A Fungus Amongus

Welcome to our new blog site template! I was getting tired of the Pepto Bismol pink look from the previous design, so I changed things up a bit. It was supposed to be a rose color and normally, I like rose, but somehow, it just didn't seem soothing to the eyes. So, I thought the green layout is more my style for now.

Today's entry is a bit strange. But, since so many others freely express their health issues from time to time, here goes...It's a Fungus Amongus, that is...a fungus among us. More accurately, it's a fungus among me. I had a revelation today while sitting at my desk at work. I was thinking about how for some reason, I just wasn't all that hungry today like I normally am. I had just gone down to the Nature's Table cafeteria to get some lunch and the only thing I seemed to want was a salad for lunch. That might not sound so odd, except for the fact that I rarely eat just a salad for a meal. Come to think of it, Saturday night, all I wanted for dinner was a salad. I didn't want any heavy, greasy, meat-filled dinner like I usually do. Yesterday, I craved green bean casserole, like the kind you make for Thanksgiving dinner! So, for Sunday dinner, I made green bean casserole with roast beef. What's with all the green vegetable cravings all of a sudden? I am not normally a big vegetable eater. In fact, quite the opposite! I prefer my sweets, carbs, and fats most of the time. I am a junk food junkie...it's no secret. Back to my original topic about a fungus. I was pondering the sudden interest in light meals and preference for vegetables and then it hit me! I have been taking an antifungal prescription medication for the past three days called Diflucan. It is to help cure a chronic yeast problem that I have been battling for over a year now. Actually, come to think of it, I have always had off-and-on yeast battles. I have also had frequent problems with Athlete's Foot that flares up from time to time. Athlete's Foot is also caused by a fungus..it's a variation of the Candida fungus. But, since I have been taking the Diflucan, it has miraculously cured all of those annoying symptoms associated with various yeast problems.

In the past, I have researched extensively about this little bugger on the internet. I have found out that Candida Albicans, the organism typically responsible for yeast infections, thrives on sugar in the body to survive. We all have a certain amount of yeast occurring naturally in the body, particularly women. However, when the ratio of normal levels gets out of whack due to things such as being on antibiotics for any reason, candida is likely to overgrow. Thus, a yeast infection develops. Yeast symptoms are not just associated with female problems. Yeast can cause serious upset in the digestive tract of anyone. Well, ever since I can remember, I have always had cravings for sweets. I am a "sweet-tooth" eater. It's a vicious cycle. You crave the sweets and consume the sugary foods, which in turn help keep the yeast alive and well in your body. This perpetuates the annoying yeast symptoms, such as the itching, burning, scaly skin associated with Athlete's Foot, etc. Diflucan is one of the only treatments that effectively and promptly treats my yeast problems (this sounds like a commercial, I know). The only problem is that since the typical course of treatment prescribed by most doctors is only one or two days, the symptoms almost always come back for me in due time.

Well, this time I have decided to take Diflucan for several days in a row, thereby extending the length of time overall that I am taking it. That must explain why I am noticing a sudden change in my eating habits. I mean, I truly am not craving the sugars quite as much as I normally do. My only hope is that somehow I can eradicate this little fungus from my system permanently. I know it will always be present in my body, but I am hoping to get it well under control and somehow keep it in check this time!