As a young man, Gerald had suffered a severe bladder infection for which he needed prolonged treatment with antibiotics. Although the infection cleared up, he was left with a mild diarrhoea that proved very persistent. Five or six bowel movements a day were not uncommon. Fortunately, Gerald found an office job, with a national charity, and his symptoms were only a slight inconvenience. But in later years, as he was promoted to more senior posts, he found that he had to travel more and more to oversee fund-raising projects. The symptoms that he had put up with for 20 years now became a real problem. Sometimes he had to leave important meetings hurriedly and rush to the lavatory, which he found extremely embarrassing. His doctor offered him drugs that would control the diarrhoea, but these were only partially effective. Eventually he was
referred to a consultant who took a careful case-history and wondered if there might be some connection between the heavy doses of antibiotics he had received as a young man and the continuing diarrhoea. He explained to Gerald that by killing off bacteria in the gut, antibiotics can open the way for excessive growth by Candida. Gerald was asked to try a diet containing no sugar or white flour and was given an antifungal drug, nystatin. At first there was little change, but after about three weeks his bowel symptoms were much improved. He now has only two or three bowel movements a day, and these are much more predictable and less urgent, which makes travelling easier. A number of activities that were closed to him before – such as camping and sailing – are now a possibility. As a result he gets more exercise and is generally fitter and healthier.
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