder again about Candida or Yeasts in general.From other posts and articles in pubmed I started to think that perhaps the Candida thing was oversized, but now this article confuses me a bit, I have to admit.I'm gonna check out the book. At least it's a more reliable source.Thanks again, you always keep me thinking







Now, to be fair with Nanobug, here's my contribution to the survey:1. Symptoms started 2 years ago (in August)2. First came discomfort, later pain and bloating, finally loose stools every morning.3. After that it quickly turned to C type, and whenever a bowel movement finally came, it was loose stools again.4. Did every major test first, Colonoscopy, gastro, u-sound, and guess the results?5. Then came Zelnorm, did it for one month, it was a nightmare.6. Then I tried levsin and tepavil, and I end up with a severe depression.7. After that, I did the Specific Carboydrate Diet, but felt horrible in it.8. I also tried a lot of things not worth mentioning all (Primal Defence, etc...)9. Things that helped: Enteric Coated Peppermint Capsules. Liver Flushes helped a lot couple of months ago. And Bach Flower Therapy (not for physical but for psycological symptoms like anxiety, mood swings, stress, etc)10. Recently tried the Vivonex Diet, so far the only thing I got rid of is the bloating. Still need more time to see.11. Finally, I am underweighed, meaning that I weight 15 pounds less than what I'm supposed to for my age and height. No matter how hard I try I can't gain any. I'm stucked around 120.12. Major symptoms right now: Pain and discomfort.


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## 15586 (Jun 27, 2006)

Im amazed at how tough some of yall are. I really do try to be stronger but come up short. I havent worked a job in 3 yrs. Just been trying to make ends meet. I guess very soon i will lose my house next and be the loser that i fear. Im 45 yo. I have dealt with my problems for about 20 yrs now, from one degree or another. I have read what i could over the years trying to help myself. My symtoms seemed to start when i started having major anxiety attacks. This is still hard for me to talk about. I thought i was really going to lose my mind. When a full blown attack would strike, I was literally incompasitated for 20 mins - 1 hour. My stomach went nuts and i had severe pain. The family Dr. tried a few things and finally told me to check into a mental facility. I was stunned to hear this. And disheartened. I had health insurance then and checked into a hospital for 6 weeks. I was told i had an anxiety disorder. They did an upper and lower GI etc... and found nothing. I was devostated. I was newly married and she was expecting soon. I had had some stomach issues since i was a young teen only sometimes, it wasent a real problem. Anyway, i lost my family and felt i was a serious loser for letting my family and myself down. This was difficult to accept mentally. My father left us and i didnt want to be like him. Even though i did pay support, my daughter never bonded with me and now shes in college and doesnt want to see me. I was on different antidepressants and sometimes mild tranquilizers for 8 yrs. I havent used anything in 12 yrs. As the years go bye, my IBS gets worse and worse. Even though i dont have anymore major anxiety attacks. I do havesome anxiety mainly only when my stomach is bad. Ok, here is my symtoms. I get bad gas and distention often. I avoid as much sugars and fat as i can. They make me sick and nauses. I almost never feel like i can fully evacuate. When im having what i call a bad " cycle ", Im on the toilet for 20 -40 mins.,3-5 times a day in pure agony. The pain is intolerable for me to cope with. My mind starts to trip out from the pain. ( i know this sounds wierd ). Im incapacitated and can only moan out loud and beg for relief. I cannot let anyone hear this ( they will think im crazy ). I live alone while i still have my house. As im sitting there, i feel the urge to have a BM. Before each BM, is when then real pain is felt. The amount of material is so small its crazy. I may go through this 5-15 times per sitting. Its rarely lose or hard. Usually it appears to be a normal consistancy. Just not much of it. Ive tried fiber. I cant eat much food because i just feel worse. So i stay too skinny. I never know when im going to start a " cycle ". I can eat the same type foods for days/weeks and bam, here it comes. I get very bad smelling gas, so i dont go around people. I could be so much more than i am. I had a L4-L5 disc fusion with hardware 4 yrs ago. Shoulder surgery last year. Its always something.lol. I know we all have our own problems in here. Mine is just another one for the rock pile. I do have love for you all. For whatever thats worth to ya.


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## 17890 (Mar 11, 2007)

To reply to nanobug-Symptoms started 1 year ago1)bloating when waking up2)bowel movements varried between constipation/diar every 2 days3)after 8 months...horrible bloating after eating...depends on food4)mornings I feel nausea and bloating5)normal bowel movements, some slight variation of course 1-3 times a day (weird I know). 6)not taking anything but antidep (lexapro)


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## kate072666 (Oct 1, 2002)

I have alot of symptoms.....they all started around 20 some yrs ago...1. Diarreaha2. Urgency3. Cramps4. Bloating 5. Nausea6. Constipation/(rarely)7. I'm sure there's more.


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## leehee (Jun 29, 2007)

4 months ago started with severe (up x 8 day) diarrhea, terrible nausea, vomiting, stomach ache, loss of appetite, malaise and brain fog. Lost 25 pounds in 2 months. Stool culture showed a parasite Blastocystis Hominis in moderate amount. Most docs dont consider this to cause illness so was ignored. My oncologist however decided to treat me with Bactrim - a kind of antibiotic. What a big mistake - it did nothing for the parasite but wiped out my good bugs.Went to GI doc who diagnosed me with SIBO and IBS after several tests.At present have severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, and nausea. Just taken a regimen of Xifixan. toward the last few days started having formed stool but now 2 days after - back to diarrhea, nausea and severe pain.Lee


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## 14472 (Apr 15, 2007)

stomach noises/grumbling/popping/fluttersoccasional constipationgas(more gas than EXXon)


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