# HI, I am a new member



## Bobntpa (Jun 25, 2006)

HI,My name is Bob, I have recently joined this group after doing some research on google for SIBO and finding some of the discussions from you guys.I have only been dealing with this for the last year and a half. I came down with some sort of food poisening or bacterial infection in Jan 2005 and have been messed up ever since. My primary care Dr. sent me to his GI. The guy tried everything to try to figure out how to get me on an even keel. After just over a year of tests and different drugs for IBS he recommended sending me to USF School of Medicine. They ran additional tests ruling out everything they could. Everything came back negative. I was never tested for SIBO up to this point and had never heard of it.I went on a business trip for 3 days and ended up drinking my morning coffee without creamer and noticed I felt much better in the morning. I started researching lactose intolerence only to find out that the creamer I used didn't have any in it. While researching lactose intolerence and IBS I found some information on fructose intolerence. For the first time in a year and a half of research it was the first disorder that fit my symptoms to a tee. I did some of my own testing and felt 100% positive it was what I had.When I returned to USF to go over all my past results I spoke with the Dr. about it. I told him of my research, he said its possible but quite rare. After some pressure from me, he agreed to see if he could find a place to test for it. Turns out there is no place in the Tampa Bay area to test for it, but he did find a pediatric clinic in St. Pete that had the equipment and could perform the breath test. The test came back positive for DFI and SIBO.I have since gone back to my original GI to discuss the results, I sent him the results and just saw him last Friday. He had seen one case of SIBO and felt it may be the cause of my DFI. He recommended I try 2 antibiotics. I am on flagl for a week then cipro for a week, repeat the same for 2 more weeks, then a week on flagl, a week off, a week on cipro and a week off. After this I will go back and see him. I am comfortable with his advice, it fits with some research I have done on SIBO. Here is a web page I had read that talks about multiple antibiotics.http://www.medicinenet.com/small_intestina...rowth/page6.htmHave any of you with SIBO been tested for dietary fructose intolerance (DFI)? If I eat anything with high fructose corn syrup I blow up like a balloon for 6-12 hours, some of the other sugar alcohols have me racing to a bathroom within 30 min and then I am miserable for about 4-6 hours. It is difficult to stay sugar free, but it works when I stick to it.Thanks for all the discussions, they have helped me alot,Bob


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## gilly (Feb 5, 2001)

Hi Your story is an interesting one.My daughters is similar.She tested positive for fructose intolerance,but the diet only slightly helped symptoms.Since we are in Australia SIBO is a very new theory,but I now feel that her fructose intolerance could actually be SIBO.However the antibiotics shes tried havent helped.Have you read Pimentels book?Good luck with the antibiotics.Why didnt your doctor suggest Xifaxan(not available in Australia)? Pimentel seems to think its the best for SIBO.Although qite a few here havent been helped by it.Gilly


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## Bobntpa (Jun 25, 2006)

Hi Gilly,I have not read Pimentel's book as of yet, someone else just pointed me to it the other day. I will see how the 2 months of antibiotics work and decide if I will buy it after that.I am not sure why my Dr. didn't try me on Xifaxan. The 2 drugs he put me on are both recommended for SIBO also.How strict is your daughters diet? I found bad sugars in about everything we had in the house, including mouthwash and toothpaste. Here is a link I use to determine what I can and can not eathttp://hfiinfo.proboards42.com/index.cgi?b...read=1146166132That site in general may provide you with alot of help for your daughter.Good luck,Bob


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## gilly (Feb 5, 2001)

Hi Thanks for that info.No her diet is not as strict as that ( which is for hereditary f.i.)hers is dietary fructose malabsorption(bob u probably know this,but others might not).In Australia the diet seems a bit different.She limits sucrose(cane sugar) and wheat too.I dont really think toothpaste etc matter.Uni of Iowa dietition does not exclude wheat.My daughter does feel better avoiding wheat,but its all to do with moderation I suppose.I know the U.S does use much more fructose than Australia,in manufactured foods,we have more cane sugar.She is still restrictng diet but it has reduced symptoms maybe 30%.Please tell us how the antibiotics go.Gilly


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## Bobntpa (Jun 25, 2006)

HI Gilly,Yes I have read alot about DFI vs HFI. I also limit my wheat intake. I know the amount of sorbitol in the toothpaste and mouthwash are probably not anything that would bother me, but I wanted to try and go as fructose free as possible and then work my way to see what I can and can not tolerate.Your right about the US using alot of HFCS in producing food.I will keep you posted on the antibiotics.Bob


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## Jackmat (Jun 13, 2005)

HI Bob,Your story sounds quite familiar. I've been "messed up" since March 2005, and it could well have been food poisoning.I havent had any breath tests done, but I'm pretty confident I am DFI amongst other things (lactose intolerant and yeast sensitive).And yes sorbitol is something I do not touch anymore.I'm going along ok at present, staying off fructose, but I'm certainly curious about this SIBO thing, so let me know how you get on with the antibiotics,Regards,Jack


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## Bobntpa (Jun 25, 2006)

Hi Jack.I am into week 2 on the antibiotics. I will keep you posted as to my results. Bob


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## Jackmat (Jun 13, 2005)

Hi Bob,Anything to report on the SIBO treatment?


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## 21004 (Aug 28, 2005)

With regard to SIBO, I had the Hydrogen Breath Test at UNC Hospital, with a positive result. It is actually a Lactulose Breath Test. At any rate, my GI doctor prescribed Cipro 500mg, twice daily, for 12 days. I am 8 days into the treatment. I have been having trouble, of and on, for three years, and mine started after a severe stomach "bug". At that time, I tested positive for H. Pylori, and was successfully treated for it. However, I have been having problems ever since, and I hope that this SIBO is the cause and a cure can be foud. I have tolerated the drug fairly well, and am feeling a little better. Note: Mine has been bad enough to cause me to retire from my job. Good luck to all of you, and I will report back when the Cipro is finished. On another note, the breath test is, at this time, has very limited places to have it administered. I had to drive 65 miles to get it done.Brownie


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## Bobntpa (Jun 25, 2006)

HI,I am sorry I have not posted updates on my Dr's treatment plan. I have been travelling alot for work and just have been too busy.Anyway, I am starting week six of the antibiotic treatment and have noticed a drastic change. At week 5 I started testing out some of the foods that were affecting me and have been able to tolerate them so far. I am only trying them in small amounts but in amounts that would affect me before the treatment started. I have no idea if this works if it will be a permanent fix or a bandaid. I will keep you posted.I have eaten ice cream, key lime pie, corn on the cob, ketchup and numerous other items so far. As time goes on I will try more in larger amounts to see how it does. I have not had the daily gurgling that I had lived with for a year and a half. I still have some but not even daily.My stools have been once daily again, which is a major blessing.I still have doubts but am hoping for the best.Thanks,Bob


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## kimber (Feb 18, 2005)

Hi everyone, I just wanted to put my info into this. I have recently posted a topic on this board titles " I tested positive for SIBO after 12 yrs IBS D" If you go to that post, it tells my story with the SIBO stuff. Bob, I too tested positive for SIBO, and I really suggest that you get Dr. Pimentels Book, I have it and it is an eye opener. Even though I have had ibs d for 12 yrs now, the SIBO thing makes sense, plus it is the only test that has come back showing something that is actually wrong with me. I have had so many tests over the years that have come back with nothing physically wrong with me. So I don't know if curing this SIBO will cure my IBS, but I atleast now know that I really do have a bacterial overgrowth, so I am working on getting rid of it. Quite a few years ago I did test positive for H pylori, and I took some antibiotics then and the H pylori went away and has not returned, but now I have this SIBO. I did take a breath test to find out for sure. I really recommend that people with IBS take a breath test, it should be one of the regular IBS tests that doctors do, and as far as having to travel to a place that does the breath test. There is no place in my area that does the testing, but in Dr Pimentels book he gives information on where you can have a test kit sent to your doctor. Again if you read my post that I mentioned above, on that post I have all the information on how to have the kit ordered and what the test was like, and what treatment I am doing. I am on the Rafiximin(xifaxin)1200 mg daily for 10 days. I am on day 4 today and I have noticed that I feel a little better, nothing drastic, but I'm still early in the treatment. I too will continue to post how I feel as the 10 days progress. My doc and I are trying to follow Dr. Pimentels protocol for getting rid of the SIBO. My doc didn't know anything about this SIBO stuff and I brought my book into him and he has agreed to try this protocol. I know that my breath test came back showing an extremely high level of bacterial overgrowth, so my doc doesn't know if the 10 day treatment wil be enough. Dr Pimentel says that if the initial 10 day treatment does not take it away then I can do a follow up antibiotic treatment using both Rafiximin and Neomycin. I will be taking another breath test after the 10 day treatment and then I will go from there. Bob I hope your treatment of antibiotics works for you, it sounds like you are feeling better, I hope it keeps up. Anyway, I will try to keep everyone posted on my route as well. I know we will beat this IBS one day, I just know it!!!!Blessings, Kimber


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## 20070 (Dec 13, 2005)

Hi Kimber,Your story is allot like mine, I too, tested postive for SIBO. Hopefully your antibiotics worked for you. I am starting to feel like my old self again, Hope you are too


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## Jackmat (Jun 13, 2005)

My problem first began on March 24th 2005. I thought I had the flu. No matter what I ate, it made me feel ill. I began to keep a food diary and within 3 months I worked out that I could relieve my symptoms my minimising my intake of fructose and by eliminating sorbitol. For the next 9 months, I was on a fructose restrictive diet, but I was still able to enjoy honey, bananas, nuts, cheese, yoghurt, salmon and oil and use psylliym husks as a bulking agent when I needed to. However, in March this year and particularly from July, all the aforementioned foods were bothering me and in the past month, I had been eating only rice, chicken, fish (all boiled) and green vegetables. I had been taking statins (cholesterol lowering drugs) for the past 4-5 ears (since the age of 50), and on August 20th this year, decided I would stop taking them. For the first 26 days it made no difference. In fact I felt worse. It has now been 29 days since I stopped my daily dose of statins. Yesterday and today I have eaten chocolate, potato crisps, sultanas, oranges, cream biscuits, caramel pudding, mince meat, bread, pasta and any other food you might care to imagine. I have had no food intolerance symptoms. The relief and joy that I feel is tempered by the knowledge that all of you must continue with your own battles. Besides, celebrations in the past have often been shortlived. Although I am cautiously optimistic about the future, I now know that these statins impacted on my liver/intestines in such a profound way that my body was no longer able to digest and absorb many foods. As my body continues the "washout" of the effects of the statins, my tolerances towards foods continues to improve. I will post this news on other forums and will hopefully continue to contribute something relevant in the future. May you all continue to find the strength to carry on with your struggles. Cheers


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