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Hi rmv65, After 3 endoscopies and prescriptions drugs, I had had enough, especially when the GI after my last endoscopy told me to never take a PPI again as the cells in my intestines were hypertrophic. So...I knew I needed to make a change. After following a young man with a 10 year journey and no one able to find what was causing his symptoms he switched to functional medicine. So I had nothing to lose and I switched to a functional medicine doctor who tested me thoroughly for causes, looked at all my vitamin and mineral levels, thyroid function, etc. In addition to SIBO, I had SIFO, an overgrowth of clostridia which is a bacteria, mold exposure, low in B2, low in zinc. I was put on a prebiotic and probiotic to build up the good bacteria in the gut (all antibiotics kill the bad but the good too), a number of natural remedies that require the doctor's recommendation from specific companies, worked with her nutritionist to eliminate what I shouldn't be eating and include some things I should - Kefir and other fermented foods (pickles, sauerkraut, kombucha, yogurts that contain active cultures - I eat only sheep's milk for easier digestion). As well buy only organic fruits and vegetables as much as you can afford. Low Fodmap is too one size fits all - so I ate the foods that agreed with me even if they were on the list as the nutritionist suggested. My functional medicine doctor is in California and only treats patients in the state. But you can seek one out at ifm.org by city and state. Each has a bio and their specialties.
My doctor also recommended infrared sauna and epsom salt baths that help eliminate toxins.
Best to you. I know it's not an easy path.
Replies to "Hi rmv65, After 3 endoscopies and prescriptions drugs, I had had enough, especially when the GI..."
Maybe get your sodium levels checked if you are using epsom salt.
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Thank you for your response. I will check out ifm.org. I can't stand fermented foods. I don't know how anyone gets those down. I have an added complication of reactive hypoglycemia, so yes, a lot of the low fodmap recommended foods do not work for me. I can't eat any type of potato without my blood sugar spiking to 300 then crashing to 40, which leaves me needing to drink juice or eat something sweet to keep from going too low and having a seizure or worse. It's so difficult to find foods I can tolerate medically, but will also eat. I've always had a very limited food list, as I just don't like anything with a bitter taste at all, nor do I eat any seafood. It's a real struggle. Sometimes I just have to choke something down, and sometimes it's just easier to drink an easily digested protein shake. We live in such a rural area there are no functional medicine doctors, so I will have to travel to St. Louis or Chicago most likely. I don't mind if I can get some help. I've been looking into infrared sauna, and I do a lot of epsom salt baths as well just because they make me feel better! I'm glad to know those are of benefit. I don't think they have tested B2, but I am B3 (Niacin) deficient, as well as Zinc. I take a liquid zinc and selenium supplement and a B complex melt tab to help with those. I was hoping there was some kind of recommended SIBO herbal capsule with the necessary herbal compounds in one or two pills someone could recommend that may help. Just doing antibiotics and low fodmap isn't cutting it. I will definitely seek out a functional medicine doc.