Candida, ibs-c and managing constipation

[minkeygirl]

I'm going to tackle my Candida again. I've tried before but the constipation from lack of fiber does me in and I quit.

I take Acadia fiber but it can only do so much

I'm prepares to take matters into my own hands to get things moving but does anyone have any ideas?

Oh my beloved carbs. I'll miss you!

Please tag me

 

[ahmo]

During my Candida purge I needed coffee enemas daily. Prior to that, Id done 4 days on, 2 days off. But so much was being released tht I needed to act on it. This meant that I mostly felt pretty good.

 

[Eeyore]

I don't understand what you mean by this. When you say you have candida, why do you say so? Do you have thrush (white coating on tongue or inside of mouth)? Do you have red skin lesions believed to be fungal in origin? If you have thrush, you should be treated with antifungals (e.g. fluconazole) - and you should get evaluated for why you are susceptible, as it's rare in immunocompetent individuals.

 

[minkeygirl]

@Eeyore i didn't ask for medical advice. I asked for suggestions to manage constipation.

@ahmo i'll look into. I have some fantastic liquid glycerine suppositories and in trying other natueal things for now.

Right now I'm replacing all my sups that have some kind of sugar in them. It's crazy.

 

[minkeygirl]

@Eeyore

1. What's not to understand?

2. You can have candida without thrush

3. I am immuno compromised

4. you have no idea what I'm taking to treat this.

5. I have serious die off anger.

 

[Eeyore]

@minkeygirl - I don't understand how you know you have candida, and was curious. I never said you didn't have it. I asked the same question today of someone else, on another thread - she said she had a stool culture done and it found elevated levels of multiple candida species.

As for the constipation, I'd suggest taking a look at linzess, which is a relatively new medication that is very safe. It's used daily and is not absorbed systemically. My GI doc uses it to manage idiopathic chronic constipation or IBS-C and likes it because of its safety profile and because it is well tolerated. Unlike laxatives which are taken as needed and produce an "unpleasant constipation relief" linzess is milder and safe for daily use and doesn't cause the same unpleasant side effects. It's prescription only, so you'd have to talk to your doc but most docs wouldn't be concerned about prescribing it I would think.

 

[ahmo]

@Eeyore I never had overt signs or symptoms of Candida. Except...I had a small patch on my face that keep erupting. When I read about the link between eczema and Candida, I quit the honey I'd been eating. Immediately, I was pushed into a full on detox. Something was dying off with just one simple intervention.

Later I became interested in a protocol being offered as part of the Digestion Session teleconference. I took Jack Tipps survey, something he believes accurately pinpoints underlying problems, after some years of working with it. I tested high for fungus. So I embarked on a Candida purge, as I noted above. The only other indication was persistent bloating. Again, as I noted above, there was so much detox activity, that I needed a full-on practice to eliminate it. Eventually it cleared, the bloating was gone, no more eczema.

 

[minkeygirl]

@Eeyore I know because I've had it before. I know because if I look at carb or sugar I bloat and cramp. I know because I have been on abx. I've had no carbs today, no bloat no cramp.

I didn't post asking for treatment advice as I am well aware of what is available and what I can afford. What I asked was what other's have done to manage candida treatment WITH IBS-C.

 

[Eeyore]

Sorry I don't understand the difference between treatment and management of IBS-C, but I'll step off this thread as my intention is not to annoy you - only wanted to help. Sorry I did not.

 

[Ema]

linzess, which is a relatively new medication that is very safe

Unless you're a juvenile rat who died from it (which is why it is not FDA approved for use in those under 18). Hmmm, is a 19 year old so very different than a 17 year old??

Also, no long term safety studies have been done on this med. The longest studies were something like 16 weeks.

Decide for yourself, of course, but I'd just as soon not be some sort of lab rat for big pharma. The long term safety data is as of yet TBD and the common side effects (diarrhea, abdominal pain or discomfort, gas, bloating, heartburn, vomiting, headache, or cold symptoms such as stuffy nose, sneezing, or sinus pain) sound just as bad as the IBS-C. I think one is much better off searching for and treating root causes.

 

[minkeygirl]

@Eeyore How can you help if you don't understand the problem? I never said treatment for IBS. I said managing the constipation of IBS-C when you are on a candida diet.

A candida diet is very low in fiber. If you have IBS-c you need fiber. So a candida diet inherently causes constipation. If you already have constipation there is the issue.

 

[South]

rare in immunocompetent

Actually, many people believe that it isn't all that rare.

 

[Carl]

Get some powered lecithin, either Soy OR sunflower and mix it up with water in a jug. Then increase the dose you take each day until your bowel softens and moves easily.

Be careful as too much will cause diarrhoea.

[EDiT oops]
I mix 15 mid hpd tsp into 1 litre [ correction it is a 0.5 litre jug] of water and then take 10 to 12 5ml tsp twice a day which will really loosen me up and provide quite a relief.

 

[Carl]

I mistook the quantity of water as I thought the jug was larger than it is. It's half the size that I previously thought. I have corrected that now.

 

[Firefly_]

Heya Minkeygirl...when I got sick with CFS I also got constipated, had never had that problem before. Tried exlax, Miralax, enemas, glycerine suppositories, nothing worked. I had also been on a Candida diet with nystatin and fluconazine(sp?) And that prolly didn't help matters any. Dr Kaufman at OMI told me to take something called iberogast (got it from Amazon) and it worked after the first dose and still works.

It does have alcohol in it so that may not be an option if u are super strict on the Candida protocol but for me it has been a lifesaver. I feel less ill and my chronic headaches have stopped.

 

[berryg]

The more I read and learn about candida, the more I think constipation is the reason it is so hard to heal from candida. People know to clean their diet for candida with low carbs and no junk food, but then these diet cause more constipation and more candida symptoms and of course you feel like crap. I read an interesting post about this that made me think and change the protocol I follow, I think its a good read for all of us. Here is the link.

 

[kangaSue]

For constipation, try cayenne pepper capsules together with some form of magnesium
https://www.inspire.com/groups/agmd.../there-is-a-magic-bullet-for-colonic-inertia/

 

[berryg]

Thank you KangaSue you are actually spot on
I started to use cayenne, garlic and lemon with my green salads at night a few days ago, and also consider starting a magnesium colon cleanse that everyone seems to be very positive about I saw in this link
I also replace some of my carbs with 100% pure coconut butter and so far I started to get really sweaty at nights. I think it probably detox signs. Any additional tips will be appreciated

 

[kangaSue]

@berryg - Cayenne pepper capsules tend to really clean me out so mostly just use plain old Epsom salts to keep my system regular. Dose varies between 6 and 10 grams daily depending on previous days response and I've been doing this for nearly 20 years now. It is a safe non-habit forming osmotic laxative. Some find it unpleasant to take orally but I have the "luxury" of an enteral feeding tube through which I syringe the Epsom salts dissolved in some body temperature water.

A respected Australian colorectal surgeon, Dr Michael Levitt, promotes the use of magnesium sulfate for constipation before looking at any surgical intervention, if the case seems bad enough. He has developed an encapsulated magnesium sulfate product, COLOCAP Balance as his protocol for treating constipation and as a way to avoid the chemical taste.

His plan for relieving constipation is to take it in large dose, 15 tablets over 1/2 an hour, but only once or twice a week. His book, “The Other Women's Movement” explains his thoughts on the subject. Some centres here in Australia are also now using this as a colonoscopy prep.


The idea is to promote a strong urge that can clear the bowel completely in one go so that it can relax from being empty. This can then enable the bowel to shrink back in size and become more sensitive to the natural urge to move your bowels.
http://www.michaellevitt.com.au
http://www.colocappharma.com/resources/CONSTIPATIONGUIDELINES.pdf


I haven't tried any of the following butthere are a couple of other products I've come across for constipation relief using magnesium and also incorporating an oxygenation process that is said to aid in the digestive process. They are Colosan and Homozon.

Ageless Hydro-C is another thing for constipation that I haven't seen others mention before that I have seen some positive press about. https://www.gutsense.org/store/hydroc.html

 

[heapsreal]

@minkeygirl
have u tried rifaximin an abx that just works on the gut. There are some short protocols (for cfs anyway) and then after clearing the gut of bad bacteria , one then takes a heap of probiotics to repopulate the gut with good bacteria. Some also do the candida treatments at the same time .

Just a thought as it might helpvwith IBS.
@Sushi may have more to add on this??