Intermittent fecal/sulfur breath odor

Posted by pbleonar @pbleonar, Jun 8, 2017

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.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Digestive Health Support Group.

@pbleonar2

I'm desperate because this is all tertiary care has given me so far. I understand them when they say dysbiosis is difficult. What they seem to dismiss is the idea that there is some 'thing' that's causing the dysbiosis. While I'm sure the guy I saw is content on insisting dysbiosis just magically appears sometimes, I am not. There's a reason for the problem. Your body's microbiome doesn't just go off kilter from isolated stressful incidents. Whether it's tropical sprue or some furtive parasitic organism, something is causing all of this.

Personally, I think it's just apathy among doctors. They face large volumes of patients and they don't have time to devote investigative work for diagnostic testing to arrive at a lucid conclusion. And I understand it. I get it. I work in a bureaucratic system myself. BUt I'm willing to pay funnel extra money into this for more serious inquiries from doctors and they're staunchly set on sticking with whatever idea they've inculcated in their head.

I'm tired of this and I'm tired of being told to live with it. I guarantee if they had the same problem and had to stick with the same strict diet day in and day out, they certainly wouldn't be so damned smug with their closed-minded conclusion. I get the microbiome is a complex system, but it DOESN'T just go off and do it's own thing permanently without something else affecting it. Parasitic infection, hypochlorohydria, tropical sprue, and many other things can impact the microbiome– and if they're not addressed the problem never goes away.

So again, I'm begging this organization to address the topic, and if they can't come up with something cogent and collected to answer it with, send us someone outside the clinic that can address it and start recommending more detailed testing. This has been a 7 year nightmare, and it's absolutely ridiculous how many doctors are quick to dismiss this. And if I raise my voice during the interview when they start being dismissive, then I"M the problem.

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Dear Pbleonar,
I suffer from the same condition and feel your pain. I've been to countless doctors and have even seen a psychiatrist who thought it was all in my head. I've been diagnosed with SIBO. What ever I have is causing the SIBO. I suffer from breath that smell like a fart, feces and butt odor. When under stress the smell come out in different parts of my body. I'm on a round of rifaxin which I've taken in the past and did not work. I believe that it is a parasitic. I visited South America got food poisoning and haven't been the same since. This condition is effecting my life traumatically. I don't like to go out, because of the constant comments. I am a teacher. The kids refer to me as dragon breath. They cover their noses when I speak or put their hoods over their face. No one wants to sit next to at meetings. The staff whispers and talks about me behind my back. The principal is trying to get rid of my despite being a great teacher. I've tried so many things. I have a 3 drawer cabinet full of supplements that don't work. I just tired! I really concerned about losing my job because they think it's a hygiene issue when I take two showers a day. I'm so tired of the medical community not taking this issue seriously. It seems like there should be an easy fix. So many people suffer from this condition, I don't understand why people are ignoring us.

REPLY
@smelly1

Dear Pbleonar,
I suffer from the same condition and feel your pain. I've been to countless doctors and have even seen a psychiatrist who thought it was all in my head. I've been diagnosed with SIBO. What ever I have is causing the SIBO. I suffer from breath that smell like a fart, feces and butt odor. When under stress the smell come out in different parts of my body. I'm on a round of rifaxin which I've taken in the past and did not work. I believe that it is a parasitic. I visited South America got food poisoning and haven't been the same since. This condition is effecting my life traumatically. I don't like to go out, because of the constant comments. I am a teacher. The kids refer to me as dragon breath. They cover their noses when I speak or put their hoods over their face. No one wants to sit next to at meetings. The staff whispers and talks about me behind my back. The principal is trying to get rid of my despite being a great teacher. I've tried so many things. I have a 3 drawer cabinet full of supplements that don't work. I just tired! I really concerned about losing my job because they think it's a hygiene issue when I take two showers a day. I'm so tired of the medical community not taking this issue seriously. It seems like there should be an easy fix. So many people suffer from this condition, I don't understand why people are ignoring us.

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Treatment of SIBO doesn't always take. You may need to take multiple rounds of antibiotics. In addition, you have to watch what you eat as the wrong types of food may bring the bacteria overgrowth.

A friend has SIBO, received antibiotic treatment and still has to stay on top of it and what she eats. However, she doesn't suffer from bad or fecal breath.

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@pinkbird

I have this same exact problem. I've been told I smell like rotten eggs, sewage and poop. It is socially crippling. There are certain things that make it worse, for example, if I have an alcoholic drink, eat beans/hummus, bananas, chocolate, fried foods or drink lemon water and certain teas. I would say the alcoholic drinks are the worst for me – after 2 minutes of consuming a drink I emit the odor and it's just continuous from there (with several comments of "who farted").

Another odd thing is when I have a cold or sinus infection, the smell is absolutely horrendous….it fills a room and people can smell me from many feet away.

The crazy thing about all of this is that I can rarely smell it. There was a time when I went back in my car after being out of it for a couple of minutes and I smelled it then.

Some other info – my tongue is always a light white color with white chunks in the back. I've had a two candida tests (a swab from my tongue and one from a stool analysis), but they were negative.

I'm pretty sure this is related also – my thumbs and pointer nails have beaus lines (horizontal grooves). Recently had blood work done and I'm not deficient in anything. My doctors do not know what they are from (asked my regular doctor and dermatologist about them). Also, my hair became very thin and is always shedding.

Digestion related issues: I sometimes have heartburn and am constipated occasionally.

Some other background info – a year ago I was tested positive for SIBO and I was treated with Xifaxin for two weeks. The smell never went away. I believe I do have some sort of dysbiosis (maybe hydrogen sulfide dysbiosis), but I think it's a different bacteria than what was tested when I was tested for SIBO. The test results showed an increase towards the end of the test (which I have read can be a false positive).

My life is a nightmare because of this. It makes me depressed and literally not want to do anything. Going to work everyday or doing anything socially is a struggle. I'm on a mission to solve this. I'm going to order a stool analysis test and will hopefully gain some insight into what's going on. If I come across any answers or anything that helps, I promise I will post it here.

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Same here. I have done a list of things to solve this. Have you had any luck?
3 upper endo's
gall bladder removed
tonsils removed
stopped eating red meat
I take probiotics
floss after each meal
monthly detox
gargle with salt and peroxide after each meal
Nothing works!

REPLY
@smelly1

Dear Pbleonar,
I suffer from the same condition and feel your pain. I've been to countless doctors and have even seen a psychiatrist who thought it was all in my head. I've been diagnosed with SIBO. What ever I have is causing the SIBO. I suffer from breath that smell like a fart, feces and butt odor. When under stress the smell come out in different parts of my body. I'm on a round of rifaxin which I've taken in the past and did not work. I believe that it is a parasitic. I visited South America got food poisoning and haven't been the same since. This condition is effecting my life traumatically. I don't like to go out, because of the constant comments. I am a teacher. The kids refer to me as dragon breath. They cover their noses when I speak or put their hoods over their face. No one wants to sit next to at meetings. The staff whispers and talks about me behind my back. The principal is trying to get rid of my despite being a great teacher. I've tried so many things. I have a 3 drawer cabinet full of supplements that don't work. I just tired! I really concerned about losing my job because they think it's a hygiene issue when I take two showers a day. I'm so tired of the medical community not taking this issue seriously. It seems like there should be an easy fix. So many people suffer from this condition, I don't understand why people are ignoring us.

Jump to this post

I feel the same way! I was actually thinking about getting funds together and paying a doctor to do research.

REPLY
@msacctnt

Same here. I have done a list of things to solve this. Have you had any luck?
3 upper endo's
gall bladder removed
tonsils removed
stopped eating red meat
I take probiotics
floss after each meal
monthly detox
gargle with salt and peroxide after each meal
Nothing works!

Jump to this post

Dear msacctnt,
If so many people suffer from the exact same symptoms why is it so hard for the medical community to believe us and take us seriously. It's not hard to do research, the patients are right here!

REPLY

I agree….I’ve told Multiple drs- internists, ENTs, dentists. Each one looks at me like I’m crazy. It’s embarrassing and frustrating!

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@ginjax28

Please try oil of oregano, grapefruit seed oil, zymex ll & make sure to take probiotic on empty stomach right before bed. I can't stress enough how much these could help you. If you see a functional med dr or natural path dr they probably really can help you.

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Hello. I was wondering if you can explain a little more why these supplements would help? I read about all of them independently but why this specific combo? Also which probiotic do you think is best? I was recently diagnosed with SIBO with halitosis issues for 10+years… currently finishing antibiotic regimen round 2 which does not seem to be helping. In the past, I have tried the products you mentioned but never together and never for more than about two weeks at a time. Thanks for your help.

REPLY
@pinkbird

I have this same exact problem. I've been told I smell like rotten eggs, sewage and poop. It is socially crippling. There are certain things that make it worse, for example, if I have an alcoholic drink, eat beans/hummus, bananas, chocolate, fried foods or drink lemon water and certain teas. I would say the alcoholic drinks are the worst for me – after 2 minutes of consuming a drink I emit the odor and it's just continuous from there (with several comments of "who farted").

Another odd thing is when I have a cold or sinus infection, the smell is absolutely horrendous….it fills a room and people can smell me from many feet away.

The crazy thing about all of this is that I can rarely smell it. There was a time when I went back in my car after being out of it for a couple of minutes and I smelled it then.

Some other info – my tongue is always a light white color with white chunks in the back. I've had a two candida tests (a swab from my tongue and one from a stool analysis), but they were negative.

I'm pretty sure this is related also – my thumbs and pointer nails have beaus lines (horizontal grooves). Recently had blood work done and I'm not deficient in anything. My doctors do not know what they are from (asked my regular doctor and dermatologist about them). Also, my hair became very thin and is always shedding.

Digestion related issues: I sometimes have heartburn and am constipated occasionally.

Some other background info – a year ago I was tested positive for SIBO and I was treated with Xifaxin for two weeks. The smell never went away. I believe I do have some sort of dysbiosis (maybe hydrogen sulfide dysbiosis), but I think it's a different bacteria than what was tested when I was tested for SIBO. The test results showed an increase towards the end of the test (which I have read can be a false positive).

My life is a nightmare because of this. It makes me depressed and literally not want to do anything. Going to work everyday or doing anything socially is a struggle. I'm on a mission to solve this. I'm going to order a stool analysis test and will hopefully gain some insight into what's going on. If I come across any answers or anything that helps, I promise I will post it here.

Jump to this post

Same problem here. I fill up an entire room with a rotten smell. It's been a daily nightmare. I always wish that I can just be away from everything and live alone…

I've had this rotten smell for years and have tried many things. I tried a lot of diets, herbs, medicines for digestive issues to no avail. think my sinus is congested so I've been to ENT's, dentists, oral surgeon many times but they say there's nothing wrong.

Anyway, I had a Sinus CT scan a few months ago and impacted teeth were found. The'ye in the front of my mouth so they're not wisdom teeth. The ENT and oral surgeon that saw the CT scan both said they're fine and nothing needs to be done. I'm desperate so I went to another dentist/oral surgeon to ask to have the impacted teeth extracted. This will be in a few weeks. It's been a daily nightmare for years that I'm willing to try anything.

REPLY
@dailysufferer

Same problem here. I fill up an entire room with a rotten smell. It's been a daily nightmare. I always wish that I can just be away from everything and live alone…

I've had this rotten smell for years and have tried many things. I tried a lot of diets, herbs, medicines for digestive issues to no avail. think my sinus is congested so I've been to ENT's, dentists, oral surgeon many times but they say there's nothing wrong.

Anyway, I had a Sinus CT scan a few months ago and impacted teeth were found. The'ye in the front of my mouth so they're not wisdom teeth. The ENT and oral surgeon that saw the CT scan both said they're fine and nothing needs to be done. I'm desperate so I went to another dentist/oral surgeon to ask to have the impacted teeth extracted. This will be in a few weeks. It's been a daily nightmare for years that I'm willing to try anything.

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Hi @dailysufferer – interesting that you mentioned your sinuses as a possible source. It reminds me of my husband’s very bad breath years ago. Same thing- it would fill a room, nauseating. He had no idea of this problem. I had to bring it up because I’m sure it was not different at work. He first went to see an ENT and was diagnosed with chronic sinusitis- he did not have many symptoms except for post nasal drip. He was put on antibiotics for 6 weeks and that smell has not returned.

REPLY
@astaingegerdm

Hi @dailysufferer – interesting that you mentioned your sinuses as a possible source. It reminds me of my husband’s very bad breath years ago. Same thing- it would fill a room, nauseating. He had no idea of this problem. I had to bring it up because I’m sure it was not different at work. He first went to see an ENT and was diagnosed with chronic sinusitis- he did not have many symptoms except for post nasal drip. He was put on antibiotics for 6 weeks and that smell has not returned.

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Hi @astaingegerdm. I've taken antibiotics too – several of them. For some of the antibiotics, they worked after a few days that I felt relieved but then the smell comes back and I'm back to my daily nightmare. Same with allergy meds.

Thanks for the info – hopefully it will help someone.

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