Is candida the reason for all of my digestive issues?

[bn1515]

I have been through about 3 phases in this problem over the last couple months. (acid reflux, breathing issue, indigestion)

Up until 2 months before my first Acid reflux and gerd symptoms, I had taken about 3 or 4 courses of Doxycycline for an unrelated issue. The last course was longer than the previous ones. 2 months after this course, I drank whiskey and ate crappy food one night and the next day had terrible pain in upper abdomen. After going to the doctor and them giving me PPI (prilosec). First they put me on 40mg twice a day. I felt so weak, like I wasnt absorbing any nutrients from food. Had a endoscopy done that only showed minor acid burning of esophogus. Around this time I began have breathing issues that got worse with anxiety and crappy food. This has gotten better when I keep my mind off of it.

The issue with my upper abdomen never went away until i quit the PPI's completely. Ive started feeling way better. I do not experience acid reflux at all. The breathing improved, but then I got bad indigestion. I was so bloated and stopped being able to produce a bowel movement. Took Betaine HCL supplements for a week until I noticed my heart beat was increasing, especially with meals or anxiety.

I can go #2 now, but I have to strain really hard to go. The stool is dark green and has white specs in it. It isnt hard stool which is weird since I have had a hard time going. Since the endoscopy, I have substantially reduced my carb intake ( i eat mainly chicken and rice with vegetables.) and use probiotics in morning, slippery elm at night, and coconut oil a couple times a day.

Other symptoms: increased anxiety, struggled breathing sometimes, white tongue, brain feels foggy, hair seems to fall out easily, fatigue.

Main concerns: Increased heart beat (went to er last night but I was fine), poor digestion, green stool.

Does anyone know about candida and if it sounds about right? Or have any other suggestions to improve my anxiety, digestion, or overall condition. Sorry for the long post.

[alvarado10]

Candida might be a culprit or maybe a Thyroid issue. I remember first having GERD and having anxiety issues. The most important thing is to relax. That may seem hard at first since these symptoms are still new to you. Anxiety is common especially when people come across new conditions. Going cold turkey on a PPI can create a rebound effect. I would suggest slowly reducing then taking yourself off a PPI.

Ask your doctor about testing for Candida and even Thyroid. As with all GERD symptoms, first try food elimination, go bed at least 3 hours after eating, exercise, and most importantly try to relax.

[bn1515]

Okay, I will see my doctor this week and ask about those. As for the PPI rebound, I tapered off them and its been like 3  weeks since taking it and I no longer have acid reflux or stomach pain. Just the bad digestion. Seems like there was no acid problem - low acid if anything.

Thanks for the response

[alvarado10]

People with Acid Reflux usually have low acid, which slows down digestion and cause some pain. The longer the food digests, the more likely acid will splash up. Your esophagus may still be healing as well.  

[TheLightSeeker]

Delayed gastric emptying could cause heart palpitations.
I suggest you take smaller size meals, full spectrum digestive enzymes, multi-strain live probiotics in high numbers like in 10s of billions, chew your food very well,
NEVER eat fast and totally avoid "crappy" food and limit alcohol consumption drastically. Consume a lot of water rich foods, avoid sugars and sweets, stick to a very low carb diet.
To eliminate candida you need to follow a strict anti-candida diet for at least one month per year of candida from its development (not the onset of symptoms!) till now.
So if you had these symptoms for let's say 2 years, I would add at least one year to that, so the treatment should be about 3 months minimum, or till you experience notable improvement following the minimum treatment period.
Consider using coconut oil in place of pro- inflammatory cooking oils. Coconut oil among its many medicinal benefits is also a great antifungal. Aim for 4-5 Tablespoons daily.
Best wishes,
Niko
Drink ample spring water 1 hour away from meals