Excessive gas

The two things that come to mind are SIBO or lactose issues. Lactose intolerance can increase temporarily, after a bout of diarrhea.

It's pretty easy to cut out lactose for a day or three. Or at least it will be once you finish those Klondike bars in the freezer.

i'm a soon to be k-poucher so am interested in any potential problems.  i have had stomach pain, bloating, gas and all of it would lead to blockages.  started the lowFODMAP diet and was feeling much better.  changed my life.  yes, but out the lactose.  you might want to check out this site for more info

http://www.katescarlata.com/lowfodmapdietchecklists/

good luck!  jlh

also, i'd like to know what you do when with pouchitis flares.  i find eliminating all refined sugars and shell fish makes a tremendous difference in controlling the pouchitis.  thanks, jlh

I am curious. How do they diagnose someone for Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth?

And if one is positive for SiBO - what is the treatment?

Hi Bodoni,

Yup, I would say that if you have never suffered from lactose intollerance (you are probably one of the luck ones...most of us do...goes with the territory) then you may have discovered how it feels...ice cream for some of us doesn't cause problems (something about the fact that it was frozen but I am not sure) for others it is draino.

It depends for me...small quantities are fine but if it is a really good quality, high cream content product then I am going to experience tons of bubbles, foamy output etc.

Dove bars, Magnum etc are all killers for me (the cheap grocery store brands have the lowest cream content and digest better, so does ice milk).

SBO, according to my GP, can be diagnosed in the mouth (I honestly think that he is thinking of Thursh but...) checked my mouth and told me that I didn't have it. But there should be tests of some sort shouldn't there?

I think that it is a swab...kill the ice cream and cheese and cut out the pizza for a week and see how you do...

Take care

Sharon

hi

from my experience it is diagnosed by symptoms, which are stomach ache/pain, often bloating and diarrhea .  i think it is also causes excessive pressure in the j pouch, which is not relieved by trying to evacuate.  there are some tests.  i know there is one for lactose.  honesty sharon's suggestion of eating ice cream is easier than going to hospital for that test.  

if you go on the lowFODMAP diet you will start getting relief within the week and certainly after two weeks.  the relief is another indicator that you've got it.  estimated that 15% of the population has this problem!!

here are some links:

http://www.med.monash.edu/cecs/gastro/fodmap/     -- get their app!

http://www.katescarlata.com

my doc said i wouldn't be able to figure it out without going to a qualified dietitian.  that was just the challenge i needed, and i did figure it out.  finally went to a dietitian and she was of some help.  it is tricky.  for ex, if you take a probiotic the prebiotic in it--FOS--is  a FODMAP, so either stop the probiotic or get one without it.  i can't even take a probiotic.  read every label to make certain no hint of a FODMAP is it it.

once on the diet i entered a religious domain, felt so much better and that encourages me to stick to it.

good luck!  check in with your progress please.  janet

You can't diagnose SIBO by looking in the mouth. I think you are right that he was talking about oral thrush. You can do it by examining small bowel aspirate, but it is more common to do a hydrogen breath test. 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wik...bacterial_overgrowth

That said, I am not sure that in our case any testing is neccessary. The symptoms and treatment are the same as pouchitis. If antibiotics quickly resolve your symptoms, you have your answer. A low carb diet or a FODMAP diet may curb overgrowth too. 

My GI has seen active pouchitis on scopes and that is good enough for him, along with my description of my symptoms. I don't have frequent scopes just to see what's going on in there. My GI trusts me to take the lowest dose of antibiotics to keep things going well. I try to stay off them as long as possible and rotate antibiotics to hopefully reduce resistance.

Jan

Honestly, if this problem has only recently started, I would give it a few days before doing anything drastic or jumping to conclusions like pouchitis or SIBO, especially if the symptoms come on suddenly and are otherwise isolated. I may go weeks without significant gas, and then have 2 or 3 particularly bad days in a row. In fact, I've been dealing with increased gas myself for about the last 24 hours, particularly after eating. Like you, there has been no significant change in my diet or activity, and I have no other associated symptoms. Like many female pouchers, I do often experience increased gas and frequency around the time of my period, but the timing doesn't jive here.  I'm inclined to just try to ride this out for a few days and see if it subsides, as is often the case for me when this happens. It could even be a mild gastro bug or upset. We certainly aren't immune to those!

In your case, it wouldn't hurt to try cutting out the Klondike bars for a few days just to see. It could be the lactose (ice cream can be particularly bad for those with lactose intolerance), but if you've never had that problem before, this could be the result of increase sugar intake. Hope it settles down for you!

WalMart sells Breyers lactose-free ice cream. Anyway, back to my excessive gas problem. I have no real cramping. Oh, light cramps at times - but nothing serious. I read a lot about bacteria overgrowth. SiBO. Some docs don't even test. Just take a round of Flagyl for 10 - 14 days. Most times this works. But, the nasty bacteria can come back.

     Then too, it seems difficult to diagnose. Hydrogen breath test? Who knows. 

Some say they have good results with diet. Then, there is the probiotics route.

     PB-8. Culturelle. VSL- #3. DanActive. Acidophilus. Anyone get good results with any of these? Others that I have missed?

     Thanks for your help. I look forward to reading all replies. 

my SIBO is aggravated with probiotics, including minimal amounts such as 100% lactose free kefir.  no doubt i am an outlier in this, but something to consider when trying to reduce  gas.  if you do take a probiotic, consider one without FOS.   the pb-8 has FOS, not sure of the others, although most of them do.

did you cut out the ice cream bars and find it helped?  did you check out the lowFODMAP diet and find any foods or food groups that you might cut out?  just curious.

can't say it enough, but that diet has saved my life from chronic blockages and misery in general--and that's said from somebody who has an extremely high pain tolerance.

hope you are feeling better, janet

What is FOS? And how would I know if it is in a probiotic? I take Culturelle and DanActive. And I don't know if they contain FOS. ( I have taken these two probiotics for years.)

     The low FODMAP looks like it would be very difficult to follow. Plus, I don't even know if I have SiBO. By the way, how were you diagnosed for SiBO?

     I had a Klnondike ice cream bar last night - after a week of abstaining - and I think it has given me more gas. I may try the lactose-free Breyers ice cream, available at Walmart.

     Thanks, Janet