A few years ago, I started experiencing a new range of symptoms. I’d had IBS for over 7 years, but something felt different which is why I went to see a gastroenterologist. During my numerous visits, I had to keep convincing them that these symptoms were different to my IBS, and I fought to persuade them to do some tests. Every test came back negative, so I was pretty hopeless at the end of the experience and just continued on with my symptoms getting gradually worse.
About 2 years ago, things got much worse. Every meal caused me pain and would make me really uncomfortable. A large meal could end up in me vomiting or one time it was so bad I ended up in A&E. I went to my GP to ask about SIBO breath testing, but they had never heard of it before and I felt like I was speaking about a conspiracy theory.
Around this time, I got an AIRE device, and this gave me the first glimmer of hope. I used the device on a daily basis and saw that I had really high levels of hydrogen in my gut. To finally see that there could be a reason behind why I was feeling awful was really validating. Feeling more confident that something could be done to help, I did some research and found a doctor who specialised in SIBO.
She first had me use my AIRE device to perform a SIBO breath test which came back positive. I was prescribed a treatment which really helped to reduce my symptoms. What was really interesting is that my doctor could look at my daily breath levels on her FoodMarble dashboard and we could see that my hydrogen levels had basically halved at the end of the treatment.
SIBO and IBS are complex diseases and I wasn’t “cured” but my symptoms were much more manageable. One of the coolest things for me was that I remembered what feeling “nicely full” was like – I had gotten used to years just feeling uncomfortably full no matter what I ate.
Next, my doctor had me complete a follow-up SIBO breath test which thankfully came back negative. Now I’m using my AIRE device with the food intolerance kit which I would highly recommend! I’ve done a lactose intolerance test which was surprisingly negative – I always thought this triggered my IBS. But even more surprising was when I did a fructose intolerance test and my breath scores shot up!
Now I know what triggers my symptoms so I can eat a wide range of other foods without the fear of pain or bloating. This is a big thing for me as I’m getting married next year and was really worried about how my digestive problems might upset the day. Now I can finally just feel excited about it!
If you’re suffering with IBS or SIBO then I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending AIRE. There is so much you can learn by using it with your doctor or just by yourself!
