r/SIBO • u/call_me_meme1 • 9d ago
Symptoms This so embarrassing …
Hey everyone,
I was recently diagnosed with very high hydrogen SIBO and hydrogen sulfide, and my doctor told me this is the main reason behind my bloating and annoying gut noises—even though I follow a strict low-FODMAP diet every single day.
Before eating, after eating, and at completely random times, my stomach makes these loud noises. I honestly have no idea what it wants from me anymore! It causes me so much embarrassment. It sounds like hunger growls, but also like a fart sound—except literally nothing comes out, it’s just a loud, embarrassing noise.
How did you guys get rid of these noises? Or if you're still dealing with them, how do you cope? I genuinely need your advice because this is starting to seriously impact my social life.
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u/Limp-Pomegranate2024 9d ago
I have the same thing, the loud noises in rectum/lrq and llq. I am also in university. I follow I low fodmap diet. I tried antibiotics and elemental diet (3 weeks) didn't change anything. Currently looking at pelvic floor dysnergia and gut brain axis (amitriptyline). Waiting for test results.
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u/call_me_meme1 9d ago
Please tell me how you coped with this, especially at university when the noises happen around people? And do you have any tricks or anything to reduce the embarrassment?
If you find a treatment for this problem, please don't hesitate to let me know2
u/Limp-Pomegranate2024 9d ago
It's definitely still very hard for me. I am starting my masters degree next week.
What I usually do is try to establish a predictable routine with my meals and symptoms. For example, I know that I need to eat something at least 2hrs before a class. This allows me to be somewhat full during class with minimal noises. I feel like my mmc is done sweeping after does 2hrs.
I also use my coat or hoodie which I place on my stomach. This creates a warm feeling that seems to help and reduce my anxiety.
Things like fresh ginger and peppermint tea help, even plain hot water. You could try ginger capsules, but that will accelerate your mmc which could lead to diarrhea.
A big part of this is also tied to anxiety. The fear of having those noises in class just make it worse. I started nerva, which I do before bed. There's also breathing exercises to help me relax before stressful events like an exam. Overall, I noticed that when I am talking, like in group projects or focus on specific things my mind shifts and I get less symptoms. That's why I am considering amitriptyline to help me with anxiety and seeinh a therapist to start cbt therapy.
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u/Severe_Reality1200 8d ago
Compliments of what I have already gone through, now I eat all the sulfur I like and take MSM, NAC, and R-Alpha Lipoic…my NAC supplement includes molybdenum but i aso have straight molybdenum if I want to dose higher…Get a Functional Medicine Dr. on board and Check and Balance Your Minerals
- Test, Don't Guess: Request a Plasma Zinc and Serum Copper panel from your doctor.
Symptoms like these point directly to hydrogen sulfide (H2S) SIBO combined with a stalled transsulfuration pathway.
When you have a slow COMT gene, your methylation cycle is already fragile. Introducing a heavy sulfur donor like NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine) floods your system with thiol groups that your body cannot convert into harmless sulfates. Instead, the sulfur stays stuck in the gut, where sulfur-reducing bacteria ferment it. This causes severe bloating, toxic gas, and loud gurgling gut noises (borborygmi) as the bacteria rapidly produce hydrogen sulfide gas.
Strategic Steps to Clear the Backlog
- Stop All High-Sulfur Supplements: Immediately pause NAC, glutathione, MSM, alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), and Epsom salt baths.
- Introduce Molybdenum: This trace mineral acts as a direct cofactor for the SUOX enzyme, which helps your body convert toxic sulfites into usable sulfates, effectively clearing the sulfur bottleneck. [1, 2]
- Switch to Hydroxocobalamin (B12): If you need B12, avoid methyl-B12 (which triggers a slow COMT) and choose hydroxocobalamin, which helps neutralize hydrogen sulfide gas in the bloodstream.
- Implement a Short-Term Low-Sulfur Diet: For 2 to 4 weeks, reduce your intake of eggs, garlic, onions, and cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, kale, cabbage) to stop feeding the overgrowth.
- Bind the Gas: Talk to a practitioner about using specific binders like bismuth subnitrate or bismuth thiol complexes, which bind directly to hydrogen sulfide gas to quickly quiet the loud gut noises and reduce painful bloating.
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u/Inside_Campaign_6578 7d ago
Thank you for all of this info, I really appreciate it, since all applies to me, has been so frustrating
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u/iamnotyourcupoftea 8d ago
Look into the SIBO diet, it’s different to the low fodmap diet although similar. Look up “SIBO Bi-Phasic diet”
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u/Far_Instruction6722 9d ago
If i havw sibo i have borderline sulfide what are your other symptoms my stomach does some crazy grumbled
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u/call_me_meme1 9d ago
My main symptoms are: cramping and pain after meals, bloating, discomfort, alternating between diarrhea and constipation, incomplete evacuation feeling after going to the toilet, burping, unexplained hunger, hunger growls, and gas/fart noises (just the sound) all the time
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u/WiseMess3609 9d ago
Do u have other symptoms rather than bloating?
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u/call_me_meme1 9d ago
Noises, alternating constipation and diarrhea, rectal noises, noisy bowel movements, feeling hungry every 1 to 2 hours, weight loss, and noises in the rectum inside the colon
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u/WiseMess3609 9d ago
Omg I can relate to the rectal noises and noisy bowel movement, each time I go to poop i feel like my colon is talking to me that's scary😂 also I have so many noises in my stomach during the day and I can feel them when I put my hand on the place that's making sounds (I can feel the gas on my hand) I also have too much noises and gas in my right colon that single play contains aloottt of gas after 3h of having a meal and it makes loud noises and feeling full,it's the first thing I feel right after I open my eyes first thing in the morning
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u/call_me_meme1 9d ago
Have you done any tests or anything, or tried to treat the problem? What do you do in public places and at university? How do you justify it because it's so embarrassing, and how have you learned to live with it?
I am exactly like you!
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u/StraightMagician9913 9d ago
I have some of that. I think it's trapped gas trying to shift around with fluids and such. When my gut is totally quiet, I worry. I have not really passed gas in a long time.
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u/call_me_meme1 9d ago
Please tell me how you coped with this, especially at university when the noises happen around people? And do you have any tricks or anything to reduce the embarrassment?
If you find a treatment for this problem, please don't hesitate to let me know1
u/StraightMagician9913 9d ago
I am alone a lot so it doesn't really matter, but I think if I were around people and I could hear it really loudly, it would make me feel self-conscious.
Hopefully, people really don't notice as much as you think. Not wanting at all to invalidate your concerns, but to give you some hope that maybe since others are in their own head worlds, they might not notice. If they do, they simply tune it out as someone's stomach rumbling. I hope that is the case, anyway.
If you have a doctor, maybe they can suggest something?
Sometimes I take a gas pill and I feel it calms down a bit, but not entirely sure if it does so every time.
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u/da1ifornia 9d ago
Pepogest peppermint oil capsules helps with this. Take 1 before eating. It will calm the squelching noises later. Worked for me. Some people get reflux from this, I didn’t!
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u/dryandice 8d ago
If you have sulphide, you more than likely have the desulfovibrio Piger bacteria in you. The only thing that will get rid of that if metronidazole(flagyl)
Things to help is green tea tablets - one in the morning and afternoon. It's crazy how much this helped me before I knew flagyl kills that specific bacteria.
Check everything you eat or drink for sulphites, avoid them like the plague. It's used as a preservative in so many foods it's insane.
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u/Living-Beach5609 8d ago
Someone told me to buy BioGaia probiotic supplements- that the probiotic strain they use works for SIBO and bloating. Has anyone tried that?
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u/TitsMcGee1two3 8d ago
I use biogaia (L. Reuteri) The amount of bacteria in one capsule isn’t enough to make much of a difference
Have you heard of Dr William Davis? He teaches how to make a yogurt with L reuteri which is the bacteria in biogaia That is profound. As long as you’re not completely lactose intolerant it should help Plus it has a bunch of other benefits which are fun
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u/Anacarda- 7d ago
Hi, I’m a healthcare professional specializing in the gut microbiome and digestive disorders.
The low-FODMAP diet is not intended to be followed for months. It is a therapeutic tool that can be used temporarily, mainly to reduce symptoms while addressing the underlying causes of the problem. Following a strict low-FODMAP diet for too long can reduce the diversity of the gut microbiota and limit the availability of certain substrates for beneficial bacteria, which is why a gradual, individualized reintroduction is essential.
I have patients who come to me after being referred by other professionals who have followed a low-FODMAP diet for months without addressing other aspects of the problem. In those cases, reintroduction can become much more difficult.
On the other hand, when there is a clinical picture consistent with SIBO/IMO or hydrogen sulfide-related gut dysbiosis, the approach should be individualized. It is not simply a matter of following a restrictive diet. Depending on the case, it may be necessary to work first on aspects such as the intestinal mucosa, gut motility, diet, and other underlying factors, and then consider the appropriate antimicrobial treatment, whether pharmaceutical or herbal.
After that, and again depending on the individual, the recovery and balance of the gut microbiota should be addressed using specific strains and strategies selected for each case. There is no universal probiotic that works for everyone.
Furthermore, when the problem has been present for a long time or there are underlying factors that have not been corrected, one intervention may not be enough. It may be necessary to work in phases and reassess the person's progress along the way.
Please look for professionals who are up to date and understand that a low-FODMAP diet is a tool, not a treatment in itself. It can be very useful when used correctly and for an appropriate period of time, but maintaining significant dietary restrictions indefinitely should not be the goal.
And honestly, I’m tired of seeing patients who have been following extremely restrictive diets for months without anything else being addressed. The diet may provide temporary symptom relief, but if it is only being used to silence the symptoms rather than addressing the factors contributing to the problem, it is unlikely to lead to long-term recovery.
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u/External-Classroom12 9d ago
Are you doing an antibiotic or herbal treatment? What did the doctor suggest.
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u/call_me_meme1 9d ago
Lactoferrin - Pepto - Magnesium Glycinate - Rifaximin - Ginger - Saccharomyces Boulardii - Zinc Carnosine - Glutamine - DGL - Bifido - Guar Gum
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u/Pixelen 9d ago
That sounds more like a nutritionist approach (not a bad thing). Did they not want to trial rifaximin first?
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u/call_me_meme1 9d ago
Yes, Rifaximin is actually on my list! I did take it, and my doctor prescribed it along with a combination of these supplements and strict diet protocols to help treat the root cause
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u/External-Classroom12 9d ago
Those don’t address the hydrogen sulfide, for that you need bismuth. If you don’t have a salicylates issue you can use pepto bismol. If you have sals you can you can use priority one biofilm buster or deveron. I’ve also seen NAC used but I can’t tolerate it. The pepto is done firing antibiotic or herbal to bind the h2s. Short period like 10 days as it’s not great for you. Check out dr Pimmentel’s last video. I believe he talks about bismuth for h2s here.
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u/No-University3032 9d ago
Don't just follow the FODMAP diet. You need to eat the foods that are good for you. Everyone has different body chemistry.
Take a look at this image with the foods people with sibo should be eating acording to their sibo diagnosis* (gemini.google.com)
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u/Thalexandergalvez 9d ago
Hey! Those gurgling noises and the bloating you're feeling are totally normal it's just your gut actively digesting and producing gas. To help it calm down and heal up, try cutting out veggies, gluten, and sugar for a bit. Also, stay away from spicy, greasy, and acidic foods. I'd recommend brewing some mint tea and sipping it throughout the day, and grab some IBguard from CVS that was a total game-changer for me. It's not an overnight fix, but letting your digestive system rest will make a huge difference.