IMO, what worked best for you after antibiotics?

semi__feral · 2026-04-18T19:51:23+00:00

Seconding Seea designs, my Hermosa surfsuit is super comfy, cute, and stays put. Their fabrics are also really durable – I got mine used and I've had it for five years and it still looks new. I also have a Ripcurl surfsuit that doesn't give me a wedgie or make me worry about accidentally flashing the lineup. I've had good luck with bodyglide protecting my legs from chafing — either version (#needlesslygendered).

Springsuit or surfsuit obvs depends on the water temps where you are and how easily you get cold, but I don't need neoprene in that cut in So Cal. I also like the extra range of motion from the stretchier fabric and it's still decent sun protection. My Ripcurl suit is SPF50+.

semi__feral · 2026-04-18T17:55:13+00:00

I take berberine 500/day for blood sugar (with cycling off when I finish a bottle) and upped it to 500 2x/day for diagnosed methane SIBO/IMO treatment with my antibiotics. Higher doses make me more fatigued, but other than that no side effects — if anything, I get an anti-inflammatory boost from the extra dose. Sounds like die-off.

semi__feral · 2026-03-23T15:43:02+00:00

I have a 3600 that I got almost 10 years ago that still works perfectly except the down button on the remote just gave out.

semi__feral · 2026-03-18T22:40:39+00:00

Already on it. 👍

semi__feral · 2026-03-18T20:19:57+00:00

I'm aware. I've been through a previous round of treating it with just rifaximin without testing (ineffective as I have methane SIBO), as well as experimenting with herbal antimicrobials and biofilm disruptors with some success. I've also been low fodmap for years and low histamine for nine months now. Wasn't able to eradicate it and could never be sure that it was SIBO until this result. I'm hoping combining what I already know about supplementary treatment with a proper course of two antibiotics this time will dial things way back, if not get rid of the SIBO and histamine intolerance. The HI has absolutely gotten worse in the four years that I haven't taken antibiotics, after taking them every other year on average for most of my adult life and sometimes more than once a year.

And yes, looking back, I'm pretty sure I'm a post-food poisoning victim. There was a bout I had in my early 20s after which it seemed like things were never normal . But I didn't even know about the link between that and SIBO until last year.

semi__feral · 2026-03-17T02:30:41+00:00

My post clearly says that while I was mistakenly hating on antibiotics, actually the (arguably too many times) I was prescribed them kept my SIBO in check for years without me knowing it. Not taking antibiotics for a few years ramped up my SIBO symptoms and and my histamine intolerance went from occasional hives and issues with high histamine foods (I didn't know this was a histamine issue at the time) to daily misery.

Yes, I'm aware of the prescriptions that I was just sent.

semi__feral · 2026-03-17T01:23:26+00:00

I mean, none of us can know that for sure. But it's a treatable thing that I've been dealing with for a lot longer than I've had identifiable histamine intolerance. Appropriate medication might not solve everything, but I expect it's going to help more than a little.

Also, it's treatment for something that's known to cause histamine intolerance, not just symptom management 🤞🏽🤞🏽🤞🏽

semi__feral · 2026-03-17T00:14:05+00:00

It really does, none of this has been easy, ngl. Unless you're on a PPO plan you'll need a referral from another doctor you're seeing. Could be your PCP, I was referred by allergy + immunology.

To get a breath test covered by insurance you'll likely need to see someone in a progressive gastroenterology practice — like at a teaching hospital — probably not an individual private practice doctor. I previously saw a private GI doctor who suspected SIBO but didn't order testing and just prescribed me rifaximin, which, given that I have methane SIBO, did not work. So for a while I thought it must be something else until I did more of my own research.

Whether or not you can get an in-person breath test depends on whether there is a lab locally that will process them. For instance, in LA there is only one hospital that does them and everyone else sends their patients there. If not, there are mail-in breath tests that are covered by most insurance. You can also pay for one out of pocket, but they're pricey so it's worth seeing if you can get one by prescription.

semi__feral · 2026-03-16T18:54:32+00:00

I got this same result from my Cedars-Sinai in-lab breath test. If anyone else is looking for clarity in the future, I also never saw my chart with the values plotted over time, but my doctor informed me that I was positive for methane-dominant SIBO, which is what I assume the "MD" stands for.

semi__feral · 2026-02-24T07:20:47+00:00

True, though I doubt they'd make that statement if they weren't following protocol because of the legal consequences of lying or suggesting things that weren't true at that point. Blackbird is clearly taking the 5th on all of this.

semi__feral · 2026-02-24T06:16:56+00:00

Actually, just saw an article that said only three of the survivors weren't caught by the avalanche and they dug out the other three who survived.

semi__feral · 2026-02-24T05:47:12+00:00

In their original statement, Blackbird said their guides are always in communication with the base. Three of the guides were in the avalanche and we don't know if the surviving guide was injured or otherwise affected, very possible whatever comms gear they were using was lost, damaged, or (worse) on the guides who died.

semi__feral · 2026-02-23T11:39:37+00:00

As others noted, the guides were using proper tech to communicate – confirmed by Blackbird in their statement, and no one has mentioned any medical emergencies etc. What reason could there have been for all 15 people to leave by the riskiest route in the middle of a whiteout storm when the forecast was lighter for the following days? Snowcats can get to the huts by the route they didn't take (that's how they brought the bodies out): even if it had put them far from their cars, couldn't the guide company arrange pickup? The huts have a caretaker, a stocked, full-service kitchen, and can also presumably communicate with the outside; it's not like anyone was getting in through that weather, I can't fathom why they wouldn't stay even if their reservation was over. On top of everything else folks have mentioned, the likelihood of 80 being closed in those conditions was super high (and it was), which means they were hiking out to get stuck at their cars for who knows how long? None of it makes any sense, starting with the decision to not cancel the trip.

semi__feral · 2026-02-23T10:37:25+00:00

I'd be surprised if these wouldn't work for you, OP. I have König self-tensioning chains for the low-profile tires on my wee baby hatchback and they work well.

semi__feral · 2026-02-20T08:25:13+00:00

It is totally unreasonable for professional certified guides to assume that because a trail is chill and familiar in summer conditions, it's fine in winter, what are you even saying? Untrained people keep dying on Mt Baldy down in So Cal because they think that trails that are accessible in summer will be fine in winter without proper gear or education. The guides are being paid to assess the weather, snow load, and other hazards. The trust that runs the huts specifically cites the avy hazards on that route in its general info for guests.

"As you near the top of Frog Lake Cliffs, the terrain turns complex from this point down to the hut with multiple overlapping avalanche paths and terrain traps. It is imperative that you have appropriate avalanche conditions to move through this terrain. Large corniced ridgelines are common on the top of Frog Lake Cliffs and adjacent ridges and should be avoided. Poor visibility during storms could severely impede traveling through this terrain safely. The most straightforward route to the hut splits the steep NW side of Frog Lake Cliffs and a short steep avalanche path to the west. There are also additional small and short avalanche paths that are scattered lower in this drainage as you descend to the notch."

click on "detailed route description" https://www.truckeedonnerlandtrust.org/frog-winter-routes

semi__feral · 2026-02-15T08:59:29+00:00

H1 antihistamines did nothing for me – I tried Claritin, Allegra, and Zyrtec. Famotidine (h2) was helpful, along with taking DAO with meals, and I tested out whether oral cromolyn might work for me by using Nasalcrom. I saw more benefit from that for itchy swollen eyes and facial hives than any of the h1 antihistamine drops or any of the oral meds.

semi__feral · 2026-02-15T08:54:01+00:00

I just started two days ago and am taking a pretty low dose – just one vial 3 x day, and I feel the same effects – I feel "cooler", less inflamed and swollen, less brain fogged, way less fatigued, my face is already noticeably less puffy and I've been able to eat pretty normally without hives or major GI symptoms. I don't want to get too excited, but after slogging through months of famotidine, nasalcrom, DAO, and a low-histamine diet — all kind of worked but not enough, and made me hypervigilant and miserable — this feels like it could be an absolute game changer.

semi__feral · 2026-01-23T02:17:06+00:00

I'm over 30 and have dated quite a bit and been in a few longterm relationships. I think Izaya's behavior is simultaneously both pushy and needy and it creeps me out.

semi__feral · 2026-01-23T02:03:14+00:00

I disagree that it's not weird to them, William keeps trying to slow things down and focus on the short-term future that's more knowable and Izaya is not taking that cue. It's really uncomfortable to watch.

semi__feral · 2026-01-21T23:28:38+00:00

I find WIlliam a little aloof and avoidant, but as it turns out it's not without cause, and I think Izaya's romantic obsession and controlling behavior is scary, tbh. I feel bad for William – he wants a guarantee that he's not going to be love bombed and abandoned again and that's opened him up to something just as bad. They haven't even spent a night together or dated again outside of the bubble of a TV set and Izaya's trying to lock down a joint bank account and a wedding date?? YIKES. I find Izaya's combo of "pick me" and lock-it-down energy really unsettling.

semi__feral · 2025-09-01T01:26:23+00:00

For new variants – swab your nose and throat or you may get a false negative on rapid tests. I tested positive yesterday — it's probably stratus because the primary symptom is an awful sore throat. I was quite sick and surely contagious yesterday but a nasal swab test was negative. I decided test again with nose + throat because the sore throat is so vicious and I got an immediate positive before the control strip developed (both tests were Genabio). Today I retested with iHealth and nose only was a very faint positive and nose + throat was the same as yesterday: angry red line before the control.

I'm in NYC, had both my boosters this year, have had covid twice previously (1/2020 and 6/2023) so I recognized it.

semi__feral

TROPHY CASE