Hello there,

I've been suffering really badly since September. I get severe gas and bloating, followed by constipation. In October it was so bad that I would wake with sweats and absolute terror. I've lost close to 50 lbs, down from 190 - I feel like a skeleton. Yep there's lots of fear and anxiety - but mainly I think that's from starving and being in pain for so long.

Anyway - the worst part is that the pain often moves into my chest and I have been totally unable to work at a computer for more than a few hours at a time - thus I've lost all my contract work and have no income.

In visiting the doctor - all sorts of tests were run - mainly kidney and gall bladder - because I have a really really sharp pain in my left side. So far all the results have been pretty normal - this same type of episode happened in 2011 and cost me my job then too.

Anyway, I've been reading more about IBS-C and the connection with SIBO (Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth). Since I also have GERD, I've taken ranitidine a lot - thus low acid production is probably part of the problem. Recently I've started upping the Fiber in my diet again - which helps w/ BM but makes the bloating get worse.

Probiotics have been okay, not great. Candidase didn't seem to do much - maybe made bloating and constipation worse. I took some digestive enzymes that caused a lot of pain but the next day I felt really good.

Right now - I'm looking into SIBO and the connection with IBS and GERD - low acid production can be an issue. Has anybody here had success with Betanine-HCL? There's also a new thing called Atrantil - but the testimonials are pretty gimmicky. Finally - everyone thinks I'm just a crazy person who needs therapy or SSRIs - but I've done a lot of meditation and resolved most of my internal conflicts. I've also read that taking Vitamin-D can reduce the amount of pain being felt from cramps.

So that's what I'm asking - how has this helped for IBS-C:

• Betanine-HCL
• Antrntil
• Vitamin D (D2 or D3 and what type?)
• SSRIs - I'll cave in and take them if needed - but one of the side effects is constipation and I don't need any more of that.

Happy Holidays folks - I'm glad this sub exists - it makes me feel a lot better to know I'm not in isolation. I hope that I can get my symptoms manageable again soon.

Cheers