Sophie's story: Treating SIBO, Candida and Histamine Intolerance with Endo

Do you have endometriosis and struggle with the ‘endo belly’? Do you have fatigue and brain fog? Maybe you have other unusual symptoms like swelling or puffiness, rashes or skin conditions like eczema or rosacea. If any of these sound familiar, you may not just be dealing with endo alone. I’ve only ever done one other client story, but judging by the number of downloads, you guys found it helpful so I thought I’d share another! This is Sophie’s story of treating SIBO, candida and histamine intolerance whilst living with endo. I wanted to share Sophie’s story because her case is complex and her healing path hasn’t been easy or linear, and so for those of you who are struggling right now or feel overwhelmed by the idea of taking on SIBO, I think you’ll find Sophie’s experience, her hope, her patience and her perseverance inspiring. Sophie came to me due to her painful sex symptoms, bloating and histamine reactions. We quickly discussed that severe SIBO was at the root of most of her issues (the painful sex we also addressed with pelvic floor physiotherapy and other strategies) and so Sophie began treatment early on into our coaching. Her treatment was a great success and she was negative for hydrogen and methane by the end of it, yet was still having some bloating symptoms and histamine symptoms. Her test results following her treatment showed a flat line, so the question was has the elemental diet really just wiped everything out, or is hydrogen sulphide at play here? In the UK we don’t have testing for hydrogen sulphide, so deciding whether to treat that is down to the presence of H2S symptoms. We consulted Dr Alison Siebecker, who agreed that it was a tough one to call but suggested we consider trying some hydrogen sulphide treatment to see whether it helped. What we observed from this treatment was severe die off, an inflammatory reaction that occurs when bacteria, fungus or viruses die, and it can cause a flare up of symptoms. Something was dying, but it was a struggle for Sophie to continue through with the symptoms. We added in die off strategies and tried different treatment options, but even after treatment, some of her symptoms still persisted. We sought out a nutritionist specialised in gut health in her area to do some further testing, and they discovered severe gut dysbiosis (which is definitely expected with SIBO and following treatment) and candida (yeast overgrowth). Both of which can cause bloating and worsen histamine reactions. She’s also spent several years exposed to mould, including black mould and so at present, she is working with the nutritionist on a specific mould protocol whilst also rebuilding her gut, and continuing with the physiotherapy, visceral manipulation and the practices we established during our time together. She’s also investigating the root cause of her SIBO, so she can do her best to prevent relapse. Sophie’s journey is complex and a long one, but she’s made huge improvement along the way and she feels empowered, hopeful and relieved that she’s finally getting to the root of her symptoms. I really hope you find this episode helpful if you are also experiencing the same challenges!