Sibo And Celiac?

[runnerkat]

Okay - so I've been having some major issues with digestion (as well as some other things) for more than 6 months now. My gastroenterologist sent me for a hydrogen breath test, and the result was that I am lactose intolerant (as I'd suspected, and had already cut out all lactose, only to find that my symptoms got better for a bit then returned with a vengeance). The breath test also revealed that I had small intesting bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) (at least that's what my dr. said), so she prescribed an antibiotic (flagyl) and I'm supposed to take it for 10 days. I'm on my 6th day right now, and nothing is getting better - I feel as bad as I always have. Is this normal? Does anybody have any experience with SIBO? I still don't think that could be the whole problem, anyway, because it doesn't explain all my symptoms. I had a blood test for celiac, which came back negative, but I still think that it could be part of the issue, because I have so many of the symptoms. Does anybody have any experience with SIBO that they would be willing to share? did the antibiotics help? Did you have to wait the whole 10 days? Any insight would be appreciated! I'm getting so frustrated with this and I just feel so terrible!

[mommida]

If I remember right Rachel_24 started out with SIBO diagnoses. Her story has really developed since that time though.

Go jump in on "when a gluten free diet is not enough" "silly yaks" "OMG I might be on to something" threads. You're just going to have to jump in, because the last estimate on how long would it take to catch up read is beyond next Christmas. Those posts have real life experience for the information.

[RiceGuy]

I think if you do a search for candida, you'll get what you're looking for, as that's what it's usually referred to as. The problem with antibiotics is that they kill the good bacteria along with the bad ones, though I don't know about the specific one you've been taking.

For me, caprylic acid capsules did the trick, but there are a number of products out there which are claimed to work. You'll also need to avoid all sugars, yeasts, vinegars, and fruits. Basically anything that feeds yeast is a no-no. There are at least a few recent threads which discuss candida, so again I'll recommend looking at those.

Have you started the gluten-free diet yet?

[BRUMI1968]

I saw a study that showed antibiotics worked well for large bowel bacterial overgrowth, but less so for small bowel. However, I do know at least one person on here had great success with the antibiotic treatment.

I suspect I have SBBO myself. I think quitting all sugars and sugary fruits is key - no fruit, no sweeteners (other than stevia), no starchy stuff (potatoes, etc). Also, keeping yourself alkalinized (low protein, at least temporarily, and no baked goods, flours, etc.) and oxygenated. [in other words, mostly vegetables - 80-90%, with 10-20% protein sources.] Then, probiotics like crazy. I don't know if this is curative or not; but I do know that bacteria love sugar.

The best success I've ever had with diet and digestion issues was the Body Ecology Diet which included no sugary stuff as I outlined above - but for long term use it was just too low calorie for me.

Good luck to you!