Does anyone else bloat throughout the day?

[Choccynat]

Ibs has been ruled out on several occasions on my very long endo journey! At it's worst I was taking extra larger trousers to work as after being on my feet in work - regardless if I had been eating or drinking I would be going into work wearing size 8s and leaving wearing 12s even had people commenting that they didn't realise I was pregnant! It's not as bad recently as have changed job and try and take it easier but still I'm bloating and it gets very painful. Does anyone else have this symptom? Is it another lovely endo pressie? Thanks in advance

[Impatient]

Yes I did but don't any more.

The trigger for me was caffeine and fizzy drinks. I confess at work I was guzzling 2-3 small bottles or cans of diet coke a day. kept me awake and able to work, but by mid way I was bloating and by going home time would be in sheer agony from bloat. Partly that is trapped wind which being the polite sort I didn't want to fart in work, when for my own health I really should have, but also the reaction that those drinks have on the gut irritating it, causing swelling, which your body then fills with fluid as a automatic 1st aid reaction to provide cushioning of protection.

So if you are a slave to caffeine or fizzy drinks - stop. Stick to cold water only ..yes only.

It is not great being deprived of your caffeine or chemical filled drinks fix, you may find going cold turkey has its consequences for a couple of weeks and you will miss the tasty flavours when you drink while you work or on your breaks, but that simple measure will dramatically reduce daily bloat pain.

Water will not irritate the gut causing swelling, water doesn't leave you holding in gas that ought to be released for your own comfort. water will rehydrate you and speed up the movement of meals from the night before plus the ones you eat during the day and the less time that food is in you the less fermenting goes on creating irritants and gas.

It is brilliant at reducing bloat pains at work, but it is boring as hell just sticking to water but you will get used to it.

quitting alcohol too is very beneficial if you have endo. Not what you want to hear, I am sure, but it is one effective way to tackle daily bloat.

Following the endo diet tips can also cut out the foods that tend to cause IBS like symptoms in endo ladies.

It is trial and error to figure out which foods are causing you the quickest or most painful reactions and then eliminating them from your diet so you stick to the safe foods you learn are the ones your body tolerates the best.

The quick fix is the water one, the longer term solution is working out what are your safe foods.

if you have endo - and you get bloating swelling in the gut it puts pressure on endo wounds and tugs at adhesions and causes more pain than it would for someone not afflicted by endo, scarring and adhesions.

In a way yes it is "another lovely endo present", but only in the sense that having endo makes the situation more painful.

your gut would still probably be irritated anyway, but it's more noticeable with endo.

I would definitely recommend you try a month of water only drinking. no tea. coffee, fizzies, juices, alcohol, dairy etc.

then do an experiment. One day go back and drink as you would do currently. just see what a difference that makes to your pain and bloat levels. I wouldn't mind betting it makes a huge difference.

Also try and get rid of gas - pop out on your lunch break if you can and pardon the expression, but let rip. Go sit in your car for lunch, or walk to a remote spot where you won't be a nuisance to anyone else and get that gas out. it should improve your afternoons a lot too.

I realise that farting is a bit of a taboo subject in society and the work place, but when you have endo, holding on to any gut gas for politeness sakes is going to have very painful consequences for you and is more likely to increase bloating.

sorry to be so graphic - but you are certainly not alone and i suspect a lot more people are troubled with daily bloat and trapped gas pain than would ever dare admit it in public.

The above steps may not entirely solve the problem but boy can it improve things. On the down side without caffeine etc, you may find tiredness more of a struggle as you go through the work day.

Very best of luck.

[Catness]

Following on from what Impatient has said:: yesterday I has a sandwich and hot chocolate (gluten and dairy) which I usually avoid. I was so uncomfortable from the gas and the bloating!

[tiger-lilly182]

Wow I thought this was just me! At first I suspected its because I eat so much - I am always low on energy so eating seems to perk me up - but then I realised even with small meals I seem to bloat right up and look about 4 months pregnant! Amusing to trick people but certainly no fun for comfort - I'm going to try the water diet idea and see if it works, thanks!

[justineheaton]

I'm not really sure why IBS has been ruled out if you have endo as it can go very much hand in hand, but I don't know your exact situation or where you have endo. I have endo on my uterosacral ligament and in the pouch of Douglas. I always remember that one because it sounds like a Scottish holiday destination.

I can swell on a dime. It's horrible, uncomfortable and yes, I look pregnant. It comes and goes, some weeks better than others, and, to be honest, it's a case of trying this and that to try and improve it. What might work for me might not work for you.

I am prescribed Mefenamic acid by my doctor and I have a coil (got migraines with the pill) both of which I find beneficial.

Avoiding fizzy drinks (although I do drink coffee once a day), alcohol as much as possible is good to try. Also keeping fit, getting out and moving about, doing proper exercise, like cycling. Weight loss. Eating slower and chewing your food properly!! Seems so simple but I do eat ridiculously fast. All sorts of things you can try to help.

[Hidden]

Hello,

Yes bloating can me a symptom, it's inflammation and not very pleasant. I absolutely agree with Impatient that foods trigger all kinds of inflammatory problems. Try to look up alkaline foods which help with keeping your body as near ph neutral as possible (too much acidity causes inflammation). Try to avoid Xeno-oestrogens which can be anything from non-organic dairy and meats (they have artificial hormones injected) and try to stay away from processed foods, too much sugar is not good either. If you can, look for foods which have HDL cholesterol such as oily fish, avocados, this rids the body of LDL cholesterol (bad), walnuts-also rich in magnesium, helps with cramping and almonds. Ridding the body of bad cholesterol helps with keeping inflammation at bay and creates a healthy circulation. Also Dandelion and Burdock tea helps to assist the liver and kidneys of ridding the body of toxins all of which contribute to inflammation. Also Chamomile tea is good before bedtime as it calms and soothes, keeping away from caffeine is a good idea, all herbal teas are caffeine free. You should feel generally better with good nutrition and don't forget exercise helps too, it boosts your circulation and helps with killing pain. Hope this helps, take care xx

[Hidden]

Yes, I can relate. I wake up in the morning with a flat stomach and quite often look 6 months pregnant by the end of the day. I've been experimenting with foods and have gone gluten free which has helped but my vice is coffee so looks like that's the next thing to be eliminated! Lol at the letting rip!

[Choccynat]

Thanks for all the replies I have a feeling dairy is a problem as if I have even a spoonful of ice cream I look 9 months pregnant within minutes! I don't ever drink alcohol and I avoid fizzy drinks already - water seems to make me bloat a lot quicker though so I'm sort of stuck

[Agirl89]

I feel your pain, try a magnesium supplement, my gp advised me too and whilst it doesn't completely stop it is less uncomfortable.. also avoid chewing gum xx