The lead up to my battle with Candida

As Big Ben marked the start of a new millennium I kissed my fiancé, full of optimism for the future. I was a happy, energetic 22 year old, vibrant with motherhood, wedding preparations and due that year to return to a BA in English from maternity break. Little was I to know that later that month my millennium dreams would be shattered. With intentions to run the 2001 London Marathon I kept fit alternating running and aerobics each evening. During an aerobics session that January my body crashed, it was the last session I ever attended. I’d had a sore throat that day but it suggested nothing more to me than the onset of a cold, the sore throat stuck with me for a year.

I had contracted Glandular Fever from my fiancé. He had been ill the previous year and had made a full recovery. My GP prescribed antibiotics frequently, not to deal with the virus but secondary infections. It took over a year for me to loose my husky voice and swollen glands but my energy did not return. I couldn’t face a wedding and my relationship deteriorated, I was alone with a three-year-old child and back at uni. I wrote letters for my daughter in case I died, convinced I had a tumour. Frustrated, I knew something was wrong, but no one was listening. I’d been tested for arthritis and a stomach ulcer so disabling had my pains been, but each test was negative. Rather than study during the time my daughter was in childcare I slept. I deteriorated so far that on one occasion I was convinced I was paralysed; no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t move and my three year old was left to fend for herself for hours on end.
My GP decided I was depressed, I began a high dose of the anti-depressant Seroxat. Convinced my daughter would have a better life without me I overdosed whilst she was with her father. Fortunately, if the hospital informed social services they never approached me and I didn’t loose my daughter over it. I since discovered that Seroxat has claimed so many lives that suicidal notions are listed as a side effect on the information sheet accompanying the drug.
Eventually, just over two years after the nightmare had begun I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) also known as ME. I was urged to defer from my degree and rest. With just a few months left I was determined to graduate that year, I had a place on a PGCE (teacher training course) and didn’t want to loose it. With one last push I hoped I could see the degree out; I’d have the long summer break to recuperate ready for the next course. I graduated with a 2:1 but at what cost? Exhausted I have yet to start the PGCE.

My weight had doubled, shooting from an athletic 8 stone to a hefty16 in under three years. I’d heard that under active thyroid often accompanies CFS and can be responsible for lethargy and weight gain. A blood test confirmed I indeed suffered from under active thyroid and I was prescribed thyroxin. Immediately I began loosing weight and my energy levels rose slightly. Despite having another baby I have lost 6 stone without any change in diet. In February 2007, with no further support from the NHS I sought alternative help. I began consulting a Homeopath who recognised a cluster of my symptoms were related to Candidias, another condition linked to CFS. I approached my GP for treatment but he only seemed to associate it with thrush, which for years he’d been treating with harsh anti-fungal steroid creams which ultimately thin the skin and create problems of their own. Thrush is one of the least debilitating symptoms and yet it seems the only one the NHS acknowledges.

CFS has disrupted my plans but I’m determined not to let it ruin my life. By identifying and treating various complications linked the illness my energy is returning gradually, it’s just a shame I have to do this unsupported by the NHS. I’ve accepted I may never regain my former drive but I'm managing more now than I have since my "crash", things really are starting to look up. Despite my health and two children to bring up alone I have recently embarked on a part time MA in writing, I study Welsh twice a week and am a Brownie leader. I look forward to eventually gaining my PGCE and earning some money!