I've not been on the board for some time because I have been undergoing treatment from a naturopath and I wanted to see what was going to happen before reporting in.
I first went to the ND back in April. I had stool, breath and bloodwork done. When all was said and done, it was found that I had SIBO and several food sensitivities. I have cut the offending foods out of my diet (well, at least 90% of the time, anyway). I also underwent treatment for the SIBO; due to my severe reactions to antibiotics in the past, she treated me with medicinal strength herbs with antibiotic properties - the test pointed out the specific bacteria and also the antibiotics and herbs it would respond to. I got copies of my tests and the information in them was very detailed. Best of all, while insurance did not cover my ND visits, it did cover a good portion of the laboratory testing.
So, the herbal regiment was a bit rough. There were some side effects (nausea, etc.) but not as severe as I get when I take antibiotics. I did 2 rounds of that (3 weeks on, 3 weeks off). As mentioned, I've been avoiding the foods I showed sensitivity to, which include whole wheat (oddly enough, white wheat, including gluten, is ok), corn, milk, bananas (  ), etc.
So...I'm not sure which treatment did the trick, or if it was the combination, but this is the best I've felt physically in years. I can't remember the last time I had D, and my bloating and nausea happen rarely and when they do, they quickly resolve.
I still have a ways to go, though. I am finding that decades of IBS symptoms have taken a psychological and emotional toll on me. I have anxiety issues that have now taken center stage. I still have some issues with C since I've become so accustomed to avoiding IF - I am slowly working some into my diet, though, and I seem to be tolerating what I've eaten so far. I still have GERD, especially now that I've cut back on my Prilosec (the ND said the PPI meds made me susceptible to SIBO since stomach acid is a natural defense against bacteria). All in all, things are looking better. I went on a long trip last month and other than a bit of a panic attack at the end, I felt great and had a good time.
I understand that we're all different and this may not be the answer for some (or even most) people. But hopefully I can at least give someone something else to consider.
--------------------
IBS-A and GERD since 1983
Low FODMAP since 2012
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
Posts
What seems to be working (so far)
