← Return to Undiagnosed Autoimmune Disease - No one will listen to me

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Profile picture for gigi4 @gigi4

I'm so sorry to see all you are going through. While I have not experienced what you are experiencing. I did go through 6 years of gut issues - GERD (acid reflux), foods not being digested well, feeling fatigued. Each time I was put on the PPI, I felt great, but once I went off the PPI, my symptoms returned. After my third endoscopy
( scoping the GI tract), the doctor who performed the endoscopy told me to never take that med again because my cells were hypertrophic (meaning very enlarged) - the med is a PPI (proton pump inhibitor) which essentially reduces the acid in the stomach for digestion. Previously, I was also trying other over the counter remedies to no avail.
I was then left to figure this out since my doctor didn't know what to do if I could no longer take a PPI. I became familiar with Functional Medicine which saved me. If you are not familiar with Functional Medicine, it is looking at the root causes of your symptoms/illness, not treating symptoms. My FM doc tested me for so many things my other doctors did not test for - bacterial infections, yeast infections, fungal infections, parasite infection and mold exposure. I tested positive for ALL of those because my GI tract had become permeable - meaning it leaked these infections into my system.
If you are interested in finding one in your area, here is the website - ifm.org. You can search for doctor by city and state and read their bios and what they actually treat. It took me 2 tries to find the one that was knowledgeable with GI issues. I highly recommend functional medicine as again, they look for the CAUSES of your symptoms, NOT the SYMPTOMS. Treating the symptoms is a band aid but the infection needs more than a band aid to CURE you.
I wish you the best!

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Replies to "I'm so sorry to see all you are going through. While I have not experienced what..."

@gigi4 I'm a huge fan lf functional medicine and finding the root cause. I spent my life miserable (off and on, not constantly but enough that I missed out on lots) with gastro issues that a good 10ish Gastro docs would NEVER diagnose properly. It was my health coach (not a physician) who determined I had SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) and it can be fixed! Yes, fixed, not take a pill and mask symptoms. That's bad and wrong in so many ways.

Trust me, it's not easy going through the fixing process and its back again (can come back if you get food poisoning, have to take antibiotics for something etc.) So once again Ive had to eliminate all FODMAPS, have to wipe my gut out of all microbiom and then eat fermented foods to help repopulate my large intestine with the good bacteria.

Leaky gut is also VERY real and you can work towards fixing the leaks. Eat clean, no processed food etc.

My current Gastro doc who I love because he understands SIBO and knows its a real thing and is the cause of most IBS issues. He told me, most are not willing to do the work, they want an easy way out and take a pill.

Personally, I want to get at the root cause and fix it or keep it at bay by following certain food rules.

Do I miss great pizza, delicious fresh baked bread etc etc. Yes, all the time, BUT and its a big butt 😉, I want to ski until I drop dead which means I need to keep my body in as best shape as I can.

Happy to speak to anyone directly about my SIBO journey. It was a long one.

Hang in there, we're in this journey together 🙏 ❤️