SIBO isn’t “just stress”

You’re bloated. You’re in pain. You’re tired in a way that sleep doesn’t fix. And someone has told you it’s probably stress.

Thanks, I’d never have thought of that myself. It just doesn’t explain why your stomach behaves the way it does. So here is the post I wish I had been able to read many years ago.

What is SIBO?

SIBO stands for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. In simple terms it means there are too many bacteria in the small intestine, where there normally shouldn’t be that many. Bacteria belong in the gut, but not in too large a quantity in that particular place. It can cause problems with digestion.

I’m a health coach, not a doctor. I explain it the way I have understood it and I don’t make diagnoses. But I can talk about what it’s like to live with it.

Which symptoms are common?

Common symptoms can include bloating, gas, stomach pain, diarrhoea or constipation (sometimes both), fatigue and reacting to food. The word is can. The same symptoms can have many different causes, so you can’t guess your way to SIBO. But you shouldn’t have to be brushed off with a shrug either.

Do you recognise yourself? Good. Then at least you know you’re not imagining it.

How do you get a diagnosis?

Most often it is a breath test, where you give breath samples. The test can be done through healthcare or at a clinic. How it works can differ, so ask whoever you seek help from. It is a doctor or another healthcare provider who assesses the test result and what it means for you.

I’m not going to make a diagnosis and you shouldn’t try to make one yourself by googling at two in the morning. I’ve been there. It rarely gets better.

Why does SIBO so often feel missed or dismissed?

I can only answer from my own experience.

For over 15 years I’ve been trying to understand a body that seemed to react to almost everything. Stomach problems. Bloating. Food reactions. Extreme fatigue. SIBO is one of the things that has been part of my journey, along with a long list of other challenges. My whole story is on the Story page.

I’ve tried loads of things. Different ways of eating. Supplements. Fasting. Conventional healthcare. Functional health. At times I’ve almost been afraid of food, because something that worked one day could cause symptoms the next.

And then came the sentence. You know the one. “We can’t find anything.” When public healthcare couldn’t identify anything wrong, I turned to a private clinic, Funmed.

What the hell do you do with that sentence when your body is screaming? I don’t blame any individual person. Healthcare does a lot of good. But nothing found is not the same as nothing wrong. It’s easy to start doubting yourself when you hear it over and over again.

You’re not crazy. Your stomach isn’t “just stress”.

What helps me? My experience

First the most important thing: I have no miracle cure and I’m not entirely symptom-free. But I feel better than I have in a long time.

For me, simple, nutrient-dense and above all animal-based food has become an important piece of the puzzle. A piece of the puzzle, mind you. Not the whole puzzle. And MAWA isn’t about everyone eating like me. It’s about getting to know your own body.

What changed the most was that I stopped asking “how do I get rid of this symptom?” and started asking “what is my body trying to tell me?”. I started documenting. I started seeing connections.

This is my experience, not a treatment plan. Food does not replace medical treatment. Talk to your doctor before you make big changes, especially if your symptoms are new, severe or worrying you.

What I wish someone had told me

• You’re not crazy. It’s a real experience in a real body.
• Listen to your body. It talks. It’s just not always very polite.
• Write it down. What you eat, how you feel, how you sleep. Patterns only show once they’re on paper.
• One change at a time. If you change everything at once, you never know what did what. Yes, it’s boring. It works.
• Don’t give up. And find someone who really listens. Honestly, that’s not too much to ask.