What my GI suggested I try...

[sadmum]

So I went to see a GI specialist last week who works in a clinic that specialises in all kinds of digestive diseases and also specialise in treating halitosis caused by the GI system (here’s a link if you’re interested: http://www.cdd.com.au/pages/disease_info/halitosis.html)

I began by giving him a thorough history of my symptoms. He then started telling me how he would normally treat people with my condition. First he suggested I get a gastroscopy and a colonoscopy in one procedure, he said he would get a sample of my faeces and send it to the lab immediately to check for parasites. He said this test is most accurate when the faeces are taken at body temperature - so if you go to a GP and ask to get a faecal test the chances of it been accurate is very slim, as most bacteria dies before it even reaches the lab) and based on the findings he would treat the condition accordingly.

He suggested that a lot of bb cases are caused by silent reflux, I told him I had a gastroscopy done 4 yours ago and came back negative i.e. no issues. Anyway he then suggested the Halimeter test as the first step to try before going to the 2nd step which is the endoscopies ( I also mentioned my previous Halimeter with Dr.Speiser showed high levels of methyl mercaptan and dimethyl sulphide gases).

He said that in order to provide the best and most accurate treatment for my condition we need to find the cause - rather than just treat the symptom. I told him that I preferred to try the medications he suggested for treating certain colonic parasites before doing the endoscopies (only because I have a busy schedule and don’t have anyone who can mind my kids). So he was totally ok with that. Anyway he sent me right away to get a halimeter which wasn’t accurate (as I mentioned in the previous post viewtopic.php?p=49582#49582 )

So here’s the interesting part, he suggested I try a medication called ‘Bismuth’ here’s a bit of info about it: http://www.sydneycompounding.com/diseases/halitosis I then asked him about Rifaximin and whether it’s any good to try, he said it’s an antibiotic and works differently but didn’t mind prescribing it to me if I wanted to try it, so I’ll use that as my second option after trying bismuth.

Unfortunately he wasn’t able to give me a script for bismuth as he had an urgent call and had to leave but said he would call me the next day to tell me more about the meds. I still haven’t received his call. I called the clinic and they said he’ll be back tomorrow. So I’ll call back tomorrow if I don’t get a call from him and find out more about this med and I’ll keep you all updated.

Has anyone here ever heard of or tried Bismuth before?

Maybe Dr. Murat would know about it?

[StillHoping]

but isn't that pepto-bismol? to stop diarrhea?

[sadmum]

but isn't that pepto-bismol? to stop diarrhea?

It is used to treat various gastrointestinal issues that are caused by certain parasites or bacteria such as e-coli and h-pylori.

I've just read that there are two ways of using Bismuth subsalicylate, oral and renal...Anyway I won't know much about it until I speak to the specialist. Once I do, I'll come back with an update.

[oneday4800]

I remember going through tons of posts on this site one day and saw that a member (hali_girl) was using pepto. She said she was cured but i can't remember if that was all she took or not.

[StillHoping]

here's the link to her post with info on all what she took. There's been no other updates from her since though.....

viewtopic.php?t=4840&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

[Stinkynick]

@stillhoping.... Hali_girl was positive for h.pylori so what cured her was the h.pylori treatment, I believe it was the triple therapy of metro/bismuth/and some other antibiotic. Treating the h.pylori was her cure. I've also read that certain people who were negative for h.pylori have been cured by the treatment for it. Curious to know what the exact correlation between h. Pylori and bb is, considering not all that have the bacteria have bb, yet some who don't have the bacteria benefit from the treatments that kill it

She also used some natural methods to prevent relapse using makuna honey, red wine, etc.

[Stankie]

....

[halitosisux]

Hali_grl is not cured. She is still on this forum under another name, actively trying to find the cause of her BB.

For anyone who cares to know, she acted like a complete brat after some people didn't agree with her over an idea to place photos of ourselves in our forum profile. At the time, she thought she was cured - and out of spitefulness she said she wasn't going to say publically what her cure was, and she even went on to say she was going to "patent her protocol" purely to torment everyone.

I have known for a long time that she was using another ID, but I didn't think it was in anyone's interest to mention it, and purely out of pity for her going through this frustrating hell, I stayed quiet about it.

The reason I've mentioned it now is because it IS now in the interest that people know she wasn't cured.

On the subject of Pepto-Bismol, as well as being an antibacterial, it also does something with VSCs converting them into some kind of odourless form. It sometimes causes blackness in the mouth as a result of this "reaction".

[searching]

Additional posts regarding Pepto-Bismol™, i.e. bismuth subsalicylate, to manage BB, are seen here and here.

[Stankie]

....

[glamourgirl05]

@halitosissuck, I have tried contacting her through fb and this site to ask how it went with treatment , she had told me she would let me know, never heard from her again, I guess hali girl lied

[searching]

So you have been doing this for years?

Yes

Do you still chew tablets?

Lately I’ve been swallowing one caplet, sometimes twice daily.

Are you at all concerned with toxicity?

Yes, but not enough to eliminate this practice from my routine. Warning: I am not a physician nor a medical professional.

How much does it help?

Significantly. Odor in breath & stool dramatically reduced. Sulfur appears to be solidly-bound as bismuth sulfide, rather than volatilizing.

Have you tried stopping or pausing or anything?

Yes. Odor returns and intensifies.

Or just continuously for years? I assume it’s more of a control, than a cure?

Yes. All of my posts report I manage BB, not cure it…in the same way that daily bathing manages body odor, rather than cures it.

Does it turn your mouth black?

Yes, if I chew tablets.

How about your poop?

Yes, darkened when taking bismuth.

You still only take two tabs a day?

Yes, two at most.

What kind of BB do you have? Mouth?

My oral ecology gravitates toward fecal/tonsil stone smell if left unmanaged; however, I’ve identified several methods that work for me. The method I chose at any particular time largely depends on diet and travel, i.e. items I wish to pack, e.g. oral irrigator.

Other notes:
I originally tried a bismuth medication, to control odor, years ago after reading that Devrom™, i.e. bismuth subgallate, is a medication used by ostomy patients to systemically control fecal odor. I am not; however, an ostomy patient. As Pepto-Bismol™ was more convenient to purchase locally, I tried it and observed good results in reducing odor of breath & stool.

In doing further research, using myself as the test subject, I purchased and used Devrom™. I found Pepto-Bismol™ to be more effective for me, i.e. bismuth subsalicylate vs. subgallate.

My metabolism, and guest microorganisms on and in my person, seem not to fully-fix sulfur as a bound solid, but rather as a volatile. In my case, bismuth binds much of the internally-released, sulfur so that it exits as a solid versus a gaseous species.

[Stankie]

....

[halitosisux]

@glamourgirl05
Hali_grl last posted in the forum on her "other" ID on June 4th 2013.
I'll never understand why she behaved the way she did just because she thought she was cured.
One thing is for sure though, she isn't cured.

[StillHoping]

searching, have you had any constipation problems due to the prolonged use of pepto bismol?