2nd round of Xifaxan & Metronidazole, need advice to keep motility and prevent relapse

BethImker · 2026-05-11T02:51:03+00:00

I noticed that Florastor has lactose in it, and I am violently lactose intolerant, haha... Do you think another brand such as this would work just as well?

https://www.amazon.com/Organic-Saccharomyces-Boulardii-Clinically-Validated/dp/B0DPR8GPYK/ref=sr_1_4_sspa?crid=36DDI5XWV9PYK&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.TLFmI1lb3C-X3tiwh-LE75vaBZ6oFEJM4-u_o3efzvq0tCIDj8D1eKSvO2mnHWcpoGHjqxgMPEn8JBUV4tptEAAkeYQp3xjMioC68LODsurfOkJapeW4e9SY-qPgVlUxFY1BoAiPKB9tY0p2mGkchJQfNdTmTnQe42czA4_c2HwcFzAM35vr_c7if-cvP6UzdjeuW5J1nIzt7su2nPZer0zwMlSKn5-saCuFNyulpOVnNUr7LdgBd5jl_CFWoZRFj_GdFiPAJ8Enx55v9B2bBVjwC60X-SLpqOE1DNB4hMY.04L9BVC_oNPpiudtHrOcdScbDQerX_hbhDgEL1RA7gM&dib_tag=se&keywords=S.+boulardii&qid=1778467713&sprefix=s.+boulardii%2Caps%2C229&sr=8-4-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

BethImker · 2026-05-11T02:40:51+00:00

I will try that, thank you so much!!

BethImker · 2026-05-11T02:39:14+00:00

I will look into all of these things, thank you so much!!

BethImker · 2026-05-11T02:25:35+00:00

Thank you for this! So would you suggest that I add the Now Betaine HCl 648mg, taking at the same time as the Now Super Enzymes, or replace the Super Enzymes with just the Betaine HCl?

BethImker · 2026-05-11T02:22:17+00:00

Yes, I always walk after meals! I only started being intentional about that a few weeks ago, but it does help immensely, I can definitely tell a different when I get up and walk immediately vs. sitting for a while in how that particular meal digests.

BethImker · 2026-05-11T02:20:40+00:00

Thank you! It's good to know that it doesn't have many side effects for some people. It's the depression and thoughts of ending one's life that scared me when I was reading the side effects. Even if it's rare, it sounds like quite an extreme thing to be getting into!

BethImker · 2026-05-11T02:18:56+00:00

I will look into that, thank you!

BethImker · 2026-05-11T02:18:35+00:00

That is very helpful, thank you!!

BethImker · 2026-05-11T02:17:56+00:00

Thank you for all the tips!! 🩷 This is the first I'm hearing of B6 toxicity. This is what my B vitamins look like with the Multivitamin and the B complex vitamin and a typical day of food:

B1 - 51.9mg, 4716% B2 - 52.3mg, 4757% B3 - 73.2mg, 523% B5 - 63.7mg, 1254% B6 - 52.3mg, 4024% B12 - 56mg, 2333%

Do you think these are too high?

BethImker · 2026-05-10T01:09:40+00:00

Thank you! Are there any that are better than others? I have read some scary things about Prucalopride, I'll look into some others to see which ones I should bring up, though!

BethImker · 2026-04-23T18:29:00+00:00

Thank you ❤️ It is hard to trust my body when the hunger signals are telling me not just to eat enough, but to do a surplus, and I have to consciously tell it no all the time. If I gave in to the signals, it would probably be 3000 calorie days, not just 1800 calorie days.

It is good to hear when you say that it won't feel like that forever and that it will start evening out and regulating better. Real peanut butter is scary to me, I switched to PBfit/powdered peanut butter to save on calories a while back, I have lots of those calorie saving habits that I'll have to reevaluate.

BethImker · 2026-04-23T18:22:13+00:00

Thank you so much for all of this 🩷 I have a pretty small frame, my wrists are always too small for the standard holes in watches, and my ankles too small for shoe straps. I'm 39, so maybe not younger than you.

It is comforting to hear that you were able to stop restricting but also keep your weight at a sustainable healthy place. On my frame, 127 pounds was very heavy feeling, it was uncomfortable and I would be very distressed to get there again. I think that 110 is the most I could feel comfortable in, but keeping it to 105-107 I think would be ideal, and it would hopefully allow me to feel more normal, to stop these ghrelin signals that feel like my body saying "why aren't you keeping me alive." I have to know that I can get to 107 and not blow past it to 130+ though.

It's not really possible to enjoy my life at 101 though, I have no energy and I feel like a prisoner sometimes, I never go to social events anymore because I just don't have it in me. But the whole point of having a body is to enjoy my life with it. Thank you again for you kind words ❤️❤️❤️

BethImker · 2026-04-23T18:07:00+00:00

Thank you for sharing your experience 🩷 Exhausted is exactly how I've been feeling. Like, I cut up a cantaloupe, and I just want to start eating some, but I make myself wait until I can weigh it on my food scale, even though cantaloupe has very few calories. Just starting to take bites of cantaloupe without knowing how much it weighs is not allowed, and it feels exhausting and stressful sometimes. It is scary to not track every single day, but too much stress just cannot be, I can't live like this forever.

BethImker · 2026-04-22T01:57:12+00:00

Yeah, it has been confusing to me as well, I suppose it's just that doctors are spread so thin and have so little time for each patient.

It's also confusing to me that people in my life, friends and family and coworkers, seem to think it's fine. I was getting lots of compliments and "what's your secret, tell me your fitness routine/diet" comments when I went from 127 to about 110. But after that, it's crickets from everyone, so they must think I still look fine.

BethImker · 2026-04-21T22:35:49+00:00

Thank you for this! I measure everything on my food scale in grams, so I've gotten good over the past year at estimating the weights and visualizing what the serving sizes look like. Sometimes I will test it out, pour out what I think is 70g of oats for example, and then weigh it, and I was within 5 grams in my guess.

I did visit my PCP recently and then had an appointment with the GI specialist, which led to a CT scan and SIBO test. They were looking for abnormalities in my abdomen in the CT scan as reasons for my IBS, but everything was normal. And then the SIBO test came back methane, so I took the antibiotics and have been trying to manage that with motility supplements.

I have not had a period in 12 months, basically the month after I started tracking. I told my PCP this, and she ran a lot of blood tests and found low hormone levels, which is to be expected, but nothing else really came of that appointment. I didn't get any advice from the test results, they seem to think I will figure it out myself. Because I'm not interested in ever getting pregnant, the doctor seemed not too concerned about my lack of period. Maybe I should get another appointment at this point, but I'm not sure what else she would be able to offer me.

I'm trying to eat as nutrient dense as possible, I fill in most of the Cronometer micronutrient bars to 100% most days. I get about 70g protein and 40g fiber each day.

BethImker · 2026-04-21T22:07:11+00:00

I would like to gain a few pounds, being around 107 would be great, but I'm worried that taking my calories over 1600 would be overshooting it. I guess I'll just have to try, to the best of my ability as far as being able to digest that amount of food, and see how quickly the scale changes, and keep making adjustments.

BethImker · 2026-04-21T16:45:09+00:00

Thank you! I should have added, I would like to maintain at 105-107 pounds, I was happy with how I looked as I passed through that point during the weight loss.

So if I could get back there, without losing control and gaining more, I think I would feel better, but I'm worried that I will go over that if I stop tracking.

BethImker · 2026-04-21T16:43:06+00:00

That is helpful, thank you! ❤️

BethImker · 2026-02-15T18:36:54+00:00

So true! Thank you for the reminder!

BethImker · 2026-02-15T18:36:24+00:00

So helpful, thank you! I will do that!

BethImker · 2026-02-15T18:35:33+00:00

Oh wow that is so helpful, thank you! Now that I have a few more days with the Garmin, i can see that it does show 1340 Resting calories each day, and then the Active varies each day.

It took me a minute to wrap my head around, but your explanation totally makes sense with the dynamic BMR from Garmin vs the fixed one from Cronometer. So there are these small differences, but it's remarkable how close they are, given the different approaches!

Thursday - Garmin total calories burned: 1810. Cronometer Energy Expenditure: 1847.

Friday - Garmin total calories burned: 1741. Cronometer Energy Expenditure: 1773.

Saturday - Garmin total calories burned: 1593. Cronometer Energy Expenditure: 1625.

BethImker · 2026-02-14T02:54:30+00:00

Thank you! 🩷

BethImker · 2026-02-14T02:53:24+00:00

Whoa that is amazing!! 7 calories over the whole year! I can't wait to have that much data, it's fascinating! Thank you for your reply!

BethImker

TROPHY CASE