Sbbo

[BRUMI1968]

Anyone diagnosed with this? If so, what were your symptoms. I'm considering this as possibly my problem right now, so have done web research...but some real life reports would be great if anyone has any.

Thanks.

[holdthegluten]

Anyone diagnosed with this? If so, what were your symptoms. I'm considering this as possibly my problem right now, so have done web research...but some real life reports would be great if anyone has any.

Thanks.

I am seeing an ND on friday about this same possibility. Ill let you know!

[Tranquillity]

Huh, interesting. I've looked into this a bit as well. I actually found this thread via Google.

Looking forward to hear your results.

[jerseyangel]

I spoke to my gastro about this being a possibility for me last spring. He said it could be, and had me take a breath test which turned out to negative.

Interestingly, about a month or two after that, I had to go on an antibiotic for an upper resp. infection. On the second day of treatment, my loose stools vanished. Just like that. (this was all the more odd to me, as antibiotics had always upset my stomach--and I can only take one kind)

Prior to this, I would get D and lower ab. cramping and general uneasiness quite often. I have several other food intolerances, so I was sure that I wasn't eating anything that was causing it. It was more chronic in nature--not like a reaction to anything.

I did a lot of reading about this, and saw that in some cases, the problems return within weeks or months after the antibiotics. In my case, it has not--although I've been taking calcium carbonate (Caltrate) twice a day to avoid D. This is the very best I've felt in a very long time--even my anxiety is much better.

My advice--if you suspect this for yourself, try a course of the antibiotic. I'm not one to take a lot of medications, but in this case I'm really glad I did.

[~alex~]

I was diagnosed with this by a direct sample of fluid from my small intestine taken during a follow up endoscopy. I was on antibiotics for a month and felt significantly better afterward. The doctor said that celiac is a risk factor for bacterial overgrowth because all of that undigested, unabsorbed food makes a good environment for bacteria.

If your doctor thinks you have this, hopefully he will give you antibiotics. It certainly helped me.

[BRUMI1968]

Interesting that two folks said antibiotics made them feel better. I'd read that antibiotics are pretty effective for large bowel bacterial dysbiosis, but not small bowel - that it tends to exacerbate it.

Anyway, all my tests for giardia and the like came back negative, so now I'm thinking that SBBO might be the case, plus liver impairment and gall bladder impairment. What I know, is that my digestive processes are messed up, and those are the big players, right? Maybe I don't have SBBO at all...who knows. My insurance is terrible, so I can't get many tests to figure it out.

I'm taking probiotics, digestive enzymes, and Betaine HCI (increases stomach acid?) with every meal now (probiotics 1/2 hour before) and my bowel movements are starting to look relatively normal again - well, the food is somewhat digested anyhow.

My lab tests from Enterolab are pending. So I guess I'll just keep to my zero sugar/zero fruit diet, and the pills; then do a liver cleanse, a gall bladder cleanse, a colon cleanse, and see what's going on after that.

Thanks all for your responses.