I was diagnosed with SIBO today after a lactulose breath test I did last Friday in my GI’s office. I’ve suspected this for some time and honestly was a little shocked that the doctor immediately agreed to do the test. I’m usually met with resistance and scorn when I stand up to myself to a medical doctor.
I was told to start a regimen of antibiotics, which I suspected they would tell me. However, that’s all they told me. Nothing else. Typical…
I guess I should go back, way back to the very beginning of my story.
As long as I can remember, I’ve had aches and pains. Even as a small child, I’d lay on the floor and cry that my knees hurt. I guess my mother didn’t think much of it, so we ignored it. Around the time I was 14 or so, I noticed that after meals out with my grandfather, I’d have to RUN to the bathroom. I could normally feel these events bubbling and eventually learned to expect them after dinner. I’d feel faint, hot, and like I was going to pass out. Still, we ignored it.
Two years later, I was hit heavily with stress after the death of a friend, and my grandmother having a massive stroke which required her to have round the clock care. It was around this time I was diagnosed with Mitral Valve Prolapse, and seemingly when everything seemed to go down hill. I was diagnosed with IBS somewhere in this time frame too.
My knees continued to ache, I had persistent headaches, and I was dreadfully constipated until.. well, until I wasn’t. Then I seemed to have the opposite problem. I started getting massive pain in all my joints & hands. I was tested for Lyme’s, Lupus, and RA. Nothing. All clear! (this would later becoming a recurring theme). It all came to a head when I was at work and my legs completely locked up on me. I couldn’t walk, or move. It was scary. I went to the ER and after a slew of tests, nothing was found.
I followed up with my GP, and he referred me to a Neurologist who wanted to run some tests. I was going to go forward until someone told me “It sounds an awful lot like Celiac Disease. Have you ever looked into it?” It sure did explain why I felt like I got hit by a bus after drinking a few beers, and the more I read, the more I felt this was exactly what was wrong.
Long story short, I had to fight tooth and nail to get my GP to test for Celiac, but it was confirmed that I did indeed have it, and I needed to go Gluten free immediately. That’s it. No other offer of help after pretty much bringing my entire world down with a wrecking ball of bad news. I learned then that I had to become my own health advocate.
Two years after my Celiac Diagnosis, I was diagnosed with Hypothyroid AND Hashimoto’s. I won’t even go into how awful my GP was with that. I honestly hate even thinking about how badly I was dismissed. That’s about where THIS story starts.
Things have been getting worse. I’ve been having lots of pain, bloating to the point where I look pregnant, nausea for NO reason, and loss of appetite. My B12 number has been significantly dropping, and my Vitamin D, Iron, and Ferritin are pretty low as well. I know something is not right. This is when I asked for the SIBO test.
Now here I am. Dumbfounded with news of yet another illness, that has an even more difficult outcome. Antibiotics only help the current problem. I need to figure out what is causing this SIBO, and I HAVE to change my diet if I ever expect to improve.
So, I’ve decided to create this blog to document my journey with SIBO, and hopefully finding the underlying root to my problem. You can also expect to read about my daily trials and tribulations with the major change in my diet I will have to make, because well, it’s going to suck.
