• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Bridgetown Nutrition

Sensible nutrition solutions for a healthy gut

  • Home
  • About
    • Bridgetown Nutrition
    • Riley Wimminger
  • Services
    • Services
    • Testimonials
  • Recipes
  • Shop
  • SIBO Resources
    • About SIBO
    • SIBO Symptoms
    • SIBO Treatment
    • SIBO Diet
    • SIBO Favorites
    • Restaurants Portland
    • Reading Material
  • Blog
  • Contact

2014 Recap

December 31, 2014 By Riley 5 Comments

2014 has been a year of hope, excitement, frustration, and most importantly, learning.  I have learned so much about myself, nutrition, the medical field, the food industry, cooking, toxins, and how these all impact our overall health.  As I reflect back upon where I was one year ago, I am hopeful that I will continue to heal from SIBO and that new discoveries will be made that contribute to helping restore a more vibrant and less restrictive lifestyle for SIBO sufferers.

Often times for people with SIBO it is difficult to recognize our progress until we reflect upon how we felt quite a long time ago.  One year ago, having bowel movements every 3 or 4 days was normal for me (sorry if that’s TMI).  Also, waking up nightly from extreme itching was not uncommon.  I had painful acne on my shoulders and I would have a few zits on my face every now and then.

My typical foods for the day (one year ago) were as follows:

  • Breakfast: gluten-free oats, flaxseed, walnuts, rice milk
  • Lunch: mixed green salad with raw shredded yam, cashew cream, chopped walnuts, avocado, sun dried tomatoes, cucumber, with a homemade chili vinaigrette
  • Dinner: gluten-free flatbread with tomato paste, sliced bell pepper, and chicken
  • Snack: handful roasted almonds
  • Treat: gluten-free vegan pastry- I had to have my treats…every day

Things have changed (to say the least).  First, I have bowel movements usually every day.  Sometimes, if I am lucky, even two or three times in one day.  Itching is sporadic and I often go a week or two without any.  Waking up with extreme itching only happens when I really overindulge (such as xmas eve when I ate 1.5 cups of mashed yams). And acne?  What’s that?

These improvements in my symptoms, however, have not been without extreme deprivation, self-control, and a whole lot of money.  Sometimes I wonder whether I have actually healed or whether I have just restricted my diet enough and implemented the right supplements (low dose erythromycin & ginger for MMC motility, magnesium citrate for loose stools, herbal anti-microbials off and on as needed for complete emptying) to control my symptoms. I do not feel that my diet nor my supplements (especially the anti-microbials) are sustainable for the long term.

Here is an example of my typical diet now:

  • Breakfast: salmon patty and acorn squash with coconut oil and cinnamon
  • Lunch: turkey breast dipped in olive oil served with roasted beet and fennel
  • Dinner: ground beef, bison, goat or elk patty with roasted celery root and carrot

I eat very little fruit (1 serving per week of blueberries, raspberries, or banana), minimal nuts (10 per day max), no gluten, no soy, no dairy, no legumes, extremely minimal grains (1/2 cup cooked white jasmine rice/month), no raw veggies, low FODMAP veggies, limited nightshades, and minimal high free thiol foods.

Here are some treatments and testing that I would like to explore in 2015:

  • Nutrigenomics- specifically CBS upregulation
  • Analyzing my gut microbiome via Ubiome.com
  • Four day stool test- need to research about the different companies
  • Heavy metal testing
  • Lyme testing
  • Taurine for gallbladder health (UPDATE: this supplement made me feel awful because it is a sulfur amino acid)
  • Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT)- currently only legal in the US for C. difficile, but individuals report trying it on their own at home (I do not know if I could mentally handle this treatment)
  • Probiotic enemas- same reluctance as previous treatment

My goal for 2015 will be to continue to search for the root cause of my digestive issues and not give up.  There are definitely times when I feel like giving up and just eating a giant cookie, but somehow I seem to always find the inspiration to continue to be hopeful that this is not a ‘forever’ diagnosis.  Perhaps it is my loving and supportive family, my loyal blog followers, and/or my fellow sufferers.  Thank you all for following my journey and helping me remain hopeful!  Here is to a wonderful and healthy 2015!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Previous Post: « Maya Abdominal Therapy for IBS
Next Post: Interpretation of my Organix Urine Acid Test »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Gwen Farnham says

    December 31, 2014 at 7:10 am

    > Riley- You are truly an inspiration, a couargeous and tenacious young woman. Thanks for sharing!

    gwen > >

    Reply
    • sibowithhope says

      December 31, 2014 at 7:16 am

      Thank you Gwen! You are so sweet! By the way, I think you were the first person to introduce me to organic. I remember coming over to your Savier house when I was really little and having Annie’s white cheddar pasta. You made it the best!

      Reply
  2. sarah says

    March 3, 2015 at 3:37 pm

    Hello! I commented once before to see how you were doing with SIBO. I found out I had SIBO in November of 2014, did a round of metronidazole and rifaxamin, followed by Allimed allicin capsules and oregano all while following Dr. Siebecker’s low-FODMAP/ SCD diet exactly. {Isn’t she great, BTW?}. Anyway, I’m finishing day 10 of 14 on the homemade elemental diet because I was still having symptoms even after those treatments. Just curious if you’ve ever considered that for your SIBO…I’m crossing my fingers that it knocks it out this time around. Hope you get better, too.
    Blessings,
    Sarah

    Reply
    • sibowithhope says

      March 4, 2015 at 7:41 am

      Hi Sarah,

      I have not done an elemental diet due to my sulfur issues. I handle sulfur amino acids when they are in meat, but not in pure form amino acids.

      Riley

      Reply
      • sarah says

        March 5, 2015 at 2:24 pm

        Gotcha. That’s too bad. SIBO is hard. I’m glad to have found your blog!
        Sarah

        Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Follow On Social

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
BROWSE RECIPES

Subscribe to Newsletter

* indicates required

Search

Recent Posts on Instagram

Allergies & Insomnia: Is There a Connection? In ho Allergies & Insomnia: Is There a Connection? In honor of May being National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month, I decided to share about this connection I’ve noticed in case it helps anyone else. I included my story with allergies and insomnia, what the research says, and some things that have helped me (Neti pot and Allegra are only the tip of the iceberg). Go to BridgetownNutrition.com or find the link to my blog in my profile.
Want to make PLANTAINS that look this good!? Watch Want to make PLANTAINS that look this good!? Watch 👉🏻 our video 🎥 to learn how! Includes how to choose, slice, and cook plantains, plus their health benefits and what to try first if your digestive system can’t tolerate them. 

400 F (or maybe 410 because our oven runs hot) for 10-15 minutes per side.

#plantains #resistantstarch #cookingvideo
NATURAL REMEDIES FOR HEADACHES AND MIGRAINES 🌱B NATURAL REMEDIES FOR HEADACHES AND MIGRAINES 🌱Between my husband and I, we have nearly four decades of experience suffering from headaches and migraines. BUT, we get them far less frequently than we used to. And dietary, lifestyle, and natural remedies are the reason. So I wrote up my top, research-based natural remedies for relief and prevention. Link is in my bio. #headache #migraine #naturalremedies
In case you missed it in stories, we’re MARRIED In case you missed it in stories, we’re MARRIED 💍 03.10.21 💕 #thehunteisover 

I feel so grateful to have this incredibly patient, funny, smart, and caring man in my life. 

Since this account is all about having hope in your struggles with “chronic” illness, I want to share part of my personal journey with you. In my early to mid 20s, I was trying to date while suffering from severe food intolerances and chronic digestive, skin, and other health issues. It felt incredibly frustrating and discouraging at times because I encountered people who looked down upon me as a future partner because of my health issues. 

But not this guy. He saw the strength I gained from my struggles. 

I knew he was a keeper when I developed my first UTI of our relationship (I was SUPER prone to them). While I rested and tried to recover naturally, he sat in a spot where he could see me and kept glancing over to check on me between cracking open each cashew. And after that, he wanted to learn everything he could to make sure he never contributed to me getting one again. Good news: I haven’t needed a course of antibiotics since then!

I just want you to know that good people are out there. Don’t feel hopeless. Be patient and true to yourself. Chronic illness can be one of life’s greatest teachers if you let it be.
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Disclaimer

The information on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. For such services, please consult your healthcare provider.
logo
Health Ads by

Footer

Connect with Riley

Welcome! I'm Riley- master's degree trained nutritionist. Dedicated to helping you overcome digestive (IBS/SIBO/SIFO) & related issues. Just like I have. I share flavorful, healthful, mostly low FODMAP recipes that go above & beyond- gluten-free, dairy-free (except butter/ghee), soy-free, & easy on the oats & eggs! Newer recipes are less likely to be low FODMAP as I continue to heal and expand my diet. I want to help you live a healthier & happier life. Read More…

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest

Lemon Ginger Turmeric on Cutting Board
Low FODMAP Chocolate Orange Smoothie
Two Caribbean-Spiced Ice Lollies and fresh spices used to make them sitting in front of four more
Ginger Berry Smoothie
Simple Green Salad (Low FODMAP, Paleo)
Track Your Nutrition & Health Data with cronometer.com

Copyright © 2022 · Privacy Policy · Terms of Service · Admin · Log in