# SIBO and IBS



## amaurybf (Jan 22, 2016)

Hi guys, I am suffering from IBS for the past 15 years (I am 27) quite severely.

I was wondering if I could have SIBO even with a clean colonoscopy and biopsies and with a negative glucose breath test. I have read that negative breath test can be false sometimes. However, my GI told me that I couldn't have SIBO because he didn't notice anything wrong during the colonoscopy...

So do you think guys it's possible?

Thanks!


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## jza (Oct 4, 2016)

SIBO is diagnosed with methane/hydrogen breath tests, not colonoscopies.


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## amaurybf (Jan 22, 2016)

Ok thanks. Actually I did the hydrogen breath test by taking a glucose solution (that's what I meant). But it appeared to be negative and I know there are a lot of false negative.

Then I had a colonoscopy and I was wondering if the SIBO could damage the colon or the duodenum.


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## Hanamarie (Mar 29, 2017)

I don't have a lot of knowledge about SIBO, but I don't see how a colonoscopy can diagnose SIBO as SIBO affects the small intestine and a colonoscopy only looks at the large intestine. SIBO, I believe is when the bacteria from the large intestine colonise the small intestine. Were the biopsies taken during the colonoscopy btw?


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## amaurybf (Jan 22, 2016)

Actually, 6 from the stomach and some in the colon. But nothing to declare, everything was normal...as usual


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## highlandhilman (Apr 27, 2017)

I agree with the other posters - SIBO affects your small intestine, while a colonoscopy checks your large intestine - two different organs - so there's no way to diagnose SIBO with a colonoscopy (although SIBO could cause other problems that would damage your LI - but that's still not where to look to find SIBO). Why your doctor thought s/he could make a diagnosis by looking at the wrong area of your body is beyond me.

The breath test you took for SIBO, was it a 2-hr or a 3-hr breath test?

If you did a glucose breath test you may have gotten a false negative as the "gold standard" test for SIBO is a lactulose breath test: there are 2 types of bacteria that could be overpopulating your SI - hydrogen-producing bacteria and methane-producing bacteria. If you were only tested for hydrogen-producing bacteria, you could have received a false negative because the methane-producing bacteria EAT the hydrogen the other bacteria produce :/

What are your symptoms? Do you take any probiotics? How is your gut motility?


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## amaurybf (Jan 22, 2016)

highlandhilman said:


> I agree with the other posters - SIBO affects your small intestine, while a colonoscopy checks your large intestine - two different organs - so there's no way to diagnose SIBO with a colonoscopy (although SIBO could cause other problems that would damage your LI - but that's still not where to look to find SIBO). Why your doctor thought s/he could make a diagnosis by looking at the wrong area of your body is beyond me.
> 
> The breath test you took for SIBO, was it a 2-hr or a 3-hr breath test?
> 
> ...


Thanks for your reply,

On a daily basis, I have abdominal cramps (combined with headaches/migraines), bloating, I feel depressed, anxious, tired and I lose weight easily.

I have 1 IBS attack per week roughly, which means strong abdominal cramps followed by an urgent need to go to the bathroom. Then I have simultaneously diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, vasovagal syncope (vomiting (it can be only bile, depending on the pain intensity), sweating a lot from all the body, shaking, pins and needles in my arms, pale&#8230. Afterwards, I become really exhausted and I normally need to sleep few hours to recover. An IBS attack can last from 30 minutes to 4 hours in the bathroom.

IBS attack can happen after eating, but not always. Sometimes, IBS attacks are so painful than I feel I am going to faint.

I noticed that some foods trigger abdominal cramps such as lettuce, onions, garlic, tomatoes, spicy food (chili), ice cream, beans&#8230; So, I have removed from my diet some ingredients.

I usually have terrible pain after eating, and I feel better after a bowel movement. I cut out dairy and gluten. I also tried the fodmaps diet few years ago, but I just lost 10kg by doing it.

I have tried more than a hundred medications, ranging from antidepressant to antispasmodic or probiotics but nothing seem to work. It's been 2 years now that I don't have a job. I don't know how people can work with such a pain and spending too many times in the bathroom without being fired. As I was reading in an article earlier, "I am just not reliable".


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## highlandhilman (Apr 27, 2017)

Have you had any food intolerance tests done? Have you been tested for h. pylori?

Vomiting is not a normal symptom of SIBO from what I understand, so you may have SIBO combined with something else, or something else entirely.

What types of doctors have you seen - any naturopaths, functional medicine doctors, osteopaths or chinese medicine doctors?

Have you tried enemas? If so, what kind?

Also, have you tried digestive enzymes? If so, what brands?


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## amaurybf (Jan 22, 2016)

highlandhilman said:


> Have you had any food intolerance tests done? Have you been tested for h. pylori?
> 
> Vomiting is not a normal symptom of SIBO from what I understand, so you may have SIBO combined with something else, or something else entirely.
> 
> ...


Yes I have done food intolerance tests done and nothing was to report. However, I am currently on a lactose and gluten free diet...just in case.

I have seen 6 GIs, endocrinologist, naturopath, homeopath and nutritionist, 3 psichiatrists. I jave tried CBT, hypnosis, yoga, sophrology, acuponcture, homeopathy...

Regarding the digestive enzymes I don't remember the brand.

And no I have never done Enemas...never heard of it actually..but just watched some videos on youtube on it!


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## highlandhilman (Apr 27, 2017)

Wow, that's quite the list. Considering all the tests you've had, the range of doctors you've seen, and the range of treatment you've received, it's very strange that you still don't have a conclusive diagnosis.

Be careful with enemas, if you try to do any - go slow and start small, and use a saline solution as your base if you're using any kind of water-based solution (you can add other things to the saline solution, like probiotics, or use an oil-based solution, however if you're not careful you can strip the electrolytes from your body). I learned that the hard way!


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## amaurybf (Jan 22, 2016)

highlandhilman said:


> Wow, that's quite the list. Considering all the tests you've had, the range of doctors you've seen, and the range of treatment you've received, it's very strange that you still don't have a conclusive diagnosis.
> 
> Be careful with enemas, if you try to do any - go slow and start small, and use a saline solution as your base if you're using any kind of water-based solution (you can add other things to the saline solution, like probiotics, or use an oil-based solution, however if you're not careful you can strip the electrolytes from your body). I learned that the hard way!


Thanks again for the advice. Yes I actually live in France and the IBS and SIBO concept are not as well treated and known as in Canada or in the US. So basically from Doctor to doctor they just keep saying me that I have IBS and that I have to deal with it! But I am 100% sure that I have an underlying condition. I can't be that sick just because of IBS...


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