Is anyone as sick of this fucking question as I am??? Often you don't know you feel crappy until you feel better. In the beginning my complaints were constipation and bloating. I didn't realize I felt like crap and had incredible brain fog until I actually started feeling better and my brain fog cleared. So I really hate the question because seriously I don't know how I feel until I feel differently!
I love numbers, I did "x" and "y" happened, measurable, shows progress or a lack thereof. I loved testing before abx and after, testing before elemental diet and after. It informed me whether I should spend the time, money and effort to do these things again and in my case it was no. Unfortunately testing is also expensive and my doctor prefers to focus on how I feel.
Hi Shari
ReplyDeleteThank you for your blog. It is very helpful. If you don't mind I would like to ask what is your symptoms for sibo. I just finished 30 days of Xifaxan with no improvement. I have abdominal pain, bloating,constipation,indigestion, uncontrollable weight lost, a lot of gas pain especially in the stomach area and the area right above the belly button. The pain is very bad that sometime that I want to cry. Do you have the same symtom ? Thanks!
Mia
Hi Mia, glad you are finding my ramblings helpful. My main symptoms that just seem to persist and persist are bloating and constipation. I occasionally get severe lower abdominal pain (so bad I think I am going to puke and faint at the same time) right before a bowel movement but it doesn't happen much anymore. Used to be mostly all the time, but I've had work done to soften my c-section scar and I think that helped. Have you tried gently massaging your tummy? I sometimes will lay on a soft squishy yoga ball and roll it around my stomach. I find it really helpful in keeping things moving around. I use a Corgeous ball but I know there are less expensive ones out there. Do you take any supplements to help with digestion? A betaine HCL and/or a good digestive enzyme? I found that when I started them I gained weight because my body was finally getting nutrients out of my food. Hope that helps a little and you figure out how to get rid of those nasty SIBO bugs soon! -shari
DeleteThank you, Shari! I started having problem since April 2014 with bloating, burping,gas. I went to a few gi doctors, got ct scan,ultrasound, blood test,endoscopy.... was told that I have gastritis and acid reflux. All of them put me on different PPI for 9 month without improvement. I lost a lot of weight. I am only 78 lbs now (5'2") plus I feel tired and dizziness that I can't drive or work any more. I read on the net about sibo so I went to a different GI doctor to ask for that test. They don't have the meter to test for methane so they just tested for hydrogen and put me on Xifaxan twice a day for 30 days.I just finished it but don't see improvement. For the last 2 weeks I also tried Allimed together with Xifaxan. I plan to try Neem plus now together with allimed. I have pain all day and night, especially after I eat. I eat just a little bit because of the gas pain but I am bloat and full for 5-6 hours after eating. The gas pain never go away just get worse after I eat. The pain is at middle upper of my stomach to the belly button area. Since it is up that high, I think that I might have methane. I try to massage my abdominal area theme times a day with my hands and it help a little bit to release the trapped gas. I don't take betaine HCL because I don't know if I have high or low acid in the stomach. Will it hurt if I have high acid in the stomach? I would love to try a good digestive enzyme. Do you know a good digest enzyme that I should try now (when taking allimed and neem plus)?
DeleteHave you heard anyone with sibo have gas pain all of the time in the middle upper stomach and in the area right above the belly button? I have gas bubble all day in theses areas. I like your blog and Tim Harris's blog a lot. I think both are very helpful for SIBO people like me. I would like to ask Tim Harris where he has the pain because he has high level of methane but his blog doesn't allow comments. Thanks a lot, Shari!
Hi Mia! Sorry it took me so long to respond. My iPad wasn't letting me type anything in so I had to wait to drag out my old sluggish laptop :) I'm not a health provider and never really had the kind of distress that you are experiencing so I really don't know what to tell you other than find a good provider who can help you sort through what is going on. You might want to consider joining some groups on Facebook where people talk a lot about their symptoms and treatment success (and failures). I belong to SIBO Discussion/Support Group and Low FODMAP Paleo Community. I know for me things like tapping and belly breathing also help. I do take digestive enzymes (Spectrazyme) and a Betaine HCL (Metagest) that can be purchased through online stores like Vitacost.com. Hope that helps at least a little bit! -shari
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