Bloating

[25092]

Hey guys, quick question, I have pernicious anemia/ gastritis and recently no matter what I eat or drink even it's only a probiotic drink or an apple and water for that day my stomach bloats up so big and tight but when morning comes, I go to the restroom and my stomach goes back down until I drink or eat something. Vicious cycle! Lately I've only been having my probiotic Orgain drink and that even blows me up. Someone here with gastritis and pernicious anemia can let me know if they have had similar problems and what you might take to get rid of the bloating please.

[JanD236]

Yes I suffer with bloating too much of the time. I find a probiotic helps sometimes but the only thing that stops it is to fast, eating little more than chicken bone broth for 2 or 3 days.

Occasionally for a week or 2 I have little bloating but once it starts again it generally lasts for weeks or months.

I’ve not been able to establish what, if anything, triggers it.

[25092 in reply to JanD236]

Same here JanD236. I noted everything I ate to try and pinpoint it but like I mentioned, even if I ate a apple, water and the probiotic for that whole day the bloating will come right back. I'm going to give the broth a try. Thanks JanD236. Maybe someone here will have a solution for both of us.

[bethmoggie]

I have the same problem and the bloating is so uncomfortable. I’m lactose intolerant and there are lots of lactose free products I buy but the bloating continues. After a particularly bad week I found that M&S have live yoghurt so I have some every morning and am going to make some with lactose free milk. Fingers crossed it works.

[Rexz]

Since Pernicious Anemia is a late stage manifestation of autoimmune gastritis you are most likely experiencing digestion issues related to hypochlorhydria or even achlorhydria like myself. Try taking a Betaine HCI capsule and some digestive enzymes about 10 minutes before each meal. Especially a protein meal as it requires more acid to break down. Reduce your amount of protein to something like 2 or 3 ounces. Eat your protein first. Eat smaller meals maybe more often. Do not drink anything during your meal as this will dilute acid.Normally when you first ingest food, take that first bite, your stomach is very acidic. As soon as food enters or drink it will dilute your acid and your Parietal Cells will pump additional acid to bring your acidity levels back up. Well your Parietal Cells, if you've any left, are few and far between and just can't keep up so the only acid you'll have is that betaine HCI you took before meal. Hence no drink, small protein first and overall smaller meals with more veggies and fruits. The most easily digested protein are cooked egg whites.

Low/no stomach acid can also cause Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth (SIBO) so you may want to ask your physician to have that checked. It's a simple breath test.

Clean your food very well as one of the primary roles of gastric acid is to kill all the bad pathogens you ingest with food. So just be aware. Also I strictly limit leftovers.

Your intestinal microbiome will be fragile so yes, take a good probiotic which you're doing. Also steer clear of unnecessary antibiotics. Let your physician know of your condition.

Ask to have your fasting Gastric pH tested during your next endoscopy/gastroscopy as high fasting pH means achlorhydria.

Another simple way to indirectly test for achlorhydria is a serum Gastrin blood test. If you have low or no stomach acid then your serum Gastrin will be abnormally high. This is called Hypergastrinemia. This is caused as the G-cells in the bottom of your stomach regulate stomach acid levels in partnership with your Parietal Cells (PC). which with advanced AIG , are AWOL! G-cells produce gastrin which messages the PC to pump hydrochloric acid (HCL). Then once your gastric juices reach a pH of 2 to 3, highly acidic, the G-Cells will turn off production of Gastrin telling the PCs to stop producing HCL. With little to no PCs your pH will not reach 2 or 3 and will most likely measure around 6 to 7. Thus your G-cells will never turn off and thus continuously produce gastrin. So consider having your serum Gastrin checked.

Hope this helps some, Rexz

[25092 in reply to Rexz]

Thank you Rexz, you have so much knowledge on this. Much appreciated. I'm going to print your reply out to keep. Thank's and have a peaceful night!

[Rexz in reply to 25092]

It comes with living with this. I've even more knowledge in my dead brain cells...😂 But we'll forget about that. This is all manageable, it just takes time to get to know your own body more than you ever wanted to! 😳

[buggles84]

I always feel that it's because of an over active sympathetic nervous system.....need something to activate the parasympathetic system.....

[Bertiepuss]

I know everyone says probiotics are great but for me personally they wreck my stomach/digestion. I do know they work well for many people but it might be an idea to give them a rest for a while and see if you improve.

When I had a bad bout of gastritis I used Metagenics Glutagenics - uk.iherb.com/pr/metagenics-...

It has become very expensive in the UK now but might be able to source cheaper if you live in the US. It took a few weeks to work but was very effective. I can now tolerate small amounts of kimchi and sauerkraut to get probiotics and I eat lots of fibre filled foods to get the PREbiotics to feed my microbiome. Probiotics in a capsule/drink just seem to upset the balance for me.

Also, you could try stewed apples rather than raw. It's much more gentle on the stomach. My husband cannot eat raw apples at all, totally bloats him up, the stewed apples are fine for him.

[25092 in reply to Bertiepuss]

Thank you so much for the link Bertiepuss. I'm willing to try it. Best!

[Nackapan in reply to Bertiepuss]

I swear by stewed apples to settle your stomach. Either with live plain yoghurt or white rice washed well.

[Bertiepuss in reply to Nackapan]

Yes indeed Nackapan 👍😊

[topazrat]

My tummy is always bloated. At least now I'm older, I don't constantly get asked when the baby is due 😂

[EiCa in reply to topazrat]

How much to you supplement?

Thanks.

[topazrat in reply to EiCa]

I inject B12 twice a week and take a daily Vit D capsule and one of gentle iron. All my other vitamins are optimal.

[EiCa in reply to topazrat]

Did you always have digestive problems? Did they improve at all w/ B12 supplementation? My GI would not see me any more unless I started supplementing but I think something else is causing my gut problems. Thanks for your reply.

[topazrat in reply to EiCa]

I've always been bloaty, even before P.A. But I do have a number of other autoimmune problems, (and probably a few that haven't been diagnosed as yet) so it could be due to something other than that. I haven't noticed any improvement since starting jabs.

[25092 in reply to topazrat]

Lol...

[25092 in reply to 25092]

This lol was placed out of context. I was responding to Topazrat about the baby comment.

[EiCa]

I assume you supplement B12. Could you share how much? I have the same digestive problems...pretty severe. I am wondering if increasing my injections would help my digestion.

Thanks.

[25092 in reply to EiCa]

I increased my injections and it didn't help with bloated.

[EiCa in reply to 25092]

Thank you. Sorry the injections didn’t help. It’s so hard figuring out what to eat every day/meal, isn’t it?

[Nackapan in reply to EiCa]

My daughter found a low fodmap diet helped. Also eliminating foods then testing them again.

Timing of meals.

Portion size of foods

Very difficult

[EiCa in reply to Nackapan]

Yes it is indeed. Been low FODMAP for years.

[EiCa in reply to EiCa]

Thank you Nackapan.