SIBO, or Duodenitis, or what?

Hi,
I'm not a fan of detoxing as the body does that just fine all by itself. If you need to detox then the body is not doing its job. I keep up with my vitamin B12 and D3 with a multivitamin by prescription. The I have Omeprazole and a couple other meds to try and keep the stomach in line, not very successfully though, with chronic constipation happening. I've had several 'oscopies both ends and always without sedatives. Never again, the last one was rather nasty. I think Dr's have mostly lost the art of asking relevant questions. I'd go so far as to say some have the cure for you before you tell them the problem. It frustrates me that they don't delve deeper into the problems you have and expect a pill will cure it all.
I moved away from US in late 1979 and set up home here in New Zealand. For me health care is mostly free or subsidized with all hospital referrals free, even my local ambulance service is free. My Doc charges me 20$ a visit and I walk away feeling I have just made up her weekly pay packet and not much more!
I have been wearing out Dr's regularly since this all kicked off, as I won't put up with the nonsense they try to put across. I hold them to account and am accomplished at scoring black marks against my name. I won't let anything go until I get a resolution. It is kind of hard to push for help when I know there can be none, but I still try as there is always hope. The most important thing I have learnt is to deal with each and every problem as it presents, don't let it fester and get worse, you can do irreparable damage trying to be stoic and put up with it. I'm a fine one to talk, exactly as I did and now where am I, up the proverbial creek without my paddle!
Take care.
Cheers

@blessedwildapplegirl every capsule bottle/package I have read says capsules are not to be opened up … perhaps taking only a part of a capsule opened up could be the cause of your problem …?

I’m glad to hear you’re taking vitamin B 12. I’m not a fan of those proton pump inhibitors and I’m sure you probably know all about them already, but they put my mom on those and once you get on them, it’s difficult to get off because you can have a rebound effect if you try to stop. After I read that you’re more likely to break a hip or have another kind of bone fracture while you’re on those, I tried to take my mom off them, but she had severe acid reflux when she stopped the drug and we had to put her back on, and guess what? First one hip broke - she didn’t fall and break it, it broke and then she fell. She had just gotten done with physical therapy for that hip, and was starting to walk again when her other hip cracked and she fell again and then was in a wheelchair. The rest of her life was hell for the next three years because they had to drug her – it’s a long story. She was very unhappy. It was horrible. Plus she got different infections in her gastrointestinal tract because she didn’t have enough acid. Again, I’m sure you only take that because you have to because it sounds like you’re not a big fan of prescription medicine and I’m sure you have read the side effects. I’m sorry you have to take it though.
I went to see the specialist today, and I knew what they were going to say before they even said anything and sure enough, they want to do an endoscopy and a colonoscopy and they wanted me to schedule right away and I said no, let me think about it. They didn’t even ask me what I eat or my lifestyle or any other questions. It was astounding. But was I surprised? No. You’ve got their number, too. That’s all they know how to do anymore.
You’re lucky to be in New Zealand though. That sounds like a great system. The US is so screwed up - I’m sure you know that.
I take B12 and vitamin D3 also. And zinc and vitamin C. I need to start taking some lutein and zeaxanthin because I’m getting macular degeneration. The last eye doctor I saw was so rude that she wouldn’t even tell me if I had wet or dry when I asked her. She said, “come in for your cataract surgery first and then we’ll talk.” I didn’t even know I had cataracts until she said that. I don’t think I’ll go back there. Although my sister and my late husband, both had eye surgery there and they came out fine, so maybe it was just that one doctor.
I think I might try to find myself a good naturopath or functional medicine doctor, although I might do the CAT scan this woman recommended because it was a different kind - something about your arteries. I never know for sure what to do. I do know, though that if my food is sitting in my stomach for 12 hours having trouble getting digested, I’m going to start drinking apple cider vinegar with my meals rather than taking an antacid. Hey, have you ever tried that? I’ve heard of other people doing that, but I haven’t tried it yet. it makes sense though.
Remember, the good old days when we could take eating for granted? I’ve always had IBS, but for the most part I ate pretty well. I hope you did, too. Take care.

Hi,
I'm pretty much stuck on my minimal diet as a simple mouthful of filtered water can set the stomach off. Occasionally my see food diet gets the better of me but essentially I stick with wholemeal bread max 6 slices 2 slices shaved ham, the kind you can see through, and 6 cups of tea week per day. I may alternate out bread for two eggs. Weekends I try to get some veggies in with a samll portion of chicken grilled. Never enough food to be satisfied and in constant hunger. I use prunes, laxatives and canned peaches for relief although only mildly successful. My stamina is slowly declining and rely on my will power to get things done now. If I eat more than my diet I have to substitues something out or face severe reflux that strips the lips of some skin. Because my digestion is so slow I'm limited to the total amount of food or fluid I can take per day. I would think due to what I have had to do the stomach is probably shrunk by now not helping my situation any.
I wake up each day with the feeling of acid eating away my stomach, down my usual cup of tea which initially hurts but then starts to sooth the gut, If I go 3 hours without something in the stomach I'm back to the acid feeling. So I regularly down a cup of tea every 2 hours. Stress out and I'm back to square one. I eat food which I'm not supposed to be able too and equally I 'm unable to eat some foods that are supposed to be good for IBS. Fodmap was a joke to me. One thing I know I shouldn't eat but enjoy and find it helps sooth the gut when it starts to kick off it Gingernuts, 2 or4 a day. If I let my eyes run away with food I'm in trouble shortly after.
Well gotta cut this short need to get moving to get my tri monthly bloods done.
Cheers

Again, I’m so sorry you have to deal with all that. Reading your story makes me feel grateful that my problems are not worse. I hope and pray that you find some relief somehow, and I salute you for the strength to continue with such difficulties in your life. I thank you for sharing. 💕

Hi,
I don't or choose not to remember what life was like before this insidious disease decided it liked me to much. I tend to live by what I have and don't look at it as if only, because it can't be ever again. This is the new me I acknowledge the limitations and deal with them anyway I can. Yes there are times when I could easily end it all, but that is giving up, something I don't do without a very good reason. I'm able to accomplish tasks I shouldn't be able to do because I see them as needing to be done and I'm the mug that will do them, no matter the consequences. I focus on the end game, what happens to me until then doesn't matter, I bloody minded and very strong willed. It is likely what has kept me alive fighting any which way I can for another productive day ahead. I found work and working hard is my respite from the this disease, pushing through the symptoms forcing them into the background while I'm busy. I find the best way to deal with the pain is to deflect it focusing on the pain I'm intentionally causing focusing my mind on what I'm doing and why. This pain is the result of what I'm doing and it can be stopped at any time I wish, knowing this allows me to thrash the body accepting doing so is going to hurt but I can recover from it. When I stop the regular pain resumes business as usual, but I have had some hours doing what I must in a sort of enjoyable way able to mask the symptoms of my diseases for periods of time each day. I guess years of working this way lets me accept the consequences of what I do without consideration of the protest the body will respond with and it usually does, to let me know I've been foolish yet again!
As with my Grandfather before me, when we get a cold we are dying, when we are seriously injured, we are OK, what is the fuss.
Cheers

Oh my gosh, I’ve been thinking about my mom all day and missing her (she passed in 2011) and now you just reminded me of her. She’d called me and complain about a hangnail for 45 minutes and then when she was diagnosed with colon cancer, she told me that she had been having stomach pain for five years and never told anyone! I couldn’t believe it. Perhaps we’re related. 😁 You sound like you might be British or Australian and my grandfather‘s parents on my maternal side were British. I’m in the US and I feel like I need to apologize for that. I’m not responsible! There are some of us here who are intelligent and not arrogant, believe it or not.
Again, I’m so impressed by your strength, and so sorry that you have to go through all that you’re dealing with. It makes my problems seem puny in comparison. I guess we all have our crosses to bear in different ways, but I can’t imagine being in that much pain every day.
I hope there are some things that you can enjoy and I’m sure you’re an inspiration to those who know you by virtue of the fact that you haven’t given up. Life is difficult enough when you’re healthy!
Onward and upward! Or, perhaps it’s downward - some days I’m not sure. Take care of yourself!

Hi,
I moved from Detroit to NZ many years ago. I'm of Scottish decent which likely explains the stoic attitude. I appear to have taken it to the extreme! My mothers side of the family tree have all been the same, yet my fathers side have all been wimps, as my brother was. Thank the Lord for those genes, 2 out of 5 in the family recieved them and put them to good effect. It is interesting that 2 of the 5 succomed to MS, 1 has Hasimotos, I've got Autonomia and my little sister doesn't want to find out what problems she might have, in some respects I can blame her, ignorance can be bliss.
I don't see the need to apologise over one mans power fettish.
I remember my Grandfather crashed is bicycle and ended up in A&E banged up, everyone fussing over this 70 year old while all he could talk about was his bike, was it ok and had someone collected it for him.
Deflecting pain by causing pain you can control satisfies the need for the moment. I know I can take opioid based painkillers, but I'm keeping them for the day I cannot sustain the pain. I'm usually up at 6 am and feeling my age and everything else with it, 70 ish, but 1 hours later I think I'm 35 again ready and willing to thrash this body to let it know I'm in control, not the Autonomia. Then by mid afternoon I have lost the fight and Autonomia has won, time to relax a little and recover before another burst of action until retiring after mid night for a few hours of restless sleep.
Despite what I deal with I''m ever mindful there are others worse off than me. I'm one of the lucky ones able to suck it up and cope, for the moment.
Cheers

Hi. I posted a couple of months ago I think. In mid November, I suddenly had a really bad attack of what I thought was irritable bowel, but it went on too long. I had eaten an apple and some coconut milk yogurt, and got severely sick about an hour later and couldn’t eat for a week and then finally was able to eat a little bit, but had terrible diarrhea for a week and went to the ER and they did a CAT scan, and said I had inflammation in my lower bowel, which I could feel because it was burning. I’ve had IBS on my life, but I had never felt like this! then I saw my doctor and he wanted me to take an ad acid, but my food felt like it was sitting in my stomach for 10 to 12 hours, so I said no. He recommended aloe vera gel, and I bought some, but I’m highly allergic to all kinds of things and very sensitive, so I never tried it. The burning was starting to go away, so I didn’t think I needed it. I started blending my food and then I was able to eat a little bit more and fast forward to five months later and for the past three weeks I’ve been eating pretty normally, although still blending about half of my food, and I’m always on a bland, mushy diet since they removed my gallbladder in 2012. Well, the other day, I stupidly, decided to try some more coconut milk yogurt, the same exact kind of triggered my stomachache five months ago! Guess what? I was in massive pain all night and I tried to eat half an avocado this morning and I’m in pain and I think I’m gonna go without eating again and I’m scared because I only weigh 82 1/2 pounds. I’m 5 foot four. I can’t believe I did that again. Has anybody else experienced that? When I googled it, it looks like I might have SIBO and the probiotics in the yogurt triggered it. I’m scheduled to go to a gastroenterology clinic this Tuesday and I didn’t want to go because I don’t want to take a bunch of pills or have a bunch of tests. I can’t believe I was feeling better and I screwed it up by eating the yogurt. I’ve also been under a lot of stress lately, but it’s never been like this except for that thing that happened in November. I also had some sleep difficulties when this first came on and I googled it and it’s possible you can get Covid in your stomach (I know someone that happened to) and I had been in a car with someone five days before I got sick, so I thought I might have long Covid. I stupidly didn’t test myself when I first got sick because I’m here alone and I was afraid I would panic. Yes, I’m very anxious. I just wondered if anybody else had reacted to probiotics that way. I was taking probiotic capsules, but they started upsetting my stomach, so I stopped them. Does anyone else suffer from SIBO? Does it sound like what this could be? I’m so scared I’m gonna lose more weight. I can’t believe I was just starting to feel better and had been actually going out of the house which I hadn’t been doing for months because I was so weak. I feel like an idiot. Thank you for any help anybody can offer.

Hello again. I just wanted to tell you that you said something that struck me as very profound. “Deflecting pain by causing pain you can control satisfies the need for the moment.” In your case, you’re doing it on purpose, but in my case, I think I do it subconsciously. I’m finally beginning to realize that I sometimes suffer from illnesses, which, when challenged or no longer serve a purpose, disappear! That’s one of the reasons I don’t like to involve the medical field – they don’t understand things like that. Well, neither do I really. Anyway, without going into detail, I just wanted to tell you that that is a profound statement that can be used in many ways.
So you moved from Detroit to New Zealand! That’s quite an interesting move. I’ve never been to Detroit, but then I’ve never been to New Zealand either. If I had to choose between the two, I suppose I would choose New Zealand. From what I’ve seen in movies and on tv, it looks beautiful. I was watching a show about penguins tonight and I’m pretty sure they showed the coast of New Zealand. It reminded me a bit of home (Oregon). I love the waves crashing onto the rocks. So much more fun than just a flat, sandy beach, in my opinion.
It sounds like your family members have certainly had a lot of challenges. And I have heard that Scottish people are very strong and stoic. I have always wanted to go to Scotland. Maybe someday… But not with this stomach unless it decides to get on board with the program.
I salute you again for your positive attitude and your strength. I get quite discouraged when I can’t eat because I have no energy and I hate that. And pain hurts! You can quote me on that. 😊
Take care of yourself and thank for sharing. I wish I could wave a magic wand and make our problems go away. At least the digestive ones! I can handle the rest. Just barely, ha. 💕