Hello:
For the past 9 months I have been seeing a GI doctor for some issues. Last spring I was diagnosed with bacterial overgrowth in my small intestine, which was relieved by a course of antibiotics (rifaximin), but then returned last fall. I took more antibiotics, but my symptoms seem to be slowly returning again. At my last appointment my doctor seemed to think that not much else could be done for me since my quality of life is not really severely affected, and he put me on a 6 month follow up (next appt. is not until July).
Lately I have been bloating (sometimes severely) after eating carbs or sugary foods. I am never/rarely in pain, but it is quite uncomfortable to say the least. I also get pronounced borborygmus (sp?) or stomach rumbling soon after eating even a small amount of food. If I drink even just a small bit of orange juice, for example (4 oz) I get quite bloated (like appearing 5 months pregnant). Carbohydrates seem to be the main issue (breads, refined and whole grain, juice, any sort of candy or high-sugar item, etc). I have few problems if I eat only protein and a few vegetables.
I have had a colonscopy, CT scan, and numerous blood tests and all have come back normal (including celiac test).
Is there anything else that could be causing this, or should I just chalk it up to the bacteria returning for unkown reasons?
Thanks