Methane SIBO

Were you prescribed any medication or special diet?

Fodmap diet for 4 to 6 weeks along with some supplements is what my nutritionist recommends. It does need to be tweeked from time to time - the tincture of bitters, herbs. It really helps me poop, along with slippery elm capsules. Of course the doctor gave me Xifaxan 550 mg 3x day for 14 days. It works for a bit, but pain and bloating always comes back for most people.
I had all the tests/scans HIDA, EGD, colonoscopy, abdominal x-rays.
My digestive system seems to be pretty sensitive. Basically it just hurts to eat. I lost 20 lbs in about a year. I have a mixture of IBS, diverticulitis, dyspepsia and SIBO. The doctors don't always trust the SIBO breath test. They say it's not really too reliable. I also have a gluten sensitivity, which is actually more common these days due to the additives in everything. It is genetic too. My Mom and sisters all have some kind of digestive issues.
I've heard of a doctor who said his wife couldn't eat any gluten here in the U.S., but when she went to visit her family in Italy, she had no problem with eating any breads or pastas there. There is a good book with a lot of info called "Dirty Genes" by Ben Lynch.
Still working on it, but doctors basically say there is no cure. L-glutamine powder helps to heal the gut membrane when taken daily. Probiotics and enzymes help too. It's really tricky to treat, since everyone is different. There may be combinations of vitamins, meds, foods, that make it worse day to day. It helps to keep a food diary. I write down the time and what I ate, and when there are symptoms, I write the time and where the symptom was. I highlight the symptoms with a highlighter. It helps doctors and/or nutritionist, herbalist, functional doctors. Primary doctors generally don't seem to care to see it, in my experience. They just want the very basic summary of what triggers it. Functional doctors spend more time and do more involved lab work. Insurance usually pays for the lab work for funtional doctors, but not always for the office visits. Hope that helps! Good luck!

That sounds pretty intense. Based on my symptoms, which have mainly dissipated, I hesitate to change my diet, which I worked with 2 nutritionists. I no longer have constipation. No recent diarrhea episodes and I’m back eating salads and lots of vegetables .I never had pain. I just still have the bitter taste that I’m not sure is connected to my stomach.

Hi, @kimmer26 - glad you got your diagnoses of methane SIBO and gastroparesis and know what you are dealing with.

Tagging a few Connect members who have mentioned these conditions to see if they have gained a lot of weight and had constipation, bloating and nausea @skim3737 @rsy @interest @samclembeau @parrotlady @annabelle6dawgs @mothermary1.

kimmer26 - how are your symptoms this week?

I have methane SIBO but I also have multiple small intestine strictures so not only have I not gained weight but I'm severely underweight (77 pounds, BMI 13). Likely due to slow digestion motility from radiation treatment damage and bloating after eating so only able to eat very small amounts of food

Thank you. I didn’t have any issue with weight, nausea, but yes was bloated.

didn't have a weight problem because I couldn't eat. was too bloated. fluctuated between constipation and diarrhea depending on what I ate. ( psyllyum made me constipated) my main symptom was bad breath. I mean really bad breath that had nothing to do with my teeth. it was all gut related. no nausea., bad gas...bad smelling gas. was not pleasant.

My symptoms with methane Sibo were nausea and bloating, but no weight gain because I felt eating more would only exacerbate my symptoms.

I had to rounds of Rifamaxin (from a Canadian pharmacy) to minimize cost of the Rifamaxin) in order to cure my Sibo.

A long journey, but I am so pleased to have defeated Sibo.

Hope I have helped you some !

Randy