Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Gut Test Results

Hi all

Just thought I'd report in with some interesting findings from having recently done the Genova test with parasitology. I also did the SIBO breath test which came back positive.

Much to my surprise however, the gut test didn't show up klebsiella, but I do have the pathogenic strains of enterobacter and citrobacter.

My practitioner now has me on a 30 day course of oregano oil tablets, berberine, allicin and a general GI wellness supplement. The plan being to reduce the levels of the bad bugs, then follow this up with a high dose probiotic course to increase the levels of beneficial strains.

Fingers crossed this improves things as I've had a pretty miserable 6 months or so pain wise, after experimenting with raw potato starch and inulin etc earlier on in the year.

I'll check back in with updates soon and I hope there are others out there who find this helpful.

Thanks for reading.
William

Hi,

Please let us know how you come along. It will be interesting to see if there's a link between your pain levels and your non-kleb gut flora.

Warm hugs,

thanks, keep us informed.

Check this documentary just out on gut flora on The Nature Of Things with David Suzuki:

http://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/episodes/it-takes-guts

Thanks for the link Timo.

For some reason, the video won't play right now (I'm getting a message saying content currently unavailable), but the accompanying text is interesting and also, as is often the case, the comments section is where it's at in terms of 'real world' info.

I had stool sample testing done through a nature path's office.

Said I had no lactobacilli, though I ate a lot of yogurt.

Thus my lactobacilli were obviously being outcompeted by some bad microbe.

Did have plenty of good Ecoli and Bifidobacteria.

But, the test results also said I had a number of bacteria that were probably pathogenic...don't remember the genus or species, but it wasn't klebsiella.


I take probiotic pills: 1 align (bifidobacteria) and 1 culturelle (lactobacilli) daily; don't know if its enough, but figure it can't hurt.

The thing that has helped my gut and my joints the most has been Humira. I tried a lot of other things first, but maybe my gut stuff was going on for too long and things down there are too damaged:

I had GI issues (mostly constipation) since before I started school. It was significant enough even as a small child that I still remember it. Then when I was 29, it switched to me not digesting my food and diarrhea. Then a year later, horrible gastritis added itself in. Then when I was 35, the joint stuff started and it started with a bang, not a whimper.

Turns out I'm allergic / sensitive to the casein protein (and possibly other proteins) in (cow) dairy (not so sure about goat and sheep so when I want cheese, I have goat or sheep cheese, but not too much). The IgA/IgG testing also said I was a little allergic / sensitive to egg protein and yeast (baker's yeast also known as S. cerevisiae...thus no bread for me). and no eggs. and no dairy.

That diet helped my gastritis and bowels the most, not the joints as much.

But even on humira, I still do the diet, still take the probiotics, still eat things like cabbage and sauerkraut and beans that seem to help my GI tract (always have as long as I can remember, even if I still don't really understand why). At times when my bowels are not digesting and I have diarrhea, then I have to switch to a low residue diet instead (kind of the opposite of my usual very high fiber diet)....we're all different in the specifics, but all similar in that for many of us, if not all of us, it starts in the gut.

Good luck with the regiment. I found ways to manage my GI issues through my life, but suffered with the joint pain for 12 years before I could find a doctor who could help me enough. I hope for you that you don't have to suffer that long. Hope this helps you!

I do think if I had been able to turn my GI tract around when I was a small child, I wouldn't have developed the joint issues. As it was, took 35 years before the gut was leaky enough for the joints to become affected. Or maybe it was some other reason that the joint inflammation / flares didn't start for 35 years.

I've read that fecal transplants are much more effective on young children than they are on adults. I have some scientific journal articles with information on those studies that I can share if you are interested.

Thanks for the post, please do let us know how it goes after a month.

Best of luck to you.

Tim

If it is not working switch browsers. Internet Explorer or Edge (windows 10) work for me. Firefox and Chrome do not work.

Hi, William:

Regret most diagnostic tests will never reveal this truth: Everyone has plenty of Klebsiella pneumoniae. The problem with "testing" is that the results are usually filtered through the statistical prism: If we don't have a +6sigma level of bacteria, it is not considered present or pathogenic.

To be clear, everyone with AS has this bacterium in quite sufficient numbers to cause this disease; it takes much less than -3sigma to cause AS symptoms.

Yes, both inulin and potato starch can cause severe flares.

Great that You are doing antiparasitic regimen, and I hope it helps very much. I use the NOW brand enteric-coated oregano oil and have had wonderful results. Allicin from garlic, and the berberine are good and there are several other agents which help in this regard. I am a firm believer in a total sweep of all uninvited guests in our gut, then replace with the ones of our own choice.

Hope it all works out for You; please let us know.

HEALTH,
John

Thanks for the replies and words of encouragement, people.

I'll keep updating here regarding my progress regularly.

@ Timo - re the video, I think it's a regional setting preventing me from viewing unfortunately (I'm in UK).