I had the same problem for years.

May sounds like yeast in the esophagus and in the small bowel. Yeasts are brewing a lot of chemical reactions in there. To halt these reactions you must stop completly carbohydrates unless for green veggies. Stop all grains and continue on antifungals. Nothing should be taken that could accelerate fermentation.

Crushing antifungals in powder is more efficient for candidiasis in the small bowel and the esophagus.

Hey Misscallie,

Some notes in response to your post: there are not supposed to be bacteria or yeast in the small intestines, and they have no role in digestion in the small bowel. Digestion in the small bowel is a chemical process independent of microbes, which uses Gastric Acid, Pancreatic Enzymes, and Bile/Lymph to extract nutrition from food. 30 percent of healthy adults have no bacteria in the proximal small bowel.

If microbes are there, they can cause fermentation which can produce the bloating you're complaining of, along with many other problems related to microbial toxins.

Microbes are tolerated near the end of the small bowel near the ileo-cecal valve, but ideally, your body uses gastric acid, enzymes and bile to keep their numbers within tolerable limits.

Microbes in the large bowel break down what you are not able to digest in the small bowel, such as cellulose, and provide you with Short Chain Fatty Acids, some Vitamins, and useful substances such as Serotonin. If you are suffering from low gastric acid, pancreatic insufficiency (low enzymes), or problems with bile (liver/gall bladder), you may be experiencing indigestion and malabsorption from those causes, and may need to address those deficiencies before drawing conclusions or attempting differential diagnosis.

Also, malabsorption in the small bowel feeds bad microbes in the large bowel which can set up chronic inflammation. The most common malabsorption issue is Fat and Protein which come in combination.

You may indeed have esophageal candidiasis, and it certainly wouldn't hurt to treat that at the same time you address digestive issues.

Some ways you can help your digestion:
1. Betaine HCL before meals
2. Pancreatic Enzymes with and after meals
3. Bile/Bile Salts after meals
4. Bitters before meals
5. Avoid red meats, look for easy to digest sources of protein. It's by far the most difficult food to process/absorb and can cause indigestion in people with low gastric acid.
6. Supplement with Whey Protein in the morning.
7. Drink warm vegetable broth after meals.

Hope this helps,
T.