I found out I had SIBO after over a year of abdominal pain - Insider

• For implicit a twelvemonth I had abdominal symptom and different gastrointestinal issues.
• I tried to little my accent levels, but that didn't easiness my symptoms.
• I went to a gastroenterologist and was diagnosed with SIBO, a tiny intestinal bacterial overgrowth.

I've ever had a delicate stomach. Since I was a child, I've known that eating fried foods, tons of pasta, and a batch of dairy tin origin stomachaches that past astir 24 hours. Then, 2 years ago, everything I ate started to marque maine consciousness sick and bloated.

For implicit a twelvemonth I ignored my symptoms — until I besides started to acquisition diarrhea, value loss, fatigue, and nonaccomplishment of appetite. I convinced myself accent was to blame, truthful I did what I could to little my accent levels; I meditated, added workouts to my schedule, and tried to get much sleep. But for the astir part, these things did small to ameliorate my symptoms.

Finally, aft struggling to locomotion up the stairs successful my location 8 months ago, I decided to spot a gastroenterologist, a doc specializing successful diseases and disorders of the digestive system.

The gastroenterologist diagnosed SIBO, a tiny intestinal bacterial overgrowth

As I sat successful the doctor's office, it deed maine however bushed I was and however sick I'd been feeling daily. After a checkup, the doc sent maine location with a kit to retrieve stool civilization to trial for salmonella. She besides provided an at-home enactment test to measurement fermented gases (hydrogen, methane, and hydrogen sulfide) successful my gut.

The stool illustration tested antagonistic for salmonella. But the enactment trial showed a affirmative effect for SIBO, oregon a tiny intestinal bacterial overgrowth, an imbalance of bacteria successful the tiny intestine arsenic a effect of dilatory question successful the gut.

Though my gastroenterologist is unsure however my SIBO developed, she said accent could person caused the gut infection. The Mayo Clinic reports that SIBO tin besides beryllium a effect of country oregon diseases that impact the tiny intestine.

My archetypal effort to dainty SIBO failed, but I kept astatine it

As soon arsenic I was diagnosed with SIBO, I was hopeless to get escaped of it. I saw a nutritionist who recommended I dainty SIBO with an antibiotic and a costly pulverization called Physicians' Elemental Diet, which progressive drinking a substance of the pulverization and h2o each 45 minutes for 2 weeks arsenic my lone signifier of sustenance.

When I got location and started the diet, I struggled to get the substance down without gagging. At 1 constituent I was truthful sick and had a raging headache. I watched YouTube videos astir radical who had gone done this fare to effort to person myself to worker on, but successful the extremity I gave up. I knew that getting escaped of SIBO would beryllium challenging, but I was unwilling to marque myself consciousness adjacent sicker than I already felt to bash so.

I called the gastroenterologist, who suggested treating my SIBO with a impermanent low-FODMAP diet. FODMAP (which stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols) is an acronym for a circumstantial benignant of carbohydrate that whitethorn beryllium peculiarly hard to digest. I incorporated low-FODMAP foods similar eggs, meat, almond milk, oats, rice, zucchini, and oranges into my meals and avoided wheat, lactose, legumes, apples, avocados, and sweeteners similar chromatic and maize syrup.

My symptoms eased. After 4 weeks of this strict diet, I reintroduced foods 1 by 1 for 3 weeks to effort to find which foods mightiness beryllium causing symptoms. A study published successful October linked a low-FODMAP fare with a simplification successful the severity of symptoms of radical with gastrointestinal conditions including SIBO. This is due to the fact that the fare reduces the intake of carbohydrates that tin ferment successful the gut and substance bacterial overgrowth.

I learned that ample amounts of brushed cheeses and gluten origin discomfort successful my stomach, truthful I refrain from eating them.

Now I cognize however to support my symptoms astatine bay

Five months aft completing my low-FODMAP fare and reintroducing foods, I felt similar a caller person. I wasn't fatigued, my temper had improved, and my tummy pains were minimal.

But implicit the past month, arsenic I've attended vacation gatherings and eased up connected my SIBO-friendly eating, I've started to consciousness discomfort successful my tummy and sometimes person had to unit myself to eat.

Though it's frustrating, I've made an assignment with my gastroenterologist and program to bash different enactment test. If I get a diagnosis of SIBO again, I cognize a low-FODMAP fare on with meditation and hiking tin assistance easiness my symptoms and little my stress.