Okay.
Deep breath.
Again.
Okay.
So . . . I hate to alarm you, but I have a rather prolonged problem over here. At least two years in the making I would say. I've seen two doctors, and used four or five over the counter remedies. Sounds like a problem, right?
But, it goes back even farther than that. At the ripe age of fifteen years old, I had a septic hip, which is basically a staph infection that invades a joint. In other words, it declares nuclear warfare and plays for keeps. If they hadn't operated immediately I would have lost my hip joint within a couple of days.
As you can imagine they blasted me with the full arsenal of antibiotics. They left the incision open for 4 days in order to be able to administer antibiotics directly to the joint. I know, I know. GROSS. Sorry, I just find myself repeating the gory details like a labor and delivery story. Or a combat tale.
Anyway, I found myself after this with a host of new problems. My allergies persisted-but did not worsen. Eczema sprang up on my elbows, eyelids, and inner ears. Seborrheic dermatitis is dancing on my scalp. I have had several bouts with my current problem.
You know what? I still don't want to tell you about my problem. See, in high school my friends and I . . . well, it came up. They asked if anyone had ever had that kind of a problem and I said I had. They were totally and completely grossed out. They teased me about it for years. YEARS. I think they all teased me about it until they each had the exact same problem.
Then they never said a word.
I like to think I was their ambassador. But it doesn't make this any easier to talk about.
Fine. I've got a yeast infection. It started out as the Beast of all infections, the worst I've ever had and landed me in the stirrups. I was quite embarrassed, because up to that point none of the things that my friends ever teased me about. But didn't believe me. I don't have 'cottage cheese' or a 'fishy odor' or even really itchiness much of the time. But two years ago, the Beast finally reared it's head. I treated it with Monistat or some such nonsense according to doctor advice. So, this is what has happened the entire past two years. I use Monistat. Back to back once. Nope. Still there.
Monistat never quite gets rid of it. It's just the relative that never leaves. I am the female version of a jock. I like to think I'm more discreet, but DANG. This one is itchier than eczema, poison ivy AND hives. At the same time. Hang on kids, mommy's got to stop off here at this restroom and find a brillo pad. Really.
It's horrible. Read that in Spanish. It sounds better. Horrible.
Like I said, I've been to two doctors, and used several over the counter remedies. I was just telling Hubbend on Sunday, "I can't handle it any more. I've got to go to the doctor and get this dang thing taken care of." But I was nervous.
Why you ask? Why not find a jet propulsion race car to my nearest doctor's office? Well, there is the fact that I am always at the doctor for Chickadee. And the other fact that I just don't really like to go to doctors, especially for myself. But really? I hate antibiotics.
If I could get away with never ever taking them again, I would. It was a very big deal for me to not run out of Chickadee's GI doctor's office when I found out that antibiotics are the key to keeping her off a poop bag. Very mature of me to stay put. Even more so for me to put her on them!
I told you the whole first part of my story so that you would be on my side here. I don't believe antibiotics would help me. I did some research to back myself up. I'm very good at that, I can find whatever I want that backs me up, just so I get what I want.
First I read THIS site. It was the first ray of hope I had. It had a promising LINK that made sense in a scary kind of way. Then yesterday I did even more searching out of the insanity. I've looked for this sort of thing before. I don't know why I've never found it!
I surfed a lot of sites. Finally, I found one that made me feel SANE. We all know that is a misnomer, but even though Hubbend agrees with me logically, I like to see a name of an institution I respect. I like alternative medicine, I just need to see some actual scientific double blind studies showing results. It turns out that there are several areas of my life that put me at risk. Other than changing to all cotton underwear, which I'm doing, there aren't many others I can change. I have to have my steroid cream for my eczema. I can't change the fact that my body was blasted with enough antibiotics to kill a square mile of exotic rainforest bugs. Other than try not to do it again.
Long story short, I'm going on a diet. I know. Who is this person and what have I done with JBS, right? Well, I was reading over the list of foods that are 'out'. Pretty eerily familiar huh?
So it's kind of sugar/gluten free, high in vegetable fiber, and a few complex carbohydrates mixed in. I've been taking a cranberry supplement, and I will pick up some probiotics at the store today. You can get a great overview and vitamin recommendation HERE.
I love me some plain yogurt. It's gonna be intensive, and getting sugar out of my system will help my weight too. But honestly, that's secondary. I've got to get rid of this mess. So, I'm determined to get down to business.
Oh, and if I've ever met you in person in the past two years . . . I'm sure it was during one of the remissions. Yeah. And that visit to the bathroom? It was not an appointment with the butane torch in my purse. No. It really wasn't.
*photo by Laurie | Liquid Paper*
I never had one and you people are scaring me like it's a big big thing like the c word. I wish you well my friend. I have to admit I like the diet part of this mess because we don't realize and I'm so not good at keeping at a diet but we are what we eat and you might just feel better in a million more ways than you aimed for! -fingers crossed-
ReplyDelete♥River
Hold on I just checked the do-not-attempt food list. I can try not to have cheese but milk and meat!! Awww poor woman! My heart is breaking for you. Well... it's all for health and feeling better, right? Meat has lots of bad stuff in it. (Yeah I said "bad stuff" no idea what they are as I don't let that kinda info get into my head, I'm a teenager by heart and teenagers are stubborn)
ReplyDeleteOn the upside yogurt is the best thing you can put into your body! I didn't get this part wrong, right? Yogurt is the miracle food and I hope you'll turn it into a habbit or something. Ok I'm done.
Love ya ♥
Wow. For a minute it was like reading a post on my blog. I do believe you have found a topic that I so far have not touched!
ReplyDeleteAnyway. I'll keep a box of brillo pads under the bathroom sink for ya. Just in case.
And how did I not know about that hip?
I will spectate this journey to healing with popcorn and bottled water (just like at the movies). I'm VERY curious to see how the foods will improve the issues. Because I'm naive to think that foods we do or DON"T eat cause a lot of our problems.
ReplyDeleteAnd by the way, if you're gonna call this a Diet, my Greedy Kid #3 says a diet is when you don't eat anything. You starve and can't eat cereal. Sorry to have to break the news to you.
((hugs!)) xoxo
I will spectate this journey to healing with popcorn and bottled water (just like at the movies). I'm VERY curious to see how the foods will improve the issues. Because I'm naive to think that foods we do or DON"T eat cause a lot of our problems.
ReplyDeleteAnd by the way, if you're gonna call this a Diet, my Greedy Kid #3 says a diet is when you don't eat anything. You starve and can't eat cereal. Sorry to have to break the news to you.
((hugs!)) xoxo
Ouch! It is amazing what food may or may not do for/to our bodies. I hope the diet works for you. I will say that I tried probiotics a year ago (pills, not just in yogurt and food) and they had an unpleasant side affect that I won't go into but it got me off them.
ReplyDeleteYou told me not to come over here and I clicked over anyway.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad we're sepsis buddies (or not), but I didn't understand a word you said after that.
Or at least I'm playing ignorant man for the moment (I do that well).
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ReplyDeleteOh you poor thing. I feel for you. I have also struggled with this beast. You're right about the OTC stuff not working. I've used it all... creams, suppositories etc. The only thing that works when I have a flare up is Diflucan which is an oral med your doctor can prescribe for you. Once you get this cleared up, eliminating sugar really does help a lot. I noticed a HUGE improvement when I was on a low carb diet. The diet was to lose weight, but this was a great surprise bonus! And Yogurt is really good too because it's full of those good bacteria that keep things in check. I've even heard of women dipping a tampon in yogurt and using it "down there" for a few days to restore the balance of flora (though I haven't tried this myself, I had a weird aversion to putting food in my hooha so I understand if you would rather not.)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, good luck with it! Hope you feel better soon!
Oh Baby! I hear you! Hope you get some relief soon.
ReplyDeleteoooo...BTDT. I used to have fantasies about back scratchers.
ReplyDeleteI have heard amazing things about a supplement called Candex. And because I always say this, I can't recommend enough seeing a naturopath for these types of issues. They get to the source of the problem and address that, instead of just putting a bandaid on the symptoms. But it sounds like that's what you're doing anyway. Good luck my friend!!
OOOh what a subject. Well I only ever had one problem but my Mom has and so when I had that said problemo she suggested Grapefruitseed exctract. It worked and I have never had a problem again. I used the whole bottle of tinture from the health food store and it like cleaned my whole system and of course stay away from to many extra sugars. Thats my only take that I know of so google and read that way. And I understand the not wanting to see the Doc. thing Jer is uggh doing it tomarrow again.
ReplyDeleteOooh, poor thing! Been there, done that! Was driven nearly MAD by it! Then a friend suggested something that worked for me. Sounds really gross, but just speaking from experience here: I douched with yogurt. Yep. Plain yogurt. I bought a cheap douche bag that could be thrown away later, and used it. In two days I had relief. [I did it three times a day for 3 days, and it took care of the problem.]
ReplyDeleteI have been eating yogurt ever since [more than 20 years now], and have never had another recurrence. Just make sure if you douche with it that it says the yogurt is made from "live culture" or is "cultured". Do the saame with the yogurt that you plan to eat daily as well. If it isn't "cultured", you aren't going to be getting the good stuff you need.
Keeping you in my prayers!
You are absolutely on the right track. You will be amazed at how much better you feel by following this type of regime.
ReplyDeleteIt works - good luck!
Oh, that is miserable. I've only had a visit from the beast a couple of times, but that's more than enough for me please... And my hubby actually; the last time I had one, about 2 years ago, I passed it along to my husband too. Seriously, yuck.
ReplyDeleteI hope you feel better soon.
Sorry to hear that :(
ReplyDeleteGood luck on your new diet!
WOW this is quite a post! I just feel so bad for you all of it would be miserable for sure. It will be interesting to see what the change in your diet does for you. Times like this are when it will be very obvious how food effects your body! GOOD LUCK!
ReplyDeleteHow about I just send a big hug your way?
ReplyDelete