[Jenn Siler]

Hi,

My name is Jenn and I have been dealing with IBS-C since childhood, I am 32 now. I have always been back and forth to many doctors all my life but, no one really diagnosed me until 2013 with IBS-C. I am also lactose intolerant.

In 2013 I had tests done where I swallowed chalky stuff as they xrayed my bowels. They did both the small intestine and the large. When I had to wait 20 minutes between xrays I bloated up like I was 4 months pregnant and had the worst pain in my life. I felt as though all my tendons were being stretched out in my stomach. When I got home I had to call in sick to work that night because I was not able to walk anymore. I took a tramadol and flexeril for pain and that was the only way I was able to stand up completely without being hunched over. All the doctors said that was not a normal reaction to drinking that stuff and I was curious if anyone else had this happen to them?

Another thing is that often when I eat at special gatherings such as thanksgiving and christmas if I am not careful and eat anything with dairy I will bloat up the same way and end up in horrible pain. One year I took stool softeners and that just made it worse. Another year I tried a laxative and I was in severe pain the entire night, could not sleep, and I never had a BM.

I also had a colonoscopy/endoscopy procedure but, I had issues with the stuff I had to drink. When I had completed drinking it, I bloated up huge again, severe abdominal cramping, and 6 hours later I still did not have a BM and went to the ER to see if they could help. The doctor pushed down on my stomach as hard as I could stand and then I had a BM.

I am just wanting to connect with others that have experienced any of this. Currently, within the past couple years the Gastroenterologist helped me with diet and I am doing so much better now. There are still days that I bloat up like crazy but, not nearly as painful as it used to be.

 

[Jenn Siler]

 

[annie7]

hi and welcome to the board.

so sorry for all your bloating and pain. it's miserable--i know. i have it too. some days are worse than others. there's a lot of us on here with bloating and gas problems. there's even a special section of the board devoted to it.

have you been tested for SIBO--small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. that can cause bloating and also constipation. there 's a lot of information here on the board about SIBO and also online.

you mentioned diet--have you tried the low FODMAP diet. that can help a lot with gas and bloating. we have a lot of threads both on this board as well as on the diet board about it. and there's a lot of info online..

good luck. hope you can find some relief.

 

[Jenn Siler]

Hi,

Thank you! I am just happy to meet others that experience the same things I do. Sometimes I just want to skip eating all day just to avoid the whole process. I will research and check out what you have mentioned. I appreciate the information! I want to learn as much as I can.

Jenn

hi and welcome to the board.

so sorry for all your bloating and pain. it's miserable--i know. i have it too. some days are worse than others. there's a lot of us on here with bloating and gas problems. there's even a special section of the board devoted to it.

have you been tested for SIBO--small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. that can cause bloating and also constipation. there 's a lot of information here on the board about SIBO and also online.

you mentioned diet--have you tried the low FODMAP diet. that can help a lot with gas and bloating. we have a lot of threads both on this board as well as on the diet board about it. and there's a lot of info online..

good luck. hope you can find some relief.

 

[Rosie Marie]

Hey Jenn, looks like you've been experiencing what I like to call, extreme bloating. We all know what bloating is due to our constipation but this is a whole new level that some people don't understand. I started experiencing it a year ago myself and had to convince people I wasn't pregnant! Sometimes I feel like my insides are going to explode. I try taking a hot bath, wearing comfy clothes and avoid looking at my stomach as much as possible lol

Does having a B M make the bloating any better? For me I can be completely cleaned out but still bloat like this if gluten is going through my body.(I am gluten intolerant) If it's a constant bloat then I agree with Annie7 that you should try the fodmap diet or an elimination diet.

Eating easy to digest foods really helps me as well like yogurt, soup, applesauce, protein shakes, baked beans, baked sweet potatoes.

You probably have but have you ever tried the lactose pills that help you're body digest lactose? They sell them over the counter and my grandmother swears by them.

 

[annie7]

yes, Rose Marie--you're right. our bloating is a whole new level, way beyond the norm. i get that pregnant look, too. the nurses say i look 18 weeks. not a good look at all when you are thin, grey haired and 63 like i am lol...many times it gets so bad i can't even wear my loosest pants so i wear long loose fitting dresses instead. i have colonic inertia and i think my bloating is mostly due to all the laxatives i have to take to go.

Jenn--my favorite FODMAP chart is this one from Stanford University. i like how it explains how to follow the diet. you start out with a strict low FODMAP diet for about six weeks. after that, what you are supposed to do is challenge each group by eating one food at a time from one group, see how you react to it and it if doesn't bother you than keep eating it. and then try another food next.. and then go on to challenging another FODMAP groups, food by food, etc.

https://stanfordhealthcare.org/content/dam/SHC/for-patients-component/programs-services/clinical-nutrition-services/docs/pdf-lowfodmapdiet.pdf

that's what i've done. i eat a moderate FODMAP diet since i've found that only certain foods bother me, which is good. eating very strict FODMAP made my C a little bit worse. lot of fodmaps have compounds in them that in addition to being gassy also tend to draw water into the stool and so tend to loosen stools as well as soften them. these are the foods one often finds in diets recommended to help relieve constipation. so the whole FODMAP thing is kind of tricky for those of us with C--a bit of a balancing act, figuring out what foods work best for you, which foods to keep, which to eliminate or reduce, etc. keeping a food diary is very helpful

when it comes to diet, everyone is different. some people can't have any FODMAPs at all. others find that it might only be one group that bothers them while still others don't notice any difference on the diet. it's meant to be a four to six week diet to determine your sensitivities, but you might find that you need to be on it long term. basically the diet reduces fermentable carbohydrates which provides symptom relief for many people, but starves both our good and bad bacteria of the prebiotics they use for growth. That is why it's recommended that you challenge food groups later on, so that you can have as many prebiotics in your diet as possible.

good luck with everything.