Bloating due to intolerance

[Alexxv1700]

Hello everyone, I'm new to this forum, this is my first post.

For at least 10 years I have been intolerant to lactose and eggs and I didn't know it, every time I complained to the doctor that I was bloated very often and had diarrhea, they blamed it on gallstones (confirmed by abdominal ultrasound). Although I stopped all the foods I have an intolerance to, since march 2024, I continue to bloat during the night (most nights), sometimes even 8 hours after the last meal. Has anyone experienced something like this??

Thank you.

[Norwich1 Moderator]

Have your gallstones been treated?

[Alexxv1700 in reply to Norwich1]

Hello, Sorry for late replay, before every meal I drink tea and take supplements that stimulate the liver, I also take supplements that try to dissolve the stones and fluidize the bile.

[xsevenx in reply to Alexxv1700]

What supplements do you take to stimulate your liver?

[Alexxv1700 in reply to xsevenx]

I drink a mixture of 3 teas: 1. anti-bloating digestive tea; 2. tea for liver and kidneys; 3. Agrimonia eupatoria tea.

Bile capsules for secretion and drainage, drops that stimulate bile secretion and helps the release of bile in the intestine.

All are taken 15 minutes before the meal.

[STEM_Dad]

There are other dietary sensitivities, not just those more commonly known ones. (Gluten is another widely recognized cause of digestive issues.)

My dad is sensitive to garlic. A little garlic doesn't hurt him any, but too much puts him into distress.

His dad, my grandfather, is completely allergic to garlic...even the slightest bit will cause him major digestive issues.

My younger brother is allergic to milk products, but not because of lactose. He is allergic to a protein in milk called calcium caseinate. However, our mom figured out that he could have milk if it has been boiled long enough, because that protein will break down from the heat.

At least as a child, my brother was even more allergic to soy products than to milk products, with more intense digestion issues.

Some people experience digestive issues from monosodium glutamate, others from red dye #5 (like my daughter), or a certain yellow dye (#40?).

~~~~~

Sometimes people develop intestinal issues from an illness due to an increase in the "bad" gut bacteria.

Sometimes people will develop issues following an illness, if treated with a broad spectrum antibiotic, due to a reduction in the beneficial gut bacteria. (This happened to my ex-wife.)

I have read that some people have been able to improve their gut health but introducing more probiotics, for greater diversity in their intestinal microbiome. (I can't say how well it works, because my ex didn't listen to me and try it. She only listened to the doctor that had prescribed the antibiotics that caused her gut to turn against her in the first place. But, I've read lots of testimonials and some research that says it works.)

[Alexxv1700 in reply to STEM_Dad]

Thank you very much for your post, just like your recommendation, I have come to suspect the gut health, for which reason, I introduced a diet with pre and probiotics. I also take one capsule of Acidophilus Bio-Active Prebiotic Plus after the main meals. Even though it only started two days ago, the bloating in the evening and in the morning has reduced. I will continue this way for a while and come back with an update.

[STEM_Dad in reply to Alexxv1700]

Adding a prebiotic is a smart move. It can help promote the probiotics and also your existing beneficial gut bacteria.

In addition to supplements, consider food sources of probiotics, which would include cultured foods and beverages like: • Yogurt

• Kefir (fermented milk(

• Kombucha (fermented tea)

• Pickles (the kind with live probiotics would be in the refrigerated section)

• Sauerkraut (same)

• Kimchee (probably also in the refrigerated section...I haven't tried kimchee, yet)

• Apple cider vinegar that contains the "mother" (the source of the probiotics, which causes the fermentation)

I know that there are other probiotic rich foods, but I don't recall what all of them are.

As with any new additions to your diet, start slow. Try a little bit of something, maybe a few times per week at first. Too much of a good thing can sometimes still also be bad for you.

[Alexxv1700 in reply to STEM_Dad]

Thanks for the advice and for your support, I will introduce these foods into my daily menu and I will combine them with prebiotic foods. It is already better, but I will continue and come back with feedback.

[STEM_Dad in reply to Alexxv1700]

Allergies aside, I personally believe that it might be possible for many people to overcome (or acquire) food sensitivities by making gradual dietary changes.

Here's what made me come to this conclusion:

• My dad reduced (but didn't fully eliminate) his sensitivity to garlic by taking a garlic dietary supplement for a few months. He had to start with the smallest dose for the first month or two, and worked his way up to a full adult dose. If he knew that he would be having an Italian dinner, he might skip the supplement that day to make sure that he would be less likely to have a bad reaction. (The same didn't work for his father, who has a garlic allergy.)

• My mom developed chronic digestive issues after a bad case of food poisoning. About 20 years later, she still has some issues, but not as bad as they originally were.

• My older brother changed his diet to adopt his wife's Vietnamese family's traditional diet, and he became lactose intolerant, just as many people off Asian descent are lactose intolerant. There was absolutely no indication that he had any lactose intolerance before that, and had actually been quite the cheese lover before he married.

I believe that one reason people can outgrow childhood food allergies and sensitivities is my developing a more diverse gut microbiome. (I don't have proof of this to point to, just my suspicion that as children eat new and different foods, they develop more of an ability to eat still more new and different foods.)

[Alexxv1700]

What I'm trying to understand is what can cause gas during the night, the last meal is at 6:00 p.m., I go to bed at 11:00 p.m., I sleep until 02:00-03:00 a.m. when I wake up to go to the bathroom, after which the gas starts to bother me: burping and farting several times, or I fall asleep in place and the gas comes out of the stomach and goes up into the throat where it acts like a plug and causes sleep apnea - this is actually the reason why I started these investigations.