MedicineNet.com

My physician prescribed Xifaxan last February because I felt that the gas and diarrhea I was having might be bacterial in origin. I was happy with the way it worked. After the six pills a day for 10 days I resumed my daily probiotics and all went well. But I seem to have recurrent periods of poor bowel health and am having one now. After gall bladder surgery in mid-July, eveything was good until another flare-up, which developed into a bowel obstruction episode and a couple of days in the hospital. Since then, I can't seem to shake the diarrhea. I asked to try the Xifaxan again and am using it, but it seems not to be improving my symptoms. What I experienced between the original course of antibiotics and now was a period of time when I felt a lot more strong and resilient and less gassy. I had enough days of normalcy that I thought perhaps I had gotten beyond my years of difficulties. Here I am again. Oy vey.

I was diagnosed with SIBO in 2007. I had previously been diagnosed with IBS. Ten years ago, I had surgery to remove the gallbladder and bile duct because of cysts in the bile duct. Following that, I suffered with IBS. In 2007, I became very ill with diarrhea, upset stomach, and acid reflux. I could not eat or sleep and lost a lot of weight. It took four months for the doctors to find out what was wrong. I began taking probiotics, coated peppermint supplements, and trying to cut out sugary and high-carbohydrate foods. That has helped a lot to control the awful symptoms, but occasionally it still flares up. I found out that taking antacid medications reduces the acid needed to kill bacteria, so I stopped taking those and found that if the bacteria is under control, I do not have the acid reflux problem. Aloe vera juice has also been helpful.

My dad had the same small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) symptoms that I am having. He was not from the antibiotic generation and died of colon cancer at 78. No matter what I eat or don't eat, about 15 to 20 minutes afterward, I feel like a Parana feeding frenzy is happening in my small intestines. Then the avalanche occurs ... bloating, foul gas, involuntary stool seepage, mushy or explosive diarrhea, nocturnal diarrhea, then weight loss, starving-to-death hunger: The list is long, as it causes anxiety, short temper, depression, etc. I am house-bound. No amount of high-quality probiotics or one-year treatment with a holistic doctor has helped except for Xifaxan. I just keep thinking about my father and how he suffered with these same symptoms.

I have had gastrointestinal problems for many years. It has been really bad in the last two years. I underwent many tests that concluded I had small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). My physician advised a no-lactose, no-grain, and no-sugar diet. It is called “The Simple Carbohydrate Diet.” I have been following it for two months, and I have seen much improvement. It is recommended to follow it for at least a year to get your body healed.

I have never been diagnosed, but have had many episodes of nausea, bloating, constipation, diarrhea etc. I lost a lot of weight, and could barely eat a thing everything I ate caused pain and nausea. I have tried many natural things but nothing really helped until i tried pure coconut oil in my diet. I was impressed about what I read about it, especially its antifungal and antibacterial properties. A week after taking it every day my stomach started to feel better. My appetite was back and I didn't feel so tired and ill this has been my lifeline. I hope others will try it as it is natural with no side effects, and it has extra bonuses such as it softens your skin, helps keep you free from bugs and viruses such as influenza, and gives instant energy. All my friends have bought it too because of its great effects. There is lots of information online about its nutritional values.

For about 3 years off and on I have suffered with nausea and with upper stomach bloating. The first time I had the episode, it lasted for about 12 weeks; and I lost 12 pounds. Then I ended up in the hospital with pneumonia, and being on strong I.V. antibiotics for that apparently cleared up the symptoms for about 6 or 8 months. They symptoms returned, lasted a few weeks and eased. I went to an OB-GYN (no diagnosis), M.D. (thought it was gall-bladder issue but the surgeon ruled that out), and a gastro doctor to ruled out the possibility of an ulcer. After a third episode, the gastro doctor had a SIBO test done that came back positive. Took antibiotics and it went away for about 6 months and now it is back. I don't want to be on antibiotics regularly, so I am looking for diet help with this.