Hi all

I've been following Atkins for about 4 weeks now. Although I've been pretty strict (keep my carbs down to around 20 per day), and haven't eaten potatoes, rice, bread, cereals, grains or pasta in that time, I've lost barely a few pounds.

The same week I started Atkins, I took antibiotics for an ear infection.

In the last week I've developed a burning pain on one side of my vulva, which appears to also have a white coating. I've never experienced anything like it before (I have absolutely no allergies, and answer no to all of the questions in DANDR on the subject), and although I've never had it before, could it be candida (thrush)?

If so, did Atkins contribute to it? And more importantly, could it be the reason I've had such a hard time losing weight? How soon after it goes does the weight start coming off in more respectable portions?

Although it's a very uncomfortable thing to go through, I'd happily endure it if I knew that when it clears up, the weight loss will start.....................

Thanks for any advice offered.

It is highly unlikely that the LC way of eating "caused" this but the antibiotics probably had something to do with it. It could also be a sign of "candida die-off" which I hear is worse than the disease itself. That might be from cutting out the sugars and starches in your diet.

Get to your drugstore or doctor as you'll need something to treat this very painful 'infection'.

I would blame the antibiotics. Every time they are prescribed for me, I immediately go to my local health food store and buy acidopholous capsules. You can also eat yogurt that states it has live acidopholous cultures in it. If you'are really desperate, you can douche with plain yogurt.

Good luck to you. I hate yeast infections!

Hi guys

Thanks for your support and info. I didn't go to the docs or do anything for it - I just put up with the pain, and thankfully after just over a week, it appears to be on the mend. I don't want to get it again, and am still puzzled as to why I got it in the first place, although the die-off theory makes sense - it flared up once I stopped "feeding" it with carbs, but that would mean I've had it all along right? Could it be that I've had it without any symptoms and it only flared up once it was starving?

You could have had symptoms all along and not realized what they really were. Frequent unexplained sore throats, low grade fevers without really "coming down" with whatever is going around, headaches, sinus infections, seasonal allergies, all can really be a candida overgrowth. The thrush was probably the antibiotic killing off the good bacteria. Die off symptoms I've heard of are more flu like symptoms (because of the dead bacteria your body is trying to get rid of) and skin rashes. I started my LC woe on an anti-candida diet last winter (feb '03). I was very strict for 3 months, supplements and all. After feeling like death warmed over for a week from die off, I was great. Amazingly my life long spring hayfever attacks never appeared, nary a sneeze was to been seen. This winter I was not as strict with my eating and this spring I had mild pollen allergies. Nothing like I had in the past but definitely some days of nasty sinus headaches. Nothing like feeling like you've been hit in the head with a board to get you back on track!

Well I guess we'll never really know what caused it.

Apart from being overweight, having my tonsils out when I was a child, and my gallbladder about 10 years ago, I have been really healthy all my life.

I have no allergies, aches or pains, rashes, sore throats and generally feel pretty good all the time.

I do get the odd ear infection (once or twice a year - last one a couple of weeks ago), and had an infected wisdom tooth extracted a few months ago.

I took antibiotics for both ailments, and although I've had antibiotics in the past - maybe once a year - I've never experienced any pain "down there" before.

So, I put 2 and 2 together and figured, well, this is the first time I've gone low carb and I get thrush, so thought maybe the lack of food for the bacteria from the sudden decrease in sugar, plus the decrease in "good" bacteria from the antibiotics caused the flare-up.

Anyway, I'm pleased to say it's finally over.

And even more pleased to say that I have lost 4 kgs (almost 9 pds) last month!

Thanks to everyone for their advice.