Does anyone have any advice on constant bloating?

[Bella211]

I'm bloated constantly from the minute I get up. Has anyone else had this and did anything help?

[JanD236]

Yes I’ve had this a lot and find a few things that help.

The first is to increase acidity in my stomach when eating a protein meal. Options are to use lemon or lime juice, cider vinegar or betaine hcl with pepsin.

The second is to take a good quality probiotic. When first diagnosed, when my bloating was at its worst, I used one called Symprove. It’s expensive but within days I felt much improved. Several years down the line the bloating reappears fairly regularly so I take another short course of Symprove or other types of probiotic for variety.

Finally, if things are really uncomfortable I find there’s nothing for it but to have a couple of days of very light eating, preferably including home made chicken soup made with bone broth. That tends to settle things down very quickly.

[Bella211 in reply to JanD236]

Thankyou for your reply. There's so many different probiotics is really hard to know which one to get but I'll definatley try it. I wake up bloated before I've even eaten or had a drink ! It's so frustrating and uncomfortable. How much lemon juice do you recommend having before eating ?

[JanD236 in reply to Bella211]

I’m so conscious of my teeth as I already have enamel damage that I don’t use lemon juice, I use betaine hcl capsules. I’ve just read on here about others using juice or vinegar so I’m sorry I can’t advise how much to use.

I think it’s best to take the juice part way through eating rather than before though.

[Bella211 in reply to JanD236]

Yes I'm the same with my teeth ! Ok thanks so much for your reply.

[wedgewood]

Absolutely agree 100% with JanD236 . I also used Symprove and it was fantastic , but yes , expensive . Also if you have PA , you have low /no stomach acid , so chew you food well and eat slowly , giving the digestive enzymes a chance to start to get working on breaking down your food . Try having smaller meals more often if possible . Best wishes

[Bella211 in reply to wedgewood]

Thankyou very much for your reply. I'm definatley going to try a probiotic. It's really getting me down.

[Cali25 in reply to Bella211]

I drink lemon water in a morning before anything else, just a teaspoon of lemon juice with as much water as you want. Make a huge difference if you have low stomach acid

[Sleepybunny]

Hi,

I used to constantly look pregnant....

For me, going gluten free and cutting down on sugar helped.

Have you been checked for coeliac disease?

B12 deficiency can affect the immune system and I was prone to yeast and fungal infections which I believe can lead to bloating.

[Bella211 in reply to Sleepybunny]

Yes I have been checked for that. I'm going to try cut then the gluten out and see what happens although I ate really healthy last night, salmon with plenty of veg and I was still uncomfortable!

[Nackapan]

My daughter has lemon juice on food like avocado pear. I have cider vinegar on chips and as juice towards the end of my meal.

My daughter has found prebiotics help and she us better on a gluten and diary free diet.

She had severe digestive issues so used fodmap as s guide to what shd van digest and I what quantity .

Also important to have your B.O ( bowels open) regularly so a good routine with food timings good.

Lettuce I very hard to digest and cauliflower I have to avoid .

Its finding a way for you.

[Bella211 in reply to Nackapan]

Thankyou for your reply. I'm going to try a few of these things everyone has suggested 😊

[charks]

I used to get bloated all the time. When I was young I didn't eat all day if I was going out in the evening otherwise I couldn't fit into my clothes. I could never understand why going out for a meal was supposed to be romantic. Who wants sex when you are so bloated you look like a whale. Since giving up gluten over two years ago I haven't experienced any bloating at all. And I lost 2 stone in a month. I feel like a new women. And, best of all, my chronic acid reflux is gone. I think it is worth trying a gluten free diet for a week and see if it makes a difference.

[Bella211 in reply to charks]

Thankyou I will try it. I've just eaten and ajrwsfy I can feel my stomach bubbling and filling up. I hate it 😔

[charks]

Gluten can be in the most surprising things. Oxo cubes, soya sauce etc. Plus it takes a couple of days on a gluten free diet to settle things down. Sometimes weeks.

[Sleepybunny in reply to charks]

I think Coeliac UK give a book that lists gluten free products to members.

Coeliac UK

coeliac.org.uk/home/

[CG12345]

You might have SIBO or IMO. It can be hard to get a test on nhs as most GPS haven’t even heard of it…. But I managed to push for one. Or else you can get a test on Healthpath for about £165

[Cobalt1312]

Sorry for your struggles, I certainly can't claim I know how to cure the bloating. I struggle on a daily basis as well. One thing I do is to take several probiotics at night just before I go to bed. I had to build up really super slowly over months, but now I've been taking them all for several months, I do think it is helping to regulate my digestion some. I take about 33 billion per night, with an occasional day off to let my GI system 'rest' so to speak. I'm in the US and use probiotics from Ortho Molecular - Saccharomyces Bouldarii (5 bill), Ortho Biotic (23 bill), RePHresh Pro-B (5 bill).

I agree with others about cutting out gluten and dairy, as I find them both very challenging. I also try to follow the AIP (autoimmune paleo protocol) diet as much as I can, with modifications for gastritis (keep fats to a tolerable level, eat smaller portions, keep spices light and sparse to avoid stomach pain, avoid garlic/onion, etc). I think it helps reduce inflammation quite a bit, which I'm sure is involved at least partly in why we bloat.

It can be a fine balance because processed foods can be really unhealthy, but I think that eating relatively 'healthy' foods that are more processed (eg. applesauce vs apples, peanut butter vs peanuts) can be quite helpful because it takes some strain off the stomach. I also eat all of my vegetables very well cooked. Not sure if you live in the UK, but I use an Instantpot constantly. Saves SO much time and is a really slick way to make gentle meals.

If you can't tolerate betaine HCL, one trick I use is to use a gentler juice to help with more difficult meals, or if I feel like food is sort of just 'sitting' in my stomach and causing issues. Use caution though, because too much supplemental acid can really cause pain. For me, I can't really tolerate doing this more than once per day.

Best of luck!

**One other thing I just thought of that might possibly be of help, is taking L-glutamine. If you have GI issues, there's a chance you might have 'leaky gut' and L-glutamine helps to reseal the tight-junctions in the lining of your small intestine, which can help decrease irritation and inflammation.

I use an L-glutamine powder twice a day from a brand called Pure Encapsulations. I do think it promotes healing of the gut and I bloat less badly since having taken a few rounds of it. If you feel you can find a helpful healthcare professional (nutritionist/naturopath/integrative MD) I would highly recommend trying to find someone to help guide you!**

[EiCa]

There could be so many causes to bloating. My first suspicion would be food sensitivities/allergies. You may want to try eliminating gluten and dairy for a few weeks and see if the bloating abates. If it does, then add one or the other back and see what happens but don’t add them both back at the same time. I have SIBO and yes, it is very hard to diagnose and treat. My diet is quite limited but I prefer not to be in so much pain. Unfortunately fruits and vegetables (specifically fiber especially insoluble fiber) can make SIBO worse. However if you are constipated a good balance of soluble/insoluble fiber is necessary. For me, it is a daily struggle to figure out what I can eat. I have been adding foods lately as I have malnourishment from lack of essential nutrients. The B12 shots help AND I think they are helping my motility which decreases the bloating. Before things got so bad, I was able to pinpoint specific triggers (milk, spinach) Now it is hard because I have so many triggers. Bloating, as a general symptom, can implicate a lot of things or it may be one food that body stopped tolerating. It can happen suddenly. It did for me.