Posted 2/25/2022 6:35 PM (GMT 0)
I have had severe SIBO for 12 years. I was given doxycycline for a tick bite, and within an hour of first dose, had violent dysentery. Diagnosis was eventually made at Johns Hopkins, by the "breath test," which is non-invasive. On that test, a score of 5 or 6 means maybe you have SIBO, 10-12 means yes. My score, no typo, was 137.
Over the years I have been on low fodmap, all kinds of over-the-counter supplements, two courses of Xifaxin---first course was magic, second was not so helpful.
Now I have a prescription for (generic) lomotil, which I take when symptoms are severe and I have to leave the house. This helps, especially if your physician gives some leeway about dosage. I have never taken more than two in a day, but I am allowed up to four, two in the morning and two at night.
But I learned something on my own, also. In desperation a year or two ago, I decided to eat a bowl of Kellogg's Bran Buds instead of supper. Cereal and whole milk. I thought this might cause whole system to empty out, and then I could begin very strict diet.
The next morning I was absolutely shocked to have a normal functioning digestion. And I could go outside without that feeling of an unstable gut, a deterrent to taking any chances of doubling over when not at home.
I did not know if this was a fluke. I thought it probably was, because if you have SIBO, anything that accelerates digestion is best avoided.
about a week later, I had bran buds and milk for supper again. Same experience as first time. Normal digestion the next morning, and a day of stability without any medication.
I do not have the cereal two days in a row. Maybe every few days.
Lately, I have thought to try just a few tablespoons of the cereal a couple of hours before bed. So, normal supper around 6 p.m., those tablespoons of dry cereal around 9, bed at 11. And the result has been near-normal digestion the next morning, and a "stable" day.
Unfortunately, Kellogg's has stopped producing this cereal. I had to pay $85 for maybe 8 boxes online. I actually called Kellogg's and asked if the cereal would be produced again, and was told yes, in a few months.
But for what it's worth, I kind of stumbled on something that was remarkably helpful to me, and I am glad to post this if it might help somebody else. Please note that my illness is SIBO, not SIBO "with" something else, not Crohn's, not any kind of ulcer, not celiac disease, not colitis, not ulcerative colitis, not IBS. It is straight SIBO, anti-biotic caused, and extremely severe.
I am 75 years old, female, and before the virus was reasonably fit for my age.