Systemic Fungal Infection: Can it cause thyroiditis and how best to treat?

We have been to Mayo Clinic in Rochester twice and had very thorough evaluations from multiple specialists there. We followed up with our local physicians as they recommended. Hers has been an extraordinarily challenging case, and obviously the chances of elucidating the cause of all her health issues could not possibly be accomplished with just two visits. Cost, inconvenience and her inability to comfortably travel prevented us from returning to Mayo Clinic. Her doctors there were always willing to help. Getting local doctors to work with them proved to be a major challenge.

We live over a thousand miles away. We had to continue with evaluations at home. Mayo Clinic provided very detailed recommendations on how to pursue management of her symptoms when we returned home. That was three years ago.

She is experiencing a dramatic resolution of her issues with muscle fatigue after taking Synthroid properly and at an appropriate dose. Her TSH continues to be high, but we now are receiving very effective treatment from a board certified endocrinologist here. We are like a lot of families who visit Mayo Clinic to hopefully get pointed in the right direction and continue care at home.

Your post echoes one of the greatest difficulties patients like my daughter face. It is assumed that if doctors can't figure something out with a few visits, the best course of action is to accept that and do the best you can with what you have. That has never been acceptable to my daughter. She has always felt that if she persevered, someone would put at least some of the pieces together so that she could enjoy a better quality of life.

We have see some of the very best physicians in this country. Some of those are at Mayo. A majority of them agree this has been a confounding case. As her mom, if I had simply done what her first doctor advised, I know that we would simply be watching my daughter slowly deteriorate. LIke so many parents of children with undiagnosed conditions, I had to take on the role as her primary advocate because doctors do not have the time to document symptoms, medications, test results and research the possible causes of a plethora of health issues. I have always appreciated the ones who will openly acknowledge their limitations.

No, I am not interested in "one upping" any doctors. All I have ever wanted is for someone to figure out at least some of the answers that could provide her a better quality of life. She enrolled in college today, something that just a few months ago would have seemed an impossibility. Her endocrinologist used the information we have collected over the last ten years to determine what has turned out to be a very effective and promising treatment.

I was exposed to some bad fungi while I taught school and since then I have had numerous urinary tract infections and now I'm dealing with fibromyalgia. I don't know which doctor to see to find cause of my UTIs. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I know that the urologist cultured my daughter's urine. She also had blood cultures done. I also understand that often cultures are negative but if a fungal infection is suspected, some physicians will treat with antifungals and monitor the response. I would think seeing a urologist and bringing your lab results would be a good place to start.

I am a 33 year old mother of four. I have been struggleing with digestive pain and issues for many years. In 2008 I suffered a miscarriage at around 9 weeks. Then in Jan. of 2009 I suffered another miscarriage, only this time I lost our son at 17 weeks after over two months of constant bleeding! I then struggled through the pregnancy of my 4th child. I was in constant pain in the pelvic / lower abdominal area. I started contracting at 28 weeks and was hospitalized. I had a pos. fetile fibernecton(or however you spell it) at 30 weeks, but managed to hold onto our son for 5 more weeks! It was a lon painful process but well worth it! After the birth of this child 10/07/2010 my health really began to worsen. Within a year I was down to 90 lbs with joint pain and stiffness, muscle pain, mood and behavioral changes, and then the infections started. First it was a simple res. infection, then Pnemonia. I took the first course of antibiotics and when they were gone I felt better for about 2 days before the pnemonia set back in. This time it was almost 2 months of antibiotics before I got some relief. This is when things really went down hill. The fatigue and weakness started along w/shoulder pain and tingleing in my left arm and hand accompanied w/ a burning sensation in my mid back. When the routine bloodwork came back pretty much normal, being that I am 33 years old 90 lb woman, it was assumed I was trying to get pain meds and I was labeled an addict and taken of my meds. Roughly 3 weeks later I went to an ER were I was told I had wasting syndrome but the dr. I saw actually seemed to care that I was wasting away and ran some not so routine bloodwork. He wanted to admit me and do further testing but due to my insurance was unable to and I felt like I was sent home to die! That was on a Tuesday, that following Thursday evening a police officer showed up at our door to inform me I was to return back to the hos. they had found something on my bloodwork. In a panic we rushed back to the hospital to find out I had a gram-negative bacterial blood infection. I was hospitalized for a week but while I was there I told them about this nasty phlem I had been coughing up. They cultured a sputum sample and found mixed bacteria and candida dublinisis. I was put on flucanazole for 7 days. After the IV antibiotics and the anyifungal treatment I had about a two week period of feeling somewhat normal. It wasn't to last tho. I started having joint and muscle pain along w/ fatigue an weakness and now on top of it my ear, mouth, and jaw hurt. I did another round of flucanazole this time a 14 day treatment. I haven't responed to antifungals at all. I am still coughing up dark green or black mucus. I still have all of the other symptoms but now I feel like my brain is effected and my blood pressure, the diastolic esp, is high! I feel all around unwell and don't get out of my bed much because any type of activity causes me to sweat horribly and I also am having balance and vision troubles along w/ tremors. I have an appt. at Mayo in MN July 25th 2012. I hope I make it that long! My quality of life is non-existant and I don't feel like I have had the oppertunity to enjoy the child that I struggled so hard to get here! This has been a nightmare, and for the person who said this mother is trying to "up one" on the doctors, if you have never expierienced something like this you should really keep your comments to yourself! This mother has watched her child SUFFER, would you sit back and do nothing?

If your problems are fungal try Pau d'Arco tea it is an amazing antifungal/antibacterial treatment. Doesn't taste all that good so I brew it with a bag of mint tea. Capsules aren't very effective. Thay have it at health food stores.

I have been doing a lot of my own research about candida and have read about the dying off reaction to attacking the overgrowth of fungus. I have read that the flu like symptoms occur before the condition gets better. I suspect that this overgrowth of fungus is the culprit for many conditions that doctors don't seem to have a clue as to the cause and treatment, I have read about a treatment called ThreeLac which is used to treat Candida. From what I have read, it is used to treat the fungus, but there are also products which can be taken to help add the good bacteria to our systems. Please let me know how our child is doing and if you have been able to effectively treat the fungal problem. I greatly appreciate this because I am on a never ending quest to do treat this myself.

hi! i was wondering if you had any luck in connecting the thyroiditis with the systemic yeast infection. Just this week someone told me about syi and the symptoms fit my daughter. she is exhausted all the time, overweight even though she eats very healthy and exercises daily, sometimes twice a day, and does not have a good palor. inaddition, i have taken her to endocronologists and she has thyroiditis and they do not know why and will not treat her for it. they say that she just needs to get checked every three months. when i just read your story, i got the chills. i appreciate any info you can give me and if you felt that your endocronologist would be worth me seeing.

not sure if you heard this but that the yeast infection can be caused from having been on large doses of antibiotics which my daughter was when she was three.

thanks for your help and for sharing your help.

you have obviously never been faced with a situation where you or a loved one has been to countless doctors and been given no answers and at times looked at like you were crazy...you should not be so short to judge. thankfully for this child, her mother was her advocate and kept searching.

How much Pau d'Arco do you take?

I usually have good results with a cup of it brewed ( just like tea) in 1
day or two. I can measure my results by signs of improvement. My daughter and I have both had a bladder infection go away after just one cup. I soaked my husbands atheletes feet once only with brew and it all went away. I would say a cup or two for a few days should work. But how will you be able to tell if you are having results-- that I can't answer. I'm assuming you will be able to tell somehow.