I was treated for SIBO and had a good result. My treatment was several months of doxycycline. I've not heard of Xifaxan being used for SIBO, and a couple of weeks seems short. If it turns out to have been pouchitis the the Xifaxan might fix you up just fine.

I was wondering how do they check you for SIBO?  I have often wondered about over growth of yeast.  Thanks so much.

The test takes 2 hours.  You drink a small amount of lactose gel.  You breathe into a balloon & a vial is inserted when u exhale.  They do this increments up to 2 hours.  I go to a Dr in Philly and just heard of this.  They are very up to date as a research hospital.  It's worth a shot.    

The test takes 2 hours.  You drink a small amount of lactose gel.  You breathe into a balloon & a vial is inserted when u exhale.  They do this increments up to 2 hours.  I go to a Dr in Philly and just heard of this.  They are very up to date as a research hospital.  It's worth a shot.    

I don't have pouchitis was tested for that a few times.  This is a recent study and xifaxan is the treatment, so they say.  I shall c and let u know.  

I did some more reading and learned a couple of new things. Rifaximin (Xifaxan) is indeed a newer treatment for SIBO, and the treatment course is much shorter than my older experience. I consider this great news (except for the price of Xifaxan). However, the breath test remains a bit of a problem: a positive result seems to fairly reliably indicate SIBO, but a negative breath test doesn't rule out SIBO. In some studies the breath test only turned positive in about one-third of SIBO cases.

Interestingly, herbal therapy might work as well as Xifaxan. The specific herbal therapy studied was "2 capsules twice daily of the following commercial herbal preparations; Dysbiocide and FC Cidal (Biotics Research Laboratories, Rosenberg, Texas) or Candibactin-AR and Candibactin-BR (Metagenics, Inc, Aliso Viejo, California) for 4 consecutive weeks." Here's the article:

Herbal Therapy Is Equivalent to Rifaximin for the Treatment of Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth

F Scott, in your opinion, do you think most hospitals that commonly perform the J Pouch surgeries routinely test for SIBO if the symptoms are there? No ones ever mentioned SIBO to me here in NC but I've read about it and the SIBO symptoms are vague enough that I feel like I've experienced them all at some point. 

I really don't have a clue what most hospitals do. My doctor skipped the breath test and treated me based on symptoms. I've only had SIBO once since my surgery about 15 years ago.

I can say that my dr would have prescribed the antibiotic without the test.  I insisted.  These symptoms I have been having could have been over a yr or 2 now.   At some point our dr's don't know what else to say.  My surgeon told me he doesn't have enough knowledge to help me anymore.  He said if I need any other surgery in the future I have to go to Cleveland clinic.  

Just received the xifaxan today.  My ins approved the drug 100%, it was $2000.00.  Thank the Lord.  I will give a update after my treatment is over and if it helped

.  I pray it does and for everyone who has to face these challenges daily.

Awesome. Good luck! Let us know.