Cheering up!

Posted on by dealingwithsibo

From the beginning of today until now, my attitude about SIBO is ticking upwards away from being completely down in the dumps.

I realized I have to start thinking about positive things that are coming from my SIBO diagnosis, or I might just keel over from depression. So here I’ve sat at work all day thinking “Hmmm.  What GOOD things are going to come out of this?”

One- I am going to feel better! After years and more recently about six months of feeling absolutely terrible, here I am with a diagnosis (which some people never get) and I’m on my way to feeling better.

Two- It could be worse. I don’t want to be dramatic, or morbid,  but It could be way worse, so I’ll leave it at that.

Three- I’m going to be super healthy! I will be doing wonderful things for my body, which is my temple! Better body + better spirit = better mind. Right?

Four – I’m probably going to lose weight, which is honestly something I’ve been trying to do for YEARS! I should have known something was up with my guts when I could lose 10 lbs and my pants size wouldn’t budge! Since I’ve been on my antibiotic, I’ve hit the 150’s and I haven’t seen them since I got married in 2013!!

So. There are good things at play here, and in the beginning it’s REALLY hard to see them through the gloom that is changing your entire eating lifestyle, but you really have to try. I WILL figure this out! I just have to be patient with myself and understand the end goal and know that I’m actually working towards it!

Feeling low

Posted on by dealingwithsibo

I hit a very low patch this past Friday on the way to the grocery store after work. I have no idea what to eat. I have been scouring the internet trying to find the “best” diet for SIBO, and all I’m getting is overwhelmed and depressed. I keep seeing the same suggestions over and over again, but I can’t seem to pick ONE and go forward with it.

I felt so depressed walking around the store while gazing longingly at the sweet potatoes, and then the white potatoes which I don’t even normally like all that much. I don’t even attempt to look in the direction of the avocados which are a high FODMAP and I am to avoid. *sigh*

At this moment, I question if I’d rather just feel sick all the time than to feel like I can only eat about 15 things, but then I snap back to reality. I’ve been sick for years, and lately it’s been getting worse. I hate the bloating and stomach pains I’ve been getting. I do NOT want this to continue, so I grab some zucchini and move along, avoiding the gluten free isle like it had the plague.

I thought joining some FB SIBO groups would be helpful, but I actually think it’s the exact opposite, because everyone is doing a different diet. Some are doing Fast Track, Some are doing SCD with Low Fodmaps, some are eating paleo, and some are like “I DO WHAT I WANT!” Not. Helpful.

I posted a picture of my dinner the other night and encouraged others to do the same so I can see what others are eating and someone says “I didn’t think broccoli was allowed?” Grrr. Seriously? I am not mad at the person who posted it, just frustrated with myself for thinking I KNEW WHAT I WAS DOING. I refer back to my SIBO fermentable foods sheet and see that yes, I am allowed to have one half cup of broccoli and suddenly I feel better.

That is until Saturday when I ate chips while out at a restaurant, and then I follow up with a vegan thin mint cookie. Damnit. I’m sure that isn’t allowed.

Back to square one.

Today I think I’m going to really try to understand the SCD diet, and how it’s different from Paleo, because I don’t really get it. It may help, or it may not….

Diet: The new bad word

Posted on by dealingwithsibo

So today, two days after my SIBO diagnosis and I just cannot wrap my head around the diet(s) listed to help keep this from coming back. If I thought my diet was restricted with Celiac, I didn’t know ANYTHING compared to where I am at now! I had no help from my GI, so I’m kind of on my own to pick and choose what works for me I guess, but then I’m also so afraid to do anything that will set myself back!

There is Paleo, SCD, The SIBO diet, GAPS, and Low FODMAPS. And the confusing thing is they are all DIFFERENT! Some you can have diary, and grains, some you can’t. I just don’t know how I’m supposed to know what I should be eating to avoid this!

How does anyone decide which method is the right way to go!?

Okay, now that I’m done being slightly overdramatic, here is what I think my goal is right now.

I think I am going to start with Paleo and highly limit my sugar. Maybe one LOW FODMAP item every other day or so? I can deal with eating berries or an orange. It’s something. What I’m not sure about is the low carb thing. We NEED carbs for our bodies to function. I guess I’ll try out the squash avenue and see how that works for me. I love potatoes (mostly sweets) but I see they are off the ever decreasing plate. Hmph.

That’s where I’m at now. Maybe I’ll start documenting my daily foods to keep an idea of what bothers me if anything. I already know I cannot have: Onion, Garlic,&  Tomatoes. So pretty much my body hates nightshades.

In other news, I am on my second day of antibiotics, and other than one bout of nausea a few hours after the first pill, I’ve been feeling fine. I hope it’s not placebo affect, but I swear I am already feeling a SLIGHT bit better. Less bloated, and not so uncomfortable!

Here’s to hoping it keeps improving!

A fresh start

Posted on by dealingwithsibo

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.