SIBO can be extremely difficult to treat. I admit that when I went to the SIBO Symposium in Portland in June I wasn’t sure if I was going to learn anything new, and I wasn’t sure what to expect.
The conference was held at the National College of Natural Medicine in a room on the top floor of an old, large building. The room was painted pale yellow, with tall ceilings, and impressively tall windows that let in so much light it felt as though I was sitting on an incredible balcony on the hills of Portland. There were ceiling fans ever few yards moving air as quietly and vigorously as possible as the room started out cool, yet grew almost unbearably hot by the end of the day as the old architecture lacked modern air conditioning. There were long rows of skinny tables, wide enough for a lap top, and a coffee, or water bottle that nearly 200 people occupied for the duration of the two day event.
At the end of the conference during the last section titled, “Pearls,” in which any provider was allowed to get up and speak about their experience with treating SIBO, I had the realization that I was not alone. Each and every person in the room had their own unique experience with SIBO. Many had overcome SIBO themselves, or were currently fighting the SIBO infection, and even more, it seemed, were battling SIBO by studying and researching the infection to bring relief to their patients and those whom they had yet to meet.
When the Pearls section had ended, the conference was officially over. Still taking in the grandeur of the event and processing all of the information, I stood up, packed my stuff and felt dizzy with feelings of not knowing how to move from my seat let alone move forward in my SIBO Journey. What would be next? What would my results show? Would we need to do a barium study, check for cancer, or look into something entirely different? Would the next treatment option be the dreaded elemental diet?
From across the room I saw Dr. Allison Siebecker standing with a group of people. Light from the windows streamed down onto her petite and beautiful frame. I felt as though a voice, my own voice, but hearing it as if someone was clearly speaking to me, said, “Pick up your foot and move it.” I responded accordingly. I’m not sure even what direction I moved it or how my feet began to work together to eventually mov me across the room, but I found myself walking up to Dr. Siebecker. When I had my chance to speak to her, I said hello and without any warning, instantly burst into tears. I don’t know if it was the heat of the room, the exhaustion from the full weekend, being with 200 people who either had SIBO or had committed much of their career to it, or simply that I was meeting the woman who helped put a name to my condition and who unknowingly rescued me from hunger, but my emotions consumed me. “I should thank her for all of the work she has done.” Went through my heart and my head at the same time.
She asked me my name, and unable to gain my composure, I had to point to my name tag. She kindly held my hand as tears spilled from my eyes. When words returned to my lips, I got to thank her for creating the SIBO Specific Food Guide– the food list, or diet that helped save my life. Or, at least I tried to say, “thank you,” as I am not sure what I actually spoke to her.
When the SIBO Specific Food Guide was published in November 2014, I had been on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet for almost a full year. I had been through one antibiotic treatment with little success and was at the point where I could not tolerate any food but homemade jerky and yogurt without reaction. I was the thinnest I had been since I was 15 years old with bones protruding through my thin skin and I felt like I was starving.
Six months later, with two more (herbal) antibiotic treatments completed and a small layer of soft healthy fat wrapped around my body with the cutest little muffin top hugging my waist, Dr. Siebecker kindly stood before me. She had no idea the journey I had been through. I felt like an emotional child unable to communicate clearly but as we talked through my tears, I realized there was no possible means in the English language to communicate the gratitude I suddenly felt so overwhelmed by. The long hours, the hard work, and the diligence Dr. Siebecker put into her Specific Food Guide helped save my life from waisting away through starvation and discouragement. In that large yellow room at the conference, I wasn’t meeting a hero, I was meeting the woman who unknowingly committed her life to saving mine.
There are no words for such feats.
In those few sweet and I’m sure awkward moments with Dr. Siebecker, under the bright golden light of the old beautiful room, I realized the weight of the journey I had been on and why I felt so reluctant to move forward. SIBO had changed my life and even taken over parts of it in ways I ferociously fought against. The Symposium not only surprised me with new information but it surprised me by showing me there are literally hundreds of people working to conquer SIBO. People I had never met and may never meet were working to help restore my health and help me regain my life. How could I possibly give up now?
Standing in the sun-lit, yellow room and picking up my feet in response to the instructions I heard was so incredibly challenging. But each active movement proved to be worth the effort. I learned I was not alone. And there were people I could still follow to get me where I needed to go. The same is true for you.
There is someone out there who is thinking about you. They may not know your name, know the specifics of your story, and they may never reach across the table to hold your hand, or meet you for coffee, or accompany you to a doctor’s visit, but they are working to help you fight against SIBO or whatever illness you are struggling with.
I hope that one day you too can sit in a room with over 200 people who are working by your side to help you overcome your struggles.
You are not alone. I’m with you. And so are hundreds of others.
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