Can anyone tell me about SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth)

[Blinkingbotheration]

Hi all....just wondering if SIBO could be the cause of some issues I’m having....Before I fork out for a private test can anyone tell me if you’ve had it what your symptoms are/were? TIA

Nhs can test you

Thanks @DaisyDreaming - I’m under the impression that the nhs are extremely reticent to do tests for sibo. I’m keen to see if my symptoms match with other sufferers before I approach the gp or pay for private (stuff on nhs website & Mayo clinic etc is pretty generic).

Hi @Blinkingbotheration, I'm just wondering how you got on and what your symptoms are/were? Did you get anywhere with the NHS?
I've been on a strict diet for histamine intolerance for over a year under advice of a nutritionist. I got a Microbiome stool test done privately which showed that my bacteria levels are out of whack and the mucosal lining is inflamed, likely because of sibo. I get migraines, terrible acid reflux, bloat and stomach pain, fatigue, bad wind, anxiety and rosacea. I'm taking berberine just now and feeling pretty rubbish with it.
I never even tried my gp for a sibo test. I gave up after trying to get to the bottom of my migraines and repeatedly being offered different triptans even though I told them they made no difference.

Gp/nhs was a non starter - cost me £165 to order privately, doing it next week…. Will let you know how I get on @FoofOfTheWalkingDead . My symptoms are gastritis/burning that comes on when I eat until the food has left my stomach and a bloated/stuck feeling in my upper right quadrant (feels like a tennis ball is in there!). I have bile going the wrong way (up) my intestines - it seems sibo is considered a common cause of this. Whilst I appreciate there is a pandemic on I currently weigh 7 stone & struggle to function at all - I’m so shocked at how both gp & consultant have shrugged their shoulders and told me ‘the gut is too complicated and takes too long to figure out’….essentially it’s non life threatening so it doesn’t matter🤷🏼‍♀️…till I my organs start to give out because I’m so flipping skeletal☹️.

Upper right quadrant pain - I presume they've investigated for gallbladder disease?

Have you both been tested for coeliac disease? Look at the coeliac U.K. website for symptoms; you check a lot of them. Unfortunately the NHS are not very clued up on it so you would have to push for a test, but worth ruling out?

My daughter has SIBO and has done as much research as she can for it, so the only way to shift it is with a very specific course of antibiotics. NHs are completely uninterested so my sister who lives in the States and also coincidentally had it, has sent her some from her prescription. Daughter waiting for two year old to give up boob before taking the course.
I think there’s also a German supplement that’s supposed to be very helpful, not a cure though, just dampens it down.
A private dr here should be able to prescribe for it though. Horrible to live with, so restrictive.

I have SIBO and am treated on the NHS. Mine keeps coming back because nothing has been put in place to stop it reoccurring, this was about to change but Covid happened and I'm still waiting for my next appointment and am back to square one

You can get tested on the NHS but they only test for the Hydrogen type. I got tested privately for Hydrogen and Methane as I suspected I had both types (I do). So testing privately is better if you can afford it

The trick with SIBO is to work out what's causing it so you can stop it reoccurring. And then antibiotics (depending on which type of SIBO you have or both). My advice would be not to treat it until there's a longer plan in place... I've had antibiotics 4 times for it and each time it has come back worse than before

@Blinkingbotheration You mention Histamine Intolerance, which is linked to Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, which in turn is linked to Hypermobility disorders... just wondering if you're hypermobile? That can be a cause of SIBO

Have a read of this: www.citydietitians.co.uk/post/what-is-sibo-and-is-it-bad-for-me

@UpTheLaganInABubble, it was me with the histamine intolerance. I haven't been diagnosed with hypermobility per se but I am hypermobile so that is an interesting connection I will check out.

The nutritionist I'm working with is doing a two-pronged approach to the SIBO with anti-microbials (berberine and grapefruit seed) and building up the good bacteria (guar gum, masses of supplements, low-histamine diet). I got the results of my stool test back 2 weeks ago so have only just started this latest protocol. I'm not sure that I want to go down the antibiotic route just yet. I took a lot of ABs in my childhood and early twenties and I think they are a major factor in my abysmal gut function now.

I was diagnosed with Candida in my twenties and stopped eating gluten completely until I got pregnant in my thirties(I'm 45 now). I was negative for coeliac when tested about 7 years ago but have gone back to being gluten free as I just feel better without it.

@Blinkingbatshit, I'm sorry you're having such a hard time getting help. Can you push for a referral to a gastroenterologist? Surely such low weight would warrant it? I'm overweight so I don't fit the SIBO profile but I can see that changing as the only time my reflux goes away is when my stomach is empty. I avoid eating and have stopped snacking. Could you try a hot drink of ginger root and slippery elm to alleviate symptoms? Ginger speeds up gut motility and the slippery elm coats the gut. It slightly alleviates the reflux.

I've always been disappointed by the mainstream medical profession having had issues with Candida, adrenal fatigue and mental health for most of my life. This is yet another pathology that doesn't fit their model and therefore doesn't exist.

I'd really love to hear how everyone gets on. There is so little support out there and it feels very lonely and confusing sometimes. I can't really articulate it to DH as he keeps in robust health and doesn't understand how having a 'sore tummy' can result in me needing to sleep all day or give me a migraine.

sorry , that was really long.