Intestinal Methanogen Overgrowth

[Bluseman]

Has anyone been tested Positive for Intestinal Methanogen Overgrowth. I have received a Positive Result.

Thank you

John

[Physalis]

Had a quick look and this is an overgrowth of certain microoganisms in the small intestine. It is treated with antibiotics, Rifaximin (aka Xifaxan) is one. You are probably quite lucky it's been discovered.

[Bluseman in reply to Physalis]

Thank you for Reply Physalis, I completed a SIBO/IMO test last week, and the IMO test came out Positive, have you experienced this yourself.John

[Physalis in reply to Bluseman]

No, sorry. I've never heard of it before. It seems like one of those things that causes pain but goes undetected a lot of the time.

[Mrsvemb]

Wonder if this is the cause of your nausea. If so, with treatment you may have fixed it. Hope so.Val

[Bluseman in reply to Mrsvemb]

Hello Val.Thanks for your reply, I was going to let you know when I had seen the Doctor as I said I would let you know how it went, still waiting on a call from the Gastroenterologist as She had the Results sent to her as well, let’s hope it has some effect on my Nausea as you said.

How are you feeling Val.

John

[Mrsvemb in reply to Bluseman]

Hi John, I will wait to hear what your gastroenterologist has to say. No change with me. Nausea has been quite bad and I had a 15 hour episode of AF at the weekend. Thought it was coming because the nausea was bad. I dropped my test off Monday of last week and still waiting to hear the result.

Val

[Bluseman in reply to Mrsvemb]

Hello Val.So sorry to hear you had a rough 15 Hours of it, any ideas of possible Triggers, I rack my brains sometimes just trying to see if anything that I’ve done, eaten, or drank that could fire it off, drives me up the wall sometimes.

Did your AF just settle on its own in the end, and I find that I Pee a lot during an episode, not sure I mentioned that before, not the subject that a Gentleman like to discuss with a Lady, but it’s all in the spirit of Medical Science.

I will let you know what the Gastroenterologist says Val.

Take Care.

John

[Mrsvemb in reply to Bluseman]

Hi John, I had been out for a meal 36 hours before it started. My starter had chillies in which I love, but probably shouldn’t have. 36 hours sounds a long time, but not unusual for me. Yes it seems most people pee a lot during an episode. It’s something to do with a hormone that the heart produces when on AF.

I did take a dose of Bisoprolol to slow my rate down, but I just have to ride it out.

Yes please let us know what the gastroenterologist says John.

Val

[belindalore]

Can you give more specifics of the symptoms you've had and also how you were diagnosed? My Drs and I are looking at my pain in my gut to see if it's scar tissue from my gall bladder removal years ago or a possible bile duct stone. I looked up IMO and I can relate many of the symptoms. Did it cause you much pain and did the pain come and go at times? Did the pain seem to be mostly in one area or all over? Thanks for any more info you could give. I have Drs who would roll their eyes and think I'm just another hysterical woman if I ask them about it. Take care and be safe.

[Bluseman in reply to belindalore]

Hello Belinda.Thanks for your message.

Well my Symptoms were not really pain, more a very unpleasant sensation in the top of my Stomach just under my Breastbone.

Also Nausea quite bad Nausea a lot of the time.

I suffer from AF (A Fib), but not sure if the Stomach Issues trigger the A Fib, or the other way round..

I went to see a Private Gastroenterologist as getting an appointment on the NHS at the moment is a huge problem, so the Gastroenterologist arranged for Endoscopy and MRI Pancreas to be completed, these were done and thankfully all results were good, so the Gastroenterologist then suggested SIBO/IMO test, I hadn’t ever heard of it before, but it’s a do at home test that the Company send you, and mine came back Negative for SIBO, but Positive for IMO, so now waiting for Gastroenterologist to contact me to discuss way forward.

The test is very straightforward with good instructions but you have got to set aside time to do it as it takes 3 hours to complete with restrictions on what you eat, and then 12 hours of Fasting, but you do that overnight so that’s easy, and then do the Test.

Sorry to Ramble Belinda and if you need anymore information please let me know.

John

[belindalore in reply to Bluseman]

Thanks. I'm in the USA. I'd never heard of IMO either. I live in Florida with a damp climate and suffer from yeast overgrowth because of all the mold around. I have a lot of nausea and my pain is mostly under my right ribs but sometimes across my abdomen. I read a post on Reddit about a gal who had IMO and cured it with natural treatments. It did take some time. But she's much better. I wonder too if it would bother Afib. My mind set is that anything could. Interesting that there's a home test for IMO. Florida doesn't have the best of healthcare or Drs. Florida is 41st for healthcare (which means it's pretty bad) out of all the states so I don't have much confidence in the medical system here. I will be seeing my primary Dr soon I think about something else but I'm going to ask him about this. More than likely I'll get a blank stare like I usually get when I ask something the Drs know nothing about. 🙄 Gets pretty frustrating.

Thanks again.

[Bluseman in reply to belindalore]

Ok Belinda, I understand what you say, sorry for banging on about the NHS, probably didn’t mean anything to you.I’m sure the Medics in the USA must have heard of SIBO/IMO, but if you need the email address of a company that do home tests here, please let me know, they do process test from other countries as it mentioned in the documentation they send with the test.

Good Luck.

John

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to Bluseman]

Hi John, I'd like the name and address of the company that do the tests please. Did you have to pay to have it, or NHS? Have never heard of this condition. I'm due to have my gallbladder removed, but have often wondered if it's not that causing my nausea and pain. Earlier in the year had that feeling with nausea, loss of appetite and felt really ill for over two weeks. Had shorter attacks before, but nothing now since January.

Jean

[Bluseman in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Good morning Jean.Thanks for your reply.

I went to see a private Gastroenterologist as I felt things may move a bit quicker, so she arranged the Test for me, but I’m sure you can do it all yourself, it’s a Home Test Kit and it Cost £250 of which I had to pay, It’s quite simple to do, but you have to Eat certain foods of which they give you a selection for 12 hours, and then Fast for 12 hours best overnight which makes it easy then do the Test, it take about a couple of hours as you have to blow with a straw into little tubes every 15 mins, and then just send it off in a prepaid envelope back for analysis.

The Company I used is.

Functional Gut Diagnostics Ltd.

9th Floor 73-79 King Street (The Pinnacle) Manchester.

United Kingdom M2 4NG.

Email: [e-mail]

Tele: 0161 302 7777.

Hope this helps you and things turn out ok for you Jean.

If you need anything else regarding this, or anymore information please let me know,

John

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to Bluseman]

Thank you John.

[Tarikor in reply to Bluseman]

HI mate! Do not trust the negative for SIBO. The methane producing organisms (not bacteria) are called Archaea, and they use hydrogen as their fuel to produce methane (CH4). SIBO breath test uses hydrogen to check if you have SIBO so my guess is if you have IMO you probably also have SIBO, you just won't see it on the results until you deal with the IMO issue. Once you have done that, your SIBO will show up.

I have every single damn symptom of IMO (or what used to be called Methane SIBO) however it is very hard to get tested for it here down under.

Also, for those that are wondering, yes, both AF and Digestive issues are extremely related. However, not a single Cardiologist I have seen around the world (I have worked and lived in most continents) have ever bothered listening to me when I asked them about other organs or issues that could be causing my AF (Lone Paroxysmal AF).

Almost everyone I know that has AF has some type of digestive issues. And if you have acid reflux as well, know that the acid creeping up your foodpipe does irritate the vagus nerve and will cause AF in those predisposed to vagal arrhythmias (like me).

It seems that a lot of the drugs they give you cause these digestive issues which then may cause in people like us, AF episodes. Some of these drugs that cause issues for our digestion are calcium channel blockers (they relax the smooth muscles in ALL our body, not just in the heart, which means our stomachs empty much later and food starts rotting in there causing gas, acid reflux, etc. This also slows down the colon moving waste out of the body, which allows bacteria from the colon to migrate up into the small intestine and there you get the start of SIBO and IMO. They also relax the hiatus valve which is why a lot of AF sufferers taking calcium channel blockers like Verapamil, end up with hiatus hernia and acid reflux).

Other drugs I have found that delay your digestion are antihistamines if used long term (I found this out only last year not a single GP I spoke to had any clue about this but when they looked it up they were shocked to find it was true), antidepressants (these bastards will destroy your digestion and do a number of many other things in your body as well, which I won't go into here), and the worst ones of all PPIs (Proton Pump Inhibitors).

It is so ironic that the default drug doctors go to when you go to them for any acid reflux issues and gas are PPIs (like omeprazole, etc.). These drugs WILL make your digestion problems worse. They make you feel better in the short and medium term, but in the long run, you will pay for that, like I am paying now for years due to them prescribing it to me for over a decade. There are so many natural treatments for acid reflux and if they bothered to look for the root cause, they could treat (cure) that instead of causing the cascade of side effects which eventually leads to a body that is very unhealthy and has all sorts of issues (I have breathing issues, digestion issues and AF).

In the US and in the UK you guys are lucky to have a ton of competent naturopaths available that can help you with digestive issues, especially SIBO and IMO.

Cheers mate.

[Bluseman in reply to Tarikor]

Hello mate, thanks for your very in depth and interesting reply regarding IMO and SIBO, I’m a little busy at the moment mate but will read through again and reply in a little while, it was a Gastroenterologist that organised my test for me, to see or speak to a Cardiologist in this Country at the moment is about a likely as me winning the Lottery, Winge Over and speak soon. John

[Kali213]

Hi John, I just got diagnosed with IMO. I have been extremely fatigued and had horrible digestion. It’s been about a year that I’ve felt this way. It’s been horrible. Now I’m taking the two antibiotics and I feel worse. I have nausea and dizziness and a dull headache. How did you feel during your antibiotics? How do you feel now? I’m having a tough time with my doctors. My primary doctor thinks that I am depressed so she prescribed an antidepressant. I’m not depressed. Another provider thinks that my thyroid T3 conversion is low so I take thyroid medication and don’t feel any different. My GI said that I have SIBO because IMO used to be a type of SIBO. I asked her if there is anything else I should be doing in addition to taking the antibiotics. I haven’t heard back. Just wondering how your healing journey has been. Thanks, Kali

[Bluseman in reply to Kali213]

Hello Kali, sorry to hear that your not feeling that great with everything, and just to try and update you on my situation, well I completed the two antibiotics that the Doctor prescribed me and to be honest I don’t remember them making me feel that much worse than I already did, but then when I finished them I really didn’t feel that much better either, it was back in the summer of 2021 that I took the Antibiotics for IMO and I was suffering with AF at the same time so not sure what was causing what, and I didn’t have a follow up test after the Antibiotics which was probably a mistake, but still have Nausea quite frequently.You probably don’t need the Antidepressants, I’ve never taken anything like that ever, and it’s probably Not Depression it’s the fact that you feel Rubbish that’s making you feel low, and they are making it worse, but that’s my thoughts on that subject Kali.

Regarding the test itself, it was a SIBO/IMO test that I did, and it came back clear for SIBO, and positive for IMO and that’s how I presumed it was just IMO that I had.

Please keep me updated on things Kali, and if I can help or think of anything else that’s relevant I will certainly let you know, just hope you feel better soon, take care. John

[Bluseman in reply to Kali213]

Hello again Kali.I had my Thyroid checked on a Blood test and it turned out to be ok, and Dizziness yes well Lightheadedness not actually Dizzy, but I put that down to the AF. John

[Kali213]

Thank you, John, for the fast reply. I had a SIBO test also and it came back positive for IMO. I definitely don’t feel down as far as depressed and I will likely stop taking the anti depressant. I am happy and my mood seems good. My Dr. thought that I was having anxiety which contributed to my trouble sleeping.

I think the point is that IMO is causing some symptoms which most medical professionals don’t understand or know much about. With mine, I have nauseas feel extreme fatigue, constipation, gas, bloating, dizziness, and frequent headache. This has been going on for about a year.

I see a functional provider and she seems experienced with SIBO and IMO. I think that the Thyroid conversion issue is related to the same problem which ultimately stems from stress. I was very stressed. I was in two graduate programs and had to move across the country for a year.

I will have another session with the functional provider this Thursday. From what I’m reading, you have to also treat the condition with herbs after the anti-biopics and repair the gut because it could have caused leaky gut. The article that I read said that it’s hard to treat and that you have to heal the gut to prevent the overgrowth again and it takes about 6 months. I just don’t want to eat right now because it makes me feel worse. I felt pretty bad this past weekend. Thanks for writing back. I’ll keep you updated. I’m so sorry that you don’t feel better. Maybe you still have the IMO.

Kali

[Bluseman in reply to Kali213]

Hello again Kali.Thanks for getting back, and I agree with your thoughts on that Doctors don’t seem to want to know anything about it, or don’t think it exists, I went to a Private Gastroenterologist and she suggested the the SIBO test, and arranged it for me, I had to pay for it myself which is quite expensive and the medication that was prescribed I had to pay for, equally expensive, not sure if you are aware but medical treatment in the UK is free, but the waiting lists are quite long I went Private to get my stomach checked over as I felt that that was causing my problems, anyway that’s how I ended up with the SIBO/IMO test.

Going through your symptoms I’m not Constipated quite regular with that one, Gas yes, Bloating not really, Nausea definitely Yes especially about 20 minutes after eating, as I said earlier not Dizziness but Lightheadedness, no Headaches, and Fatigue Yes, achey eyes as well, but who knows if all these things are related to IMO, and I think you said I could still have IMO unless I test again I won’t know.

Sorry to ramble on Kali, and I do hope you start to feel better when your Antibiotics are done, let’s hope so for you, and do please keep me updated on any new developments you manage to find out and I will do the same for you, take care. John from the UK.