Is it possible to have loose, but otherwise "normal" bm-s with SIBO?

[Wolfcub]

A question about SIBO (as a breath test isn't even on the distant horizon under current circumstances here.)

Is it possible to have loose stools, yet no other pathologies about them and have SIBO?

For instance, not floating, not greasy, no bad smell, a healthy colour, no mucus and no obvious undigested food.
And for any flatulence (normal amount) to smell either of almost nothing, or vaguely pleasant?? (a bit like chewed grass!)

Trying to work out if speeded up gut motility which comes and goes, has dysautonomia as a core issue, or bacterial overgrowth/imbalance.

Yes I know a comprehensive stool test is the way to go, but don't have the funds for it right now. Maybe in new year.

So far, an "occult blood" analysis was normal.
A calprotectin and a lactoferrin test were also normal. (i.e. apparently no inflammation.)

 

[cogent_thought]

SIBO seems to be quite poorly defined. For most people with a medical diagnosis, it's concurrent with IBS.

You could also have "SIBO" / intestinal dysbyosis without IBS, ie not the optimal gut microbes in residence of your small intestine. I assume that this is quite common and more a matter of a spectrum of dysbiosis. Many people could see gasses on a lactulose breath test and report no symptoms though.

 

[Judee]

I think dairy can also do this. Do you still eat dairy products?

 

[Wolfcub]

I think dairy can also do this. Do you still eat dairy products?

Yes a little (a small amount of butter most days) but otherwise nothing else dairy. And I've noticed no worsening with a little butter as some days my gut is completely normal even if I've eaten butter. I don't think I'm lactose-intolerant. I keep a food diary and can't link it to times of symptoms say....the next day or two for 30-50% of the time.

 

[kangaSue]

If your GI problems are primarily due to just having a bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), then a colon cleanse with something like Picoprep can be all it takes to resolve the symptoms. You can do a rough test of your GI transit speed by eating either just a handful of corn kernels or some beetroot and see how long it takes before they exit the other end.

 

[lenora]

Hmmm....Interesting. I've had major problems since I had gastro surgery last year. (Didn't want it, but it was a necessary intervention). I have IBS, but didn't know that SIBO can also be a part of it. I wonder what our equivalent (U.S.) would be of Picoprep. If anyone knows, please add the name to this thread. Thanks...Lenora.

 

[kangaSue]

I wonder what our equivalent (U.S.) would be of Picoprep.

Any of the products given to induce a laxative purge to clean out the bowel in preparation for a colonoscopy will do the trick. I would think a strong dose of magnesium citrate could be similarly effective. Only a minority of people get significant symptom improvement this way though, SIBO or SIBO-like symptoms often being a more deeply rooted issue than just "some bacterial overgrowth"

 

[Wolfcub]

You can do a rough test of your GI transit speed by eating either just a handful of corn kernels or some beetroot and see how long it takes before they exit the other end.

Yes, that leads to another question I have about it. Is it possible to have SIBO yet have a healthy normal transit time (exactly the same as I had when I was really well)?
If I eat beetroot at dinner (6pm) stools are red in the morning. So I'm exactly the same as I always was in that respect. That would be approx. 14-15hr transit. But it's less than that I think, as going #2 depends on what time I get up, so if I got up at 6am, that would be 12 hours transit.

I also get healthy "belly growls" when hungry and normal stomach emptying times.

 

[kangaSue]

It hard to define 'normal transit time' but many health blogs talking about the beeroot transit time test suggest it's ideal to take between 12 and 24 hours to note the red color in your stool, but I would have thought that 12 hours is at the fast end of the scale for normal transit time.

It's a bit of a vague diagnosis but does the 'Functional Dyspepsia' (FD) subtype of Postprandial Distress Syndrome sound like your symptoms? ;
[Bothersome postprandial fullness or early satiety (bloating, discomfort or fullness after eating) severe enough to impact on regular activities or finishing a regular-size meal for 3 or more days per week in the past 3 months, with at least a 6-month history.]

Impaired gastric accommodation is common in both gastroparesis and Functional Dyspepsia (where food falls to the bottom of the stomach too fast after ingestion so your digestive enzymes don't get a chance to predigest food fully enough before it starts emptying from the stomach) and taking digestive enzymes with meals can help with either condition. Increasing fiber intake could also be a help with symptoms in FD, but will likely make things worse for gastroparesis (so fiber can be a way to tell FD apart from gastroparesis sometimes, but conclusive as some people with gastroparesis do tolerate a lot of fiber).