Distended abdomen . Any advice welcome thank you

[poppppy]

My partner has atopic eczema which was so bad once with the urticuria that he was admitted to hospital . His skin was ripped with the itching . He is on methotrexate injections weekly now . He also has eye problems which I think they think are auto immune related . At 10 he had to have an operation or he would have gone blind and had started to . He has asthma too and is now 60 . He is a fitness fanatic and has muscly abdomen from it and no body fat on his abdomen. He can hold his stomach in almost .

My question is . Why has He got a distended abdomen . He is gluten free to try and stop this. Coeliac test negative in the past and he had the other coeliac test that is when methotrexate may interfere with results of the normal test . He is dairy free as found on blood tests he is allergic to it . He did a carbohydrate free diet for two weeks and it went down almost flat . He has no diarrhoea or constipation or abdominal pain .

He does not drink alcohol at all as banned on methotrexate. I dont think it is his normal anatomy as it only started when he was about 27 . His brother now has developed it as well from the age of about 40 and since then developed late onset asthma .

I ask because

I know abnormal bodily symptoms can lead to cancer in time .

His brother is following same path .

I wonder if anyone knows much about gut permeability or leaky gut etc. As I am thinking we should go down that route and would love cheap suggestions to find a solution this way . As I think he is not absorbing all essential nutrients if intestines inflamed and swollen. And If he was able to then his eczema and eye problems and asthma will benefit or be cured . Instead of having the methotrexate 15 g weekly ( query units ) with its side effects and risks .

Sorry this is so long . If you got this far I am extremely grateful for your time . Replies are a bonus. Thank you so much .

[Researchfan]

Hi.

Yes even a gluten free diet doesn’t get rid of bloating necessarily. I can sympathise and attest to that personally.

Get checked out by GP. But you may have a clue already in what you asked.

“He did a carbohydrate free diet for two weeks and it went down almost flat . He has no diarrhoea or constipation or abdominal pain .”

This very much sounds like a FODMAP problem? Maybe try that and or ask to be referred to a dietician?

X

[poppppy in reply to Researchfan]

Thank you . I will suggest fodmap. The fodmap sounds so hard . My mate did it and got through the 3 months . But then gave up during the introductory stage . I know it would be worth it of course but will see what he says. And thank you so much for your advice and help . Very much appreciated

[Narwhal10]

Hi Poppppy,

I’m sorry to hear about your partner. Ask GP to test for vitamin and mineral deficiencies. I agree with Researchfan try the FODMAPS route and dietician.

It’s a bit of a minefield and I’m just throwing some things out for you to look into.

According to a functional nutritionist I worked with they said the skin is the last place to show gut problems. They look at you as a whole, not send you to dermatologist, gastro, ophthalmologist. Plus, they look at root cause not prescribing to manage symptoms. It is expensive but I’m just passing on my knowledge. I honestly don’t know with the atopic eczema but worth a try as it can be so miserable. (I grew out of it but it would keep me awake at night and I’d draw blood).

Silly question has histamine intolerance been checked ? Can cause respiratory problems, skin problems

I have SIBO/SIAO (small intestinal bacterial/archaea overgrowth) which also can have villus atrophy/leaky gut. It had to be proved by gut microbiome and the company recommended toxaprevent

nhinnovations.com/product/t...

I’m not a sales person just someone who has really suffered. It strengthens the intestinal barrier and it’s permeability. First time in my life I can tolerate garlic, again not a sales pitch.

A dietician is best to discuss things like pre and probiotics as I would dread to recommend and for them to become worse. I had mine made because I had absolutely zilch of my own.

[poppppy in reply to Narwhal10]

Love this . Partner has been looking at functional medicine . We have got ct scan on nhs first as no money . But sibo comes up as something we are interested in . And yes histamine intolerance as partner gets hives more than any eczema . I think the methotrexate causes more harm than good to him . He went without it for a year .and skin was the same as on it . His eyes were the reason he went back on it . Something grew on his eye . Plaque he is calling it . Query what it was called medically . Maybe it was plaque. Anyway ophthalmologist suggested he go back on methotrexate . I think the methotrexate exacerbate the hives myself

Thank you so much for suggesting this . We are going to push for histamine intolerance test on nhs . He is under dermatologist and asthma team .

[Hidden]

Get tested for SIBO and H-Pylori. Both can cause bloating, but SIBO normally has digestive issues also. I'm reading up a lot on Mast Cell Activation Syndrome which is an interesting one to look at as covers many of the issues you mention. Coeliac blood test is a very poor determinant of coeliac as many will tell you.

[Sotonowl]

Hi Poppppy, sorry to hear he's suffering like this. I think I'm similar to him as I've been having symptoms as well which are clearly food related. A few months ago the skin on the backs of my hands really flared up, red, irritated, itchy with spots forming which looked like dermatitis herpeteformis. Now my food intolerances have been getting progressively worse for around 18 months now. So, I kicked the dairy and the backs of my hands improved no end although I have been tested for dairy allergy and found to not have it. You're probably the same as me and done extensive online research. I went gluten free 3 years ago but there's certainly something else going on. I'm also going down the leaky gut route and hoping this is my problem and it was caused by the dairy. I'm also watching other grains but I certainly have improved food intolerance wise after giving up the dairy. Around the same time I also stopped eating Oats as well even though they were GF, that's another one to watch. I'd read a Norwegian study where the chap studied the effect of GF Oats on Coeliac Disease sufferers. Most were fine, well 34 out of 35 were anyway but one lady burst into spots which resolved after leaving the oats alone.

Has anyone mentioned mimicry to you at all? This is where the immune system is fooled into believing that something is Gluten and attacks it. I think the worst culprits for this is the Avenin in Oats and Cow's Milk Protein although there's others as well.

I follow this protocol goodbyeleakygut.com and find it beneficial and most importantly it's free, 😀. He does tell you what you must avoid then keep trying to re-introduce the foods.

My next test will be going completely grain free. There is a lady on here who was suffering, then went grain free and she sounds great now.

Good luck to you both anyway and let us all know how you get on.