SIBO diagnosis after bowel resection surgery

We recently had a family gathering and one of the people there said she has had a terrible time with Chron’s disease. Multiple surgeries to resect colon etc.. She said she was put on so many meds and was not seeing improvement. She finally decided to quit most meds and go on a strict diet of non processed foods, organic foods and most importantly,she said, nothing with preservatives in it. I don’t know if this is helpful or not but I thought it might be worth considering. She also mentioned that she works in the food industry and is appalled at the ingredients included in food to lengthen shelf life and increase profit. Best of luck to you.

I was diagnosed with SIBO about 4 years ago. Prior to that I too took xifaxin and once I was off of it my symptoms returned - so not helpful - and yes expensive. Metamucil and miralax are not anything I tried since they are over the counter and have ingredients I was not sure of. And Pepto Bismol is also over the counter and again only helpful in the very short term.
My doctor put me on prebiotics for awhile and then I was switched to probiotics. SIBO stands for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth - and my doctor explained that there is bacteria in the upper GI and the lower GI and what happens is that the bacteria in the lower get into the upper GI to feed causing us symptoms. These 2 - prebiotics and probiotics helps to get the bacteria where in belongs in our gut.
I was also helped with my doctor's nutritionist to the kinds of food I should be eating. I went gluten free, sugar free and dairy free. And yes, it takes some work to find the foods you can eat. BUT, gluten free products today are easily available. Even restaurants now will indicate on their menus which items are gluten free.
It is also helpful to purchase as many organic fruits and vegetables as you can as they are free of glycophosphate - a chemical sprayed on plants to prevent weeds which can be helpful to our gut. My doctor actually tested me to see if I had glycoposphate in my system and I did. And when it comes to meat - grass fed is best. Our bodies can HEAL if we give it what it NEEDS. And once you get on the right track, stay on that tract so your SIBO won't return.
Wishing you the best - there's nothing that feels better than to FEEL BETTER and do what you want to do.

I have short bowel syndrome. I only have 2ft of my small intestines left and I have all of my large intestines. I have constant upper left abdominal pain but my doctors are not treating my constant abdominal pain. Not related to food. Doctors had me try Metamucil and Miralax but my symptoms got worse. Found out that my body doesn't absorb enough fluids for Metamucil and Miralax to work. So when I feel constipated I drink apple juice and take 3 dulcolax before bed. Because of my Short Bowel Syndrome I am on a low fiber diet. My GI doctor thought I had SIBO so I took Xifaxan for 14 days but it didn't help my constant abdominal pain. I am still trying to find something to help my constant abdominal pain.

@tjanet
Simethicone works to give me partial relief from gas pains. Wish you could take it more than two times per day. My resected colon was doing pretty good but lately something has shifted to where I burp a lot and feel stomach pain before I need to defecate (poo), guess the gas is backing up all the way to my stomach from the large intestine, bummer (I'm missing the ileocecal valve which protects the small intestine from large intestine bacteria and gas). Don't think there is a way to shift those adhesions back to where they were.
If you try simethicone you need to look for a formulation which does not contain artificial sugars like sorbitol which can cause gas or peppermint oil which can cause an acid reflux reaction due to its relaxing effect on the esophageal sphincter. I found a Walgreen's brand simethicone that does not have the added sugars or peppermint oil:
https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/walgreens-gas-relief-softgels/ID=prod5638469-product
I have also tried kaopectate pills and a pepto bismal pill that if taken 1/2 hr prior to a meal helps with gas. You can only take it for 3 days so it is just a short term. Both medications contain Bismuth Subsalicylate - 262 mg (Anti-diarrheal, upset stomach reliever). Of course if you are constipated this would not be a good choice.
My only other suggestion is to try visceral massage, massaging your belly. There are numerous You-tube videos on different methods. They say to do it 3 times a day, it does help move the gas around.
Hope one of these ideas helps you, being in constant pain is a real bummer. Hang in there!

@beebe
My constant upper abdominal pain isn't caused by gas pain.

@tjanet
Well, gas as the source of your pain would have been too easy. I'll throw a few other ideas out there: MSM supplement or L-glutamine to heal inflammation in the gut. You will need to research the amount to take, I think you start really slow.

@beebe
I have tried MSM supplements and L-glutamine but they made my symptoms worse.

Darn! Sounds like you might have adhesions pulling on your intestines causing the pain. Have you tried stretching exercise like yoga or far infrared light therapy?
Wavelengths: 660 nm (red) and 850–940 nm (near-infrared)
– Treatment Duration: 10–20 minutes per region
– Frequency: 3–5 times per week
– Distance: 6–12 inches from the skin depending on device specs

@beebe
Stretching exercises didn't help. Did some type of heat light therapy also but didn't help. I think that my constant upper left abdominal pain is related to my short bowel syndrome and my GI doctor isn't treating my Short Bowel Syndrome condition,so I think that my symptoms are getting worse because of that.

@tjanet
Well, that really sucks, being in constant pain has to be difficult to deal with and to try and eat when you are in pain is really, really hard. Hope someone else on this forum can offer you some ideas that work for you. Wishing you peace and healing:)