[SweetIllusion]

Hello everyone I'm a new member here, I've been reading up a few topics in the last few days for some answers however there really isn't much that relates to me exactly. I'm a 21 year old female, and in the past 2 weeks I have had increased abdominal/stomach bloating and pressure. It had been so bad I could not move or eat without feeling severe nausea, pressure and discomfort with no way to relieve it (I felt like I could not burp/pass wind). I have always had heartburn in the past but never any other digestive symptoms. My doctor thought it was GERD and started me on nexium 40mg twice a day. It has been 1 week since with some improvement. I can eat small meals throughout the day, however now I find that I cannot function between the hours of 4pm to about 8pm every single day. No matter how little/big my food & fluid intake is for that day. I get really distended and bloated, and feel my stomach is too full of pressure. I cannot burp to relieve this pressure at all, and it feels 'stuck' so to speak. I also cannot pass wind either to relieve my abdomen. My doctor is at a loss as to why I am showing these symptoms, I am not lactore intolerant or gluten intolerant (though I will get a re-test of it nxt week). He started me on Movicol twice a day just to see if clearing out my bowels will make a difference, so far I have noticed no change in the bloating every afternoon to evening. He thinks it may be IBS, however being such a general 'diagnosis' I am not happy. I don't believe it is simply that and I should walk away having to put up with this daily.I cannot do anything in the afternoon's to evenings but sit there with a hot water bottle over my stomach, willing the discomfort to go away.If anyone has any suggestions/related experiences/advice, please do let me know. Jasmine.

 

[Kathleen M.]

While female reproductive tract bloating tends to be all day everyday rather than just 4-8pm if you haven't had a check in with the gynecologist since this started it probably is worth doing that. Things like ovarian cysts can cause bloating issues so it isn't always just the GI tract involved.Have you tried a low flatus diet? or checked to see if a low fructose diet may help? If it is gas build up that part of the afternoon is when breakfast/lunch is getting to the colon so when gas may start getting made a lot.Have you tried probiotics?Have you tried taking a digestive enzyme supplement with pancreatin in it with meals?Have you tried fennel? Eating a few seeds of it or drinking some tea made from the seeds is a popular after meal routine in some cultures for that post meal bloat anyone can get if they eat a bit too much or the food is a bit too rich.

 

[faze action]

This used to happen to me all the time, and my doctor couldn't really figure it out either. Breakfast was never a problem for me, lunch was touch and go, and forget dinner: by the end of the day I'd be so bloated I'd look pregnant. I'm also not gluten or lactose intolerant (that I know of). I also couldn't burp, fart, etc. For me I notice that the bloating typically is brought on by carbohydrate consumption. Any carbs will make me bloat: fruit juice, pasta, bread, rice, etc and I absolutely cannot drink juice or anything with sugar at a meal (makes everything much worse if I already have food in my stomach). Try to identify and food triggers you might have. Is it worse when you eat certain things?

 

[SweetIllusion]

Thanks for the replies Kathleen and Faze.I honestly have not thought about gynae related issues, however my bloating and discomfort for me is usually the whole abdomen, especially the stomach. The pressure in the stomach feels like it goes up to my throat. I've always taken acidophilus bifidus daily, however today I started on a better probiotic a naturopath recommended. I also started on a prebiotic which contains glutamine, slippery elm, and aloe. I will see if I see any improvement with this in the next few days.I have tried peppermint, and the peppermint tea. I didn't find it made much of a difference. As for fennel, I am yet to try it. I will consider it!I am on a low-flatus diet, but it made no difference for me in the last 2 weeks. What i've been eating has been extremely bland, mainly apples and bananas for fruits, and rice and oats for carbohydrates. I add in some vegetables such as steamed carrots, leafy greens and zucchinis but that's basically all I've managed. As for meat, I've only had turkey or chicken mince/breast fillets. For the past 2 days I have tried a gluten-free diet (i have taken out all breads and cereals that may contain wheat/gluten), I have felt some minor improvement but from 4pm - 8pm is still when i feel all these symptoms. I can still drink juices and have jams, I find i don't have much issues with sweet foods. I am seeing my doctor again on Thursday but I honestly don't know what else there is for him to tell me. I may ask him to test me again for gluten intolerance. I am hitting a brick wall. It's just been so frustrating. I am glad I'm not the only one who has experienced this however. If anyone has further thoughts/advice/experiences please do feel free to share

 

[Kathleen M.]

Are you cooking the apples?Apples are a high gas fruit, cooking them will get rid of the sorbitol (which is also in plums, peaches, cherries and pears)Not sure about oats, but of the starches rice tends to be the lowest in gas production.Bananas can contribute to gas but usually aren't too bad.http://www.endowsec.com/pated/edtgs12.htm has the low flatus diethttp://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T042600.asp#T042601 has a list of fruits least likely to produce gas.The gluten in wheat does not produce any gas at all. The starch in wheat is a big source of gas and you can be sensitive to the gas and totally tolerant of gluten. Gluten is not the one and only problem with wheat. So a lot of people who can tolerate gluten may find they do better when they avoid wheat because of the starch issues.

 

[SweetIllusion]

Ah hmm, no I'm not cooking the apples. I'm just cutting them up into pieces without the skin on. I might try cooking them..Yeah the naturopath suggested a rice diet for now, so I've been sticking to rice and rice noodles. Thanks for those two links, very helpful! Unfortunately a lot of those summer fruits aren't in season since its Winter here in Australia I'm trying a 'wheat sensitivity' loaf of rye bread now, only had once piece so I'll see how it goes. I did notice gluten isn't always the bad guy in it all, however I was trying to eliminate it to see if there was any difference.Yesterday I had a major bad day with the bloating and nausea to a point I just wanted to cry. I'm not sure why, I know stress/anxiety plays a role in digestive function, and I know i was a bit more anxious than usual as I had to travel a long way. However I think I might ask my doctor about possible ovarian/gynae issues, I have little sharp pains that appear suddenly and last for differnt amounts of time in the lower abdomen/lower back area. I thought it may of been just abdo cramps but now I want to be sure. As for the fennel seeds, where can I buy those? Health food stores or do most grocery stores sell them in their health food isle? I'm not too sure where to start looking...Thanks for your help again Kathleen. Much appreciated.

 

[Kathleen M.]

Usually I find them on the spice aisle of most well stocked groceries, but if I wanted a bunch I'd probably go to this health food type coop around here that sells bulk herbs as they seem fresher and usually a better price per ounce.You may be able to find tea bags made up at any health food/natural food type place with a good herbal tea selection, and you can always steep the seeds in a tea ball if you prefer tea to just munching a few (like half a teaspoon to a teaspoon) of the seeds straight up.

 

[faze action]

The pressure in the stomach feels like it goes up to my throat.

This also happens to me occasionally. My theory is the pressure from bloating causes changes elsewhere in the body. One time I bloated so badly that I swear I could feel pressure in my head.The other thing you might want to try is digestive enzymes. I've never used them, but I think they help some people with bloating issues.

 

[SweetIllusion]

Hmmm bloating isn't the main issue which is the thing, I've found it gets much much worse along with nausea when I am in any way excited/stressed/tense - so basically any emotional high. I haven't really found much help in digestive health supplements unfortunately, tried for the last week and I've noticed no change. The only change is that it's gotten worse in the respect that along with bloating every few hours (and still mainly from 4pm onwards), it can go all the way until I go to sleep now. And I've felt this strange feeling in my stomach like extreme hunger pains, but I was super distended and full (I had just eaten/drank), and I kept feeling these extreme feelings every half minute or so for quite some time to a point I was moaning from discomfort and extreme nausea. Any new thoughts on this issue that popped up?

 

[vetgirl]

I am new on here and have been reading through the responses and noticed that someone else described such bad bloating that they would feel it expanding up into their throat. I have had that same sensation for the last 2 wks almost constantly and when I describe this feeling to my husband and to friends, they look at me like I'm crazy. Is this heartburn? I've never had heartburn so I don't know what it can feel like. I've had 2 doctors say they believe my bloating and flatulence may be due to IBS after testing negative for celiac disease and having my gall bladder taken out just to make sure. I have to say it makes me feel less alone knowing that there are others out there who are experiencing the same symptoms and feelings about their symptoms as me and that I'm not "crazy" as I've been made to feel at times. -----vetgirl

 

[Shupatra]

Hey SweetIllusion, I have a similar problem to you - horrible bloating where I look pregnant and it feels like a big lead weight in my abdomen. I am currently trying to wheat-free diet (sticking to rice and potatoes as my carbs) to see if this reduces the bloating (wondering if the bread is the culprit...)If you're feeling sick with it, try Twinings' "Blended as a Digestif" tea - made with peppermint and fennel. I find it doesn't really get rid of the bloating but it definitely calms down cramps and general tummyache, so it may help with the nausea.Good luck - let me know how it goes.