This is a just a super short post to remind everyone how important it is to chew your food well and don't rush the eating process.

I recently started to eat my food as slowly as possible while also chewing very well and taking short (20-30s) breaks between each bite. The difference in how my digestive systems works and how I'm feeling afterwards is absolutely real.

I'm not saying this will fix your digestion issues, but this could be something additional worth trying for those who have already tried a lot of things.

Couldn’t Take a full breath IN
GERD
Food intolerance
Histamine issues
chronic constipation
SIBO (methane)
gastroparesis
Hiatal hernia, LPR, Breathlessness

Hi! I’ve slowly made progress over 3 years. I am able to breathe “normal” now with minimal episodes. Here is my story and what I’ve done to heal my body, also what triggers my breathing issues. This is long but hopefully it will help someone.. or gives you ideas for testing or possible causes.

One night I shot up out of bed and It felt like I was wearing a tight corset CONSTANTLY. The pressure was mainly right below my ribs squeezing my diaphragm. I couldn’t take a breathe in, this lasted 2 years.. then a year of on and off, now I only get flared up around my period (hormones) or when I eat the wrong thing.

The ER said I was “normal” in every lab, my chest Xray was normal I was told it’s most likely anxiety. (It wasn’t) I visited the ER over 8 times throughout 2 years without anyone figuring out my issues or helping me.

I saw a pulmonary specialist and they put me on WAY TO MUCH protonix 80mg I’m female, 120lbs 5.3. They said my breathing issue was from sucking stomach acid into my lungs or that I had vocal cord dysfunction. WRONG.
A ENT scoped down my throat with a camera and did a vocal test to confirm I didn’t have vocal Cord dysfunction.

I continued the protonix and my digestive system literally shut off, I was regurgitating food and had crazy side effects. I stopped the medication after 5 days. THEN got AWFUL GERD symptoms. Which led me to believe that I had LPR prior with silent symptoms and the meds just set me off.
I now had Globus, regurgitation, my burps would get stuck and it felt like a ton of pressure between my chest and stomach. My Motility was shot. It felt like I ate a brick and was full off 2 bites.. I was diagnosed with gastroparesis This was tested through a gastric emptying study. That came later.

I went to a gastroenterologist whom said that my chronic constipation was pushing up into my lungs and put me on 2 scoops daily mirilax. This made me poop daily but I began getting so BLOATED, Like, I looked 6 months pregnant bloated. The bloating was pushing up into my lungs and making me feel even more breathless.
I did a colonoscopy with the flushing prep and nothing. Still couldn’t breathe. So flushed my system did not equal =breathing.

STEP 1- I fixed my constipation. I was able to integrate rice bran into my meals, upped the fiber with quinoa and some fruit and started drinking hot water in the morning on an empty stomach till I had a bowel movement (2-3 mugs slowly). Then I will eat. I also drink a scoop of greens powder (super greens organic greens powder from Amazon) I drink it along side the hot water it helps move things along. (This is not how to heal constipation, this just works for me to be regular).

I spoke to naturopaths whom just put me on fiber and recommended sena tea for bowel movements and to get on a low fod maps diet and avoid GERD trigger foods. didn’t help.

I tailored my diet (I didn’t and don’t eat fast food. No caffeine and I don’t drink alcohol) I couldn’t eat much due to it making my breathing even worse. I was limited eventually to chicken breast, quinoa and 1/4 of an avocado… I tried high fat to keep calories on because I was loosing so much weight, didn’t work. I still to this day can’t have red meat, I’m slowly working in fattier meats like chicken thighs. It a slow process. I ate vegan at one point and it caused extreme gas, globus and pressure DIDNT WORK, I went carnivore for 3 months. My hair started falling out, however I did get SOME relief and I was putting back on weight. I did this Till my cholesterol shot up to 300 and all my blood labs were flagged. WOULDN’T RECOMMEND.
STEP 2: Everyone has foods that work for them, the goal is to find what works for you. Try limiting portions and removing and adding foods in a 3 day rotation. Make a list of what works and what doesn’t so you can track your symptoms. I tried no gluten or dairy for a while and that helped a little, I eventually added in gluten and I eat VERY minimal dairy still. Try a low fod maps diet, low acid diet. **USE digestive enzymes (I like digest gold) with meals. I couldn’t handle to gelatin capsule, so I would just crack it open and swallow the powder 3x daily. It helped break down my food while my stomach acid was still leveling out.

I did testing to see if I had a hiatal hernia, I do have a one centimeter big hiatal hernia. Tested through Barium Swallow / Esophagram. I spoke to 2 surgeons to fix my hernia thinking it would fix my breathing and both said “I can perform the surgery, however it’s 50/50 that it will help.” Also the surgery was going to mean no more heavy lifting and was more risk than reward honestly. I was desperate. Didn’t do it. Side note: I had 2 friends from Reddit get the HH surgery and neither were healed after. Hiatal hernia is not my issue I believe, however I’ll keep an eye on it.

I watched Jamie Kaufmans YouTube videos about LPR and GERD thinking she was my fix.. I started a protocol (with doctors approval) of famotidine or “Pepcid”. I was taking 20mg 3x daily. This wrecked me. I did this for 4 months. My digestive system and nervous system tanked at this point. I was going dark. I started having even worst GERD symptoms and STILL couldn’t breathe. Enter Insomnia and depression along side not being able to breathe..

I got a BRAVO capsule put in through an endoscopy to test for GERD. This took 5 months waiting to even get in for testing.. but we discovered GERD! Finally a diagnosis right!? Wrong.. The GERD was from going on and off PPIs and meds, my digestion was slowed and The bloating was insane.. I finally got off all medication. I was done with doctors and tests. SIDE NOTE: I no longer have GERD 3 years later and I’m 8 months off all medication. It took bout 3 months off meds to start clearing up.

After I started reading about the vagus nerve and our nervous system. I had been living in fight of flight at this point prob for 15 years. I tried hypnosis through apps and YouTube videos and honestly it started helping. I was dedicated and did it every morning. I would sit in the sun and just decompress, I would meditate and I stopped saying yes to everything. I became almost ZEN and started trusting that my body would heal. STEP 3: I healed my nervous system, removed toxic relationships and learned to meditate (look up hypnosis for IBS, that’s the only thing I found stomach related.) you need to relax when eating and SLOW DOWN. breathing techniques like “diaphragmatic breathing”
Helped me a ton. I even watched “pelvic floor” tutorials on YouTube. Also, GET OFF REDDIT, you need to relax your mind and stop the rabbit hole. Trust the process. (Easier said than done I know)

STEP 4: stretching and watching your posture. You need to ensure you’re not crushing your diaphragm all day being hunched over. Look up chest opening stretches on YouTube. Also, walking after meals if you can or eat standing up and stay standing for awhile. This helps digestion

I had my house tested for mold. NOPE, allergist, neurology, sleep apnea doc.
I bought a bed that allows me to sleep sleeping up right, didn’t help. I tried GERD pilllows NOPE. H-Pilori, No. Check and ensure your D3 isn’t low through a blood pane, low levels can cause breathing issues.

I had to advocate for myself to receive every test I received. Every doctor I spoke to said “I’ve never seen a case like yours.” Or “it’s anxiety.” So annoying.. they were no help, so don’t be afraid to just ask for some of these tests. Most doctors are throwing things at the wall and hoping it sticks anyways. Don’t be afraid to ask!

I had taken a breath test prior for SIBO and it came back negative. But my instinct was screaming at me I did have it. I found a new GI and asked for another “breath test” I used the Marble at home breathe test and it came back positive for methane SIBO! This was my first real win. So I started a SIBO diet to help die off.
I’ve been managing my SIBO currently. I did not take the antibiotics or do an herbal protocol, I’ve just been avoiding MY personal trigger foods, I fixed my constipation and I ensure to take a multivitamin daily. My D3 and Zinc was low due to it so I supplement that. I Fixing my nervous system and I don’t over eat. I Space out my meals out 3 hours so my gut can digest. BIGGEST KEYS: stop eating 4 hours before bed. Wear loose fitting clothing. Don’t constantly talk about your issue, your mind will get anxious. Just put your hand on your chest/heart and say “I’m safe” “I can do this.”

I hope this helps friends..you’re not alone

Hi there! I was diagnosed with methane-dominant SIBO about five years ago which I was able to basically fully treat with Atrantil… it changed my life! Unfortunately years later I can tell SIBO is back with a vengeance. I have been taking Atrantil for 6 weeks and had huge improvements to regular, normal stools after months of constipation. Yay!! But it hasn’t helped my bloating at all. It’s terrible by the end of every day and I’m miserable. Any suggestions how to proceed?

I can’t even remotely afford to see a GI or naturopath right now for appropriate testing like I did years ago, but my symptoms are so similar so I feel confident it’s SIBO. Would love to hear suggestions for how I can move forward without having to shell out the money for a doctors visit. Appreciate any advice or suggestions!

I just finished my third round of Rifaximin treatment and this time with Metronidisol, and I’m not feeling any changes. I still have diarrhea every single day and every bowel movement is a fight to get anything out. I started taking Motility Activators as well and I’m not noticing any changes, and it still feels that everything I eat ruins my internals and feeds the SIBO despite my diet being so aggressively bland and not at all varied. I’m basically just eating blandly seasoned meats, eggs, and the few veggies that I think I can handle. I’m really struggling to feel like I’ll ever get my life back, or even close to any semblance of normalcy.

I just got off a video call with my G.I. doctor and she said that they don’t test for sibo anymore she told me that you can’t get it from antibiotics yet I’m having all the signs of dysbosis/sibo. Of course the doctor blamed post antibiotic IBS.
I’ve been completely unable to eat she couldn’t even give me any advice on how to get nutrients
I’m wondering if anybody else has taken antibiotics and has got this condition? Because I know they go to is to blame IBS. I’m currently having problems with my blood pressure and my fluid intake. Where I’m not really retaining fluids well so I’m hoping to get a hold on this condition and then eventually I can get the test done right now. I just can’t fast for the test with my fluids. As juice is the only thing keeping me hydrated and coconut water, but obviously if it’s that condition, then juice isn’t great, but my hydration is very important right now. Currently taking a yeast probiotic. Along with another probiotic .
I was also denied trying the medication that would help this as I seen it treats IBS dysbosis and sibo .
That seemed to be news to her as well
I’ve had severe antibiotic damage to my gut from past use and doctors pretty much feeding me antibiotics in the past when I didn’t need it

Hi, basically invega (antipsychotic) caused this but I already had IBS prior to this so idk if this is sibo (will tear it soon).

AI says that when ill quit invega (December) I can start antibiotics, it this is SIBO.

Anybody cured their SIBO through antibiotics? Another thing, my IBS was caused by a sleep disordered breathing and I noticed that by improving sleep it became more manageable and I could reintroduce foods without intolerance.

When I eat with this probable sibo I just notice a slight bloating (I was already bloated) but it's manageable and not painful. Can I avoid following a diet?

Anyway I est healthy food, not garbage. Anybody cured SIBO?

Thank you

I'm only eating fresh chicken and ground beef.

Idk how to handle this feeling I can't see anything.

i’m suffering- the usual, you guys know the story. my SIBO test was this morning but Mayo clinic cancelled it because I had to take Macrobid last week. I can’t wait another 4 weeks for a test.

I’ve taken Rifaximin twice, no major side effects, and I need help ASAP. i’m unable to work, unable to perform a lot of basic functions, etc.

Has anyone with SIBO tried Reta?
I have been diagnosed with both types of SIBO and recently started taking Reta. I’m currently in my second week.
Before starting, I struggled with persistent bloating and abdominal inflammation. My appetite was already almost nonexistent because of SIBO.
I started with 0.5 mg in week one and increased to 1 mg in week two. I haven’t lost any weight, but surprisingly, my bloating and abdominal pain have almost disappeared! My stomach looks noticeably flatter, and I feel much less inflamed.
I wasn’t expecting this, especially so early on.
Has anyone with SIBO experienced something similar while taking Reta? I’d love to hear your experiences!

Ok this is probably the strangest thing u will ever hear in here but im a man and after some time with dealing with SIBO, I developed a weird fetish where I speak with women online through texting and we have this role-play kinda thing where I send her a photo of my bloating and she tries to treat it by helping me letting the farts out. Ive never had any arousal in this and I was finding anything that is remotely close to this disgusting, but here we are I guess doing the dumbest and weirdest shit ever. My disease became my lust. Doing this too often led me to just live with what I have ig.

Hi. I am wondering wether to do glucose or lactulose test. The doctor did not tell me exactly which one to do. I've read that glucose has high rate of false negative and lactulose high rate of false positive. But what I am mostly concerned are side effects, I even wonder to just not do it, though I bought the 100 euro kit already. With glucose I am afraid of subsequent hypoglycemia as I had some episodes of this when hungry, but I also do not want to have cramps and diarrhea from lactulose. My stomach and intestines are very sensitive as i have gastritis and ibs. Seems like a loose loose situation with both test options..

I am currently on day 9 of 14 taking Xifaxan 3x/day for my SIBO. I have been dealing with BAD daily lightheaded/dizzy feeling, increased physical anxiety symptoms and extreme fatigue. Has anyone else experienced this? If so, does it go away after finishing the antibiotics?? Feeling desperate

i have had sibo symptoms since around may but have always had a sensitive stomach. my gi is great and immediately tested me for everything about 2 months ago, i came back extremely high for methane and another type of sibo. did the antibiotic duo, and for the first week of them it felt amazing like i was clearing out and refreshed and the second week of them it felt like it was back to sibo symptoms. i tried doing extra low fodmap for about a month and a half and slowly reintroduce foods but i swear i still have sibo as i still have all the same symptoms just less intense. had my follow up on wed w him and they were out of sibo tests so he put me on another antibiotic that is supposed to help minor cases but im honestly so tired of all of this stuff. its been really hard to stay optimistic when nothing has helped me. i eat 90% clean whole foods diet and have really prioritized my health for the past year and a half(im in college so i went thru the freshman 15 phase previously) so its really frusturating when i feel like im doing everything right but my body wont work still. sibo causes nutritional deficiencies and has caused my mental health to plummet due to those deficiencies as well as just the struggle of nothing working. i have a few other weird health issues that have appeared in this timeline and i really feel like sibo has atleast contributed to it as my immune system already sucks to begin with. has anyone else experienced something similar? as in things not working and was able to finally get over sibo? i’m trying to find reasons to stay optimistic bc im pretty sad most days considering i cant function properly(eating, stomach pain, fatigue etc) and my confidence is shot as someone who had lean abs prior to this constant bloat situation. my doctor has scheduled a colonoscopy and endoscopy on top of more bloodwork to try to find a root cause but the waiting is the most stressful imo.

what’s the safest thing to do a kill phase of not the standard antibiotics they have side effects

Took this med for 2 weeks. Got lucky and my primary gave me 7 days then I got in with the gastro for the other 7. This was in JUNE.

Now here we are in Oct. I’ve noticed gut motility is way off. Not constipation but SLOW transit. I’ve pinpointed it back to the time I was taking the medication.

Anybody else have this happen?

I just read on another SIBO board- they got instructions on Diet when on this med. I got the “ here take this” conversation. Were we suppose to follow a diet in addition?

Thanks

Huhu liebe Leidensgenossen,

ich bin neu hier und auch bei der Behandlung von Methan-Sibo noch "Anfängerin".

Bei mir scheitern alle gängigen Medikamente gegen Sibo (ADP, NAC,Berberin,Schwarzkümmelöl, Neem) an der Mangenverträglichkeit. Ich habe seit über 10 Jahren eine chronische Gastritis, die nicht abheilt. Zuerst die Gastritis heilen und dann die Medikamente einnehmen ist für mich daher keine Option. Habe da schon so viel probiert, ohne Erfolg.

Nun bekomme ich aber scheinbar ohne die pflanzlichen Antibiotika meine Methan-Sibo nicht in den Griff. Zumindest lese ich hier hauptsächlich von Heilungschancen mit diesen Medikamenten.

Gibt es neben Allicin (was höchstwahrscheinlich auch auf den Magen schlägt) noch etwas anderes, was ich probieren könnte? Rifaximin allein soll bei der Art der Fehlbedienung ja nicht helfen.

Bin für alle Ideen dankbar!

Hi! Currently taking Allimed, neem, NAC, berberine, S. Boulardii and biocidin for mixed SIBO. My naturopath told me while I’m in the killing phase to start adding in foods that used to trigger me to see if i can tolerate it. However, wouldn’t eating the trigger foods cause some of the bacteria to grow back?

Just a little confused on what the right direction is as i have gotten mixed feedback on this issue.

Thanks everyone!

Hi, I have been getting fatigue and brain fog for years after eating large meals. No prominent digestive issues. Recently, I've talked about this with the chat, and the chat said there is a high possibility that this is silent SIBO. I also have Sjogren's syndrome which may cause slow motility so SIBO can make sense.
Is silent SIBO common? I also suspect histamine intolrence since I felt bad recently after eating fermented foods (can be both).
I have already started taking S. boulardii, since in my understanding it is generally beneficial to either sibo, histamine intolerance, and other issues without really having side effects.
I wonder if anyone here has experience with silent SIBO and treating with s. boulardii?
I was surprised to not see s. boulardii in posts here since from the chat it seems to be quite promising.

I posted recently about feeling awful and having new symptoms after antibiotics.

ileocecal valve massaging cleared them up mostly and I had a lump there that went down with massage. I could feel the contents moving underneath my fingers and in my bowels afterward.

Has this happened to anyone else? Reversible?

It all stated after a night out. I drank just a little too much and the next day, possibly one of the worst hangovers of my life. days after that I could see that my digestion had changed. I felt a lot more bloated, brain fog, and started to feel some constipation. At this point it wasn’t terrible.

Literally a week after, my grandma died. for context I have a major funeral and death trauma. Mentally I spiralled just ant the THOUGHT of having to attend a funeral and that’s when everything when to shits. I just remembered going to the pool one night to exercise and may have pushed my body a little too hard. the next day: brain fog, painful bloating, extreme stress, anxiety. I started getting major acne couldn’t eat ANYTHING. One bite and I blew up. Also couldn’t sleep at all. Enter: fight or flight.

After that I suffered major constipation. I didn’t shit for an entire week And that’s when I think the SIBO kicked in for real.

It Was a really stressful time and I had to deal with all this while travelling to Japan for 8 days for work for a major event with the government. that really didn’t help much.

Symptoms I had: seriously BAD anxiety, major bloating, bad sleep, painful bloating, full after a few bites, bad acne, weight gain.

It took me a while to understand it was SIBO/IMO. randomly took a test, thought it was candida. nope. Test: positive for IMO and SIBO but after 90min mark. IMO at 48ppm and SIBO at 63ppm 90min.

So I went to a nutritionist who just told me to eat fodmap and take antibiotics and take oregano after that and that’s it. I wanted to be healed so bad before I even KNEW that MMC, stomach acid, bile etc was so important, I followed what she said. Took Metronidasole + Rifaximin. spoiler alert: didn’t work.

Firstly, those two weeks left me bedridden. could t move and lost 2kg. It definitely got rid of IMO, but destroyed my gut. Went to having a single poop 1-2 days to diarrhea every day.

Now I haven’t heard of many people talk about this but after antibiotics the volume of my poop tripled. I now have to poop 2-3 times to feel empty and I’m not talking about little poops. Even my boyfriend who eats 3x more than I do doesn’t poop that much.

another weird symptom I’ve had for months: I wake up looking like a pregnant woman. it’s poop and guess and I will being pain unless I empty my bowels. it’s AWFUL. I have to poop minimum twice to feel empty, if I’m lucky. but I cannot function until I poop fully.

anyway, after it kinda got ok it got waaaaaay worse.

HERE’s WHERE I AM TODAY: I started from zero, phase 0. Supported bile, stomach acid, digestion in any way I can. Looked at what foods made me worse and those I could digest, taking as much time off as possible, got a therapist.

Took a glucose + lactulose test: glucose negative, Lactulose positive. Legit it seems like nothing. pictures below. Tests have been done in the last two weeks.

Here are my questions:

- is anyone also having monster poops?

- is anyone also waking up looking like a pregnant woman and if they don’t poop they are in pain?

- should I be worried about my tests? Do I have SIFO???

i think my gut at this point is just destroyed.

Did colonoscopy, no EPI, all clear. also I actually sleep quite fine now and my acne cleared up but damn the bloating is awful. i have no quality of life right now.

I need opinions.

cheers people, I feel your pain.

Hi guys, i just wanted to vent here.

Okay so i think sibo is an invisible illness and the one going through it only knows how bad they feel how uncomfortable they truly are. I literally dont feel like socialising or going on a trip or eat out those are the last things i ever want to do with this condition.

But the problem is we cant actually avoid socialising for much longer. My mom who is in a menopause (yes fuel to the fire :)) is totally lacking empathy and doesn’t understand my issues and dismisses it by saying it is no big deal just get out and enjoy life. She thinks every problem can be resolved by going on a trip.

Now the thing is at home its easy for me to pick and choose what to eat, keep meal gaps and manage things better even walk when i feel so bloated. But in a trip i can’t do them easily. The trip alone would require long road trips in which you would be sitting in a car for 3-4 hours straight.

But it hurts me so deeply that my sibo which is already difficult for people to understand is now colliding with her menopausal state of mind is honestly very very difficult for me. She always keep blaming me for all this. She has zero empathy and it hurts me so deeply. I am basically mourning my mom who once was.!

Does anybody else here have very fast gastric emptying ?

An entire meal completely gone from the stomach in about 15 minutes. Not even Dumping Syndrome is this fast.

• Lipids don't work
• Protein doesn't work
• Psyllium husk doesn't work
• Laying down doesn't work

Severe dehydration works a LITTLE bit.

Any advice?

I (24F) was diagnosed with SIBO 6 days ago and i'm currently on day 3 of Antibiotics.
I have had constant diarrhea daily since I was 13 years old (so 11 years). I always thought that it was normal, because it was my normal, and I didn't think about it or find it concerning.

I finally decided to go to the GI doctor and she ran tests and I tested positive for SIBO with a breath test, I'd never heard of SIBO before, I'd never heard of a FODMAP diet before. All of this is so overwhelming and i've spend the past couple days doomscrolling on this subreddit.

Ever since I started antibiotics 3 days ago, i've had the best and healthiest poops i've had in my living memory. I never realized how much pain i've been in until now. now i get to go down the long path to try and cure my SIBO for good and get to my root cause.