r/SiboSuccessStories

Hey guys, I’m currently on treatment after 6 years of searching for what was happening to me. I’m doing second week of antibiotics (metronidazol and normix) all of you who is here know, that treatment doesn’t work if you don’t empty yourself, ideally we should want to get to the point when you feel empty as much as possible. And that’s actually not my case. I tried strong doses at evening of magnesolv, I tried triphala, I tried changing food diet for soups like (pho bo) eating rice and chicken, nothing make it easier. Please I’m searching for advice and even words that can make me believe that it is ending soon, and I’m going to be able to breath normally without panicking when I can help myself only with Xanax, it sounds desperate but I truly want this to end. This is not life it’s survival.. thanks to all of you who respond.

Hi guys,

Just thought I’d share. I decided I’d do a homemade elemental diet for my IMO and SIFO. Yesterday was rough bc I tried having the multivitamins mixed in but the B vitamins had such a strong taste and I had way too much salt. Today, I took the multivitamins separately, and I used about 1/16 tsp of salt and had EVOO, cumin, and ginger and damn it was actually delicious. Covered the amino acid taste completely. I’m doing no carb (no dextrose, no sugar of any kind), so I upped the fat content (gradually working up to 4 tbsp per shake- used 1.5 tbsp today). I flew through the shake.

At first I thought my thrush was killing the taste yesterday but I think it was the B vitamins. I did a hydrogen peroxide rinse this morning just in case, and took NAC about an hour before drinking.

After the course of months trying all kinds of supplements, antibiotics, fasting and others methods I found an unexpected solution for motility problems.

Turns out that certain muscle tensions were perpetuating my dismotility. Specifically of the psoas(Ileocecalvalve), low back, abs and especially diaphragm.

I did trigger point massage for each daily and noticed abrupt gargling, followed by better motility over the days.

Note that if you have similar tension, releasing it is a gradual process that takes days/weeks. But if on the first day you hear noises when massaging, thats a good signal.

Try it, and if you have any questions about specifics just ask👍

Looking back, I think I accidentally made my gut healing harder while trying to “fix” myself faster.

A few things that really didn’t help me:

• Taking too many supplements at once
I kept adding new things hoping for faster results, but it only made my stomach more irritated and confusing.

• Removing foods too aggressively
Every symptom made me cut another food out, and eventually eating became stressful instead of healing.

• Drinking coffee on an empty stomach during flares
This made burning and irritation noticeably worse for me personally.

• Assuming every symptom meant “bad bacteria”
Sometimes bloating was actually connected to stress, eating too fast, poor sleep, or simply overdoing “healthy” foods.

• Trying to heal too aggressively
Stricter diets, stronger protocols, constant changes… my body actually responded better once I slowed things down.

• Ignoring stress
I focused so much on food and supplements that I ignored how much stress and rushing affected my digestion.

One of the biggest things I learned:
my gut needed more stability and consistency, not constant panic and over-correcting.

Still learning, but I honestly wish I understood this earlier.

I just started flagyl for my hydrogen dominant SIBO. After only taking one I already noticed I feel so much gas relief even after eating. However, my SIBO for some reason consists of constipation, gas, and bloating compared to the diarrhea that people normally experience as hydrogen dominant. I was very curious to know if anyone’s had a good success story with this medication for this issue. My insurance sadly rejected Rifaxamin and I’m really really hoping for some relief finally bc I keep reading about people saying this made it worse and stuff and it’s freaking me out that it’ll just make my gut health worse :( sincerely, a girl with anxiety

i started taking these supplements for the first time a little over a year ago after being failed by multiple rounds of multiple types of antibiotics. i cant remember how long it took, but id say within the first few weeks i felt noticeably better. not "cured", but normal enough to eat, go out, and work again. ive taken them for the full month 3 times now, i feel FANTASTIC when im on them, and felt mostly healed for months after. whenever id start to notice symptoms again and felt like it was too much too often, id take them again. at this point, i feel like ive made a full recovery. ive gained my weight back (10 lbs) and my stomach isnt particularly upset after eating trigger foods. im energetic again and dont feel like my life is controlled by my stomach fluctuations anymore, the only thing noticeable leftover from being sick is the gerd but its minor.

One of the biggest lessons I learned during my gut healing journey is that “healthy” does not always mean “healing.”

When I was dealing with erosive gastritis, H. pylori, and SIBO, I tried many foods and habits that are normally considered healthy, but some actually made my symptoms worse.

These are my personal experiences and educational information, not medical advice

For me, some triggers were:

Foods & Drinks,

Raw salads increased my bloating - Steam them!

Garlic and onions triggered gas - I tolerated small amount

Protein bars caused stomach pain - Do not buy any!

Artificial sweeteners worsened bloating

Large amount of nuts were hard to digest - Just ate walnuts

High fiber foods overwhelmed my gut - Stopped eating for a while Apple cider vinegar burned my stomach- BIG NO!

Probiotics made gas worse - DO NOT TAKE WHILE HEALING EXCEPTS SOME FORM - ASK ME!

Supplements,

Do not take too many supplements together. Start gradually.

Digestive Enzymes, Iron even Heme irritated my stomach

Magnesium Bisglycinate is your friend.

DO NOT TAKE VITAMIN D3 in a oil form, it irritated my stomach badly. Get capsules.

DO NOT TAKE PILLS FOR CONSTIPATION, GO FOR NATURAL FOODS.

Habits,

Do not eat so quickly

Do not lie down after meals

Do not google your symptoms - it made me worse

Do not feel hungry my best friend was banana (Small pieces)

Get a meditation app, and it will be help you a lot - Trust me!

Mental / Emotional Side

Do not expect so fast results - it will take longer and longer

Do not ignore nervous system - Work on it!

Do not believe only food will heal you! Believe in yourself and process!

Do not compare yourself with other healings!

“Clean eating” wasn’t always healing Gut healing is extremely individual.

I was diagnosed with SIBO more than a year ago and for months I battled with constant loose yellow stools, weight loss, bloating, constipation / diarrhea, nausea etc.

At some point I noticed that I had completely stopped feeling hungry. I came across a video that explained how chest breathing could maintain chronic illness. I have always been a chest breather (I have a noticable rib flare) so I tried diaphragmatic breathing exercises. It took some time but whenever I would focus on expanding my stomach and my ribs sideways (diaphragmatic breathing) my hunger would come back and my stomach would gurgle. After repeating this practice almost daily for 6 months I only get symptoms occasionally. Apart from that I experienced a lot of anxiety which I couldn’t figure out what was causing it and diaphragmatic breathing positively affected it too.

For anyone interested I can advise you to look into how breathing affects the nervous system and the migrating motor complex. I always focus on my breathing first thing in the morning, avoid it right after eating because it made me feel nauseous a few times. Waking up at the same time every day (stable circadian rhythm) makes the onset of hunger and gurgling more consistent.

Hello!

I just found this sub through r/candida and wanted to share my own success story and information about my treatment so that perhaps it could help someone else!

Bullet point version:

- suspected candida fall 2023

- strict candida diet protocol winter/spring 2024

- April 2024 met with Functional Medicine Doctor regarding symptoms

- Started Low FODMAP diet due to suspected SIBO

- May 2024 took SIBO breath test. Resulted in high hydrogen and elevate methane

- June and August 2024, x2 rounds of Anti-biotics and Biofilm Buster treatments: neomycin, rifimixin, nystatin, biocidin, NAC

- September 2024 Considered "in remission" and could stop treatments; have not had major issues since

Note: I still have "trigger foods": Rice, Runny/Scrambled Eggs

Update 2025: suspected histamine intolerance, ongoing observation
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My situation is a bit unique. In 2018, I began a new job as a flight attendant. Prior to this job, I was a very active person. I went to the gym and did HIIT and strength training 3-5 days per week, and jogged regularly on rest days. I had no obvious or extreme dietary issues besides being allergic to onions.

Between 2018 - 2021 I developed a whole gambit of symptoms, including chronic "tired but wired" fatigue, rapid weight gain, foggy head, random patches of skin rashes, shortness of breath, watery eyes, migraines, a bursar's cyst in my kneecap, fluid sensation in my left ear, and inflammation of my left nasal cavity. To make a longer story short, my flight attendant uniforms were manufactured cheaply, and thusly, riddled with toxic chemicals and heavy metals that would thrust me into this spiral of symptoms and no relief.

After seeing a dozen different doctors and specialists for various potential issues, I was eventually recommended to see a Naturopathic Medicine Doctor. After my first visit and a thorough blood panel, my doctor suspected SIBO might be a primary cause of my issues (rather than candida, as I had informed her that I suspected it might be. I had no idea SIBO was a thing prior to this appointment), as I was also experiencing distention and slow motility.

Somewhat unrelated, but the blood panel also found that my BUN ratio was low, and that my free testosterone levels are severely low (am cis male). I mention this simply to emphasize that the chemicals and heavy metals, some of which are known endocrine disruptors, were likely a factor in developing SIBO. Buy the time I saw my ND, she said there was no way to directly test what exactly the uniforms were doing, but based on the list of chemicals I gave her, she concluded that my body likely had some internal inflammation, which over prolonged exposure, developed into SIBO and my other symptoms. I am emphasizing this to also suggest that there may be environmental factors that could be contributing to your own condition, and recommend you to look at all possible facets as a potential contributor; especially if you have received treatment, but have yet to find relief.

After initial bloodwork, my doctor prescribed me to follow a Low FODMAP diet to get my body into enough of a stasis to prepare for the SIBO breath test; to ensure the test results were as accurate as possible. She also prescribed me to abstain from any and all probiotic foods and supplements (up to this point, I was eating a half cup of yogurt/kefir every morning for breakfast).

I don't remember the exact measurements of my results, but the SIBO breath test came back positive for high hydrogen and elevated methane production. She said based on the results, I likely had SIBO for a few years already (which tracked with my timeline starting my flight attendant job).

For treatment, she had me continue my Low FODMAP diet, as well as cut out refined sugars entirely for the duration of treatment. I want to point out too, that prior to seeing this doctor, I switched from drinking bottled alkaline mineral water to boiled/filtered tap water with lemon juice. I noticed an immediate improvement of mental clarity and less bloating and fatigue the very next day. In addition, she had me take x2 anti-biotics (Neomycin & Rifimixin(Xixifan)), x1 anti-fungal (Nystatin), and x2 supplements (Biocidin as a biofilm buster, & N-Acetyl L-Cysteine for liver and kidney support, as well as to help clear biofilms).

I went through 1 round of medication, and felt major improvements in symptoms. My doctor wanted to be proactive and combat my issues aggressively, so after a 1 month rest period, she had me do a 2nd round of medications. I felt even better after the 2nd round, and my doctor said that I was likely in remission and could slowly re-introduce foods. She also *very specifically* instructed me to continue abstaining from eating probiotic foods for 1 year following treatment; to help my gut repopulate its natural flora.

UPDATE: it's been 2 years since my treatment, and I am still feeling good with little to no symptoms. I say "little" because I still have mild flare ups when I eat too much of my trigger foods; specifically rice, and scrambled or runny eggs (tho oddly enough hard boiled eggs are fine). When I eat these foods, especially together, I experience slow motility and distention, but it does not last after I have passed the foods through my system. I am able to eat small amounts of rice without issue, but not an entire serving (so I don't seem to have issues when eating sushi for example).

UPDATE 2: this past March, I noticed I was crashing shortly after waking (sudden onset of intense fatigue and brain fog). One day, I noticed it happen soon after eating my usual breakfast of plain oatmeal with honey, cinnamon, and banana. I am currently waiting to see a doctor to explore if this is potentially a histamine intolerance or to try and figure out what might be the cause. Regardless, it does not seem to be linked to SIBO.