I had a tentative diagnosis of IBS by way of elimination. It started with a diagnosis of Enteropathogenic E. Coli and a prescription of ciprofloxacin to cure it. The antibiotics made it better, but the symptoms of loose stools didn’t go away. The next trip to the doctor (an infectious diseases specialist this time) resulted in a diagnosis of Enteroaggregative E. Coli, and a prescription of azithromycin. My symptoms improved some more, but still did not go away. On my last visit to the doctor, they did not do a test for E. Coli, but an IBS diagnosis was discussed, and a colonoscopy was scheduled. The colonoscopy did not turn up anything in particular. What was curious, though, was that the preparation of polyethelyne glycol (PEG) laxative seemed to help. I had used laxatives before, but never to clean my intestines so thoroughly. At the end of the preparation, even after the liquid was starting to come out clear, there was a liquid mass of smelly something that came out. It made me think about whether an even more extended laxative treatment would help. So I did a course of PEG for two days without eating anything. And lo and behold, two weeks later, my stools are once again firmed up, and I feel that I am digesting my food better. I read on some website that some doctors think that more than half of patients diagnosed with IBS actually have some sort of Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO). Hopefully my treatment did the trick, but even so, I will be taking care to let my microbiome flourish (healthy whole ingredient foods, fiber from fruits and vegetables, exercise, sleep, and stress management). This treatment was not suggested by any of my doctors, but they didn’t see the harm of me trying. Hopefully it can help someone else out there.
