SIBO test?

[Patient0]

Has anyone had positive experiences with the SIBO test and dietary changes? I'm curious to know if many people find the leaky gut theory plausible for their own symptoms?

[LippyLu]

I got referred for the SIBO test but haven’t taken it. I think you would get more responses to this question in the IBS forum. I’ve been taking a lot of high quality probiotics (such as saccharomyces and bifidus, not acidophilus), and that has helped. The low FODMAPs diet has also helped a lot. I’m now on Methotrexateand that has helped my IBS the most. I think that Leaky gut definitely exists. Even the most traditional western doctors acknowledge that things like ibuprofen make holes in the gut lining.

[Patient0 in reply to LippyLu]

Hi! Thanks so much for your reply. I think people are coming around to the idea of SIBO. I have been through a tough few years and was diagnosed with arthritis last June. Since then, I started on Sulfasalazine and really struggled with it because, even though I wasn't having any liver or kidney issues, I was getting depressed and more anxious than usual.

I took the plunge into doing an extensive amount of research while I was off sick from work for 3 months. I found that SIBO was a good fit for my history and symptoms. After having years of various meds putting patches on a bunch of ill-explained symptoms, functional medicine really seemed to be the only thing that made sense. I paid for it as you can't get it covered on insurance and it was a risk but I thought at least I would get some idea of diet improvements. I was finding myself very anxious at every meal before I did this.

I feel so so much better now. I started an elimination diet and had cut out gluten, soy, dairy, corn, sugar and reduced pesticide exposure. I had to cut out a few more things (quinoa and lentils) during the diet. After 2 weeks I felt better, after 4 weeks I was off Sulfasalazine completely and the inflammation was greatly reduced after coming off it. Now, 10 weeks in, the inflammation is nearly gone and I feel better than I have in years... I really think it's worth a shot before conceding to a life of medication.

I dedicated my career to drug development and although I believe in medicine, I think it should always be a last resort. It's such a shame that the NHS hasn't caught up.

[LippyLu in reply to Patient0]

Wow, we are on parallel paths. I have been diagnosed Celiac for a long time, but I think the IBS (possibly due to SIBO) became so bad because my gut was messed up from what amounted to a year and a half of IV antibiotics, cumulatively in the course of 3 hospitalizations. In turn I think the gut issues triggered rheumatoid/psoriatic arthritis. I tried treating the latter with the dietary changes you described plus too many supplements to mention, but everything just got worse. I work in the biopharma industry as well, but am nonetheless reluctant to take pills unless absolutely necessary. In my case they were. The methotrexate makes me feel fluish for a day or two but I hear this gets better with time, and it has noticeably reduced my inflammation. I aspire to get off meds, but I needed this to get on top of the disease. In addition to Great gut health for the first time in forever, I am finally able to lose some weight and my joints are so much better. I am also taking CBD oil twice a day (full spectrum, 24 mg) and that is not only anti-inflammatory but also enhances mood, eliminates anxiety and aids sleep. It is amazing!

[Patient0 in reply to LippyLu]

I wondered if you tried cutting out all the gluten cross-reactive foods? I just feel like this gut thing makes so much more sense. I hope you can get to a place where you feel truly comfortable. It's a horrible disease and I don't think anyone who doesn't have it can comprehend it.

[Akapie in reply to Patient0]

Hi. Can you kindly give me a detailed list of your diet. i would like to follow it. thanks

[Patient0 in reply to Akapie]

Hi Akapie,

Sorry I didn't see your message sooner. I did post on a different thread. I hope you found it. I think you can just click on my profile to see my posts. Good luck.

[andyswarbs]

I would strongly recommend you check out GojiMan (gojimannutrition.com/). He goes into a lot, and I mean a lot of detail about SIBO and related tests, when and why you should take them, how to interpret the results and what strategies to adopt to help clear such problems from your system. He has links on his website where you can order the tests at no financial benefit to himself. He is working through some case studies of people with these problems...