SIBO Isn't A Real Condition
This statement is proclaimed all too often by ill-informed medical professionals who have not kept up to date with the latest research. SIBO has been studied at length and is a real thing. If your doctor doesn't believe in it, ask them to look at the work of Dr Mark Pimentel or Dr Allison Siebecker.
SIBO Will Be Gone After 1 Round Of Antibiotics
Sadly for the majority of people, SIBO is a complex condition and requires multiple rounds of treatment. There are some very fortunate people who feel vastly improved after a short round, but the majority of people need to spend some time healing their gut.
Cheating On Your Diet Will Cause A Relapse
If you recall above, I said that diet doesn't treat SIBO. So unless you have gone and binged on McDonalds for every meal, of every day, for months on end, eating some carbs or dairy or sugar (of whatever the 'offending' food is) won't be the reason your SIBO has returned. Instead, it will because the underlying cause wasn't addressed and is still allowing the bacteria to form in excessive numbers in the small intestine. Until you fix the core root of why your small intestine isn't working properly, you will most likely continue to relapse.
SIBO Will Never Be Cleared
SIBO can be treated successfully and people can live wonderful lives without the burden of gut problems. However, someone who has had a compromised digestive system may need to be more careful than the average person to prevent bouts of food poisoning or infection, as they may be more prone to contracting these illnesses. Some people may never achieve 100% resolution of their symptoms but may get to 80%-90% improvement, which for many, is a wonderful place to be. Most of my clients come to accept their new normal is a bit different from their old normal, but now they are armed with the knowledge of what SIBO is and can listen to their body's signals, they are able to take action much quicker and prevent a full-blown relapse. Even if they do relapse, they know what to do.
I had a Nissen Fundoplication in 2018 (biggest mistake) and was diagnosed with SIBO 3-6-2023. I have been having bizarre symptoms for over 2 years and was finally diagnosed w SIBO. I’m concerned that the Nissen will interfere with my recovery. I’m exhausted mentally and physically.
I just finished a 14 day round of Rifaximin on Sunday. I was feeling ok first week into treatment. Toward the 2nd week of treatment I started to have upper abdominal pains/spams. These were part of the symptoms I originally experienced. Over the last 3 days the pain has been terrible. I started bi-phasic diet on Monday. I know this is all a process. It’s hard being patient when I feel this bad. My Dr wants to rule out H.Pylori. So will do a scope in two weeks. I’m just convinced that it’s the SIBO. I’m at a loss right now and not sure what else to do.
Hi Courtney
It’s quite rare for people to completely clear their SIBO after only one round of treatment. Given one round of treatment clears approximately 30 ppm of gas levels, if your numbers got higher than 30 on your SIBO breath test result, you would most likely need to do more than 1 round. It sounds like you are feeling very unwell which I am sorry to hear. It is always advisable to seek medical treatment if your symptoms worsen or you feel like things aren’t right, rather than just assuming all is ok.
Rebecca