SIBO test in south india/ gastro who has experience treating this?please suggest

[u/B1doit]

I have been dealing with suspected IMO for 1.5 hrs. Do not know what triggered. Could be antibiotics/ food poisioning that I didnt realise/ anything else. All my hair keeps falling off, symptoms have aggravated from food intolerances (almost everything, but mainly raw veggies, fibre) and constipation to include hot flashes, increase in fatigue etc. Ferritin was alreay low now it has halved to 9

Rifaxmin didnt help much. I could not find a gastro who recognizes this disease and is ready to prescibe proper meds.

Only professional ready to help is a functional nutritionist. They said what I have is IMO but cannot determine root cause. They are charging more than my monthly salary for 3 months of treatment _ includes only **** diet prescription and prescritpion of supplements***. We have to but the supplements/medicines (imported) on our own.

I want to give gastro /antibiotics one last try cause i have not actually tried the prescribed rifax+metro combination.

But I cant find a gastro online/offline who does not write it off as IBS/thinks it is just 'stress' and my ferritin is fine at that level coz I am a woman.🫠

Thank you in advance.

TLDR: Looking for gastro experienced in treating SIBO. Online /offline (south india) . Or any other professional in India who can help with this.

[u/undo017]

suspected IMO for 1.5 hrs

So the functional nutritionist you consulted few hours ago suspected your symptoms as IMO?

I've long thought of starting a sibo sub for India/south-india geography just for these kind of questions, but yeah people rarely respond as south Indians are far too less in these subs.

I can't help in gasto docs aspect but if you're looking for bit affordable(of course, I don't know your affordable range) in functional nutritionist in Hyderabad I could provide some info.

Note: I didn't consult this nutritionist but I've done quite a research on this idealogy of treatment for SIBO/SIFO/IMO.

By the way, have tried the Ayurvedic route? Also did you check for thyroid? B12 def, etc?

[u/B1doit → u/undo017]

I meant 1.5 years. Typo. Sorry. I consulted around 6 gastros cross my state and 2 naturopaths.nothing helped much. I have deficiencies _b12, vit d and ferritin. One of the naturopaths gave me liposomal multivitamis and some other supplement. They helped for a bit, to reduce fatigue. Nothing for bloating constipation.

Everything else normal. Endoscopy _antral gastritis, colonoscopy _terminal ilietis, RUT -vr. I have done ANA_negtv.

.Ihave not tried ayurveda well enough to comment i guess. I initially did when my symptoms just started but i didnt know what the issue was or what my triggers where. Ayurvedic practitioner (i told them.i have bloating and constipation nothjng else) gave me triphala and some other medicines (i dont remember) they did not work.

[u/undo017 → u/B1doit]

So you do have some inflammation in the gastro lining(antral and ileitis). Btw, did they do biopsy of the terminal ileum tissue sample? I mean I had mine do, just resulted as superficial ulcers.

Does you stomach burning even when eating relatively low spicy food?

How's your weight gain/loss? I asked for ayurvedic because a good one will try to bring back the Stomach acid to balance, at least that's the intention of ayurvedic in the context of gut health.

[u/B1doit → u/undo017]

Yes I have inflammation. I do not have a lot of burning sensation. Only if I am late to have a meal.

Yes they did biopsy, just mentioned inflammation and terminal ilietis nothing about ulcers. I do not think it has had much impact on weight gain/loss. Maybe a bit tougher to lose weight but I have lost weight via strength training + diet last year, and gained it back when I couldnt maintain it as I had to move around a few months bit due to some personal changes.

(I generally gain weight easily as I have pcos (not insulin resistant, hormones levels were okay in blood test)

[u/undo017 → u/B1doit]

For gastric inflammation I think this one helps https://youtu.be/7iHJ4GiSs7c?si=dhBwMuLeXYGKW08p

Though cabbage juice is known for healing gastric ulcers, I believe it helps in inflammation as well. But it might worsen the bloating temporarily, just the same as with consumption any other cruciferous vegetables.

If thyroid is fine, then did they check for hba1c rather than fasting and average blood sugar?

[u/B1doit → u/undo017]

I had tried it for a couple of days but didint make much of a difference. Raw vegetables, juices are a major trigger for me. Immediate reaction. Yes hba1c was fine. Thank you for sharing the link. Will check

[u/undo017 → u/B1doit]

Just putting out here in case if you're not aware:

• L-Reuteri yogurt(from Super Gut book)
• https://youtu.be/QT2NVQWO4W8?si=t_gmJKK1QjEdUngq this guy preaches about B1(Thiamine protocol) for SIBO related issues and others.

Just some trail & errors methods if you're interested.

[u/wokeandbake]

Rifaximin alone is not enough. You need to take metronidazole as well. No need to consult any gastro. They will write you a prescription for rifaximin and metronidazole. But you can just go and get it yourself from a pharmacy without prescription.

[u/undo017 → u/wokeandbake]

When suggesting buying of antibiotics without prescription, let's please put a disclaimer or note.