Horrible IBS and Digestion - Need Help Badly

[Layne]

I’ve had several swollen lymph nodes since the infection last year, they’re mostly around the inguanal canal though, only one occipital. Would that method still be applicable for that?

Below is a picture of the kind neck wraps that are sold on Amazon, which are very inexpensive (2 for $11). But you can just put castor oil on your neck (or anywhere) without any kind of a speciaized wrap. Just put a few dabs on the neck, and use something to protect your pillow from the oil. Wipe excess oil that's on your fingers on your face, especially around the eyes. It does wonders for skin health, and a reduction in wrinkles.

Since you've been experiencing swollen lymph nodes, I would think this therapy would likely (to almost certainly) be helpful. It may not be the entire answer for you, but in my opinion, is a great place to start. Best!

 

[WonMore]

What do you reccomend for thyroid? I managed to get my GP to order a thyroid panel to check for hypo and figured id push for dessicated thyroid if that comes back positive. I've seen thorne thyroid support type stuff, but not sure in that realm tbh. I have started eating raw carrot, but I hate the coconut oil taste on it so I've been eating it plain rather than in the salad. Planning to try white mushrooms as well.

But Thorne, it's gonna be only some supplements to allegedly help it? Or at most grandular.
I don't know the domestic market of thyroid in USA. Generally though, it's usually trial and error. Grossman's products still seem to be, let's say, gold standard and it was used by Ray. Idealabs is probably ok, Tyromax is definitely legit, but I've got some reservations to how consistent the stability of T3 is in the solution of Tyronene, most people here don't complain though. You got to be mindful about excipients, having gut issues. The problem is T3 in synthetics is often undependable, and it's probably that component you would need to concentrate on.
You can substitute coconut oil with olive oil on carrot

 

[ChemHead]

@nick5741
Here is my recommendation to you, as someone who has had an amplified/worse version of what you're experiencing. I've had complete intestinal paralysis for over a year until very recently. I've literally not had an actual bowel movement for over a year until only 4-5 days ago. I've had to do an enema almost daily for a long time to get anything out at all and it has caused a lot of damage and inflammation to my gut. I also had to fast for days when my intestines, appendix, liver/gallbladder, and pancreas would become inflamed. Thankfully, I've had a complete bowel movement every day for the past 4-5 days.

Here's what you need to know first. Often, this type of problem can be caused by hypothyroidism. So, you should get some blood work done to check thyroid function and post the numbers here. I was definitely hypothyroid and I started taking both T4 and T3. However, surprisingly, I don't think the thyroid hormones have actually helped with getting the muscles in my gut to contract and propel food. I started becoming suspicious that I may not be getting enough selenium, despite regularly taking 200 mcg of selenomethionine daily. So, a couple weeks ago, I started supplementing with 400 mcg daily and then I also fasted for 5 days due to the inflammation and bloating/pressure I was experiencing. During this fast, I continued to take selenium and, luckily, it didn't cause any gastrointestinal discomfort. A day after I broke my fast, I had my first legitimate bowel movement in over a year. I had been taking thyroid hormones for weeks without any change, but when I started taking the selenium, after a little over a week, I was able to have a bowel movement.

So, a couple things about selenium.. it serves a lot of purposes in the body and a lot of people tend to only associate its usefulness with thyroid function. It certainly plays a big role in thyroid function and thyroid hormone metabolism, but it is also involved in many other redox and antioxidant capacities in the body. There are around 25 selenoproteins, I believe, and there are still some which we don't fully understand. They're very important as antioxidants and in immune function. One of the reasons why I thought selenium might be involved with my problem is because I've had chronically very low neutrophil count for the past 5 years and I've had very bad digestive function for the past 5 years. I made the connection when I read a study that indicated selenium supplementation could significantly increase neutrophil count. There is also research that indicates that if you have severe digestive disorders or autoimmune disorders/diseases (like Crohn's, IBD, rheumatoid arthritis, eczema, psoriasis, etc.), It would benefit to take more selenium. It's actually especially important if you have gastrointestinal/digestive disorders that involve bacterial overgrowth like SIBO. The reason for this is because bacteria consume selenium and incorporate it into their own DNA and use it for their own biological processes. So, if you have SIBO, for example, you need more selenium. Otherwise, the bacteria consume all of it and you end up with very little leftover to take up. I'm kind of in a hurry atm, but there is solid research on everything I've claimed. So, you just have to search for it. But if you would like, just ask and I can cite specific studies for you later.

Tldr: check thyroid function, but also probably get on a selenomethionine supplement. If you want to check selenium, get a plasma selenium test before taking a supplement, then start taking the supplement and get plasma selenium tested every 3-4 weeks. A single plasma selenium test will tell you mostly nothing because plasma selenium doesn't reflect selenoprotein status in tissues and, much like zinc, plasma levels can change very quickly. So, you have to test, then supplement, then test again later and observe the rate of change in plasma selenium. If you test after 3-4 weeks of supplementation and there's barely any changes in value, it either means that you're not effectively taking up the selenium and/or bacteria are consuming most of it, or you're taking it up and you're just not replete in selenoproteins... Which is why you should continue and test again in another 3-4 weeks.

 

[Layne]

I don't think the thyroid hormones have actually helped with getting the muscles in my gut to contract and propel food.

Hi @ChemHead -- Just to mention, slow bowel transit times are sometimes called motility dysfunction. It can sometimes be diagnosed as gastroparesis. The vagus nerve plays a big role in bowel transit times, and is responsible for the peristalsis function. If the vagus nerve is impacted in anyway, whether by some kind of misalignment in the neck, jaw, etc., it can have a big effect on motility speed.

There are a number of ways a person can stimulate the vagus nerve to send energy to all parts of the body, including the GI tract and colon. Just thought I'd mention this in case your constipation began after some kind of injury that caused a structural shift in your neck, or you contracted a virus or something that settled in your vagus nerve.

 

[ChemHead]

Hi @ChemHead -- Just to mention, slow bowel transit times are sometimes called motility dysfunction. It can sometimes be diagnosed as gastroparesis. The vagus nerve plays a big role in bowel transit times, and is responsible for the peristalsis function. If the vagus nerve is impacted in anyway, whether by some kind of misalignment in the neck, jaw, etc., it can have a big effect on motility speed.

There are a number of ways a person can stimulate the vagus nerve to send energy to all parts of the body, including the GI tract and colon. Just thought I'd mention this in case your constipation began after some kind of injury that caused a structural shift in your neck, or you contracted a virus or something that settled in your vagus nerve.

Yeah, I'm aware. I had zero electrical stimulation in the gut. It was really bad constipation for about 3.5-4 years until it turned into paralytic ileus about a year ago. I had multiple phytobezoars occur due to complete lack of gut motility. So, I had to completely cut out all food with fiber to avoid dying. I tried antibiotics, a bunch of digestive enzymes, hydrochloric acid and none of these things really helped. In addition to the study I read about selenium being able to increase neutrophil count, I had remembered that my digestive/constipation issues became significantly worse after I did a week long fast. That would indicate a nutritional deficit.. and since I've pushed the limits on testing pretty much every nutrient other than selenium (all b vitamins, iron, zinc, copper, vitamin A, vitamin D, vit E, vit C, choline, iodine, etc.), logic led me to consider that maybe I have a genetic issue with selenium uptake or utilization. So, I read studies on selenium intersecting with neurological function, dopaminergic and serotonergic signaling, catecholamines, testicular function, immune function. Then, I decided to take 400 mcg of selenomethionine rather than the 200 mcg I would have normally taken in the past. And 1.5-2 weeks later, I'm having normal bowel movements. It's actually a very foreign feeling to have food moving through my gut. It's a huge relief to finally regain a basic human function I completely lost for well over a year. This is something that literally nothing helped. I also took prokinetics like metoclopramide, laxatives, castor oil, antibiotics, and the most potent hormone that can induce intestinal muscle contraction (prostaglandin E2). None of these worked at all. The prostaglandin E2 I could feel trying to work, but even that wasn't good enough.

 

[Layne]

And 1.5-2 weeks later, I'm having normal bowel movements.

Hey @ChemHead -- Thanks for your thorough description of what you've gone through. I am heavily dependent on regular enemas to keep things going. I've long assumed my issues were with a vagus nerve issue, kicked off by a severe head/whiplash injury as a teenager. However, I will look into the selenium angle. I've tried supplementing with it in the past, and didn't notice any difference. Perhaps I'll try a different brand. -- Thanks again for your input!

 

[Layne]

I got this in an email, and thought I'd paste it here in case anybody might be interested. It's a very short window to watch these, but you can just pick the ones that are of interest if you don't have time for them all. Once you click on the link, go to the lower right where it says, "Save Your Free Seat", and then fill in your name and email address.

CLICK HERE TO START WATCHING NOW​

Here’s the schedule:

DAY 1 - November 8, 2023 at 11am EST (24 hour viewing period)

1. SIBO Overview & Orientation with Dr. Allison Siebecker, ND, MSOM, LAc
2. Finding Your Underlying Cause of SIBO with Dr. Allison Siebecker, ND, MSOM, LAc
3. Essential SIBO Treatment & Prevention with Dr. Allison Siebecker, ND, MSOM, LAc
4. How Dynamic Neural Retraining Systems Can Help SIBO with Annie Hopper
5. Neural Therapy: An Unexpected Solution for SIBO with Dr. Anne Hill, ND
6. Electrical Stimulation (Sine Wave) & Myofascial Release with Neural Therapy for SIBO with Dr. Heidi Petersen, ND
7. Using Hypnotherapy to Treat IBS and SIBO (Yes, Really!) with Dr. Peter Whorwell, MD
8. Non-Surgical Adhesion Resolution with Larry Wurn, LMT
9. How the 3 Categories of Probiotics Can Help SIBO with Dr. Michael Ruscio, DC
10. Serum Bovine Immunoglobulin (IgG) for SIBO with Dr. Leonard Weinstock, ND
11. Peptides for SIBO with Dr. Farshid Sam Rahbar, MD
12. Frequency Specific Microcurrent, Neural Therapy, and Functional Immunology with Dr. David Musnick, MD
13. Post-biotics for SIBO/IMO and IBS Support with Dr. Andrea McBeth, ND
14. FAQ: Histamine and SIBO with Dr. Mona Morstein, ND

DAY 2 - November 9, 2023 at 11am EST (24 hour viewing period)

1. Understanding & Applying the SIBO Diet with Dr. Allison Siebecker, ND, MSOM, LAc
2. Preventing SIBO Relapse with Prokinetics with Dr. Allison Siebecker, ND, MSOM, LAc
3. Frequency Specific Microcurrent for SIBO with Dr. Carol McMakin, DC
4. How Brain Retraining Can Help SIBO with Ashok Gupta
5. Using Low Dose Immunotherapy for SIBO with Dr.Bryan Rade, ND
6. Craniosacral Therapy for IBS & SIBO” with Dr. Anne Hill, ND
7. Using Neural Therapy for Complex GastrointestinaI Cases with Dr. Ilana Gurevich, ND
8. Clinical Pearls for Using Prebiotics for SIBO with Dr. Nirala Jacobi, ND
9. Emotional Freedom Technique (aka Tapping) for SIBO with Dr. Steven Sandberg-Lewis, ND
10. New Ways to Treat Biofilms in SIBO with Bismuth-Thiol Complexes with Dr. Paul Anderson, NMD
11. Immunoglobulin G (SBI) Therapy for SIBO with Dr. Michael Ruscio, DC
12. The Role of Peptides in SIBO Treatment with Dr. Margaret Christensen, MD
13. FAQ: Vitamin B12 and SIBO with Dr. Mona Morstein, ND
14. FAQ: Iron and SIBO with Dr. Mona Morstein, ND