Drugged and Confused

WARNING: This post contains references to stool and constipation, and may be TMI for some of you!

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I can't pinpoint exactly when the next symptoms started, but I think it was in late 2010 that my potty-trained 4 year old started having accidents. We didn't think much of it at the time, but as the months went on and the accidents became more frequent, I became concerned. A few days after Christmas, Sissy told me it hurt when she went to the bathroom. I immediately called the doctor, fearing a UTI. We were quickly seen by our usual pediatrician's partner, and she was diagnosed with an infection (though the doctor did not call it a UTI). Antibiotics were prescribed and we scheduled a follow-up with our doctor. At the follow-up appointment, it appeared that an infection was still present, so she prescribed another antibiotic. The pediatrician ordered an x-ray of her abdomen, and we were referred to a urologist to rule out any chronic issues. By the time Sissy saw the urologist, she had been on antibiotics for almost 2 months, yet it appeared that an infection was still there! This doctor diagnosed her further with constipation and failure to completely empty the bladder. He prescribed another antibiotic and Miralax for the constipation. They also "educated" me on proper voiding techniques (seriously?!) and printed out charts for me to track her voiding (complete with categorizing the shape/texture) for the next 4 months. I left the office feeling a bit frustrated, but still somewhat hopeful. At least a different diagnosis seemed to be getting us somewhere, or so I thought. Though I can't say I tracked her stools for more than a few days, the laxative seemed to work. I gave it to her regularly, and she became regular. The accidents became less common, and we thought we were making progress. Before long, however, the accident frequency increased again, though the constipation did not. At her follow-up with the urologist, we learned that the constipation was improved greatly (though not completely) and yet another infection was plaguing my little girl. We were prescribed yet another antibiotic and were sent home to continue with the laxative. This time I went with my instincts and did not fill the prescription. Surely this was not helping.

Simultaneously, I experienced some (unrelated?) issues with my bright girl, who was now (homeschooled) in kindergarten. Although she is very smart, Sissy was having trouble concentrating at times. She would learn something quickly, but have trouble with it the next week. She became forgetful, and often when learning she would complain of her "brain tickling", and she would push hard on her forehead. She became so frustrated, and I was at a loss as well. Similarly, I noticed that she became fatigued very quickly. A bike ride to the park (2 blocks away) left her exhausted, and she'd be too tired to ride farther, saying her legs were "just too tired." In fact, a year ago today we took all 6 kids hiking, and Sis spent much of the hike riding on the back of either me or her father.


I knew something was not right, and I began searching for answers. Somehow I stumbled upon a blog post mentioning yeast overgrowth. Many of the symptoms seemed to match our problem, so I searched further. I can't find it now, but when I saw a forum of Candida sufferers complaining about "tingling" in the frontal lobe, I was pretty convinced. About a week into my research I stumbled upon a book about Candida at a yard sale.

I quickly devoured the book, excited to find a cure for my daughter. The book takes you through 3 stages of a diet designed to starve out the yeast. First, you cut out ALL sugar, fruit and processed flour. Then you gradually add in fruit (one at a time!), and eventually return to a pretty normal diet. The first stage consists mostly of vegetables, rice, corn, soy and whole wheat. Of this, my daughter liked a few vegetables (peas, broccoli, sweet potatoes), whole wheat tortillas, rice cakes and Triscuits. Not much variety, and I was wary of the nutritional value. Nonetheless, I figured we needed to give it a try. I decided to implement the changes once we returned from a family vacation over Easter. (I knew it would be hard on her, and I didn't want to exclude her from the Easter bounty her cousins and siblings would surely be enjoying.)

My sweet girl enjoy her Easter fun dip