My Gut, My Battle: SIBO, IBS, FODMAPS, and the Quest for a Life Without Pain

I’m sharing everything with you because I know I’m not the only one living through this. Be warned: It's a long article but it is worth it!

This is a deep-dive dossier — I’m revealing everything: the tests I’ve done, the medical opinions that completely contradict each other, and most importantly, the discovery I made this week about the real root of my stubborn SIBO.

I’ve suffered from severe SIBO and IBS since childhood — and beyond that, from everything that comes with them.

I fight.
I never stop.
I never complain.
And until today, I had never shared this battle publicly.

This combination of SIBO + IBS makes every social interaction stressful for obvious reasons.

I sometimes have to cancel yoga classes, dinners with friends, or meetings.
Other times, I’m seriously sick during a mountain ascent — like on the final push to the Kilimanjaro summit recently, and on many climbs over the years.
I double over in pain but say nothing.
I empty my system but keep silent.
My entire life revolves around this — hence my determination to get rid of it once and for all.

But what is it, exactly? Let’s dive in.

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SIBO: The Silent Invader

SIBO stands for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth — an abnormal proliferation of bacteria in the small intestine.
This area should normally be relatively sterile compared to the colon.
But for us, the “SIBO warriors,” it’s Woodstock in the small intestine — an uninvited bacterial party where microbes ferment everything that passes by, producing gas (often smelly), bloating, malabsorption, and systemic inflammation.

My OMICTEST results show very high levels of phenylacetylglutamine (81.2 percentile) — a metabolite derived from the gut microbiome that signals dysbiosis.
It’s the biochemical signature of an unbalanced microbiome.

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Medical Chaos: When Experts Totally Disagree

Picture this: in the same week, I consulted two well-known gastroenterologists — both SIBO specialists.

Monday – Dr. A (Paris, SIBO expert):

• “You must absolutely take PPIs to slow motility.”

• “And never take betaine HCl — it will worsen the inflammation.”

• “A strict FODMAPs diet is essential for at least three months.”

• “Probiotics are completely banned during the active phase.”
  A gut-health expert in Toronto told me exactly the same thing.

Thursday – Dr. B (Lyon, intestinal reference center):

• “PPIs? That’s the worst thing you could do! They promote bacterial overgrowth.”

• “You must take betaine HCl to acidify the stomach.”

• “FODMAPs? Useless unless you’ve identified your personal triggers.”

• “Specific probiotics like Saccharomyces boulardii are essential right now.”
  And a physician here in San Francisco agreed with that view.

The result? $400 in consultations for two diametrically opposed protocols.
I left the second appointment in tears.
And then people say, “But you’re not a doctor, what do you know!?”

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The Greatest Hits of Medical Contradictions

• “You need to eat more fiber” VS “Absolutely no fiber — it feeds the SIBO.”

• “Take antibiotics” VS “Antibiotics caused the problem in the first place.”

• “It’s psychosomatic” VS “Your inflammatory markers are objectively high.”

• “Eat fermented foods for your microbiome” VS “Fermented foods make SIBO worse.”

• “Fast to starve the bacteria” VS “Fasting slows motility and makes SIBO worse.”

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What I Discovered — Something No Doctor Ever Mentioned

After 30 years of consultations, 87 doctors (yes, I counted!), and a fortune spent on treatments…
not one expert made the connection between two conditions — one of them seemingly minor — that turned out to be the missing link.
Unbelievable.

The most shocking part?
It was me, through my own research, who found the origin of this stubborn SIBO — just this week.
I spent over 60 hours digging into studies, case reports, and biochemistry.
And no — ChatGPT didn’t spit out the answer 😉 I had to go deep.

Let me repeat: mind-blowing.

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I’m sharing all this because I want you to know you’re not alone — whether you’re suffering from SIBO, IBS, or know someone who is.