My Health Journey – Part 1: Uncovering the Hidden Signs of SIBO, Candida, and More
Introduction: Recognizing Early Signs of Gut Issues
With the power of hindsight, I can see now that all of the signs of gut issues were present in childhood and continued on through my life. There is still relatively little known about how all of the mechanisms in your gut impact your health, however 30 years ago, gut health was foreign.
Early Childhood: Environmental Exposures and Dietary Triggers
As a baby, I had a multitude of symptoms that were a cause for concern, but nothing life threatening. Things like rashes and skin issues that covered large portions of my body, many of which were caused by food such as potatoes, dairy or peanuts. What we didn’t know back then was the impact of environmental toxins on a child are substantially different than the impact on adults1. The research shows that “Compared to adults, children have heavier exposures in relation to body weight because they drink more water, eat more food, and have higher breathing rates per unit of body weight than adults do. As a consequence, children have substantially heavier exposures than adults to any toxicants that are present in water, food, or air.” In addition, “Children’s ability to metabolize, detoxify, and excrete chemicals is different from that of adults. During the first months after birth, their metabolic pathways are immature. In some cases, children may actually have a higher metabolic capacity for some toxicants than adults. Commonly, however, they are less able to deal with toxic chemicals and thus are more vulnerable to them.” These points Explain a lot about my situation and give me a glimpse into my continued issues, but I will explain more about that later.
Adolescence: The Struggle with Unexplained Symptoms
When I got older, symptoms came and went, but the skin issues like eczema we constant. The only option doctors gave was to use medication. I used multiple rounds of harsh medicines and creams to try and “fix” the issue. The medications were a temporary solution, but the eczema always came back. What I didn’t know then is that the majority of my eczema was located near major areas of the lymphatic system. As I reflect on my symptoms as a child, there are a few things that stand out, based on what I know now.
- Gut issues were likely causing my skin issues
- My body was in a constant fight to detox
- It was very likely that I was dealing with an overgrowth of bad bacteria, fungus (Candida), and/or parasites.
Around the time I was entering my teen years, I began to get a sense that something wasn’t right with my body, and I wanted answers. My main symptoms were fatigue, sweating, headaches and migraines, in addition to stomach issues. My parents took me to the doctor to get some testing done. The standard blood testing was completed and I was told that everything looked “normal”. My doctor told me that it was all in my head and that puberty does weird things. To say that I was heartbroken would be an understatement. I had to sit with the feeling that no one understood me and that I didn’t have any options. I knew things weren’t right, but I didn’t have a way to address things. My parents were ill-equipped to support as everything was “normal”. For the next several years, I learned to manage the symptoms I had, the best I could.
Managing symptoms became about avoiding situations that might cause issues, or having to deal with potentially being sick. The fatigue, migraines and reactions to foods were the primary issue, but skin challenges and sweating remained. This meant that I avoided things like school trips and began to self-select out of higher level sports. If only I had known my body was trying to detox, I could have supported my body then before the issues got worse. Much like the story of the frog in hot water. If you put a frog in a pot of boiling water, it would jump out immediately. If you put a frog in a pot of warm water and gradually heated the water, the frog would eventually die. This is a great analogy for how I was feeling until I got to my breaking point.
The Breaking Point: A Catalyst for Change
The initial breaking point came when I went to visit my brother. I flew out to visit my brother and his family and to hangout with my nephew. He was about 2 years old and lots of our time was spent playing with toys and sitting together. One night after supper I was sitting with my nephew on the couch. As I was sitting there, the feeling of being unwell swept over me. My body had become warm and I was sweating, while everyone else was comfortable. I was so uncomfortable that I couldn’t have my nephew on my lap anymore. I had encountered this feeling many times before, but it never impacted my ability to interact with someone important to me. Within the next 6 months, I would be having my first child, and all I could think about was how I didn’t want to have to deal with a similar situation with my own child. Later that night I started to research where I could go and who I could talk to to figure out what was going on with me. I wanted to make sure that by the time I got back home, I would have a plan in place to move forward.
For me, this was a clarifying and catalyzing event. I had a clear purpose and desired outcome. This was the first time in my life that I had a clear reason pushing me to find answers. I had a child on the way and I needed to get healthy for them, and my wife. At that point I didn’t realize how challenging the journey would be, and the multitude of roadblocks I would encounter, but in order to get healthy again, things would need to change.
A Decade of Healing: Overcoming SIBO, Candida, and More
Over the last 10 years I have spent a substantial amount of time and money working through a variety of issues which included SIBO, IMO, Candida, Gerd/Acid Reflux, Gastritis, Mast Cell Activation (MCAS), nervous system issues, and parasites, to name the major ones. My intent is to document and explain my path, in hopes that it can save others time, frustration, money and hopefully heal faster. This blog will outline what I went through and the tools and supports I have found most helpful. Navigating the medical system is overly complicated and I hope to make your journey easier.
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