IsthmusSIBO
New member
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2026
- Messages
- 2
Hello, I have been reading this forum for a few days as a way to inform myself about the gut microbiome and try to see if there is something I can apply to my case.
Back in March, I had a Campylobacter infection that got a hold in my ileocecal chain (confirmed by stool culture and a CT scan done in the ER, showing presence of inflamed lymphatic ganglions there, clear signs of infection). I was given Azythromycin for 3 days and my diarrhea eventually normalized in a week and a half.
A month after that, I got Influenza A but I recovered from that too. (Anyhow, both of these gave me a inflamed ganglion in my TMJ but ever since it has normalized 3 months after all those major infections).
I thought everything was over after all that hell, but by May, I realized that my stools were becoming yellower in color,, and I had ocassional fat/fructose malabsorption (and indigestion). I even had a weird rash in my hand after showering, making me suspect Histamine Intolerance. Eventually everything flared massively one day after eating sushi and I had brown diarrhea a day later. Not only that, but Reactive Arthritis started at the same time.
I went to the GI and he gave me Nitazoxanide for 3 days and then told me to take L. Reuteri (didn’t take them). But despite my stools returning to a normal brown, they got yellow again after finishing the antiparasitic. After that I had testing done and IBD and rheumatoid arthritis were ruled out, and I was told I had PI-IBS with reactive arthritis. Was given a 14 strain multi-probiotic for a month.
A week into it I started getting more bloated and more burping and was given Levosulpiride as prokinetic and then ginger tea when the treatment stopped and I managed to reduce drastically the bloating and burping. At the same time, I have been on a low-FODMAP diet and despite that, I had diarrhea (1 BM a day) 3 days a week, I feel because of the probiotics.
Aside from the yellow stools (I assume either poor bile flow, BAM from dysbiosis in ileocecal chain, or both), slow digestion/motility (most likely from anti-vinculin antibodies from PI-IBS), occasional diarrhea, and reactive arthritis, I haven’t seen any other major symptoms, but time I fear is running out. I also tested other things to see but so far any blood tests are unremarkable (no Celiac), only thing is that I am producing a lot of T4 (but my hs-TSH is normal, with T3 low and Insulin high, which tells me that I am probably chronically stressed, obviously battling inflammation or something and my lifestyle is not optimal).
All the GI has to offer now is single strain probiotics, and I also went to a functional MD and so I am testing for SIBO to see if I go in a SIBO treatment plan. I am aware SIBO isn’t real according to the evidence provided here. I can’t do DNA testing for microbiome as I can’t afford it either.
Yet, I am posting here because I don’t have any other options for intervention. Despite FMT being the ultimate treatment for dysbosis, Mr. Harrop’s experiences and efforts show me this is simply not available to me, and I can’t contribute meaningfully as I am not a US citizen, nor I have major money or skills relevant to this project…
So, I am asking for opinions on what I can try outside of FMT. I feel like trying to improve upper digestion by improving MMC, stomach acid and bile production (risking BAM though but I have no way to gauge if its because of low production or small intestine lacking microbes to reabsorb acids) is something I should try first before the obvious “antibiotics+vitamins+prokinetics and then rebuild with probiotics+gut lining” the functional MD will give me for SIBO. I am tempted for the antibiotics because I feel my dysbiosis is not yet severe, but I know the multi-strain probiotics may have slowed my recovery.
There is also the fact that at one point I drank Lifeway Kefir during the multi-strain probiotic treatment, and despite having diarrhea that day, my stool were brown and loose the next day and the day after that it was firm and brown, but reverted soon enough.
Everything just seems like a gamble to me right now, and because the proposed gold standard is not available (either because of the donor problem and money), I am forced to try the treatments available to me. I just need help deciding what is best to do.
Thank you all.
Back in March, I had a Campylobacter infection that got a hold in my ileocecal chain (confirmed by stool culture and a CT scan done in the ER, showing presence of inflamed lymphatic ganglions there, clear signs of infection). I was given Azythromycin for 3 days and my diarrhea eventually normalized in a week and a half.
A month after that, I got Influenza A but I recovered from that too. (Anyhow, both of these gave me a inflamed ganglion in my TMJ but ever since it has normalized 3 months after all those major infections).
I thought everything was over after all that hell, but by May, I realized that my stools were becoming yellower in color,, and I had ocassional fat/fructose malabsorption (and indigestion). I even had a weird rash in my hand after showering, making me suspect Histamine Intolerance. Eventually everything flared massively one day after eating sushi and I had brown diarrhea a day later. Not only that, but Reactive Arthritis started at the same time.
I went to the GI and he gave me Nitazoxanide for 3 days and then told me to take L. Reuteri (didn’t take them). But despite my stools returning to a normal brown, they got yellow again after finishing the antiparasitic. After that I had testing done and IBD and rheumatoid arthritis were ruled out, and I was told I had PI-IBS with reactive arthritis. Was given a 14 strain multi-probiotic for a month.
A week into it I started getting more bloated and more burping and was given Levosulpiride as prokinetic and then ginger tea when the treatment stopped and I managed to reduce drastically the bloating and burping. At the same time, I have been on a low-FODMAP diet and despite that, I had diarrhea (1 BM a day) 3 days a week, I feel because of the probiotics.
Aside from the yellow stools (I assume either poor bile flow, BAM from dysbiosis in ileocecal chain, or both), slow digestion/motility (most likely from anti-vinculin antibodies from PI-IBS), occasional diarrhea, and reactive arthritis, I haven’t seen any other major symptoms, but time I fear is running out. I also tested other things to see but so far any blood tests are unremarkable (no Celiac), only thing is that I am producing a lot of T4 (but my hs-TSH is normal, with T3 low and Insulin high, which tells me that I am probably chronically stressed, obviously battling inflammation or something and my lifestyle is not optimal).
All the GI has to offer now is single strain probiotics, and I also went to a functional MD and so I am testing for SIBO to see if I go in a SIBO treatment plan. I am aware SIBO isn’t real according to the evidence provided here. I can’t do DNA testing for microbiome as I can’t afford it either.
Yet, I am posting here because I don’t have any other options for intervention. Despite FMT being the ultimate treatment for dysbosis, Mr. Harrop’s experiences and efforts show me this is simply not available to me, and I can’t contribute meaningfully as I am not a US citizen, nor I have major money or skills relevant to this project…
So, I am asking for opinions on what I can try outside of FMT. I feel like trying to improve upper digestion by improving MMC, stomach acid and bile production (risking BAM though but I have no way to gauge if its because of low production or small intestine lacking microbes to reabsorb acids) is something I should try first before the obvious “antibiotics+vitamins+prokinetics and then rebuild with probiotics+gut lining” the functional MD will give me for SIBO. I am tempted for the antibiotics because I feel my dysbiosis is not yet severe, but I know the multi-strain probiotics may have slowed my recovery.
There is also the fact that at one point I drank Lifeway Kefir during the multi-strain probiotic treatment, and despite having diarrhea that day, my stool were brown and loose the next day and the day after that it was firm and brown, but reverted soon enough.
Everything just seems like a gamble to me right now, and because the proposed gold standard is not available (either because of the donor problem and money), I am forced to try the treatments available to me. I just need help deciding what is best to do.
Thank you all.
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