My personal experiences and contribution of Helpful information for sufferers of Malassezia Yeast Fungal infections or other, scalp to toe, fungal skin conditions i.e. Demodex, Scabies or Morgellons
Hello bannaapple, Hi Sonata, I just wrote you a really long reply but then my computer lost it! :( The main part was that last night I felt movement on my skin - a kind of gliding. So I put some neem oil on my skin and saw a red mark through my lighted magnifying glass (x30 magnification I think).
Thinking it was just one of the many red pinpricks I'm getting I tried to touch it, and then it moved! Each time it moved to avoid my finger. I put some sellotape on it and caught it. Looks like a tiny red dot to the naked eye.
I thought this was maybe the liquid form. But then when I looked at it under my microscope (x100 magnification), I saw that it's a red fibre ball! Really similar to the other clumps of fibres I've seen before, but red. Have you ever experienced this?
Yes, i have seen the Malssezia fibres/hyphae under the Biological Microscope.
They appear in different colours, depending at the stage of development:
Red–when they may have just drawn blood
Dark Maroonwhen not fresh
Black or blackish maroon when hyphae likely dead
Grayand with a dendrite appearance when dead and disintegrating
Under Digital Micro –lower power of magnification- only Black ones are visible.
Unfortunately, our camera cannot pick up all details of what is visible under the BM
such as the spores surrounding individual or hyphae balls etc.
Here is one successful photo –already published in the Photos section!- where
the just developing unfolding hyphae are visible and the red ones.
Then the capture and software cannot pick up with adequate clarity what he photos
have picked up such as which ones are red or gray but the eye has seen all the details!
In this photo some red ones and many in varied grays are visible. Thank you for your kind wishes, especially regarding my daughter. It's my worst nightmare that she might get this, so I'm desperate to find something that might work for me, so that I know that it would work for her too, if we needed it to. I thought neem oil was working ok but my experiences last night show me that it's not working on this red-clump stage... Might try the neutrogena. They don't seem to sell that particular one in the UK but I can get it from Amazon.
One word of warning about Neutrogena:
I have Not expressed Any certainty that it may kill M/yeast – if you do have M/yeast.
It is good in clearing dry dead skin that Myf Grayish Sticky spraying has damaged.
It contains Salicylic Acid which is a Blood Thinner and should not be used extensively
or left on skin for a long periods of time.
I am working on the next entry for the October “Daily Tips and Updates” which will publish
in a few days and may be helpful and a better alternative to Neutrogena for extensive use
-depending on what Your purpose is for giving it a try – or alternating with it.
Re: parasite tests, none of the doctors I've seen believe that parasites can get under your skin (not in this country anyway), and as soon as I mention the crawling sensation their eyes glaze over.
LOL! ... i know exactly what you mean...
So I'm not sure I'm going to be able to get any tests done.
I'm not sure how to photograph what I see under my microscope. I only have a cheap kids microscope which isn't electronic. And my lighted magnifying glass. If I figure out a way I will let you know. Thanks so much for the offer to look at my samples.
Interesting that you feel internal symptoms too. What's going on in there?? I also get pain deep in my bones/joints/muscles, this lasts a short while and then moves on to a different bone/join/muscle.
Thank you for all your help, and for putting this information out there. Thanks also for the link to your kids website, she will love it!
My Pleasure, thanks and hope you find your way through. Kind regards Sonata
Thank you for your replies. I've been through your posts and read them all. Very interesting reading indeed, and I can relate to lots.
As for me, I'm still thinking that I have some kind of parasite. A few times very late at night (I've got into the unhealthy trap of staying up late examining things under a microscope/lighted magnifying glass), I think I've seen some worm-like things moving under my skin and into my pores.
But then the next day I question myself. I reason that it was very late and I haven't slept properly for a long time, so I'm exhausted. Also the lighted microscope I used does tend to make things zoom in and out, so that sometimes creates the illusion of movement. Plus I want it to be something that I imagined, rather than to be horribly true...
I also feel movement inside me, not just in my skin but deeper inside, like in my chest and stomach. But not sure if this is something else and I'm just getting a bit carried away with the whole thing. I can imagine a doctor's reaction to all of this... :(
I haven't been to the dermatologist yet. Mainly because I'm scared of having yet another doctor tell me it's nothing, and think I'm crazy. But also because I have recently come across a doctor who treats skin hypersensitivity and morgellons. At least he would believe me, or at least have an open mind about what's happening.
Just so confused still. I know that comes with the territory, (lol!) I'll let you know when I finally decide what to do, and when have done it!
I wanted to ask you, have you ever been tested for Lyme disease? Seems to be connected in many cases, well, to Morgellons anyway.
Another question is about contact with family. It must be so difficult to have limited contact with your kids and grandkids and only meet in open spaces. But I get that this is better than to not meet at all.
I wonder, if you'd had this condition when your own children were young, would you have limited contact with them then? My daughter's only 6, and when this first started I didn't kiss her or cuddle her for a while, and it was horrible for both of us. And she started to become anxious that we all had this deadly disease. So now I do hug her, but I try to always wear lots of clothes so she's not in contact with my skin. But then she is in my environment. While we're in the same house of course she will be.
Hmm, that's all for now. Sorry to hijack your comments section for my wittering! I'd love to hear your views on all these things, but don't worry if you don't get the chance to. I'm just in a wittering mood tonight, when I should really be in bed!
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Hello bannaapple,
My heart goes out to you, i understand what you are going though and how you feel...
One of the hardest parts is getting the right tests and a correct diagnosis.
I suggest if you believe you have a parasite, you do talk to your doctor
and they should direct you for the tests –and hopefully you may get confirmation
of something. Do not go there with your theories of what it is/may be as they seem to
block off –rather describe the symptoms and show any physical signs such as lesions
pumps, rash, redness etc. and see what tests they suggest you do.
There are parasite tests that can be done –then it is a matter of luck.
If you are using a digital microscope it does cast some light reflection and illusion of
movement, so try to keep the lens as still as possible for some time.
By the way, MYF in the liquid form as you would have already read, does move
on and under the skin. I too refused to believe that i had whatever was moving on my skin
but holding still after a while it returns to the surface and then due to the light it retreats
again, so it becomes difficult to ignore it for long.
Can you get any photos of the parasites while viewed on Microscope?
If you can and wish you may email me one /some to have a look
(Link also available on " My other Blogs" list on right side menu of this Blog.
If you look to the right side of your screen as you are reading this line you will see the Blog and a little mouse picture) (If it does not load properly all pictures try refreshing the page )
Thanks for your reply. So much interesting information!
Hello bannaapple,
Please read below my replies itemised according to your questions/comments:
Sorry if I didn't explain the Google thing properly. I meant that while the bits that I find on my skin are identical to yours under magnification, when I search for "Malassezia" or "malassezia furfur" on Google images I get these photos:
Thanks for providing the Google Photos link - i have seen all of them before
and i can see your point but i cannot give any definite answer as to
why they are different or whether they are the same Malassezia yeast, or other.
I can only speculate on certain facts that i can think of, such as:
* Different sub species of Malassezia?
* Different stages of Development when photos were taken
* Different appearance when in a petri dish than on the body samples
(certain ‘mediums’ are used in Labs –such as oils- to see and /or grow it)
* Different types of Microscopes
* Different magnification levels
* Different ‘mediums’ used when viewed under the microscope
(we did not use anything other than the samples themselves)
* Possible wrong identification and categorisation of samples
depending on ‘who’ published and thought it was ‘what’
* Different Bodies, immune systems, skin defence levels, appearance etc
* Different types of (microscope) cameras –and /or processing of photos
(we used an i phone camera that was not able to display the ‘meatball’ spores
surrounding the developing hyphae – some with red / blood(?) filled
some shredded as dried and disintegrating etc)
Just to name a few....
I'm also interested that you believe that you have mites as well as the yeast. Have you found any mites? I have found various tiny ones in my house, which freaked me out. But not sure if they are present in everyone's house. They are tiny and are hard to spot unless looking for them. Also not convinced they are biting me. When I feel a bite I don't find them on me.
Your understanding about me having mites as well i believe might be based
on reading one of the earliest entries where i was in the searching stage
before the microscopes and before the identification of Malassezia.
I've recently changed my diet with quite good results. I've given up sugar and wheat and started eating lots of garlic and chilli. Also taking diatomaceous earth, vit C and probiotics. Since then I've seen a reduction in the intensity of my itching. But every day feels different. Sometimes it feels like worms are under my skin biting me, other times feels like mites, and sometimes it's more like I have an electric current running through me. Maybe all these things are true???? The biting/stinging feeling is quite consistent though.
I'm uncertain about lots of things still, like how contagious I am, whether my daughter's infected, how 'close' I should be with my husband, whether I should have people round to my house and how much cleaning I should do exactly..
I'm going to see a dermatologist next week, have to think about what to ask her. All the GP's I've seen just think I'm mad, and just prescribe anti-histamine and steroid cream. I fear she might do the same. Maybe I'll mention malassazia and see what she thinks, I haven't tried that before.
Here's a question I've been wondering about. Do you think that lots of other people have white/black specks on their skin and grains of sand but they just don't notice them?
I'm quite an observant person, I notice things where other people don't, plus I've also been a bit obsessed with my health, even before this all started! So it's made me wonder if these problems might be a lot more widespread than people think. My husband, for example, says that he probably doesn't notice half the stuff that's on his skin.
(Although as it seems to be coming out of my skin rather than being simply on it, and sometimes it hurts like hell when it comes out - especially the salt/sand-like grains - then maybe he would notice that aspect of it..)
1) ‘Readers Contributions’ (PT 1)
3) ‘Readers Contributions’ (PT 3)
30 Nov 12
“ I think I had a MIX OF BEASTS. Not all the same symptoms all parts of the body.”
Hi Sonata, I just wrote you a really long reply but then my computer lost it! :( The main part was that last night I felt movement on my skin - a kind of gliding. So I put some neem oil on my skin and saw a red mark through my lighted magnifying glass (x30 magnification I think).
Thinking it was just one of the many red pinpricks I'm getting I tried to touch it, and then it moved! Each time it moved to avoid my finger. I put some sellotape on it and caught it. Looks like a tiny red dot to the naked eye.
I thought this was maybe the liquid form. But then when I looked at it under my microscope (x100 magnification), I saw that it's a red fibre ball! Really similar to the other clumps of fibres I've seen before, but red. Have you ever experienced this?
In this photo some red ones and many in varied grays are visible.
Thank you for your kind wishes, especially regarding my daughter. It's my worst nightmare that she might get this, so I'm desperate to find something that might work for me, so that I know that it would work for her too, if we needed it to. I thought neem oil was working ok but my experiences last night show me that it's not working on this red-clump stage... Might try the neutrogena. They don't seem to sell that particular one in the UK but I can get it from Amazon.
Re: parasite tests, none of the doctors I've seen believe that parasites can get under your skin (not in this country anyway), and as soon as I mention the crawling sensation their eyes glaze over.
I'm not sure how to photograph what I see under my microscope. I only have a cheap kids microscope which isn't electronic. And my lighted magnifying glass. If I figure out a way I will let you know. Thanks so much for the offer to look at my samples.
Interesting that you feel internal symptoms too. What's going on in there?? I also get pain deep in my bones/joints/muscles, this lasts a short while and then moves on to a different bone/join/muscle.
Thank you for all your help, and for putting this information out there. Thanks also for the link to your kids website, she will love it!
Kind regards
Sonata
As for me, I'm still thinking that I have some kind of parasite. A few times very late at night (I've got into the unhealthy trap of staying up late examining things under a microscope/lighted magnifying glass), I think I've seen some worm-like things moving under my skin and into my pores.
But then the next day I question myself. I reason that it was very late and I haven't slept properly for a long time, so I'm exhausted. Also the lighted microscope I used does tend to make things zoom in and out, so that sometimes creates the illusion of movement. Plus I want it to be something that I imagined, rather than to be horribly true...
I also feel movement inside me, not just in my skin but deeper inside, like in my chest and stomach. But not sure if this is something else and I'm just getting a bit carried away with the whole thing. I can imagine a doctor's reaction to all of this... :(
I haven't been to the dermatologist yet. Mainly because I'm scared of having yet another doctor tell me it's nothing, and think I'm crazy. But also because I have recently come across a doctor who treats skin hypersensitivity and morgellons. At least he would believe me, or at least have an open mind about what's happening.
Just so confused still. I know that comes with the territory, (lol!) I'll let you know when I finally decide what to do, and when have done it!
I wanted to ask you, have you ever been tested for Lyme disease? Seems to be connected in many cases, well, to Morgellons anyway.
Another question is about contact with family. It must be so difficult to have limited contact with your kids and grandkids and only meet in open spaces. But I get that this is better than to not meet at all.
I wonder, if you'd had this condition when your own children were young, would you have limited contact with them then? My daughter's only 6, and when this first started I didn't kiss her or cuddle her for a while, and it was horrible for both of us. And she started to become anxious that we all had this deadly disease. So now I do hug her, but I try to always wear lots of clothes so she's not in contact with my skin. But then she is in my environment. While we're in the same house of course she will be.
Hmm, that's all for now. Sorry to hijack your comments section for my wittering! I'd love to hear your views on all these things, but don't worry if you don't get the chance to. I'm just in a wittering mood tonight, when I should really be in bed!
you will see the Blog and a little mouse picture)
(If it does not load properly all pictures try refreshing the page )
Thanks for your reply. So much interesting information!
Sorry if I didn't explain the Google thing properly. I meant that while the bits that I find on my skin are identical to yours under magnification, when I search for "Malassezia" or "malassezia furfur" on Google images I get these photos:
which are nothing like your samples(or mine). So how can they be the same bacteria?
I'm also interested that you believe that you have mites as well as the yeast. Have you found any mites? I have found various tiny ones in my house, which freaked me out. But not sure if they are present in everyone's house. They are tiny and are hard to spot unless looking for them. Also not convinced they are biting me. When I feel a bite I don't find them on me.
I've recently changed my diet with quite good results. I've given up sugar and wheat and started eating lots of garlic and chilli. Also taking diatomaceous earth, vit C and probiotics. Since then I've seen a reduction in the intensity of my itching. But every day feels different. Sometimes it feels like worms are under my skin biting me, other times feels like mites, and sometimes it's more like I have an electric current running through me. Maybe all these things are true???? The biting/stinging feeling is quite consistent though.
I'm uncertain about lots of things still, like how contagious I am, whether my daughter's infected, how 'close' I should be with my husband, whether I should have people round to my house and how much cleaning I should do exactly..
I know exactly what you mean!
Thanks again for sharing all your research.
I'm quite an observant person, I notice things where other people don't, plus I've also been a bit obsessed with my health, even before this all started! So it's made me wonder if these problems might be a lot more widespread than people think. My husband, for example, says that he probably doesn't notice half the stuff that's on his skin.
(Although as it seems to be coming out of my skin rather than being simply on it, and sometimes it hurts like hell when it comes out - especially the salt/sand-like grains - then maybe he would notice that aspect of it..)