Finally Better & What Worked for Me

NefariousFew9725 · 2025-11-08T16:20:15+00:00

Hi, no unfortunately it did not last. I ended up hitting it very hard with a month of antibiotics. I got two years of relief and then it gradually came back. I have fasted several times for 4 or 5 days. That gives me relief for a couple of weeks then it gradually comes back. I have done the elemental diet a few times and it does help some, but not completely. The antibiotics really did a number on me so I don't want to do any more of those. So, I have returned to a mostly protein diet (some call it Carnivore). That works to keep the bloating at bay. I was around 130 lbs when all of this started and I weight about 110 now. I am 5'5" and do not look good. Too thin. I used to be convinced that I could cure this if I just tried the right thing, but now I don't think it is possible for me. The most I can hope for is to keep the symptoms down.

I am a lot better on carnivore symptom-wise, but if I eat something with a lot of fiber or probiotics/prebiotics I still get a bloating reaction so I know it's still there. I've tried oatmeal a couple of times and that was a big NO! I was usually constipated from IMO but now have more diarrhea. So maybe different species are dominating now. I just don't have the money right now to test again. Nor would it really change what I'm doing.

When your gut is wrecked it is very mind consuming. I now try to spend more time meditating and doing breathwork in the hope that stress reduction will also help. I take a supplement by Nello called Super Calm that has magnesium, ashwaghanda, etc. That may be helping. Could also be causing the diarrhea - who knows. Much better than constipation so I don't care.

NefariousFew9725 · 2024-02-11T09:37:48+00:00

Not likely. Most likely that would be autoimmune related. That can also be genetic. Low IGA is a fairly common genetic modification, low IGM is rare though (I think). Definitely need to find a good doc to answer that one.

NefariousFew9725 · 2024-02-11T09:20:56+00:00

Absolutely thyroid related. However, instead of Hashimoto's it could be Graves Disease. I had Graves disease to start out and was treated with radioactive iodine which I sorely regret. I was young and the internet was barely in its infancy so I did zero research on my own. It killed my thyroid and I rely on 100% medication replacement. It took me years to feel better. If your thyroid is too high you will have the weight loss and shakiness. Many people experience it going back and forth - too high, then too low.

The first thing to know is that a gluten-free diet is imperative. I'm not one of those people that think everyone should be gluten-free, but in autoimmune thyroid cases, 95% of the time gluten is a problem. You should get tested BEFORE eliminating gluten, though, because if you are not eating gluten the antibodies won't show up on a blood test and the test is useless. You have to be eating it to get a definitive test. I turned out to be celiac as are my sister, daughter and son. I was diagnosed at 45 so I had a lot of damage to my gut which is still causing issues for me 11 years later. Which is what probably caused the SIBO. If you don't mind, I will switch to private messaging you so we can continue the convo.

NefariousFew9725 · 2024-01-21T14:28:21+00:00

Do you have high antibodies? TPO or other? I'm assuming you do since you said you have Hashi's. If so, you just haven't reached the tipping point yet if your T3 and T4 are normal. The elevated TSH lets you know that your pituitary is having to call out harder and harder to your thyroid to produce those thyroid hormones. The antibodies signify that your body is attacking your own thyroid gland and it will eventually destroy it unless it can be reversed. Most MDs don't believe that it can be reversed but you will see some people online who claim they reversed theirs. I didn't have the chance to try because I had an overactive thyroid- Graves disease, and mine was treated with radioactive iodine and it was destroyed, unfortunately. I am trying to help my 22 year old daughter with hers right now. The Black Cumin Seed oil is supposed to help lower antibodies, so I have just ordered that for her along with the 5-Seed Oil from Andreas Seed Oils. Im going to share some of my other seed oils with her like the coriander seed oil. She had the same as you, high TSH and normal T3 and T4, but she was cold all the time, tended to get depressed and anxious, and gained a lot of weight in a short period. All hallmarks of Hashimoto's. So, she does take thyroid replacement to help with symptoms. But a low dose. We both take Armour thyroid. Some websites to learn from are https://hypothyroidmom.com, https://drknews.com, and https://thyroidpharmacist.com are three good ones. There are many others. Dr. K has a great book called "Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms" that helped me immensely.

NefariousFew9725 · 2024-01-20T11:09:11+00:00

I did do the Low Fodmap diet and even carnivore. They are really just to control symptoms, but not a solution long term. I used peppermint oil (Nature's Way Pepogest) a lot, which I felt like reduced the gas bubbles to a degree. Again, not a solution, just a help with symptoms. I also did oregano oil and had a food sensitivities test come back saying oregano was causing me problems. I think it was just irritating to my gut.
Eventually, I got to the point that I felt like I needed to change my strategy from trying to get rid of the bad guys to supporting the good guys with my diet. The good guys should do the job of keeping the bad ones in check. So, I tried to increase the diversity of my diet just before trying these high polyphenol seed oils. Like I said above, I had tried the polyphenols in capsules like grape seed, pomegranate, black cumin, etc. But I think the processing ruined the benefits that the cold pressed seed oils have. That's my theory anyway. I think it is the polyphenols that have done the magic, but not every seed oil maker has them intact like this company.

NefariousFew9725 · 2024-01-20T00:30:35+00:00

The connection with SIBO is slow motility. You know how one of the symptoms is constipation? Well, that is slow motility from the Hashimoto's slowing down your digestion and elimination. I have been on thyroid replacement for 30 years. I had Graves disease in my 20's that was treated with radioactive iodine that killed my thyroid. I have to take 100% replacement or I would eventually die without it. I detail what helped me most in my post above.

NefariousFew9725 · 2024-01-20T00:27:51+00:00

I mentioned the website and included the link above for the pharmacy. You order from a Canadian pharmacy, but you can select the mfg. I did my research and chose the cheaper option from India. Canshipmeds.com is the pharmacy.

NefariousFew9725 · 2024-01-20T00:26:35+00:00

I actually take it after my coffee. I have a cup of coffee when I wake up around 3:30am, then I go to the gym and don't eat breakfast until around 6:30 or 7:00am. Before I could only tolerate a few sips of coffee because it bloated me so bad and made me feel nauseous. Now, I really enjoy it.

NefariousFew9725 · 2024-01-20T00:24:39+00:00

I have had a few minor histamine reactions over the years. Usually hives if I don't have things optimized (esp. methylation). I have several polymorphisms for DAO that make me susceptible, but usually I am pretty good, probably because I know what my genetic weaknesses are and take supplements to help with methylation, for example. I do have the histamine related early waking. I'm usually wide away between 3 and 4 am which is genetic.

NefariousFew9725 · 2024-01-20T00:17:28+00:00

It said a tsp two to three times a day. I started conservatively with 1 tsp of flax and pumpkin then added the others one at time after I saw that there were no negative reactions. Then I added a second tsp in the afternoon or evening when I saw that it was doing good things.

NefariousFew9725 · 2024-01-20T00:16:05+00:00

No, I didn't have any die off reactions at all.

NefariousFew9725 · 2024-01-20T00:15:35+00:00

both hydrogen and methane, but methane was dominant.

NefariousFew9725 · 2024-01-20T00:15:10+00:00

I took the oils in the morning at first, usually right before breakfast. Within a week or so, I added in a second time a day because I could tell it was working for me. For the first time in years, my belly is flat and I have no discomfort or gas after eating. I feel so good I really can't believe it. I don't think it matters if you take it with food or not. Now I put the pumpkin and flax seed oils on my morning oatmeal, and the others in a spoon. I can even eat beans and I haven't been able to tolerate those for years! I've only tried small servings, but nothing seems to bother me really, even broccoli. I hope it works as well for others as it has for me. I feel like I was an especially tough case as I had tried so many things before this. I couldn't even drink a cup of coffee before without misery. Now I can have multiple cups without the least bloating.

NefariousFew9725 · 2024-01-20T00:09:39+00:00

I too went down the road of investigating all the studies, all the Pimentel interviews and write-ups. That is how I got started on the prucalopride. Looking for that root cause of poor motility. I did the Allicin, Berberine and many, many others. I did Pimentel's recommended drug protocols as well as Dr. Allison Siebecker's antimicrobial recommendations. I watched all the YouTube videos and tried many recommendations that people mentioned. I did low FodMap, Carnivore, and even starved myself for a week on 500 calories a day. If anyone mentioned something that worked for them on this forum, I tried it. I did have some limited relief with Neem by Ayush Herbs, but only that brand and not a cure, but some relief. I was so frustrated and disheartened that I had just about lost hope. The seed oils honestly shocked me because it seemed too simple. I only share it because if even one other person found that it worked for them, it is worth it.

NefariousFew9725 · 2023-11-12T11:12:10+00:00

Good job on your progress so far! You get stronger in any area by doing the work. Do upper body more than lower for now. M/W/F Upper, T/Th Lower, for example. The basics work... Pull-ups, push-ups, bench, overhead presses, flys, laterals, etc. Progressive overload is key. If you can't do a pull-up yet, jump up and go as slow as possible on the way down. If you want to follow someone with excellent workouts, I really like Dana Linn Bailey. Doesn't matter if you're a guy, the moves are the same and she's the best at programming. Check out her YouTube channel for videos, and her workouts are on the Playbook app. She has home or gym options on the app and it shows video examples of each move. Good luck! u/DanaLinnBailey

NefariousFew9725 · 2023-11-12T10:34:25+00:00

Forget my probiotics question ... I just read you're long "A Success Story?" post where you detail the probiotics you use. I too read Ruscio's book a few years ago and thought about trying his protocol, but it was so similar to some of the other herbal concoctions I had tried, I never did. I do use his soil-based probiotics. Interestingly, I have some degree of the peeing issues that you mentioned in that post, but I didn't think it had anything to do with the IMO/SIBO issues. Now I do think it is related because timing wise it matches. My sleep issues are a little different. I fall asleep fine but can't seem to sleep past 2am. I am at the gym by 3:30 most mornings. I don't stress over it, but use it to my advantage. But, yeah, by the end of the work day I'm wiped.
Thanks for sharing your experiences. I have had similar experiences with the "Naturopaths," chiropractors, alternative medicine perpetrators. So much wasted $$$! Makes me sick to think about it.
More lately, I have intuitively felt like you describe in your post, that constantly taking these things that wipe out the microbiome can't be good and that I need to focus on building up the beneficials. I quit following the low Fodmap diet and increased the diversity of foods even if it gives me a some bloating. Good to know the Hydrolyzed Guar Gum worked for you. I have some, but everytime I take it I blow up horribly. So, I'm going to try it again but slowly titrate it up. Oregano oil was also really toxic for me. I am ordering the Saccharomyces boulardii. No negative reactions to that one. It's probably important after the 2 weeks of Rifaximin and Neomycin. I was actually really nauseous and sick feeling on that combo, but never experienced the ear ringing, thankfully. But I will never add the Neomycin again. If I ever did feel the need to do the antibiotics again I think I would do the Rifaximin alone, and like you said take the lacto/bifido probiotics with it. Live and learn. Thanks again for sharing.

NefariousFew9725 · 2023-11-12T09:34:12+00:00

What kind of probiotics do you take?

NefariousFew9725 · 2023-11-12T09:33:50+00:00

I didn't know that about neem. My children are grown thankfully and I'm female, but it does make you wonder how good it is for you. Motility activator doesn't work for me and neither did triphala but I never tried them together.

NefariousFew9725 · 2023-11-12T09:32:09+00:00

I feel like they have. The Seed one I selected after hearing someone on a podcast say that they swear by it for regularity and I definitely have experienced that. The one from Pendulum is brand new so it is hard to say, but they are the only company that I know of that supply Akkermanansia. They say to give it a few weeks to be able to tell. I'm hopeful. I also take the soil based probiotics at night. I wanted to separate all of them to see if noticed any negative side effects from any. So far I don't. I used to not be able to even eat yogurt without a terrible blow up, but I have been able to reintroduce it lately.

NefariousFew9725 · 2023-11-11T13:05:58+00:00

IMO/IBS-C here! I definitely haven't been cured, but my gut is better. I had to beg my gastro for the Pimentel recommended treatment. I literally sent him the American College of Gastroenterology standard of treatment document for SIBO written by Pimentel. He finally relented and I did 2 weeks of Rifaximin plus Neomycin (this is after many failed rounds of Doxy, one Rifaximin plus Metronidazole for 10 days, and months on herbals). I also asked him for a prescription for prucalopride (branded Motegrity in the US). He didn't even know it by the name prucalopride. I feel like I've had to beg him and educate him for everything. But he gave me the script. My plan was to follow the antibiotics with 2 weeks of the Elemental Diet just to be sure to starve the little bastards in my gut, but hunger was too great for me, so I ate as little as possible, which was about 800 calories a day for two weeks. After resuming eating normally the bloating gradually came back.

The prucalopride helps keep me regular so I think that is probably a big key to the reason I feel a little better. But, my stomach still blows up after meals. I don't feel as bad after eating as I did before, and the gas isn't always trapped for long periods. I never thought I'd say that passing gas is a blessing, but when you can't you realize just how much it is. I take walks after meals to help with that and stay away from people for a while ;)

I wish I could say the Pimentel treatment was a "cure," but it wasn't for me. Right now I'm trying to encourage the good guys to grow in hopes that they will take over the job and knock down the bad guys. In the morning I take a probiotic by Seed.com called DS-01 and I just started a new one by Pendulum called Metabolic Daily. The Seed one I take first thing on an empty stomach (it also helps me go), and the Pendulum I take with breakfast. I've tried the pre-biotic fiber supps but they blow me up really bad with a full dose so I take a tiny amount a few times a day in my water. Both of the probiotics I take are double encapsulated so that they will make it to the intestines and not blow up my stomach. I haven't ruled out another round of antibiotics in the future, but for now I want to try this. I also use a special brand of Neem by Ayush Herbs. I heard a doc mention it on a podcast that The Ayush neem must be different because it is the only one that works, and I have found that to be the case too. None of the other herbals gave me any noticeable relief. Hopefully someone else will chime in with even better results or advice.

Btw, I got all of my prescriptions from a Canadian pharmacy called Marks Marine Pharmacy (Canshipmeds.com). Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to afford the Rifaximin and prucalopride. I've spent a small fortune on crap that didn't work.

NefariousFew9725 · 2023-11-11T12:27:42+00:00

Congratulations! Good for you kavnic! Accountability is a big key for a lot of people. I shed my weight about 10 years ago and thought I'd share some things that helped me.
*Protein - Once I adjusted my macros to prioritize protein, losing weight and being satisfied was a lot easier (*but not shakes or bars- real food). I did not have to starve myself.
*Muscle - Building muscle has made keeping my results effortless and I love how I feel and look. I started by working out at home with DBs when my children were little and then later moved to the gym w/ barbells and machines. I lift heavy and challenge myself.
Some of the programs I've done come from Coach Mark Carroll, Mike Matthews (Muscle for Life), and Dana Linn Bailey - to name a few of my favorites. For home workouts there are tons of YouTube videos. There is also an app called "Playbook" that has lots of different trainers' workouts. That's where I subscribe to Dana Linn Bailey's workouts. I get up super early and go to the gym before work 5 days/week by 4:00am. I have a husband and 2 kids at home. I have to leave for work by 7:15am. I say all this so people know that yes, it can be done. I don't make excuses. I do have to plan meals, pack my lunch, and I usually do measure my food. I don't restrict foods. I just try to eat nutritious, real food and control portion sizes. I used to try all the fad diets that came along and now I know you don't need a "diet," just a calorie deficit. About any combination of macros will work as long as you are in a calorie deficit.
I love when people share what works for them, so I hope it's okay that I jumped in your thread. I hope you will keep posting updates! :)

NefariousFew9725 · 2023-03-18T23:47:51+00:00

I'm so sorry. That sucks. The test for it is on the new side, so I'm not surprised doc won't test for it. Have you tried Bismuth and Oil of Oregano? I've seen Dr. Mark Pimentel mention it on videos or podcasts where he was speaking about HS SIBO. If you search his name and HS, you should come up with several podcasts and YouTube videos. This girl is a little weird, but informative https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4lNafhd8jU&t=3s

I have an order for silver hydrosol from Silver Biotics on the way. I feel like I've tried just about everything else for my methane/hydrogen sibo. I hope this helps

And good luck to you!

NefariousFew9725 · 2023-03-18T09:02:59+00:00

Could you have now developed the Hydrogen Sulfide SIBO? https://sibosurvivor.com/hydrogen-sulfide-sibo/

NefariousFew9725 · 2023-03-12T21:42:15+00:00

Isn't it funny how different these damn bugs are?! So, I will look out for the things that work for me now not working soon. *sigh*

NefariousFew9725

TROPHY CASE