There really isn't anything in your face and arms to collect the gas, so the bloat there is usually fluid retension.Has your doctor seen you when you are swollen up like that?There are a number of conditions that can cause that, and something other than IBS needs to be evaluated to figure out what that is. (Some people just swell with heat for various reasons, heart/circulatory problems, problems with lymph system, etc anything that moves fluid from one part of the body to another, or has to do with how your body gets rid of fluids)Now in your abdomen there is a cavity that can accumulate gas and get bigger (the intestines), but you can also get accumulations of fluid in there (as well as those that have fat accumulating in there, but that is a 24/7 thing rather than accumulation that can vary across time, including sometimes substantially)K.