What helps bloating?

[CelesteStar]

hey all

I’m new here. Hope everyone is having as good as day as possible.

I wrote an essay below but the crux of my question is:

But has anyone got a list of top tips for dealing with bloating ? Either reducing it or working with it?

I’m 43 with 2 kids and was diagnosed with endo when I was 26. Had a rough ride initially with multiple surgeries for minimal (but painful!) lesions. A course of zoladex was horrendous but I tried it.

After having my kids I tried to prolong the suppression of periods (as advised) by breastfeeding as long as I could and then using the IUD. This worked so well and I was symptom free for a few years.

Now the symptoms have returned (IUD removed and couldn’t get a replacement for a year) even with a new IUD and my symptoms are present despite the IUD in for a few months now. I know it can take ages.

But I’m puzzled as I don’t remember this much bloating. My endo had been in my cervix, bladder and my rectum (leading to painful bowel down attacks). Bloating is awful and so sore. I’m concerned endo has spread as I’ve not been scanned in 2 years and last lap was in 2009.

Is there a connection between severity or location of endo and blowing?

back in 2022 I did have a TVS which showed varicose veins over uterus and ovaries. I took that to be PCS but the gynae was uninterested. I need to get referred to a specialist I think.

Does anyone have tips for managing bloat? I had been avoiding constipation (not very successfully) so have doubled down on diet but it’s hard when trying to feed a fussy family (autistic) and I’m shattered all the time. I’m on laxido as had been avoiding codeine due to constipation. But now see I need the pain relief too much.

I’m trying to be as regimented as I can but I feel sick with the bloating. It reminds me of pregnancy as the belly is often quite firm. I’m stiff when walking as a result of the bloat and pain. I’m gonna bite the bullet and by larger trousers.

But has anyone got a list of top tips for dealing with bloating? Either reducing it or worrying with it?

I’d be so grateful for any help. X 🌷

Ps my autocorrect seems to want to change bloating to blowing. Not sure what that says about me!? 🤣

[Kelpiestryder]

Im sorry I have absolutely no advice but am interested to see the answers of others!

I’ve tried all the usual peppermint and/or ginger tea, hot water bottle, bath, yoga poses, tummy massage, excercise/walking! None of it works, I was curled over in agony 2 days ago (started period today) crying because my belly was so huge and hard! Like you walking (even just standing) hurt! I’m on the endo diet too and when it last happened I hadn’t eaten anything different to what I’d eaten all week and not had bloat, definitely hormone/endo driven!!! Someone suggested they ‘fasted’ the week/couple days before their period with great success but I’m not sure I could handle starving myself!

I think I’ve had most success with hot water bottle…but my skin is definitely getting affected by it as I seem to have to have in on constantly to get any relief!! Other than that I just wait it out in agonising pain hoping I done explode like a cartoon!!

Let’s hope someone has some obscure trick we can try 🤞🤞

[BloomingMarvellous]

Hello 🧡

Lots of questions to which mostly I have no specifics to answer or place on a guideline for your particular version of the gift that is endo ...

However, endo does have both ongoing effects on the whole biome and tissue in the body which increases in time but also can significantly worsen as you head into perimenopause and menopause. The hormone chaos that comes with that rollercoaster can set off generalised inflammation as well as issues we already have. So investigate this further. Lots of info on that available via Dr Louise Newson's websites podcasts including specific ones relating to endo. There is evidence now that the poorer your biome the rougher this time of life can be. So double dip whammy here.

How to handle it - investigate how this might work for you everyone's path is a variable one. My favourite resource on this front is Katie Edmonds book Heal Endo. She also has an insta page of the same handle if you want to get a flavour. Lastly look at @corerecoverypt to help the structural side of the problem within the pelvic region . Promise you it's a game changer.

[CelesteStar in reply to BloomingMarvellous]

Thank you for those suggestions. I’m just at a loss. Things all went order shaped when my mirena was removed and I had to wait so long.

I’m now wondering if the use of codeine and or macrogol is worsening things but I think I’m gaslighting a bit as I’m only taking them due to pain.

[BloomingMarvellous in reply to CelesteStar]

Trouble is you need to understand how the painkillers are functioning in your system and see if managing it differently would reap you better outcomes. There really are no prizes for matters in this game either.

Opioid based painkillers slow the gut and it can lead to constipation, nausea builds up, biome changes and degrades which turn brings risk of more infections and inflammation. They require usually over time higher and more frequent use with diminishing returns on actual relief. Bloating can be a by product as is increased pelvic floor pressure. That's a problem for long term mobility and strength, fatigue becoming an increasing risk as an by product let alone the direct side effects of opioid usage. All of this aggravates your original condition risking more inflammation that is vulnerable to more endo . Pretty unacceptable really. Paracetamol over time draws on your bodies supply of Omega 3. Endo sufferers are often low or also have a higher natural requirement of Omega 3 ( DHA/EPA versions ) to reduce or mitigate the condition. It's not great for long term kidney or liver function either. Short term use fine but long term pretty questionable.

Next, neither Opioids nor paracetamol work on the pain pathway most commonly after ted by endo. Endo tissue/ lesions are found to be nerve rich more so than the normal surrounding tissue. Moreover this tissues nerves aren't surrounded by the usual protective myelin sheath but simply the nerve fibres. It is literally raw nerve, so it will hurt like shit. Just think exposed electric cables folks...

Outcome, treating the pain you need to use nerve related pain relief or neural network therapy of some kind not opioid or other pain relief medication that's not neurally targeted. Hence the use of amitriptylineor it's less irksome mate Nortriptyline. Yes, they still have side effects and if you don't drink enough water constipation can be a problem but it does buy better relief because it treats the neurological system. Lots of GP's aren't aware of the nerve rich tissue issue of Endo so fight shy of not using the opioids etc. I find very low dose Nortriptyline does it for me - 5mcg daily of a nighttime after a pre load of 10mcg ( supposedly the lowest dose 😂) worked for me - amtrip' wasn't right for me . I use it all alongside Curable app as nerve pain can end up as Neuropathic Pain Syndrome where your body keeps setting off the alert 🚨 at a drop of a pin because of the initial real pain. The whole thing becomes hypersensitive. I need both .

Healing the gut has a big part to play but no good without getting your managers in place too xxx

[Dogmad6]

I struggled with that for many years then discovered the low fodmap diet. It's helped me a lot. It's difficult to follow initially but I have now been doing it 7 years so I pretty much know what I can have. It's an elimination diet that shows you what affects you. It was an absolute game changer for me as I had tried all sorts of things with diet, often things that just made me worse. One good thing is you don't have to give up all the things that make life worth living (to me anyway) like my tea and coffee and wine!

Hope it may help, entirely up to you whether you give it a go of course.

I've had endometriosis for over 50 years, very widespread, multiple surgeries and it's definitely the only thing that has helped with my dreadful digestive symptoms. xx

[CelesteStar in reply to Dogmad6]

Thank you so much for your reply. I’m glad it’s helped you.

I feel so overwhelmed by it all that it’s hard to get going with anything. My son just had an emergency appendectomy for ruptured appendix so it’s been a bit of a rough week.

Perhaps I can try the diet a bit at a time. Does anyone know if there are any common culprits? Thinking that gluten is often raised so perhaps it might be better to start there.

[Dogmad6 in reply to CelesteStar]

My main culprits are gluten, lactose (NOT dairy, I eat lactose free dairy) onions and garlic, celery, apples, grapes, cauliflower and quite a lot of other fruit and veg - depends if they are high fodmap. It's surprising how many fruits and veggies are high fodmap. Also anything at all containing artificial sweeteners which can be in all sorts of things. I read labels but mostly after seven years, I know what I can have.

Hope this helps. Sorry about the stress you've had with your son this week. xx

[Tetrao]

Hi!

I'll add a few gut-related tips from my own experience.

1) I agree with Dogmad6 regarding the low Fodmap diet. I've been on it for a few years as well. The only downside of this diet is that, in theory, you are not supposed to follow it for a long time as various nutrient deficiencies can develop. So I would strongly recommend monitoring your blood labs and learning how to read them: most reference ranges are too wide, so you have to rely on maths: if the value is in the lower half of the range and closer to the bottom, then it's a deficiency. Functional medicine ranges are narrower. Look up Kate Knowler's books from the Blood Labs series.

For grocery shopping, check out an app called FODMAP A to Z (it's for Android).

2) As BloomingMarveloous has already mentioned, perimenopause does change your gut microbiome and it can be quite a rollercoaster.

3) Bloating can also be caused by food intolerances or allergies. Blood testing or an elimination diet is a good place to start. The most common foods that cause gut reactions are dairy, eggs, nightshades, fermented foods, gluten. Not having celiac disease doesn't mean a person isn't gluten-sensitive.

Keeping a food diary can be a good tool to pinpoint elusive intolerances. There are apps that allow you to keep track of what you eat and how you react to these foods.

4) The way you cook your food is important. Boiling, steaming, and baking are the preferred methods. Uncooked vegetables and fruit can cause bloating. Try eating them cooked and see if there's any difference.

At first, you might be overwhelmed by new information, new skills to learn, new eating habits to get used to, etc. It's okay. Take things slowly.

To sum up,

1. Start a food diary: record what you eat and how you feel after meals.

2. Food preparation methods: boil, steam, bake.

3. Eliminate common gut triggers: dairy, eggs, nightshades, gluten (if going gluten-free is hard, make gluten-free days every week), fermented foods. Cook your veggies. Monitor your symptoms and see if there's any difference.

4. Low Fodmap diet.

Hope something of this helps. Sending healing your way.

[CelesteStar in reply to Tetrao]

Thank you so much. 💜

You’ve made this a bit more manageable. I am so sore and I also have AUDHD which can make new routines tricky to adapt to. My working memory is appalling. But I could get myself a cheery looking notebook to encourage me to start listing.

I already use a period symptom tracking app so I could grab my book then.

I totally hear you on bloods I’ve been told multiple times my iron is normal for a menstruating age woman despite not having periods for years on the mirena . My husband’s sleep clinic also told him his iron was too low for restless leg but yet not medically deficient.

Thank you for taking the time to break everything down.

[Tetrao in reply to CelesteStar]

Iron and doctors. LOL, LOL, LOL. They are absolutely clueless, right? More LOLs. "Medically deficient" means severely critical. In plain language, your values will be flagged by the lab. If you have iron deficiency symptoms but your bloodwork stays within the lab range, most doctors will keep saying your iron is fine. Instead, look at your value from math's point of view: if it's in the lower half of the range and closer to the bottom, then you have a deficiency. Many doctors may not know it.

Iron optimal values are in Kate Knowler's book on fatigue from the Blood Labs series.

Since you mention having memory issues, I strongly recommend using an app to track your food symptoms. Just log what you eat and what you feel. The app will do the analytics.

Restless leg. Magnesium, potassium, and water can be contributing factors, iron is not the only culprit.

Magnesium bisglycinate is a muscle relaxant. Magnesium citrate has a laxative effect. Google recommended doses for men and women.

Check if your husband is eating potassium-rich foods. Potassium is also available as a supplement.

Dehydration can cause restless leg, and I speak from personal experience.

Google and research other possible causes.

Hope this helps. x

[CelesteStar]

Appreciate the help so much. 🩷💜💚💛

My GP has me taking pain relief regularly now and I’m trying to adjust the macrogol to balance any constipation. I think this may add to the issue for a while but I guess if I get pain a bit more sorted, and movements stable then I can work better on the logging (pardon the pun!) to see if anything is aggravating things.

Really interested in the peri/menopause changing biome. I know our family’s eating has gotten less healthy over the years. We had several very close relatives who had terminal cancer (one after the other) and so coupling caring responsibilities, work and family has meant we’ve been in survival for a few years. Hopefully we can gradually work on reducing the UPF and trialling some recipes again.

[Tetrao in reply to CelesteStar]

Concerning the food diary. Forgot to mention this in my previous post. When logging your symptoms, also pay attention to the timeframe. Some symptoms can appear as soon as you eat your potential trigger food. Another time window is between 30 minutes and up to 3 hours after a meal. The most wicked, imo, time window is the next one to two days. Example: I'm somewhat gluten-sensitive. Why somewhat? I can safely eat a slice of pizza, a bowl of pasta, or a piece of pie once in a while with no reaction at all. If I eat the same item the next day, I get sick.

A few tips on food reactions. Not all of them are gut related, for example, pain in the abdomen, bowel movements, nausea. Other less obvious reactions are sudden drowsiness and weakness after meals (the so-called food coma, which can also be related to sugar spikes), burning in the throat (can be mistaken for acid reflux/heartburn, etc), brain fog, and skin issues. The amount of the trigger foods eaten also matters.

Meal planning. Experiment with meal sizes. Try eating smaller portions and see if there's any difference. For example, instead of eating two large meals a day, split them into four smaller meals. Don't try to do all interventions at once, implement one change at a time as your situation allows.

Regarding pain relief. Not trying to scare you or anything, just trying to help you to get a long view of things. NSAIDs (non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen) are notoriously bad for the GI tract. They can destroy our stomach and gut lining. Chemical gastritis is caused by NSAIDs, I've had it and still have it, no joke. If the food isn't processed properly in the stomach, it causes a cascade of consequences further on in the GI tract. If you want to learn more how things work, look up Giulia Enders' book "Gut". It's an easy to read description of how our GI tract functions. Look at your body as a whole interconnected system where one organ affects another.

I'm sorry to hear about your family's cancer history. Some things, such as our genes, we can't change, but lifestyle habits are within our control. I have a history of cancer in my family, too. Lifestyle-wise, I'm trying not to do all the things (such as smoking) my relatives did.

Hope this helps. Good luck on your journey. x