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Bacterial Overgrowth Results Question

Sunny1008

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Sunny1008 Rookie
Sunny1008
Posted

Hi everyone,

I had a hydrogen breath test the other day to check for bacterial overgrowth of the small intestine. The nurse who was doing the test said that the preliminary results looked "questionable." I have to wait a few more days to hear the final result from the interpreting physician.

What do you think "questionable" means? I think there has to be some sort of problem b/c every time I eat, I blow up like a balloon and look pregnant (no matter what I eat). Also, I am not putting on any weight. I have a huge bloated belly and these stick legs, and I am still underweight. I also am still having nausea occasionally, food intolerances, and constipation.

Thoughts??

Thank you!

Sunny

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beachbirdie Contributor
beachbirdie
Posted

Hi everyone,

I had a hydrogen breath test the other day to check for bacterial overgrowth of the small intestine. The nurse who was doing the test said that the preliminary results looked "questionable." I have to wait a few more days to hear the final result from the interpreting physician.

What do you think "questionable" means? I think there has to be some sort of problem b/c every time I eat, I blow up like a balloon and look pregnant (no matter what I eat). Also, I am not putting on any weight. I have a huge bloated belly and these stick legs, and I am still underweight. I also am still having nausea occasionally, food intolerances, and constipation.

Thoughts??

Thank you!

Sunny

I'm not a medical professional, but if I heard "questionable" I would be thinking it simply means the test is not clearly and obviously negative. Not necessarily positive, but in that "fuzzy" area that means they'll want to take a closer look.

Have you made any changes in your diet that might be helpful with a SIBO problem?

Sunny1008 Rookie
Sunny1008
Posted
  • Author

I'm not a medical professional, but if I heard "questionable" I would be thinking it simply means the test is not clearly and obviously negative. Not necessarily positive, but in that "fuzzy" area that means they'll want to take a closer look.

Have you made any changes in your diet that might be helpful with a SIBO problem?

Hi beachbirdie,

Yes, that's what I thought too - that the results could "go either way", positive or negative. I am still waiting to hear back from the interpreting physician.

I am trying to stick to the SIBO diet, but I am still finding out through trial and error foods that trigger a reaction.

beachbirdie Contributor
beachbirdie
Posted

Hi beachbirdie,

Yes, that's what I thought too - that the results could "go either way", positive or negative. I am still waiting to hear back from the interpreting physician.

I am trying to stick to the SIBO diet, but I am still finding out through trial and error foods that trigger a reaction.

Are you using a diet from the doctor, or did you find something online? What are the kinds of foods your diet allows?

My daughter-in-law ended up jumping on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (except she was able to keep chocolate in her life, though it's "illegal" B)) and it has kept her intestines happier than the diet the doctor put her on.

It's really tough to deal with this stuff that messes with the intestines :( . Hopefully you'll get a handle on it and get to healing.

Sunny1008 Rookie
Sunny1008
Posted
  • Author

Are you using a diet from the doctor, or did you find something online? What are the kinds of foods your diet allows?

My daughter-in-law ended up jumping on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (except she was able to keep chocolate in her life, though it's "illegal" B)) and it has kept her intestines happier than the diet the doctor put her on.

It's really tough to deal with this stuff that messes with the intestines :( . Hopefully you'll get a handle on it and get to healing.

Yes, it is really tough dealing with digestive problems!! I am trying to follow the Specific Carbohydrate Diet as much as possible, although it is definitely a challenge.

beachbirdie Contributor
beachbirdie
Posted

Yes, it is really tough dealing with digestive problems!! I am trying to follow the Specific Carbohydrate Diet as much as possible, although it is definitely a challenge.

Sorry you are struggling!

Have you tried taking the dairy out altogether? Sometimes dairy problems are not lactose, but casein. Making 24-hour yogurt will not solve a casein problem.

Sunny1008 Rookie
Sunny1008
Posted
  • Author

Sorry you are struggling!

Have you tried taking the dairy out altogether? Sometimes dairy problems are not lactose, but casein. Making 24-hour yogurt will not solve a casein problem.

I have decided to take out dairy altogether. Anytime I eat it, I blow up like a balloon. Not fun!

Do you think it is necessary to take an antibiotic for bacterial overgrowth? My doctor wanted me to try Rifaximin, but my insurance won't cover it, and out of pocket it costs $700!!! Outrageous!

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beachbirdie Contributor
beachbirdie
Posted

I have decided to take out dairy altogether. Anytime I eat it, I blow up like a balloon. Not fun!

Do you think it is necessary to take an antibiotic for bacterial overgrowth? My doctor wanted me to try Rifaximin, but my insurance won't cover it, and out of pocket it costs $700!!! Outrageous!

I'm not a medical professional, so don't want to go too far giving out advice. Myself, I prefer to go without antibiotics if not necessary to save my life, because I think that is what messed up my gut flora in the first place. It will kill of the good as well as the bad.

I might try a good probiotic, NOT one with FOS...I was having a lot of trouble with cramping and pain that I finally narrowed down to the stuff they add to probiotics to supposedly feed the "good" bacteria. No inulin, or other "fructo-oligosaccharides". You might have to start very slowly, with tiny doses at first, and gradually increase as you can tolerate them.

IrishHeart has mentioned a company called Custom Probiotics many times, and they make products that are dairy free. They come in loose powder with little measuring spoons so you can customize your dose. They are more expensive than what you find in the store, but you might find them helpful. You can call and talk to the owner, he is a chemist and can help you figure out what would work. He had severe intestinal problems and developed his products because of that. If you do a search (from the little search box at the top of this forum...not the "celiac.com" search) for "custom probiotics" you can find IrishHeart's messages about how they literally saved her life. I think if you PM'd her she'd be happy to tell you more about that, if you can't find her messages.

Have you seen Open Original Shared Link? It talks about some of the other diets out there that can be helpful, and kind of explains the principles of getting rid of the baddies.

It's slow going, and will take a lot of patience. But there are tons of recipes out there that are really good, you can google GAPS or SCD recipes and find some yummy stuff! This is one of my favorites, Open Original Shared Link.

Sunny1008 Rookie
Sunny1008
Posted
  • Author

I'm not a medical professional, so don't want to go too far giving out advice. Myself, I prefer to go without antibiotics if not necessary to save my life, because I think that is what messed up my gut flora in the first place. It will kill of the good as well as the bad.

I might try a good probiotic, NOT one with FOS...I was having a lot of trouble with cramping and pain that I finally narrowed down to the stuff they add to probiotics to supposedly feed the "good" bacteria. No inulin, or other "fructo-oligosaccharides". You might have to start very slowly, with tiny doses at first, and gradually increase as you can tolerate them.

IrishHeart has mentioned a company called Custom Probiotics many times, and they make products that are dairy free. They come in loose powder with little measuring spoons so you can customize your dose. They are more expensive than what you find in the store, but you might find them helpful. You can call and talk to the owner, he is a chemist and can help you figure out what would work. He had severe intestinal problems and developed his products because of that. If you do a search (from the little search box at the top of this forum...not the "celiac.com" search) for "custom probiotics" you can find IrishHeart's messages about how they literally saved her life. I think if you PM'd her she'd be happy to tell you more about that, if you can't find her messages.

Have you seen Open Original Shared Link? It talks about some of the other diets out there that can be helpful, and kind of explains the principles of getting rid of the baddies.

It's slow going, and will take a lot of patience. But there are tons of recipes out there that are really good, you can google GAPS or SCD recipes and find some yummy stuff! This is one of my favorites, Open Original Shared Link.

beachbirdie,

Thank you so much for all the info! You are awesome! I agree with you, I would rather not take an antibiotic if I absolutely don't have to.

Have you heard of a probiotic called Inner-Eco? I work at Whole Foods Market, and this has been recommended to me many times. I'm not sure if it contains FOS or inulin, I will have to check on that. But it is a refrigerated kefir that comes from coconuts or something, LOL! The good thing about it is that it's a liquid, so I could start out taking a very small amount and work my way up. Have you heard of this?

Thanks also for the diet websites!

Sunny

beachbirdie Contributor
beachbirdie
Posted

beachbirdie,

Thank you so much for all the info! You are awesome! I agree with you, I would rather not take an antibiotic if I absolutely don't have to.

Have you heard of a probiotic called Inner-Eco? I work at Whole Foods Market, and this has been recommended to me many times. I'm not sure if it contains FOS or inulin, I will have to check on that. But it is a refrigerated kefir that comes from coconuts or something, LOL! The good thing about it is that it's a liquid, so I could start out taking a very small amount and work my way up. Have you heard of this?

Thanks also for the diet websites!

Sunny

I hadn't heard of that particular probiotic, but it looks yummy! It doesn't appear to have any of the prebiotics, that's good for now, It doesn't have a huge variety of bacteria, so even though you are using it you might want to add another one for more diversity.

I'm jealous! You work at a Whole Foods! They have so much cool stuff (though it's expensive), but the nearest one to me is 65 miles :( .

Sunny1008 Rookie
Sunny1008
Posted
  • Author

I hadn't heard of that particular probiotic, but it looks yummy! It doesn't appear to have any of the prebiotics, that's good for now, It doesn't have a huge variety of bacteria, so even though you are using it you might want to add another one for more diversity.

I'm jealous! You work at a Whole Foods! They have so much cool stuff (though it's expensive), but the nearest one to me is 65 miles :( .

beachbirdie,

OK, thanks, I think I am going to try it. I will let you know how it goes.

Yes, Whole Foods has lots of great stuff! It is nice to work there, especially when you are having health issues! :)

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