Some initial impressions after 1-2 weeks of mastic gum:
I usually use Quantums prepack which gives me 75%-80% relief. I started with doing antibiotics + probiotics for two weeks, along with a low fodmap diet. After that I tried an O without the prepack and was immediately reminded of how terrible POIS is, without using the prepack.
I then started adding pepto bismol to the prepack and saw increasing relief. Then the mastic gum arrived and I started taking it twice a day. My initial impressions are that they provide relief overall. They also provide relief for NEs (nocturnal emissions), for which I cannot take the prepack, since they are unplanned. Another observation is that they make me bloated, like my stomach literally looks bigger, which of course isn't too great.
For now, I will continue with the mastic gum + the prepack and pepto plus a mostly low fodmap diet, as I see relief from this combination.
I'm wondering if the mastic gum has to be taken continously, or three weeks like John did will be enough..