It seemed like my digestive system was way different than that of others. Almost everyone around me, on occasion, experienced digestive troubles like indigestion, nausea, vomiting, bloating, constipation, or diarrhea occasionally. However, in my case, the frequency was too high to handle. My life revolved around the unpredictable whims of my digestive system. And all this because I suffered from SIBO!
In case you haven’t heard of it, let me tell you about SIBO or Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth. It is a potentially serious condition that affects the small intestine.
I was diagnosed with SIBO years after I started experiencing the symptoms. Initially, taking specific medicines for the specific symptoms “worked.”
However, the frequency at which I was experiencing these symptoms made me realize there was something drastically wrong with my digestion EVERY time I ate. It was not a simple bloating, constipation, loose stools, or indigestion that most of us often get. After a series of tests, the doctor was finally able to give me an answer. He told me I tested positive for SIBO.
He told me that this problem occurs when the bacteria, which are supposed to grow normally in the colon, start growing in our small intestine.
Overgrowth in the small intestine can lead to severe malnutrition. It may appear as weight loss or gain, as the bacteria use up most of the body’s nutrients. The byproducts of the bacteria cause pain, diarrhea, and other symptoms.
Despite my gastroenterologist trying several rounds of treatment with Rifaximin alone, the symptoms quickly returned. I tried the alternative botanical treatments for SIBO I read about online, but that made my symptoms even worse. The more time passed, the more I continued to suffer. SIBO had taken control of my life.
I felt hopeless.
I was demotivated.
With these symptoms recurring, again and again, I knew there was no way I could concentrate on my career or enjoy my life.
Then, came a new phase in my life that introduced me to BioIntelligent Wellness!
And from there, began my new life that was less to do with SIBO and more to do with better health, improved digestion, and the confidence to concentrate on my career.
It so happened that I ran into my classmate after several years. After the initial excitement of meeting each other after so many years subsided, we continued our discussion. And, that’s when he told me he is a doctor.
For a moment, my inner voice told me; finally, I had some hopes to overcome my SIBO problem. I told him everything. About my symptoms of SIBO, how the condition was worsening, and how demotivated I felt after umpteen unsuccessful treatments.
He told me not to worry and told me to get in touch with BioIntelligent Wellness.
The next day, I contacted Spark Health. I explained my problems to Dr. Cicerone on the day of my appointment.
This was the longest discussion I ever had with anyone about my health problem. I must say Dr. Cicerone was extremely patient as she listened to my symptoms and their progression.
Then, she asked me a detailed history of my routine, my diet, and so on. Based on this, she prescribed another round of medications, but this time things were different. My other doctor had given me just one prescription and not much guidance. Dr. Cicerone, on the other hand, assured me this was a complex protocol in which I would learn a great deal and educated me on how it happened. She explained the correlation of symptoms and told me foods to avoid at all cost until I had finished treatment.
Rather than handing me a diet, she referred me to have a specialized SIBO diet customized by BioIntelligent Wellness. She said that she had worked with them for over five years treating the cases and of the patients that followed the combined protocol. I found out that more than 85% were successful after one round of treatment. Even more reassuring, she explained that BioIntelligent Wellness not only creates a diet to support her SIBO treatment but will also create a diet that will transition me back to my normal way of eating – without relapsing.
At the same time, she also advised me to stop taking many of the supplements. That is, including probiotics I had been trying to take as the bacteria was not only feeding on the foods I ate but also many of the nutrients were a preferred food source. She told me that the protocol I would undergo would not only address the overgrowth of bacteria but would also help to speed up the healing of the damaged tissues in the intestine.
BioIntelligent Wellness’s customized diet for SIBO made all of the conflicting information clear because, for once, this protocol was based strictly on my symptoms, lab work, and Dr. Cicerone’s plan. I had already been excluding certain foods from my diet, such as gluten. But Cat explained there were many foods that could worsen my symptoms. In addition to high FODMAP foods, seemingly healthy foods were not healthy for SIBO.
They created a customized plan and diet that clearly showed me what I should and shouldn’t eat during my SIBO treatment. They also provided many great recipes that were very simple and easy to make and fit into my schedule. Also, they were available to answer my questions and help me navigate symptoms throughout my treatment protocol. Now I understood why, in the past, I had been so unsuccessful with my past efforts. Cat introduced me to some great recipes that were delicious, healthy, and nutritious.
The personalized guidance and education I received from both Dr. Cicerone at Spark Health and throughout the SIBO treatment with BioIntelligent Wellness ensured I not only treated SIBO successfully, but also had the knowledge, plan, and tools to avoid relapsing. The end result – I could finally better control my digestive symptoms and return to a more normal life because my digestive system no longer behaved in an erratic way!
After 7 weeks of the treatment protocol, I met with Dr. Cicerone to review my retesting results. This alone was different; all of the other doctors I worked with told me I didn’t need to retest. When she showed the comparison between the starting test and my test after treatment, I couldn’t believe the results. I know my symptoms had disappeared about 2 weeks into the diet phase. However, the numbers spoke for themselves. At BioIntelligent Wellness, I could feel a drastic improvement in my SIBO symptoms.
After receiving the good news from Dr. Cicerone, I met with Cat at BioIntelligent Wellness to go over my next phase of the diet for SIBO. She assured me the worst part was over, and from here, everything got less restrictive. She created a diet for me to follow to support the repopulation Dr. Cicerone explained and even included a color-coded chart showing me everything I could reintroduce. The plan was very specific, but I felt fantastic, so I had no problem following the details. I could feel a drastic improvement in not only my SIBO symptoms but also my energy, and my anxiety over never getting better.
I no longer had to leave the office or skip out on social invitations due to the frequent and unpredictable attacks of bloating, gas, constipation, or diarrhea. Above all, I felt more confident.
My career track started improving. I no longer shied away from socializing. It was something I dreaded doing earlier for the fear of developing the annoying symptoms of SIBO while at a party or an outing with friends and family. The specified SIBO diet gave me the hope I could live my life like any other normal person.
Today, I can say, I am actually enjoying my life, thanks to the guidance I received at BioIntelligent Wellness. I also feel stronger now and have more stamina to perform my routine work and even have the energy to volunteer.
My whole perspective about life has changed. SIBO was once a major obstacle in my life and has now taken a backseat. And this dramatic change in my life is all because of my dear classmate, who introduced me to BioIntelligent Wellness, and of course, Dr. Cicerone.
