I hear over and over, “I’ve had these symptoms for years, but my doctor says my labs are fine, so I can’t be sick.” I hear you and the worry that you may never be able to enjoy meal time again or leave the house without obsessing about where the restroom is. These are valid concerns. 

The labs are all normal…

Your doctor says your labs are normal, well sure if (s)he’s running the standard tests. When all else fails we docs have to step out of the standards and think outside the box, that’s where a stool test and a breath test may just reveal the answer.

SIBO?

First let’s define what SIBO is, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. SIBO is when the normal microflora of the large intestine has moved into the small intestine. This migration can be caused by many factors, but the biggest causes are antibiotic use, head trauma (who’d have thunk it?!), and a traditional American diet.

SIBO can cause so many diverse symptoms that are often overlooked, or worse yet misdiagnosed, as IBS/IBD. So if you are suffering from chronic gut symptoms and/or IBS/IBD you MUST get tested for SIBO. Testing is especially important for those diagnosed with “insert disease here” and still having symptoms.

What are the tests?

The SIBO test is a breath test done at home, it is a bit complicated and involves a few hours of fasting, but when it shows an abnormal result, the result is usually tears. Tears of relief that they FINALLY have an answer.

I also mentioned a stool test. The stool test is not as necessary as the breath test, however it is often run at the same time because SIBO can be complicated by other factors, such as H.pylori or candida. The stool test will reveal if the treatment needs to be tweaked to also eradicate the complicating factors.

Should I get tested?

If you can honestly answer no to the following statement, then no…

“If I never find a solution to my gut symptoms, I will still be happy with my future health.”

For those of you that are ready to be gut symptom free, give us a call to set up an appointment so we can test and get a healing plan going for you.