If you had a raging case of H. Pylori or SIBO, how long after you started antibiotics did you feel better?

[Anonymous]

I am suffering so much, but doctor says it might take a week to get test results back. The weight loss was slow at first, but then it became a pound a day and today I’m down 2 pounds from yesterday, I’m so bloated and I’ve probably visited the bathroom 8 times in the last two hours. I can’t leave the house and I never want to eat again.

[Anonymous]

OP of the unintentional weight loss thread - I just wanted to say this is not my thread. It seems related but it is not me.

[Anonymous]

It’s really disappointing that the only reply I got was totally non responsive, but I can confirm that I, the OP of this thread, am not the OP from the unintentional weight loss thread.

[Anonymous]

Sorry you are struggling with this. I had a long, serious undiagnosed GI issue and when it was finally taken seriously and a large batch of tests were done, a endoscopy slowed that my duodenum was very inflamed, but no other test was positive was except I was borderline for SIBO. My doctor decided to treat it aggressively anyway. I had two rounds of Rifaximin (14 day each) and 3 rounds of neomycin (28 days each). I started to feel better within days of starting the first course of SIBO antibiotics but still had symptoms and symptoms increased when I stoped between courses of antibiotics. I had been on an immunosuppressant medication and the doctor’s theory was that that complicated the problem. Now at the 9 months point, I am symptom free and working back from an extremely limited diet and maintaining with special probiotics. I really didn’t think I would be this well ever again. There is a research center for IBS/SIBO at Cedars Sinai in LA. Dr. Mark Pimental. The center created a second SIBO test, a blood test called IBS Smart which can be used to monitor recovery. There are a number of Dr. Pimental YouTube videos that might be helpful to you. My doctor followed the Pimental protocol. Hope this might be helpful.

[Anonymous]

That seems extremely severe for both SIBO or h pylori. Have you had imaging?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry you are struggling with this. I had a long, serious undiagnosed GI issue and when it was finally taken seriously and a large batch of tests were done, a endoscopy slowed that my duodenum was very inflamed, but no other test was positive was except I was borderline for SIBO. My doctor decided to treat it aggressively anyway. I had two rounds of Rifaximin (14 day each) and 3 rounds of neomycin (28 days each). I started to feel better within days of starting the first course of SIBO antibiotics but still had symptoms and symptoms increased when I stoped between courses of antibiotics. I had been on an immunosuppressant medication and the doctor’s theory was that that complicated the problem. Now at the 9 months point, I am symptom free and working back from an extremely limited diet and maintaining with special probiotics. I really didn’t think I would be this well ever again. There is a research center for IBS/SIBO at Cedars Sinai in LA. Dr. Mark Pimental. The center created a second SIBO test, a blood test called IBS Smart which can be used to monitor recovery. There are a number of Dr. Pimental YouTube videos that might be helpful to you. My doctor followed the Pimental protocol. Hope this might be helpful.

Thank you very much for this response.

[Anonymous]

Have you had an upper and lower endoscopy? The weight loss concerns me. For my daughter it turned out to be many ulcers in the small intestine, so the scopes revealed part of the issue and then pillcam revealed the rest.

SIBO is tough because a lot of people find the antibiotics help and then it comes right back. Robin Chutkan has some helpful info online. I have a few of her books. (She's a GI who takes a holistic approach).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That seems extremely severe for both SIBO or h pylori. Have you had imaging?

I have not. My doctor ordered blood tests, a urine test, stool tests, and a SIBO breath test.

Unfortunately, I’m piecing together that I may have had this for a while. I told my doctor in early September that I had noticed over the summer that my midsection had become much larger, even though I hadn’t gained any weight. She said that wasn’t concerning as it’s common in perimenopause (I’m 52). By the end of September I was noticing that I felt full after just a few bites of food and I was getting winded really easily. I have asthma that’s usually very well controlled, so my pulmonologist prescribed a stronger inhaler in October, thinking that mold from leaves on the ground probably was the cause of my shortness of breath. I started having gastrointestinal issues in November, but they seemed to improve just as I got sick with a sore throat, a runny nose, congestion and sneezing. I thought maybe the gastrointestinal issues were related to that virus, but then the gastrointestinal issues got worse after all other symptoms ended. I had every gastrointestinal issue possible except flatulence: bloating, burping, heartburn, stomach cramps, sour stomach, constipation, diarrhea. I’m down 13lbs, mostly since Thanksgiving.

I put off seeing a doctor because I wasn’t sure I could stay out of the bathroom long enough to go to a doctor’s appointment. Finally, I had a virtual appointment with my doctor late last week. She said I have symptoms that fit both SIBO and H. Pylori. She thinks my shortness of breath may be because my lungs don’t have room to expand fully,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have you had an upper and lower endoscopy? The weight loss concerns me. For my daughter it turned out to be many ulcers in the small intestine, so the scopes revealed part of the issue and then pillcam revealed the rest.

SIBO is tough because a lot of people find the antibiotics help and then it comes right back. Robin Chutkan has some helpful info online. I have a few of her books. (She's a GI who takes a holistic approach).

Thank you for responding. I haven’t had any endoscopies as I just talked to my doctor about this on Thursday.

[Anonymous]

I had sudden onset heartburn and shortness of breath in my mid-fifties after traveling, after years of bloating of bloating, burping, constipation, and loose stools diagnosed as IBS. After an endoscopy and colonoscopy, the gastroenterologist saw nothing more than mild gastritis. Omeprazal/Prilosec has solved the heartburn and shortness of breath. I alternate that with a couple weeks at a time eating only foods that I know don’t trigger anything for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had sudden onset heartburn and shortness of breath in my mid-fifties after traveling, after years of bloating of bloating, burping, constipation, and loose stools diagnosed as IBS. After an endoscopy and colonoscopy, the gastroenterologist saw nothing more than mild gastritis. Omeprazal/Prilosec has solved the heartburn and shortness of breath. I alternate that with a couple weeks at a time eating only foods that I know don’t trigger anything for me.

Interesting. My doctor didn’t mention IBS, but we’re only just starting to run tests. I’m glad you’ve found a routine that works for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had sudden onset heartburn and shortness of breath in my mid-fifties after traveling, after years of bloating of bloating, burping, constipation, and loose stools diagnosed as IBS. After an endoscopy and colonoscopy, the gastroenterologist saw nothing more than mild gastritis. Omeprazal/Prilosec has solved the heartburn and shortness of breath. I alternate that with a couple weeks at a time eating only foods that I know don’t trigger anything for me.

Interesting. My doctor didn’t mention IBS, but we’re only just starting to run tests. I’m glad you’ve found a routine that works for you.

I have the sense that IBS is a diagnosis of exclusion. It seems to be a catch-all for when there are no significant medical findings but you still have GI issues. My symptoms are were all minor/manageable until I developed the reflux and shortness of breath almost overnight. It’s important to treat reflux as it can otherwise increase your risk for esophageal cancer.

[Anonymous]

It took me a few weeks on Rifaximin. But it can take a while if you have a lot of the archaea or bacteria. Drink lots of water to help flush it all out.

My first attempt at getting rid of SIBO was with the herbal regimen created by that Johns Hopkins doctor. I forget his name. I could tell that it was killing off the archaea, which caused my methane-producing SIBO.

However, I decided to go for Rifaximin after the herbals. After one round, the doctor made a note that my numbers were so high because I probably did not follow the dietary directions. However, another doctor said, “No, you have a very bad case of this.”

I needed a second round and finally started to feel better, which was a strange feeling after spending a decade so sick.

People kept asking if I had an eating disorder, which was very annoying.

In 2021, I thought maybe it had come back after seven years, so I visited a GI. To my surprise, they no longer require the breath test because they think it does not work. I then had to laugh at that doctor who blamed me for the wild test results now that they think the test results are inaccurate…😂😂

I had Rifaximin again, and it worked well. brain fog and other symptoms cleared up. But, after that, they said I would need an endoscopy if my problem had not cleared up. My insurance would not pay for that though.

Is it all gone? I don’t know and still worry about it a little.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It took me a few weeks on Rifaximin. But it can take a while if you have a lot of the archaea or bacteria. Drink lots of water to help flush it all out.

My first attempt at getting rid of SIBO was with the herbal regimen created by that Johns Hopkins doctor. I forget his name. I could tell that it was killing off the archaea, which caused my methane-producing SIBO.

However, I decided to go for Rifaximin after the herbals. After one round, the doctor made a note that my numbers were so high because I probably did not follow the dietary directions. However, another doctor said, “No, you have a very bad case of this.”

I needed a second round and finally started to feel better, which was a strange feeling after spending a decade so sick.

People kept asking if I had an eating disorder, which was very annoying.

In 2021, I thought maybe it had come back after seven years, so I visited a GI. To my surprise, they no longer require the breath test because they think it does not work. I then had to laugh at that doctor who blamed me for the wild test results now that they think the test results are inaccurate…😂😂

I had Rifaximin again, and it worked well. brain fog and other symptoms cleared up. But, after that, they said I would need an endoscopy if my problem had not cleared up. My insurance would not pay for that though.

Is it all gone? I don’t know and still worry about it a little.

It’s appalling that insurance wouldn’t cover an endoscopy. I hope your symptoms never return.

Why am I doing the breath test if they don’t think it even works?!

[Anonymous]

Have you tried taking mastic gum? I had a severe case and it completely cured me.