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Intermittent fecal/sulfur breath odor
After scouring the web, I'm certain I'm not the only person with this problem, and not the only person who's been told they were imagining it. Anyway, the issue is I have intermittent odors when I talk (yes, I've been to the dentist 10+ times-- all say my oral hygiene is on point and xrays and inspections showed nothing). The only time it's practically non-existent is when I eat an unhealthily low-carb diet. Like others online, I've had CT scans, Barium swallows, endosocopy/colonoscopy, screening for parasites (getting one more from an IDS before crossing that off my list). All showed up negative. I tested positive for SIBO, but after researching that for the past 3 years, I'm certain SIBO is more of a symptom than a primary causal problem. Furthermore, even when I treated SIBO with heavy antibiotics, it did absolutely nothing for my breath-- and yes I was cleared of SIBO after a couple rounds of work. yet, the moment I eat carbs, I still get a "did someone just s*it themselves?" comment.
I guess what I'm getting at is I'm tired of doctors just saying it's IBS and SIBO and then proceeding to do zero investigating afterwards. I want to get down to the root cause of this, but most doctors are either too apathetic or too incompetent to do anything. Are there any researchers who specialize in studying and diagnosing hard to find problems in the GI tract? Between the 3 GI docs, 2 ENTs, 2 NDs and 1 IDS, I just can't take normal doctors anymore. I want my life back and I want a specific root cause so I can work on progressing from there.
Further notes: Diarrhea actually cleared up when I ate junk food and I had zero bloating, albeit the odor remained.
Xifaxan and neomycin did nothing for the odor, nor did the elemental diet. I actually think the elemental diet made the smell as bad or
worse than before.
*******Nitazoxanide********** worked wonders for the month I was on it. Solid stools even with foods that normally cause my ibs to flare up.
It's exactly the reason I felt there was more going on to everything than just SIBO and IBS.
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I finally solved the mystery! TLDR: tongue scraping is the cure, but you're probably doing it wrong.
To recap, I've had the same problem the original poster describes for a year or two. Sulfurous breath that could knock a buzzard off a dung wagon. Tried everything: brushing my tongue more, scraping my tongue, clearing my tonsils of stones, changing my diet, etc. As I mentioned in a previous post, gargling with a suspension of metronidazole worked like a charm, but wasn't a permanent cure.
I started to look into the chemistry of the VSCs (volatile sulfuric compounds) that cause the bad smells, and was intrigued to learn that while saliva has fairly neutral pH, the stuff on the back of your tongue is quite basic. So I thought maybe I could "burn" it off with some more acidic stuff like vinegar or sauerkraut. This was a dead end, but it got me thinking more about the gunk on the back of my tongue.
When I'd first tried scraping my tongue months previously, it was so uncomfortable that I figured I was doing it right. A few painful and gag-inducing passes with a scraper, and nothing changed, so I figured scraping was pointless. But now I REALLY went after it. First, you have to scrape HARD, as if you were stripping paint off a piece of wood. You aren't taking off a film, but abrading the tissue. Second, you have to use a piece of cloth to grasp the tip of your tongue and pull it out of your mouth. This is less about exposing more tongue (though that's good too), and more about preventing your tongue from taking on negative curvature (like a saddle), which is what happens if you just stick it out intentionally, and which prevents the scraper from making flat contact with the center-back part of the tongue.
Anyway, a few days of vigorous scraping left my tongue fresh and pink, and the smell is completely gone.
Good luck all!
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3 ReactionsYpur response gibes me hope. Doctors think that I am crazy, too. Will try some other methos, too.
@pbleonar
Same exact issues though mine go a step further, my body odor smells like shit. I got shot a year ago and ever since then I have been dealing with the problem. I do believe it is connected to a bacterial reason, I believe mine was contracted during either surgery or my stay at the hospital.
I get the same “shit” comments and giggles. I’ve already lost 5 jobs this year for fighting people who make these remarks. I can’t go on like this I will lose my freedom eventually so now I just jump jobs when it gets too bad. Sweating makes it worse, I hate it.
Have had a colonoscopy endoscopy blood test stool test and many Er and urgent care visits. No physician seems to give a fuck and they all act as if I’m “drug hunting” because I have a past history of IV drug use. Been sober for a long time and tell them I don’t want to address the fatigue and pain that I only want to address the cause of my symptoms. They act like I dont have the fecal body odor and just rush me out. Been on the verge break downs over this and everyone acts like I’m insane no one has the guts to say hey you smell like shit, they just make shit comments around me, family and all. Fucking hate this, if you have anything that will help message me please.
Well what's the update anything been solved?
How I can empathize with your plight, I've got persistent odor from my sinuses and I don't have sinusitis yet doctors throughout the years assumed that's what it was and prescribed me antibiotics that had no effect but disrupting my bacterial flora in my gut. What a tragic ailment this is so isolating and humiliating and combine that with OCD or other conditions and its a debilitating ordeal
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1 ReactionMy boyfriend's breath also smells like shit. If you can, please let us know what he can do about this as it is hurting our love life.
I am having the same issue. I have been to several dentists, ents, gastro, nothing. My general practitioner keep telling its an mouth issue, I should see a dentist. Problem there is I have been to over a hundred dentists spending money, they can’t find anything. I have been everywhere no help.no answers. I had become suicidal because of this, it’s never ending. My family doesn’t want to be around me it’s that bad. It’s in my clothes on my towels after shower, seems as if coming from my breath and out of my skin. Help please!
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1 ReactionCould be a mouth wash or tooth paste issue. Just read about this and will try to find the link.
I am definitely not a doctor but did a little research. There are many causes for this. Some I read were sinus infections, diabetes, liver issues, antihistamine medications, as well as other medications. I did read that some people have experienced this with dry mouth or with supplements they were taking. Also, obviously gum disease and GI issues but if you rule them out, you might want to check into some other causes. Good luck!
Tried everything know to man. Dentist said it has nothing to do with my mouth.