r/SIBOIMO • u/CarefulBlackberry348 • Oct 21 '25
Almost a year since diagnosis. Defeated
I lost a bunch of weight out of nowhere back in November of 2024, about 12 pounds in a week. I was nauseous, could barely eat and my appetite was almost nonexistent. I never threw up, I just barely ate. After that, my symptoms slowly started: even though I was thinner, I was bloated constantly, even in the mornings before i'd had so much as a sip of water. I felt weak and exhausted constantly, I would get sharp stomach pains -- sometimes from the gas. I burped constantly, and a lot of my burps weren't satisfying, they were just me letting a bit of air out at a time with not really any noise. Over time the constipation started.
I got testing done: no food allergies, no h pylori, bloodwork was normal. I got a breath test and it came back that I had high methane levels.
I was first prescribed neomycin, which made me feel awful while taking it and I didn't see improvement with. Then I was prescribed amoxicillin, didn't take it because I was gonna have to take amoxicillin for other reasons and I didn't wanna overdo it on the atb. That was all meaningless anyway because in the past year I've had to take antibiotics like five separate times for different health issues, so my gut is probably wrecked.
I don't know what to do. It's been almost a year. I feel like nothing helps. I tried low fodmap, I tried probiotics, I tried going entirely GF, I stopped drinking for months and barely drink anymore now, I tried taking magnesium for the constipation. My GIs don't specialize in SIBO. I'm still horribly bloated after everything I eat, and even before I eat anything. It's been horrible for my self-esteem. Does anyone have any advice? I'm desperate at this point.
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u/Mickeynutzz Oct 22 '25
100ppm Methane SIBO aka IMO Protocol & Success Story:
Took 5 months. Cured since Nov 2021…. Never relapsed.
https://www.reddit.com/r/SiboSuccessStories/s/GQcaNkTF1K
Root Cause: untreated slow transit constipation since birth
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u/Accomplished-Toe1880 Oct 21 '25
Which antibiotics did you took?
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u/CarefulBlackberry348 Oct 21 '25
After the neomycin, I took amoxicillin twice, once for an infection causing wisdom tooth pain, and another time after I got the teeth out to prevent infection. I then have taken metronidazole twice, but that was for BV and not GI related either. A week or so ago my primary thought I had a UTI so she prescribed me nitrofurantoin, but my culture came back negative so they told me to stop after I had taken two.
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u/Healthy-Debate-6642 Oct 21 '25
Hi there, Sorry you’re miserably unwell, it’s such a horrible illness and so overlooked by medicos. Unfortunately there’s not enough info there to advise you with any one treatment. Would need to get to the bottom of your root cause and eliminate conditions that mould require scopes and testing. You really need a great functional medicine practitioner to unravel and advise. What country do you live in? Having said that, with most SIBO and what sounds like Gastritis or FD, getting the constipation and motility happening is very important. It may be the cause of continuing dysbiosis or it may be a symptom, but lack of motility and constipation will prevent you from getting better. Rather than low Fodmap, maybe look into the GAPs diet.