I’ve been thinking about this post for a several months now: How God Healed My SIBO. I’ve been pondering if it was really time to write about being healed of SIBO. I was SO sick for such a long time. What if I write about being healed of SIBO and it comes back? Then, am I a fraud? These are the insecurities that have held me back. The world and the internet can be so cruel sometimes. But Journey Through SIBO is about the journey and the hope of healing and the hope God gives through Christ. And the reality of my situation is that God did heal my SIBO through non-traditional means, and that’s worth sharing, because SIBO sucks, and it can be SO difficult to cure.
Over the last year, as I focused on healing my body from all of my SIBO treatments, I began to notice all of my SIBO symptoms go away. Healthy digestion and bowel movements became so normal that when I got diarrhea 6 weeks ago I jumped onto my bed with excitement, bouncing my poor husband up and down while he tried to read a book. I had normal diarrhea! It wasn’t painful, it wasn’t explosive, I didn’t feel like my insides were becoming my outsides, or like my body was trying to kill itself. My diarrhea was simply liquid poop and then my body was done. Clearly, I had eaten something my body did not like, but it was a glorious experience. And I realized, it was time to be honest that my body no longer had SIBO.
So, how did my SIBO infection go away? How did I heal my body?
The answers are simple. I did not heal my SIBO, neither did any of the doctors that I saw, nor any of the treatments that we did. God healed my SIBO. God healed me, simply because He is God, and He is the ultimate healer.
Looking back over 2016, I can pinpoint several things God used to help heal my body and my SIBO.
The first thing God did was heal my ileocecal valve.
I had chronic intense pain in my lower right abdomen. My doctor referred me to a specialist who works in body mechanics. He was able to show me how to gently close my ileocecal valve through massage.
Each night I would lay on my back and very gently, with castor oil, massage my tummy down from my belly button toward my right hip bone. As I was doing this, I would envision my brain talking to my body with healthy, happy communication. In my mind I would replay an image of my ileocecal valve gently releasing all toxins and closing appropriately, only opening to let digested food travel from the small intestine to the colon.
The second tool God used was climbing and stretching.
This may seem weird but hear me out. I KNOW I had adhesions (scar tissue in my gut). I do not know why I had them. I had never had surgery, a C-section, or intense trauma to my gut. Chronic infections can cause adhesions, and so can emotional trauma, and I suppose being a normal kid who loves sports and sometimes got kicked in the gut with a soccer ball or football might. But there was no clinical reason for me to have adhesions, yet somehow I had them.
Anytime my tummy began to hurt, I would do gentle yoga posses or stretches to help stretch and relax my muscles.
Climbing became part of my weekly routine, as I met friends at the gym for social time and strengthening my body. From time to time I would feel gentle releasing in my tummy or intestines that felt like my body was liberating tension and breaking up scar tissue. Climbing was never painful but always felt freeing providing me greater mobility.
The third tool was healing my gut.
Over the course of 2016 I have not stuck to the SIBO Specific Diet. Gasp! It’s true. But I have lived off of bone broth and even liver broth. Seriously, 2016 is the year of the broth for my household. My diet has never been over the top with carbohydrates and although I do tolerate sugar now, I stay away from it most of the time. What I have done is focus on healing foods like marrow bone broth, eating lots of fish, and high density antioxidant foods. I still do this if my body feels a bit worn out or like it’s struggling with something. We also used different supplements like zinc, fish oil, vitamin D, and other supplements focused on my digestion, as well as teas rich in antioxidants.
The last, and most important thing the Lord used to heal my SIBO was a person, my husband.
When my husband and I reflect on what God has done in the last year, he never jumps up to say, “Me! God used me.” He never even suggests himself. But when I look back, I see that God used my husband to help heal me. My thoughtful husband was absolutely adamant about different things along the way. Like introducing me to climbing and getting me a membership at the local gym, and even me going climbing in the evenings when I had to work a lot instead of spending our usual time together. My husband was unwaveringly for me getting to see the doctor who showed me how to close my ileocecal valve even though it was a $120 visit for a 5 minute demonstration on how to massage my stomach. My selfless husband was adamant about bone broth even though by now he MUST be tired of it. And, my husband was immoveable when it came to spending money on supplements that were not guaranteed to work, instead of putting that money towards his dream truck. Even when I haven’t known how to talk to my body or was too upset to talk to myself calmly, my husband would put his masculine ego aside, and tell me in the most gentle tone of his strong, handsome voice I was safe, loved, cared for, and my little body could calm down and be okay.
I’ve been so surprised by how God would choose to heal my SIBO. Of course, He is God and Lord and can heal me however He wants. But, for two years I did EVERYTHING known to our modern world to heal my SIBO and none of it work. It wasn’t until I let go of traditional means, and held on to what God wanted for me, that He chose to heal my SIBO.
I now live my life SIBO-free.
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Jennifer says
Hello Elena,
I cam across your website and was so inspired by your story. I’ve been dealing with SIBO for months now and mine is tough! I have been praying to the God every day to heal mine and have been rubbing Castor Oil on my tummy and working on my iIleocecal Valve too! So grateful to have come across your site. Blessings to you. Jennifer
Linda Jara says
Hello,
This is sooo crazy… I prayed over my phone before searching once again for some guidance… my 9 year old son has been struggling with this for a year now… and something in me said “Gods cure for SIBO” I thought it was a little crazy to google, but I promised God Id give him the glory.. and here is where it brought me. Thank you for posting. I will look up that massage technique for my son. If you have any othe pointers, I would love them… I am lookimg for a great nutritionist as he is very athletic and is always hungry… I am running out of things to feed him. 🙈 Hes always been a healthy eater… at least we thought.. but here we are….
Elena Wistey says
Hi Linda,
Heidi Turner with Food Logic in Seattle is my favorite nutritionist for SIBO. She is incredible and really understands SIBO. She also works via Skype or phone. Her website is foodlogic.org
Elena