Hi, for exactly one year now I have SEVERE bloating after consuming anything. I’m looking for people to share similar experiences and any advice to get rid of this problem. I wake up with a flat tummy, I’m pretty skinny and I’m a model. As soon as I start drinking water I bloat and especially when I eat i can’t even see my feet even if it’s soup, a smoothie, salad, or just carrots I blow up. It’s so scary and so frustrating to deal with this and it happens EVERY single day since it began randomly last year. I’m not sure if I have endo. I’ve done many tests (mri, ct, blood, colonoscopy etc) but everything comes back normal except my images show inflammation and enlarged uterus and bladder walls. I’m not sure what’s going on but I’ve tried many many diets, herbs, remedies, lifestyle changes, medications etc and NOTHING has helped with the severity of the bloating. I’m so scared not only for my health but for my career. I’m not sure if the food is turned into gas or if the food and water is sitting in my abdomen. I empty my bowels in the morning and that helps a little bit. If anyone has ANY comments (relatable problems, things that have worked for you, etc) please share I would appreciate it so much. I’ve been losing my mind trying to fix this issue along with other things in my digestive and uriniry systems and my reproductive organs. Out of everything the bloating is my biggest concern. It’s so horrible I have a 23 inch waist it it expands 6+ inches every day and I look pregnant just from eating things like carrots or having a cup of tea 
Bloating: Hi, for exactly one year now I... - Endometriosis UK
Bloating
It’s my worst symptom and actually very debilitating! Like you I am very petite, I love working out but with the rest of my body progressing and my stomach just swelling I just look really strange, I’ve literally never seen anyone like it, and they certainly don’t make clothes for it.
I do find fibre effects me so maybe swap the salads for well cooked foods? If you haven’t tried already maybe try a magnesium spray and massage it into your belly, and try eating little and often. But tbh the only thing that worked for me was excision surgery.
I have severe gastro symptoms so not sure if it’s endo or something else but at the moment I can barely eat anything.
Thank you for your response Ash. I rarely eat salads or raw veggies, it wasn’t a good example. I try to have cooked food that is easily digestible and I try my best to eat in small quantities throughout the day and it helps a small amount with the pain and discomfort but not enough with the bloating. This shouldn’t be happening to anyone every day and I just don’t know what to do to get back to normal health. I had lunch with my friend and I ate only half and I was SO bloated after but her tummy looked the same. It’s not fair I can’t even have water without this happened and none of this ever happened before.
I will try the magnesium spray thank you. What does it do for you?
If you don’t have endo what did you get an excision surgery for? And it took away your bloating issue? I’m sorry you can’t eat anything. That was me every day for 10 months but recently by eating in small amounts it’s helped the pain a lot. Nothing seems normal about these issues to me I’m so confused as to why there is no clear treatment or cure
this is exactly the same for me I get to the point that I do not eat as the pain and bloat is not worth it I have not found anything to help I used to be such a healthy eater but anything with fibre in it and i look 9 months pregnant so frustrating
I always suffered with bloating as part of my endo, I had some excision surgeries over the years that helped.
In aug 16 I had excision surgery but they found a lot on my bowel! They weren’t confident to remove it without a colorectal surgeon which I would have to wait for. They excused everything else which did make a different and from sep-dec I worked out a lot and was in the best shape of my life (still had endo flares but it was manageable).
From jan 17 I began to get obstructions and I was very sick, I could hardly stomach solid food up until aug 17 when I had my op.
Unfortunately this time round it didn’t help and I have new pain, they think they got it all so it may not be endo. It could be more endo, adhesions or potentially a gastro issue. I’m waiting to see gastro now and have further surgery (due to obstruction it’s worth clearing any scar tissue)
Like you most days I can hardly stomach anything. I used to just eat soup in work and swell up and think “I don’t deserve this after soup!”
Last week I was very unwell until Friday so went out and had three courses including pizza and didn’t bloat!
I don’t think a specific food causes my issues, but some days I can stomach stuff and some days I can’t, I’m learning to be more intuitive. I just bought a “portable blender” (like a mixer with a button to blend) so I can take protein shakes to work.
Sorry for the long reply! If you find anything that works please let me know.
Please keep a food and symptom diary. I really hated that idea as I know there’s no specific food cause but it has been really helpful to show that to drs.
Hi there
I suffered from bloating which seemed to get worse for no apparent reason too. You say you’ve tried lots of diets but don’t say which. I’d recommend drinking peppermint tea and cutting out caffeine. I’d also suggest trying ( if you haven’t already) the FODMAP diet but actually I’ve found that eliminating gluten from my diet has had the most effect.
A food diary is also a good idea, as has already been mentioned.
Hope you get some benefit.
🙂
Hi, thanks for your response. I’ve tried all of these things you listed and have never been a caffeine drinking. Low FODMAP and cutting out gluten helps with the pain but the bloating is still just as severe. Peppermint tea just makes me feel even more bloated
What do you mean when you say you're not a caffeine drinker? Caffeine is in black tea, green tea (although in smaller quantities), coca-cola and other energy drinks, chocolate and of course coffee.
My bloating is also so bad. It’s one of my worst symptoms as it’s every day and I look 7 months pregnant. I haven’t found anything that works for me but it’s definitely making me self conscious and it’s affecting my day to day life. I’m 20 and I never want to go out with friends because they are all able to wear dresses etc and I can’t because of the thought I’d get judged for going out whilst pregnant even though I’m not!! It’s just horrible. If you find anything that works please let me know x
I’m on the exact same page as you. There isn’t a day where this doesn’t happen to me. The only thing that really works for me is not consuming anything at alll but obviously that isn’t healthy so I try to eat small quantities. This is not a real fix though and I am looking for something because I don’t think we should manage abnormal symptoms rather treat them until we are healthy and normal
I seen something on the internet a few days ago called colonic hydrotherapy and I’m going to give that a try. It’s where a tube is stuck up your bum and your bowel is flushed out and cleansed, apparently it is supposed to help with bloating. I’m literally willing to try anything it is horrible
I’ve been considering trying this, maybe next month. Can you please let me know how it is? I feel like I flushed my system out when I got a colonoscopy but it didn’t make a difference and I am also desperate to try anything as long as it won’t further harm my health
You say you've tried a lot of diets, have you tried cutting out carbs? Have you looked up information about Candida? I've done a few posts about it if you want to look at my past posts.
Hi, I have never cut out carbs 100% for longer than a few days. I’ve been on a low carb diet for months and I do not eat gluten. I’ll look into your posts thank you. Did it banish your bloating?
Yes, it made a huge difference not just to bloating but to general health. However, by that point I had already had a hysterectomy. You need to totally cut out carb rich foods for about 3 weeks and you will feel ill at first as the candida is dying off and your body takes time to adjust to getting energy from fat. You do also need to eat fat to get energy and plenty of veg to keep your bowels moving. Note I lost a stone when I did this, so eating fat does not mean you put on weight.
I agree about eating fat, it is healthy. So do not eat any carbs whatsoever for 3 weeks? And that should stabilize my system and stop the bloating? I’m about to look at your posts, I think I might try this starting this moment if you say it works. I was on so many antibiotics before and one round of strong ones shortly before my digestive issues/bloating began if this helps answer the question
Do you know if I can still drink alcohol on this cleanse for it to be effective? I can’t find the answer online
Alcohol contains carbs so you'll have to avoid it. As for other carbs, lots of foods contain some carbs, but if you avoid foods that are starchy such as potatos, pasta, rice etc. and sweet foods you should be OK. Replace starchy foods with root veg such as carrots, turnips, sweedes etc. cut back on fruit but if you need some go for the less sweet ones such as oranges. Coconut combats candida, so you'll find creamed coconut makes a good snack.
I have the same, I get the odd day where it doesn't happen and I can see I'm not actually so big!
It used to help to cut out bread/carbs completely, and caffeine, but I'm now still bloated without those and feeling so nauseas I have to make myself eat.
Really frustrating - I have a referral back to my consultant and expect I'll end up in for a second lap as everything else is worse too.
Hope you can figure out what will help for you x
A major thing for me was swelling of my hands and feet, to the point of in the morning I would put my usual size boots on and say I went shopping and tried on shoes etc then I couldn’t get my feet into the normal size but had to go 1 size up. My rings wouldn’t fit my hands either. That really upset me and my belly would also expand after eating. It didn’t really matter what, everything made it swell up. I knew it was hormonal and I tried water tablets from the chemist which were useless so I spoke to my GP and got prescribed water tablets and OMG what a massive difference they have made to me. I am slimmer now than I have ever been, I don’t feel like a balloon anymore and it took around 2 weeks of taking these tablets to see a difference. Could you maybe ask for these tablets? I think they are wonderful! X
Thank you SO much!! I have read about these before and wasn’t sure if I should try. So now after eating anything, whether it’s an egg, smoothie, or a burger, you don’t bloat and your stomach looks like a normal healthy individual’s?
Hi yeah the only thing I cut back on is bread and don’t eat pasta or rice or pastry foods but my stomach is normal eating everything else. I have cut out fatty foods such as sweet treats and crisps. When on a period I get bloated but that’s normal for me at that time of the month. I can take a tablet on day a Monday and by Tuesday weight myself and I have lost a few pounds. It’s amazing and it’s like a miracle pill for me x
Hi can you please give me more information on the water pill so I can ask my endo specialist if my bloating doesn’t go away? I’m two weeks post op and it still happens when I consume anything. I’m waiting to see if it’ll disappear with time. Did you take the water pills for two weeks to see a difference and stop taking them regularly? I don’t want to be on any medication long term as it can have other negative impacts
Just noticed this post and wondered if you have tried vitamin B6 50mg a day? It acts as a diuretic (similar to water pills) I find it helpful for bloating and regulating my moods as well.
Hi when I got the pills firstly from my GP he advised to take them for a month, 1 a day in the morning and I thought nothing was happening for a few weeks. Kept on taking them a couple of times a week, when I felt I really needed them as I can tell when my hands, feet and stomach become swollen. Now I am lucky if I need them once a week.
The difference is amazing as I use to get down about how “puffy” I looked.
I tried over the counter tablets but they didn’t work.
Don’t get me wrong my stomach still bloats at times but not nearly 1/2 as bad and it’s due to me getting a period so early that can’t be helped.
Once you take say 1 tablet in the morning it takes a few hours to go through my system then you will go for a long pee then keep needing to go so make sure you are close to a toilet. It’s an urgent need and can’t really hold it in long.
I really hope your doctor prescribes they for you, let me know how it goes x
I take charcoal tablets but not sure if they work that well or not really. It’s my most worrying symptom right now, because it seems to turn to gas and causes me a lot of pain and embarrassment. Does anyone else’s result in terrible wind for days?
It was one of my symptoms. Cutting out dairy and glueten helped a little. The bloating I had is now gone I had excision surgery 5 months ago and still feeling good. Hope you get some relief.
Hi, I’ve completely cut out gluten and have tried cutting dairy but it hasn’t helped. I’m trying to avoid surgery because I’m not sure if I have endo. Thanks for your response and I’m really glad you feel better
I know it’s hard I wish there was another way to know if you have it unfortunately I had it bad and it never showed on any scans, painful periods, and gastro issues, & infertility were my biggest symptoms so that’s why I had my surgery. Same thing with me I thought my bloating after I ate anything was some sort of food sensitivity. I had so many doctors that misdiagnosed me and said I probably have ibs when it was actually endometriosis on my intestines. Thank you.
Hi, I hope you’re well! I’m two weeks post op and while my pelvic pain has nearly disappeared immediately following the surgery, I’m still having the same bloating associated with consuming anything including water. Is this something that takes time to go away? I’m staying hopeful because my doctor said to give it time
I suffered with bloating for years. I read n a blog about diindolymethane supplement. I can honestly say it has changed my life. No bloating now unless I over indulge. I wish someone had told me about it sooner - if I can help someone else now even better. I hope it works for you.
sorry I did not read the whole thread - I had endo surgery first which helped my symptoms then started taking supplements. If you suspect endo - surgery is the only way to get it sorted and diagnosed. Hope you get better soon
I used to take peppermint oil tablets, about half an hour before the main meal. It worked a treat for me.
I have never given up gluten but we now only buy 'proper' bread, i.e. sourdough, rather than supermarket or packed big brand bread; cut down massively on biscuits, etc. That's half the battle: cut out products with long list of ingredients.
And excercise. I've started gym few months ago.
I have exactly this problem. I'm vegetarian and my doctors suggestion (when he finally started to believe me that i was struggling) has been to cut out "hard to digest" food which are basically all sources of iron for a veggie (lentils, chickpeas etc) so I struggling with that.
It's causing me major problems and distress. I can't dress myself some days because my jeans simply wont do up, and any pressure around my waist is so painful. Being reasonably slim it shows a lot and my waist can grow inches in the space of a day. I honestly can't remember the last time I went a week without crying while getting dressed.
I've been struggling with the gym ever since this came up about 10 months ago, do many people find that exercise helps? And if so what kind have you found is best? Running seems to make a belly ache worse for me (although that could be memories of enforced cross country at school).
I really thought i was alone in this so thanks for everyone on this post making me feel a little less alone in it x
Hey! Sorry to hear your struggle. I very much can relate. I find that HIIT works for me and helps how I feel but it doesn’t do anything for the bloating. I haven’t found anything yet to help with that. I’m 2 weeks post op and I’m waiting and hoping that this was the solution
Woo sounds serious! Endometriosis cannot be diagnosed through the aforementioned exams. You need an endo radiologist to perform a CT scan or in most cases laparoscopy. An enlarged uterus can often be the main sign of adenomyosis, which should be taken care of right away.
Also, you might suffer from IBS, leaky gut syndrome or lack of digestive enzymes. I'm guessing a few of these, not just one, along with adenomyosis.
You need to go to an endo gynecologist and a nutritionist or allergist or gastroenterologist who specialises in endo as well.
Wish you the best!
Endo Bloating - help?
Bloating 
So much bloating :-(
