Huh, SIBO?? Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth, also known as IMO – Intestinal Methanogen Overgrowth. Yep, that’s what I’ve been hanging out with since last year.
Here is my story, without the nitty gritty.
2020 found me looking in the mirror more thinking, hmmm, perhaps I have put on weight or could it just be unusual bloating. Types into google… how to improve distension…
Thinks no more of it!
Every month or bimonthly I’d experience an unpleasent bout of acid reflux, putting it down to overindulgence as I did tend to have times my emotional eating habits got the better of me or eating late which I knew was a no no for me. I blamed these habits and didn’t think there was much I could do but mock my lazy digestive enzymes. Sorry enzymes, you’re doing great!
Around the same time I was experiencing a significant amount of stress in my life and working a lot. Then, we get a couple of months into 2020 and the symptoms just seemed to get worse and worse as my bloating was constant (this bloating is legit; goodbye jeans, hello leggings). I also noticed I was suffering constipation [vowed to be honest in this blog for the support of all gut’s everywhere] and I came to the conclusion I must have IBS.
Boom, shut downs begin! In the meantime I knew from my knowledge of working in health shops that with gut health the sooner I act the better and something I forgot to mention is I was feeling exhausted after almost every meal, needing an iron tonic more and more frequently.
Calls doctor’s office! Ok, so no chance of getting scope for 6 months, very well then! Emails Simon Hammet of Gojiman Nutrition, whose work focuses on people dealing with compromised gut health. I order the tests he recommend to see what is going on in there. That was a pretty intense process as the kits came from the UK to Ireland and had to be posted back. I took the lactulose breath test for SIBO and a comprehensive stool test. Great crack posting that back!
Results are in! *Drum roll*
Imperfectly Positive 