Re: SIBO

From: Dawn (whity631@yahoo.com)
Sun Jan 8 14:42:13 2012


I had the test you mentioned about 3 or 4 years ago at UNC-Chapel Hill (i live in WV, so its a 9 hour drive- one way, which is so hard due to pain) they have some really good docs there for GI and pelvic issues)as well as other tests for GI work-up. I did have bacteria over growth and was prescribed a medication (can't recall the name) and it did help some with the bloating and gas- for awhile. Once the antibiotic wore off it's like it all came back. One thing I learned from the work up is due to the adhesions causing constriction of the bowel ( but not enough for a total blockage) I have severe gastroparesis. If I'm recalling correctly, the "normal" individuals stomach should take 3-4 hours to empty, mine takes around 8. I was told this can also lead to bacteria overgrowth as contents are staying in the stomach/bowel way too long. Taking probiotics was recommended such as Align. Sometimes it seems to help, while other times it doesn't. They also prescribed Reglan to help the stomach contents empty faster, but due to the bowel being constricted it seemed it just emptied into the bowel faster but once it got there it couldn't move as fast as it needed too, plus I couldn't tolerate the side effects.

So, I have just tried to learn to deal with the bloating and distention the best I can, which I absolutely hate! It gets so tiring of looking seven months pregnant when your not.

It's definitely worth it if u can do the tests for the over growth and gastroparesis, as or some maybe the medication would do wonders? It seems we are all in the same boat, so to speak, but what helps some doesn't help others.

I have tried so many drugs and treatments in the last eight years that it's crazy ( including surgery) with minimal improvement, unfortunately. So hard to not get depressed and stay that way. I wish everyone a less pain filled day! :-) Dawn Brown

On Jan 1, 2012, at 5:38 PM, "IAS Admin" <tracy.joslin@adhesions.org> wrote:

> Sender: jetstamp@yahoo.com (AIRPLANE)
> Subject: SIBO
>
> Has anyone with adhesions been diagnosed with SIBO? I just recently read
> a book about this called 'A New IBS Solution'.
>
> Anyway, SIBO means bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine.
> Apparently, much like the bladder, the small intestine is supposed to be
> pretty much free of bacteria. If bacteria gets into the small
> intestine, maybe due to migration from the large intestine- bloating,
> gas and digestive issues can result. You can have either constipation
> or diarrhea. The test for SIBO is called a lactulose breath test. The
> test can show abnormally high levels of methane and hydrogen gas.
> Usually, with constipation, there is more methane and with diarrhea,
> more hydrogen. This in turn can make the problems worse- i.e., methane
> can slow down the bowel even more. From what I've read though the test
> is not always reliable. The preferred treatment is Rifaximin, sometimes
> also Neomycin. These antibiotics supposedly stay mostly in the GI tract
> and are not absorbed by the body like with most other antibiotics.
> Rifaximin is currently only approved for travelers' diarrhea so
> insurance may not cover it and I guess the cost can be quite high.
> Approval for its use for SIBO/IBS is still in clinical trial stage from
> what I've read.
>
> One of the causes listed in the book is adhesions. The reason for this
> is that adhesions can interfere with what are called the 'cleansing
> waves'- which is a stage of digestion where the small intestine moves
> the contents forward into the colon, if I understand correctly. This
> occurs 3-5 hours after eating, which is why eating snacks or small
> frequent meals is not recommended because these cleansing-waves cannot
> occur while food is being digested.
>
> I just thought this might explain why some of us with adhesions seem to
> have a permanently distended abdomen. It sounds like, in addition to
> eradicating the SIBO with the antibiotics, the cause for the lack of
> proper cleansing waves needs to be corrected. Which means, for any of
> us who may have this, that we'd need to address the adhesions!
> Otherwise, the SIBO would just return after the antibiotics.
>
> It may be a good place to start with our next visits to our
> gastroenterologists if they are update and amenable to the idea of SIBO.
> Some of them may not believe in it because the concept is still
> relatively new. The book about it came out 5-6 years ago. The doctor
> who wrote it mentioned how long it took for the concept of H. Pylori as
> a cause of ulcers to be accepted- the medical community wanted to
> continue to think ulcers were caused by stress and psychological issues-
> and the same may be true for considering SIBO as a cause of GI issues.
>


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