sibo and GA?

Skin, nail and hair health
1

Hi, i am a 66 year old female, and my GA started in 2012 with spots around my waist, i thought it was shingles.  Anyway, it kept growing, and biopsies confirmed i had 2-3 kinds of GA, some are plaques on my arms, some are red dots joined together, but are deeper in the dermis, covering my torso.  Allso my legs and feet, and it def. attacks the collagen, causing wrinkly skin.  I had done a lot of research and found the ROM cure, which only helps some people.  I tried it, and i think i was taking it weekly instead of monthly, and it did not help, although i may have stopped too soon, it was only a few months.  

  BUT, here is my new idea.  I live in Portland, Oregon, and we have a SIBO center here at the Naturopathic School.  Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth, it is very common, and research is suggesting that is it def. connected with Leaky Gut, and a host of autoimmune conditions.  Guess what the treatment is?  The Rifamplin, at 550mg. but 3 times a day for 14 days, which you take along with Neomycin or Metronidazole, 250, 3x a day for 14 days.  These effectively stay in the intestine, and supposedly kill all the bacteria.  Here's the thing:  you cannot just rely on the meds, you have to do a SIBO diet.  I am following one for Ibs, which is also connected with sibo, as is acid reflux, which i have in spades.

There are other diets, but probably Paleo AutoImmune is best, but Bone Broth feeds the critters, so you have to be careful. 

I am waiting for Medicare to authorize the drugs, and will certainly keep you all posted, as i am hoping this amount of antibiotic will kill the GA. 

2

Hi Maria. I'm not a medical professional or anything, but I have this on my hands and feet. Rings, big and small, some composed of red 'dots'. I have had a lot of success with B vitamins. Specifically vitamin B12 injections once a week, and a B complex vitamin as well. I'm able to maintain it to where the areas are not raised up at all, and are almost invisible to the eye, the areas appear slightly reddish when it's hot or cold. They're really all but gone. If I go past a week without a B12 injection though, they flare right back up. I hope that helps!

Yvonne

3

I made an error in name of med; its Rifaximin not Rifamplin

4

Hi Marla, I live in Tacoma. I've had this scourge for 5 years and it's everywhere. Dermo gives me Mycophenolate, an immune suppressant, which has made old spots fade, but new dots keep coming. I did acupuncture for two weeks and now I'm on Chinese herbs. I take lots of vitamins and milk thistle for liver.  I'm starting rom today, but that's just once a month. How do you know if you have leaky gut? I've been tested in past to

find I don't digest protein. Never heard of SIBO before. Will check into this. Please keep us posted. Good luck!

5

 wow, this is very interesting.  I haven't heard of this approach, thank you for sharing it.  Please keep us updated if GA really stays gone.  When did you first get GA?  Is it on your torso at all?

thanks

marla

6

Hi Cathy.  I did get tested for both Leaky Gut and Sibo.  The Sibo test is more specific, its a 4 hour breath test that measures methane and hydrogen gas in the gut in response to a sugar solution.  It costs $150 if you do it at home, or $180 at the SIBO clinic in pdx.  The diet for it is essentially a low fermentable SCD diet.  You can get it for free. 

My insurance company would not pay for the Rifaxamin, so i'm going to take some antimicrobial herbs that will cost $160, hope that's per month.

I will be very curious if it affects my GA........

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7

I first noticed it in 2011 after I'd undergone brain surgery. I doubt there was a correlation, but who knows? In any case, it showed up that year. I happened upon the B12 fix in 2012, when I was looking for help with neuropathy (numb, tingling fingers and toes). I read that B12 deficiency could cause Neuropathy. B12 did help with the neuropathy, and I was surprized when the GA cleared up as well!! I do not have it on my torso, no. It first showed up, one spot, on my finger, then my other hand, then my feet.

Yvonne

8

Hi Marla, did u ask how much the meds would be if you paid cash since it's only for 14 days? Like from big box store that starts with "c". (Moderator doesn't like me). What is a fermented diet? My stress has burned out my stomach acid so I'm supposed to eat a fermented diet, too. There's so much more SIBO I'd like to talk about.  Will share here later. 

Would u please contact me privately?