Hi Saraeli.Yes I digest normal without pain and go to the bathroom normal.i honestly think it’s because I got so stressed out 1 week in particularly and that same week is when it happened.
saraeli said...
Hi, Familymatters. Sorry this has been such a rough stretch for you. I think a lot of us are experiencing flares right now from stress, and people definitely underestimate the toll stress takes. Disulfiram also can make anxiety terrible, so I would not be surprised if that contributed for you. Again, I know how awful these endless questions and symptoms can be, and I feel for you!
What happens when you do eat? Do you digest normally and painlessly, and just don't feel hungry?
SIBO is a good thing to rule out, especially since you have mentioned bloating and other GI issues. A breath test is covered by insurance and is reliable, as far as I know. One of my functional medicine docs treats SIBO often. She says that sometimes very high doses of probiotics are enough to overwhelm the pathogenic overgrowth, but usually some sort of antibiotics work better (herbal or pharma) alternated with probiotics. You can still take any antimicrobials you are taking for Lyme, jut make sure you take probiotics away from the antimicrobials.
Loss of appetite was the only GI symptom I had when I was diagnosed with SIBO (full disclosure: I was diagnosed by an LLMD based on a stool test, which isn't usually the way it's diagnosed). I took an herbal dysbiosis formula for two months (berberine, artemisinin, olive leaf, black walnut, wormwood). It made me feel slightly nauseated for a couple of hours each day after I took it, but that seemed to make sense. Within the first month, I dropped 25 pounds that I had gained a few years prior while on an SSRI; the SSRI had messed up my gut flora, which I could tell even at the time because I had IBS the whole time I was taking it (not before or since). And then my appetite improved. Getting gut flora in good shape benefits basically every system, so it's always a good idea, SIBO or not!
That said, I have had GI symptoms since then as part of herxes, adrenal crashes, dysautonomia, and MCAS reactions. Even now after four years of lovely diet and probiotics and gut healing, I have the occasional GI symptoms, so of course SIBO is not the only thing that can affect the small intestine. Gastroparesis (dysautonomia) and just loss of appetite happen to me for neurological reasons - neurological inflammation, stress or anxiety, adrenal fatigue from pushing myself too hard, a herx, etc. all cause me to lose my appetite, sometimes for weeks or months. Sometimes I can't even make saliva, and placing something into my mouth just feels wrong. I know how scary that is, since we associate food with survival and sustenance!
If you read the literature about fasting, proponents say that sometimes it's best to listen to your body, i.e. while it's dealing with whatever it's dealing with, it doesn't have the energy to digest and needs a break from the constant digestive process. So that might be worth considering, at least for a day or two.
I know you have had neurological issues and squeezing in the abdomen, not far from the stomach. Any chance this is related, like the stomach or intestine is inflamed from the squeezing? Or neurological inflammation and/or stress has just stalled your gut?
For years, the only time I actually felt hungry and ate a full meal was following acupuncture. Since most acupuncturists are closed right now for safety reasons, perhaps there's a YouTube tutorial about acupressure points that stimulate digestion and appetite?
Make sure your hydration and electrolytes are okay, and don't let yourself get constipated.
Hope you feel much better soon.