Bloating...

Hi, I'm new to this, recently had a couple of high calprotectin samples after I have seen my doctor with stomach problems, I'm waiting to see a gastro doctor, there is definitely something wrong in my guts, not so much pain but very uncomfy left side feelings and urgent toilet needs, the worst part just now is the excessive bloating, do you get this and if so how do you cope or what helps, nothing seems to work, I feel like I'm going to explode at times ..

[jackdup]

I can’t offer a lot of advice aside from staying away from soda or any kind of fizzy drinks and foods that are known to create gas. I know the bloating can be very uncomfortable and I usually take gaviscon which does seem to help a bit. There is also Gas-X but have not personally tried it. I’m sure the GI will be able to offer some advice and hopefully will be able to identify and treat the cause.

gas-x.com/

[Hidden in reply to jackdup]

Thanks, I haven't had a fizzy drink in years simply because of the bloating it used to cause before any of this inflammation thing, I am trying cutting out bread just now, seems to be helping, I have tried wind settlers, buscopan, gaviscon, rennies, cut out all sorts from my diet, I was in a relationship with a woman who had Crohn's for 23 years, now I know how she must have felt at times...thanks again..

[jackdup in reply to Hidden]

I sure hope you get some answers from the gastroenterologist. Good luck.

[012703060610]

As you work through a GI, I would ask for a full complement of studies. First they will likely give you a colonoscopy and endoscopy. Most people I know start getting colonoscopies in their 50s at regular intervals depending on their family history or past results. However, these two tests in isolation are not the end all be all. I get insane bloat. I'm not very big and often look very pregnant. I avoid all the bloat triggers the best I can. Eventually I did a pill camera where you swallow it on an empty stomach and thousands of pictures are taken. This study is the only way to view the small bowel and any issues with it. So you swallow the pill cam (really easy) and wear around a recordable battery back for the day. My results showed that the pill just sat in the belly for 3 hours and never passed through the small bowel. To confirm that I had issues with my stomach, we did a delayed gastric empty study showing my stomach is fully paralyzed. This is an issue with a damaged Vagus nerve but fully impacts the stomach. There are meds that promote the movement of the belly that have helped a bit. Formally this is called gastroparesis. Bloating and the condition were not well understood until recently. It is the number one complaint of this condition. Some people eventually get a pacemaker like device near their stomach or their vagus nerves to stimulate. The best diet is soft and liquid unfortunately. Any narcotic with gastroparesis is a nightmare. It just makes it worse. Those are the four studies I needed to get a full diagnosis. Thankfully we caught a ton of polyps on the regular colonoscopy, but now I need to go back each year for one to ensure nothing advances to cancer. No sure if this helps, but hoping it does! Best of luck. GASEx is a waste! At least for me.