Fatigue

I'm not talking about your everyday, run-of-the-mill tiredness, that comes at the end of a long, hard day, or even from running a marathon. The fatigue I'm talking about is the kind that grips you by the throat and won't let go, ever. The kind that stays with you day in and day out, every day. The kind that's so bad your body feels like it weighs a ton and your legs are full of lead weights.

Couple that with the phenomenon called "brain fog." If you've ever had it, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, be glad. You cannot think, you cannot hold a thought in your mind for more than about 3 seconds. It's as though your brain has stalled and won't restart. And it's worse than it sounds.

Do the above symptoms sound familiar?

Also, but not necessarily, before these symptoms, have you been on a course of antibiotics? Do you use an asthma inhaler?

I had all of the above. In late 2003 I had shoulder surgery (torn rotator cuff). Shortly afterward, my doctor prescribed a broad spectrum antibiotic because of a possible infection at the incision site. I had experienced tiredness after the surgery, but, as the weeks went by, it didn't improve, and in fact seemed to be getting worse. Add to that the brain fog that developed. Oh, and did I mention various pains that moved around?

My doctor diagnosed me with fibromyalgia. However, I've always been a researcher at heart, and did quite a bit of it on the Internet. I also experimented with natural products from the local health food store.

And they worked!

What I really had, and was later confirmed by esophageal endoscopy, was thrush, a yeast infection of the esophagus. It actually started on my tongue. I had noticed a raised white patch on my tongue just before things started getting so bad. At the time I didn't know what it was. But it was thrush, and it went into my esophagus as well. Such an infection can and does produce the symptoms I described above. I tried a couple of different types of natural remedies for yeast infections. They worked at first, but repeated doses seemed to cause my body to build up a tolerance. Of course, there's also a prescripton medication that works, but what I found to be the most effective treatment, and one that didn't seem to cause tolerance and is inexpensive as well, is olive leaf extract. It's available in both capsules and tincture, but I prefer the tincture. I can easily visualize it going to work as it slides over my tongue and down my throat.

So if you suffer from extreme fatigue and/or brain fog, try the olive leaf extract. It may or may not help you. But it was a lifesaver for me!

Also, one problem with thrush is that it tends to recur. Sugar, of course, feeds it. I have discovered a simple preventative measure as well. Listen up, all of you who use asthma inhalers especially. Yogurt! The cultures in yogurt actually kill yeast and prevent it from returning. At least that's how it seems to work for me. I tried a couple different kinds, but found that Weight Watchers yogurt works the best. Since I've been taking it (I eat half a container with breakfast every day), and I've been taking it for several years now, I have had no recurrence of thrush. Before, the thrush kept coming back, but I haven't had it for years now. And I use an asthma inhaler twice a day (thrush is one possible side effect of its use).

So all you people who have had similar experiences, let me know.