# bacterial overgrowth/ neomycin update



## Pete (Jan 20, 2000)

Just giving a quick update as I promised I would keep everyone informed on how I am doing since testing positive for bacterial overgrowth at Cedar Sinai. I just finished by last pill. (10 days of neomycin) So here is the updateBurping- unchanged. This is very disappointing. I thought for sure this was caused by bacteria and not airswallowing. I still find it hard to believe it could be from the atmosphere. Maybe the fact that I have delayed gastric emptying has something to do with the burping2. Heartburn- Better. Even cut back from 2 prevacid to 13. Bad taste in mouth- Still there but a little better4. Bloating- 50% better5. Flatulence- GONE. A miracle. Have gone from close to 100 times a day to less then 56. Bowel habits- Never too much of a problem for me but I am certainly more regular. No D since the 3rd day. Second and third day I had lots of DI am going back for a repeat breath test on 2/19. I will post again when I get back.Pete


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## Guest (Feb 3, 2001)

Glad to hear that you are feeling at least a little better. How is your abdominal pain doing? How often are they going to continue testing you on the breath test. Please let me know if they start to prescribe some different/additional medication to you after. Good Luck and I will pray for you!


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## KateyKat (Jan 4, 2001)

Pete you are confirming that 10 days of neomycin have definitely put a stop to the flatulence? This is interesting .. please keep us updated on how u progress.Will u be having other tests when u go back to CS? If so do u know which? KKat


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## Pete (Jan 20, 2000)

Yes, It has stopped it 100%. As far as future treatment goes, I am unsure what they have in store for me. I am optimistic but I do value fluxs' opinion and this makes me nervous. One day at a time. I am not going to let myself get too excited because if it comes back, I know then there will be a big letdown. I am just posting my experience to educate others on what I consider to be a possible breakthrough in the understanding and treatment of IBS.


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## flux (Dec 13, 1998)

> quote:Burping- unchanged. This is very disappointing. I thought for sure this was caused by bacteria and not airswallowing. I still find it hard to believe it could be from the atmosphere. Maybe the fact that I have delayed gastric emptying has something to do with the burping


You knew that that gas was not from the bacteria because I told you it wasn't







. But let me follow up on your second point. Of course you are swallowing air; everyone is going to do this a little bit. Your esophagus is not air tight. In your case, you are probably right that the gastric emptying that can't handle even that normal amount of air swallowing.


> quote:5. Flatulence- GONE. A miracle. Have gone from close to 100 times a day to less then 5


It sounds like you had something weird going on here.


> quoteossible breakthrough in the understanding and treatment of IBS


Quite the opposite, this is clearly not the clinical picture of IBS.[This message has been edited by flux (edited 02-03-2001).]


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## stinky too (May 21, 1999)

Hi PeteWas your flatulence a big social problem for you?. Sure is for me...







About this neomycin, did you get it from you GP or a GI doctor.If this really works there will be a lot of us indebted to you.







Will keep watching this thread.........Thanks for the info.------------------Prayer doesn't change God , it changes the one who prays..C type, with G


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## Ugh (Jan 30, 2001)

flux said:"It sounds like you had something weird going on here."What did you find weird? that he passed gas 100 times a day OR the fact that the antibiotics eliminated it?


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## Guest (Feb 4, 2001)

Pete (& others involved in this study), where you told what bacterial strains were responsible in your case for causing problems in the small intestine? Have the doctors running your study developed a bacterial profile of those treated with bacterial overgrowth?I know the identification of bacteria is considered of secondary importance since ANY bacteria in the small intestine is deemed to be problematic, but it would be interesting to find out if there are patterns of certain bacterial species showing up in patients with overgrowth. Thanks,ZD.


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## KateyKat (Jan 4, 2001)

Pete said:".. I am not going to let myself get too excited because if it comes back, I know then there will be a big letdown. "Relief from excessive flatulence, even if only temporary, must surely give u a bit of a break tho From my understanding there's something like a 60 day period before symptoms would re-arise .. if BO is but a 'symptom' of motility dysfunction and not a 'cause' unto itself. Perhaps now u need to take extra B Vits and probiotics together with immune system builders as abx take their toll on natural immunity. Or would this interfere with the CS programme?While taking the antibiotics, did u eat as normal, ie whatever is normal for yourself, or were u on a restricted diet?KKat


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## Pete (Jan 20, 2000)

Kate,I ate everything in site. To experiment I also ate triggers like ice cream and raw fruits and veggies. Still no gas. Flux,What do you mean that I had something going on there. In your opinion does this mean that you feel this is a good treatment for people who actually have too much gas. I know a lot of people think they have gas but have normal amounts. But for those who actually pass abnormal amounts, this could be an answer. I have tried other antibiotics and none made a difference. This is the only one that works.


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## Pete (Jan 20, 2000)

Flux,Another question for you. Do you think PPIS could be contributing to the burping. Is it possible I could have bacteria overgrowth of the stomach that the neomycin hasn't fixed yet. I have taken high doses for a couple years and am thinking that having none or little acid in the stomach could have allowed bacteria to grow there. With delayed gastric emptying maybe the food stays there too long and the bacteria(which shouldn't be there) feast making gas. This is just a theory about the burping problem. Sound logical? What do you think?


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## flux (Dec 13, 1998)

> quote:What did you find weird? that he passed gas 100 times a day OR the fact that the antibiotics eliminated it?


The former.


> quote:What do you mean that I had something going on there.


It is not normal to pass gas excessively like that.


> quote:In your opinion does this mean that you feel this is a good treatment for people who actually have too much gas.


If the gas had been from the atmosphere, then definitely not. But even if the gas was from bacteria in the colon, it's hard to say what the long-term effects are. There is always a risk of resistance and C. dif. Ideally, it would be better to look into flushing the system with Miralax (who mentioned that? was it you?). That is a good idea.


> quote:I know a lot of people think they have gas but have normal amounts.


Having an abnormal amount like that is out of the ordinary, so there needs to be some accounting to know whether a person is truly abnormal.


> quote:With delayed gastric emptying maybe the food stays there too long and the bacteria(which shouldn't be there) feast making gas. This is just a theory about the burping problem. Sound logical? What do you think?


It is probably possible, but even if you look at a bad case scenario, BO virtually never produces a humongous amount of gas. In other words, it seems this gas that is only clinically detected. In other words, BO was not causing your gas problem. I suspect that your gas problem was coming from the colon and that you had the wrong bacteria growing there, not an overgrowth per se. That is why I was asking you what the peak H2 level was (and when it occurred).


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## Guest (Feb 4, 2001)

Hi pETE,Well that sounds wonderful so far, I would like to try the Neomycin myself, to stop this fungal overgrowth in my over swollen stomach, can you tell me what strength were the tablets and how you take them each day please.?Cheers,Carmen------------------


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## Guest (Feb 4, 2001)

Pete-I'm so glad to hear you're feeling better. Now I can't wait to try the neomycin. Hang in there & continue to keep us posted!


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## HipJan (Apr 9, 1999)

Yes, Pete, I also would like to hear your progress reports!


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## stinky too (May 21, 1999)

flux you wrote: . *But even if the bacteria in the colon, it's hard to say what the long-term effects are. There is always a risk of resistance and C. dif. Ideally, it would be better to look into flushing the system with Miralax(who mentioned that? was it you?). That is a good idea.[b/]I am wondering about Miralax, what is it and how do I get some. I am like Pete pass gass continually all day over 100 times. Diet helps some but not as much as I would like ------------------Prayer doesn't change God , it changes the one who prays..C type, with G*


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## Ugh (Jan 30, 2001)

flux said:"I suspect that your gas problem was coming from the colon"Along this line of thinking, I guess I don't see why the neomycin couldn't have altered the bacterial makeup in your colon... and how the doctors doing the treatment know that that isn't the reason you are getting relief.


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