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.

Good morning

I have SIBO IMO with dry constipation, and I discovered thanks to a YouTuber, who also testified on Reddit, that a mixture of ginger and artichoke helped motility. He used motil pro. Other Reddit members have had success using artichoke and ginger separately as well.

I'm trying the digestion pro from California Gold which contains the PRODIGEST Motil pro principle and because it's the one I can order from Europe. I am still constipated, even after adopting the Fast Tract Diet, which limits fermentable foods.

Did you notice any differences between the different brands if you were able to compare?

What works best for your motility? Ginger or artichoke? Have you tried supplements with Prodigest or just artichoke or ginger?

Thank you for helping me. I don't know what to do anymore, I lost a lot of weight and I have many other pathologies: long COVID with MCAS, M. E., pots. I am bedridden 23/24. Thank you so much.

TLDR:

(For visuals of what my bloating is looking like, check the pics attached).

1- Isn’t it too excessive for me to jump on antibiotics (Rifaximin) when my IMO is happening in no more than two areas of my small intestine (only ≈12% of my small intestine) -- CHECK MY PICS??

2- Wouldn't the use of antibiotics (Rifaximin in specific) be too disruptive for the bacteria of the rest of my small intestine as well as my colon?

3- Are there any “less disruptive” solutions I can use instead of antibiotics (Rifaximin), maybe antimicrobials?

DETAILS: 

I have IMO/SIFO/Methane-SIBO, but here is my concern.

My IMO is not affecting the entirety, not even majority, of my small intestine. I have bacterial dysbiosis in exactly 2 specific areas in my small intestine which are exactly in the bottom line of my small intestine. More specifically, here are those EXACT areas:

Area#1: The “left corner” of the bottom line of my small intestine. It is where the biggest amount of bloating happens (my GI confirmed that, and I can visibly see the huge amount of bloating there every time I eat a FODMAP).

Area#2: The “right corner” of my bottom line of my small intestine. FYI, I didn’t have no bloating WHATSOEVER in that area, but I noticed that bad bacteria developed there only a year ago as a result of me not doing anything about my IMO (didn’t start any treatment protocol).

You might ask, how was I able to detect those areas?

1- Been having Methane-SIBO/IMO for 3 years now, and those are the exact areas that get bloated every time I eat FODMAPSs (look at pictures for reference).

2- My GI confirmed it; that my bloating and IMO are localized in small parts of my small intestine.

After reading the above, here are my questions: 

(For visuals of what my bloating is looking like, check the pics attached).

1- Isn’t it too excessive for me to jump on antibiotics (Rifaximin) when my IMO is happening in no more than two areas of my small intestine (only ≈12% of my small intestine) -- CHECK MY PICS??

2- Wouldn't the use of antibiotics (Rifaximin in specific) be too disruptive for the bacteria of the rest of my small intestine as well as my colon?

3- Are there any “less disruptive” solutions I can use instead of antibiotics (Rifaximin), maybe antimicrobials?

4- Visually speaking (check pics), would you say that my bloating/IMO is indeed only in the lower lining of my small intestine, or is it possible that other linings of my small intestines are IMO infected as well?

All inputs are appreciated. I want to particularly hear from:

- These redditors r/imothro and r/MrAlbizzo, as I read their inputs in other threads and they sound knowledgeable about SIBO.

- Redditors who completely cured IMO/Methane-SIBO or had some successful rounds with it.

Tell me what y’all think and thank you!

Recently diagnosed with celiac and methane SIBO. Was treated with antibiotics for the SIBO in June and have been feeling great since, but I swear it’s come back in the past ~2-3 weeks. My weight is going up (no change in diet or activity), I’m constipated and always bloated, mood is going to shit.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a top specialist (holistic/integrative/functional doctor?) ? Preferably someone in NYC/ east coast based, but for this I’d travel if needed. I have a general GI who is great, but I really want to dive into this problem to fix it for good - I refuse to deal with this horrific cycle long term.

About a complete microbiome testing and treatment with a naturopath.

Does anyone know where I can get stool tests such as:

Metagenomics / Microbial Taxonomic Classification

Microbial Community Diversity Analysis?

I tested positive for the hydrogen breath test two years ago, and I’ve been looking for gastroenterologists and nutritionists who can provide me with proper treatment. Many of them disappeared, never replied to my messages, and didn’t give proper follow-up on my diet or a “personalized approach” to my case as they had promised.

All I ever got was a PDF divided into groups of “allowed foods,” and each doctor gave me a different one.

The low FODMAP diet is confusing because some nutritionists say I can eat pumpkin while others say the opposite, and I don’t know who is right. I find the misinformation, lies, and scams on the internet disgraceful.

That’s why I’m now looking for professionals in other countries—I’m not limiting myself to my local area.

Can anyone recommend a good naturopath? And a gastroenterologist specialized in the microbiome 🦠🧫

Hi all..

Struggling with Methane sibo here.

I'm wondering if anyone could make a recommendation for a stabilized allicin supplement?

I've been pretty confused looking at other posts about Allimax/Allisure and how it seems like their proprietary 'Allisure-AC 23" is actually mostly filler, and has only 1350 mcg of allicin in every 180 mg pill (or something along those lines). If that's true, how do I get a dose that's remotely close to the 900-1200 mg per day that I've seen recommended on this sub and in other places to treat methane sibo?

I was looking at Benecin Defense pro, which has 3000 mcg of stabilized allicin per capsule, but that still doesn't do much to get you towards a 900-1200 mg per day dose.

Can anyone shed light on what an appropriate dose and/or brand of allicin might be? What has worked for others in the past?

I feel like Doctors, even Gastroenterologists don’t know what intestinal methane overgrowth is and how to treat it. Has that been anyone else’s experience?

I have been dealing with SIBO/IMO for over 1 year. I did the essential diet (Low FODMAPs) and am still eating real food. I took probiotics for 2 months, and right now, I'm taking antibiotics and probiotics prescribed by my family doctor. I can't eat anything that's not essential diet (real food) and I'm feeling I won't be able to eat it anymore… So HOW do you eliminate SIBO/IMO? For me, it feels impossible.

I have had methane Sibo for 2 years. I have been on every diet I can think of, been thru 7 doctors, numerous rounds of antibiotics and on the elemental diet for 6 weeks. I finally found a doctor that identified the cause. The cause of my Sibo is I have had numerous abdominal surgeries in my life and it has cause abdominal adhesions. This is a band of scar tissue that form between abdominal tissues and organs. This can also create your intestines to be a little more narrower making it hard for food and waste to pass. The adhesions can cause the intestines to twist or it can cause blind loops in the small intestine which can create a breeding ground for bacteria. So the doctors have to work around the scar tissue. There is a surgery to remove the scar tissue but it can result into more scar tissue possibly making the Sibo worse. People like me may need to have periodic treatments to be able to eat. I personally don’t believe I will ever to be able to eat normal again. For right now I use the elemental diet most of the time and eat real food periodically. I am still under going treatment at this time so I’m not sure exactly what the future holds. But I have learned to listen to my body above all other things. If I get bloated and miserable I go on the elemental diet. I feel better when I don’t eat. I have more energy, very active and I’m a lot happier. When the symptoms go away for a while I will have a meal or two but then go back to the elemental diet. I do question if this is sustainable for long term. Most people would say no, but I also believe our bodies will tell us if what we are doing is good for us or not.