While suffering from all manor of gastrointestinal issues for almost two decades, I became an avid researcher into all things health: with a focus on anything related to healing gut dysfunction. I also underwent many tests, sought many progressional consults, and did a truly vast (and expensive) amount of self-experimentation. Ultimately I was diagnosed with Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (“SIBO”), but even after that was not able to obtain successful treatment. My symptoms included: bloating, gas, constipation and diarrhea, and various other things I believed (after researching) to be at least partially related: depression, insomnia, lethargy, and chronic hives.

Things that Helped

Among things that helped mitigate my symptoms were:

1. Low “FODMAP” diet (reference): There are many varieties of diet intended to help mitigate IBS/SIBO symptoms, but the “Fast Tract Diet” was for me the most effective. However, these diets were difficult to follow and didn’t resolve the underlying issue.
   • These diets aren’t typically recommended for long-term use because they tend to be very restrictive (which can lead to micronutrient deficiencies over time.)
2. Glutamine powder: I added this to my drinking water, and it seemed to help heal my gut lining. (The gut lining can become porous as a result of the bacterial imbalance, causing bacterial toxins and food particles to escape into the bloodstream, which then results in inflammation and food intolerances).
   • In addition to being an ideal fuel source for cells lining the gut, L-glutamine is also an ideal source of energy for cancer cells, so is not recommended for anyone at high risk for (or with existing) cancer and generally isn’t a good idea for long-term use.
3. Antimicrobials: My first course of Rifaximin (a prescription antibiotic commonly used for SIBO treatment) was highly effective at mitigating symptoms – temporarily. Eventually, they returned with a vengeance.
   • Like the first two, antimicrobials aren’t recommended for long term use because they typically kill “good” as well as “bad” bacteria, leading to potentially greater problems in the future. They also seemed to become less effective over time.

What Cured Me

The thing that finally “cured” me (I feel confident enough to say this now that it’s been a year or so) was this: Visbiome packets. It’s a medical grade probiotic that ships under refrigeration (helping ensure the cultures are still viable upon receipt) and has 450 billion CFUs per dose (compare that to the <1-10 billion CFU in every other commercially available probiotic supplement I’ve seen.) I started supplementing these during a course of broad spectrum antibiotics prescribed for an unrelated issue, which may have helped them work better and more quickly. (There’s some difficulty with probiotics colonizing the gut if the “bad” bacteria have already occupied all available real-estate.) If I had to do it again without the prescription antibiotics, I would probably use the strongest available OTC (over-the-counter) antimicrobials for a couple of weeks before starting the Visbiome. Based on available information, I’d recommend using some of the ones listed here by the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

I initially took two packets a day for a month or so, before backing off to one/day ever since. I might be safe to stop them now, but I am so thrilled with my lack of GI symptoms that I’ve been afraid to stop and haven’t tried yet. If I do, I’ll make another post about it. Note that the packets need to be refrigerated and should not be added to hot liquid for consumption (that’ll kill the probiotics.) I do also try to eat a generally healthy diet to avoid over-feeding bad bacteria/fungus in the GI tract or compromising the gut lining (this just means keeping refined grains/sugar and alcohol to a minimum, plus avoiding anything you might have an individual sensitivity, or allergy to.) It’s still effort but worthwhile for general health and far, far less cumbersome than any of the official Fodmap diets used to be!

Last note: These Visbiome packets are expensive, it’s true. But for me, the fact of being symptom-free after all this time is such an incredible gift that it’s well worth the expense. I hope this helps someone, and if it does please let me know in comments!

*Please note: I have no affiliation with any organization or supplement mentioned in this article.