# SIBO recurrence and sugar



## faze action (Aug 6, 2009)

I really think that my SIBO is back... I have been having mild symptoms ever since the middle of June, but I'm beginning to suspect that it's back in full force. For one thing, I ate sugar last night (in the form of about 1/2 cup of dried cranberries) and my stomach swelled up like a balloon about 5 minutes after I ate them. I had alreday eaten dinner, so this wasn't on an empty stomach either. I had previously had issues with dairy, even though I don't eat that much dairy, so most likely it was the sugar in the dairy that was causing problems. My D is under control through a daily dose of Citrucel, but the bloating is becoming worse and worse. I have pants in my wardobe that I was wearing over the summer and I can't even wear them now because my abdomen is bloated all the time.I have an appointment with my GI doctor in a couple of weeks, so I am really going to have a talk with him about probiotics (something he's never even mentioned before). He will probably want to redo the breath test, but I am not keen on another antiobiotic course. Probiotics may be my only other option, even though I had a sevre herx reaction to them before. Maybe this time I can force myself through the bad period to get to the good.If it wasn't for the SIBO I think I would be symptom-free (almost).Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....


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## IanRamsay (Nov 23, 2008)

HiJust start off very slowly and work your way up to full dose of probiotics to limit the herx. you may also have to try alot of them to find teh right one or combination. usually the plan is a course of antibiotics and probiotics with teh probiotics being taken for 2 or so months after teh antibiotics stop. i did it without antibiotics but it took a fair while. speak to your doc about them and ask his advice on teh best types to try first based on any breath test results or cultures that you may have had done in teh past.good luckIan


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## faze action (Aug 6, 2009)

Thanks Ian.I have one question: in general, how long will I have to take the probiotics before I know whether a particular strain is working for me or not? A couple of weeks? A Month? Several months?Thanks


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## IanRamsay (Nov 23, 2008)

higive each pro biotic 2 to 4 weeks. trust me, you will just know when you get the right one. HOWEVER probiotics are usually a long slow process, even with the right ones. so stick with it. its also worth remembering that it may not help at all.cheersian


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## Ariana (Dec 2, 2008)

Have you ever tried these bacterial overgrowth tests:Indicans urine testD-lactate blood testGut fermentation blood testAsking because know people with all typical BO problems that passed all of the tests like there are no problems.Sometimes I think that my problems were because I had too much good bacteria (I lived on yogurts, a lot of them - with active cultures - for years).


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## deetee (Sep 9, 2009)

IanHope you dont mind if I jump in here and ask you a question. If I were going to go out today and buy a probiotic where would I start. Is there one in particular that I should begin with? Should I take a mixture or try one at a time? Where does one begin?dt


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## IanRamsay (Nov 23, 2008)

HiA good one to start with is bifidobacterium infantis (any strain to start with). but it is very much hit and miss. you may get lucky and find one that does you some favours, or you may have to try quite a few before you find the right combination or single strains. on some occasions they dont help at all. here is some info that i give all people new to probiotics.the following strains have teh most research behind them in IBS studies with good positive outcomes in studies.L. bulgaricus, L. reuteri, L. plantarum, L. casei, B. bifidus, Lactobacillus Plantrum 299V, S. salivarius, and S. thermophilus and the yeast Saccharomyces boulardii. Bifidobacterium infantis 35624, Biffidobacterium Bb12, Acidophilus La5, THERE ARE MANY MANY OTHERS though!here is some general info on taking them, if you dont already know it!They are best taken in the morning on an empty stomach, 30 minutes before food. ideally they should be taken for at least 3 weeks as it may take that long to see any results. although some people have a very good reaction in days. after 2 to 3 months they should be stopped for a while. if after a few days you start to notice that you can feel a physical difference or a worsening of your symptoms, start taking them again. other wise, there is no need to continue taking them untill you feel that you do need them. there isnt any harm in taking them as a permanant suppliment if they are taken is small numbers like in actimel or activia yoghurt, but if you are taking 10 billion cultures a day, it is good to give the body a break every now and then.also If at all possible, replace the FOS prebiotic with natural fruit and veg if you can tollerate it. FOS can play hell with the tummy in some people while it dosent bother others.After you start to take the probiotics, you may feel initially worse for a day to a week or so. this is called the herx reaction and unfortunately is perfectly normal. (Google it to get more detailed info). some people are not affected by herx and some are.if it gets too much though, just stopp teh probiotics for a few days and re start them at a half dose for a two weeks, then a three quarter dose for two weeks and then the full dose, and see how you get on with that.The Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 are showing very good results consistently for IBS and there is also emerging studies that may show it does good things for SIBO as well, teh Lactobacillus Plantrum 299V seems to get on very well with women for reasons as yet unknown (although i am hatching a theory or two!)if you can, try and avoid supermarket own brand probiotics and get them from a good healthfood store. if they are astronomically expensive, your probably paying for the name of the brand rather than anything else, so check the strains and ingredients against other brands so you dont spend more than you have to. personally i think all probiotucs should be free for all.Here is a list of probiotics and OTC products that containthem by strain.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ProbioticYou should not take probiotics if you are seriously ill or have Serious panctriatic illness or if you are suffering from any illness which impares your imune system without taking advice from your doctor. CHeersIan


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## faze action (Aug 6, 2009)

_Lactobacillus Plantrum 299V seems to get on very well with women for reasons as yet unknown (although i am hatching a theory or two!)_Again, thanks for all the great info Ian. Go ahead and post your theories on the above subject when you're ready... I'm interested!


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## deetee (Sep 9, 2009)

Ian:Thank you so much for the information. I am going to the health food store today. Have you ever heard of IBS causing hairloss? It seems as though each and every time I have a bout with this, I lose lots of hair and my hair takes on a dry and brittle texture which in turn just makes me look as unhealthy as I feel. I just wondered about this and if it is a possibility as my doctor doesnt think the two are related at all--but if it only happens when my digestive tract is out of whack why couldnt it be???? Again thanks for you help I will give the probiotics a try starting today.DeeT


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Often the physical stress of one health problem can set off another one even if A cannot directly make B happen.Do you eat differently when your GI tract is acting up? Lack of nutrition and essential fatty acids can effect your hair.


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## faze action (Aug 6, 2009)

*Have you ever heard of IBS causing hairloss?*I haven't heard anything about this directly, but this is happening to me. I also recently found that I have an iron deficiency, so I think that it the main culprit in my hair loss. I previously took rifaximin to get rid of the SIBO, and when the bacteria were gone I noticed a _dramatic_ decrease in my hair loss (it didn't stop completely though). It could be related to a combination of things: general anxiety over not feeling well, some physical action of the bacteria interfering with normal gut function, or just general stress on the body (not anxiety per se) that is causing the hair loss. I think you could get the "vicious circle" started with hair loss as well: worry about the hair loss results in an increase in the loss through stress... it's a tough thing to deal with.edit: my SIBO (I suspect) has recently gotten worse over the last 4-6 weeks, and surprise surprise, so has me hair loss. I am not anxious , worried, or stressed about anything in my life either. Go figure.If I end up taking the ABs again, I'll let you know if the hair loss improves.


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## IanRamsay (Nov 23, 2008)

I have long hair myself (my head looks like a taxi cab with teh front doors open when i have my hair short!) and like kathleen said, my hair suffers when i dont eat properly or have an issue with absorption. but im pretty sure IBS isnt teh cause though.CheersIan


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