Please Help! GI caused bad breath

[searching_for_a_cure]

I'm in my 30s and I've suffered with bb for years now. I've had two dentists confirm it is not a dental issue. I had a tonsillectomy in 2017 to get rid of my tonsil stone problem forever. The stones are gone, thank goodness, but the bad breath remained.

In 2019, I was treated for an h.pylori infection with triple therapy treatment. My bad breath persisted. I was rechecked this year (2020) for h.pylori and any other GI causes of bb- no h.pylori, no bacterial overgrowth, no candida, no parasites, and no cancerous cells. The only thing the doctor said I have is some acid reflux/gerd, but not anymore than the average person. I am now weaning off pantoprazole and managing acid reflux with diet.

I also had a gastric emptying scan (2020)- the result was normal. I find that I have bb after eating food in general, but especially chicken (no matter how it is cooked), dairy (and any casein containing products), sugar, etc. so I avoid these foods. The GI doctor told me to try an anti-reflux and gastroparesis diet. That significantly limits what I can eat, so I think I will try juicing to ensure I won't be nutrient deficient. I don't have diabetes and I've never had abdominal surgery, so if I do have gastroparesis, I'm not sure what caused it.

My symptoms include bb, gas/bloating, smelly gas/bm. Meds- I am weaning off of pantoprazole, and I currently take probiotics, a multivitamin, and vitamin D regularly. I get allergy shots, but have temporarily stopped to see if that helps reduce bb. Waiting on results of ANA blood test to see if I have an autoimmune condition (optometrist thinks my dry eyes may be caused by an autoimmune condition). I don't have any other health conditions.

I just ordered Devrom (internal deodorant), and I'm hoping that will help some if not all of my symptoms. Any help or guidance would be appreciated.

[form21]

i get dry eyes due to the foods that I eat. If i eat healthy foods and plenty of vegies then i don't get dry eyes but if i eat takeaway foods especially chinese foods (maybe they put a lot of msg or sugar in it) or processed foods or foods from a can/package - essentially unhealthy foods then my eyes feel like they're really dry. perhaps that's what's happening to you too?

[searching_for_a_cure]

Thanks for responding. No, I don't think that is happening to me. I eat a pretty clean diet and cook most foods at home. If I eat out, it is brown rice and plain steamed veggies, a sandwich on wheat bread with nitrite/nitrate free meat, or baked salmon with a plain baked sweet potato. I agree with the optometrist, my dry eyes are not normal dry eyes and it is not helped with preservative free artificial tears or a heated eye mask.

[winter]

Have you checked for SIBO? SIBO can cause bloating and gas.

[searching_for_a_cure]

Have you checked for SIBO? SIBO can cause bloating and gas.

No, I haven't. The first GI doctor I went to didn't believe in SIBO. She said the only bacteria found out of balance in my stomach was the h.pylori, but that was resolved with treatment. She made no mention of my small intestines. I will look for a dr willing to test for SIBO. Thank you.

[Gutsy_Gal27]

Hi @searching_for_a_cure! We have a lot of the same issues. I'm currently waiting on results for an autoimmune disorder called Sjorgen's (causes dry eye and mouth). I currently use Refresh for my eyes and Biotene for my dry mouth. I'm also currently taking Xifaxan (antibiotic) for SIBO. Because of my symptoms my GI just started me on it instead of doing testing first. I have BB & what my GI believes is IBS-D as well. I am female, 27 yrs old (just FYI).

[KL123]

Do you have anyone in the close family members with same sort of chronic Halitosis? Siblings? Parents?

Does it get worse with workout, exercise, running etc?

Is it worse indoors vs outdoors?

[searching_for_a_cure]

Do you have anyone in the close family members with same sort of chronic Halitosis? Siblings? Parents?

Does it get worse with workout, exercise, running etc?

Is it worse indoors vs outdoors?

Nope, no one in my family has it. I'm the lucky one haha. If I don't eat, I don't have bad breath but I can't starve myself 24/7. It doesn't get worse with exercise. It gets worse with weather change/cold weather/winter months. I assume that is bc I get post nasal drip. It would also get worse during the springtime, but that is why I started doing allergy shots to prevent that.

[searching_for_a_cure]

Hi @searching_for_a_cure! We have a lot of the same issues. I'm currently waiting on results for an autoimmune disorder called Sjorgen's (causes dry eye and mouth). I currently use Refresh for my eyes and Biotene for my dry mouth. I'm also currently taking Xifaxan (antibiotic) for SIBO. Because of my symptoms my GI just started me on it instead of doing testing first. I have BB & what my GI believes is IBS-D as well. I am female, 27 yrs old (just FYI).

Hey and Happy New Year! I went to my optometrist to get a second opinion on my dry eyes. The optometrist who told me I likely had an autoimmune problem is just someone I saw this year bc I couldn't get an appointment with my normal opt. that fit with my schedule. He said my eyes were dry were caused by clogged ducts. He gave me an eye lid scrub, told me to switch my eye drops to Refresh with flaxseed, take flaxseed oil pills, and increase my warm compress use. His recommendations are more in line with the ophthalmologist I saw in 2019 when I was concerned about my dry eyes and I'm already seeing improvement. I still did some autoimmune testing- ANA, Rheumatoid factor, and Thyroid antibody tests were all negative. I may do another ANA in 2021 bc those can sometimes have false negatives? For right now, I'm happy with my eyes. I hope you are able to get your eye issue resolved as well!

I am still trying to find a doctor that will test for or even consider SIBO as a potential cause. Have you seen any improvement on Xifaxan or had any side effects? I'm on the fence about taking any antibiotics. When I was younger, I would get strep throat all the time and I wonder if all the antibiotics caused my bb problem. I am female, 32 years old.

[Gutsy_Gal27]

Hi @searching_for_a_cure! We have a lot of the same issues. I'm currently waiting on results for an autoimmune disorder called Sjorgen's (causes dry eye and mouth). I currently use Refresh for my eyes and Biotene for my dry mouth. I'm also currently taking Xifaxan (antibiotic) for SIBO. Because of my symptoms my GI just started me on it instead of doing testing first. I have BB & what my GI believes is IBS-D as well. I am female, 27 yrs old (just FYI).

Hey and Happy New Year! I went to my optometrist to get a second opinion on my dry eyes. The optometrist who told me I likely had an autoimmune problem is just someone I saw this year bc I couldn't get an appointment with my normal opt. that fit with my schedule. He said my eyes were dry were caused by clogged ducts. He gave me an eye lid scrub, told me to switch my eye drops to Refresh with flaxseed, take flaxseed oil pills, and increase my warm compress use. His recommendations are more in line with the ophthalmologist I saw in 2019 when I was concerned about my dry eyes and I'm already seeing improvement. I still did some autoimmune testing- ANA, Rheumatoid factor, and Thyroid antibody tests were all negative. I may do another ANA in 2021 bc those can sometimes have false negatives? For right now, I'm happy with my eyes. I hope you are able to get your eye issue resolved as well!

I am still trying to find a doctor that will test for or even consider SIBO as a potential cause. Have you seen any improvement on Xifaxan or had any side effects? I'm on the fence about taking any antibiotics. When I was younger, I would get strep throat all the time and I wonder if all the antibiotics caused my bb problem. I am female, 32 years old.

Happy New Year to you as well! I'm glad your eyes are feeling better! No side effects taking the Xifaxan thus far (on final day). I took 3 pills for 14 days. Unfortunately, no relief on the BB front either. Now, I'm starting a Nyastatin mouthwash (even though I don't expect a yeast or fungal infection to be the cause). But hey, what the hell-might as well. Lol

[mauricio]

I am still trying to find a doctor that will test for or even consider SIBO as a potential cause.

What does that mean? you can just ask a lab to do you a breath test, you wouldn't need a dr for that.
Besides you really wanna check this before going the SIBO route: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7703&p=67883#p67883