Persistent Bloating

[Lisad2016]

Hi all, first time in here but wanted some advice.

I've gained around 2 stone since last summer and my stomach is constantly bloated. I never used to carry any weight on my stomach and now its bloated at the top and bottom all of the time which has been the case for around 8 months. It's really painful and doesn't ever go down or relieve after the toilet.

My toilet habits are also all over the place varying from constipation to diarrhoea in the same day

I've tried buscopan and peppermint oil tablets but they don't seem to help. I'm already on a clean eating diet so don't eat wheat/gluten/dairy but will try the fodmap diet as recommended by my gp, but I was wondering if anyone had experienced this constant bloating before or has any remedies as it's really getting me down (along with my weight gain). I've been with a personal trainer for the last 8 weeks and following a diet from the nutritionist but I'm not losing weight and they don't know why.

I've had various blood tests which all came back normal (thankfully). My GP said it's likely to be IBS and I've been referred to a gastroenterologist for an appointment but I'm really worried.

[Lisahelen]

Did gp test for celiac before you ditched the gluten?

[Lisad2016 in reply to Lisahelen]

Yes they tested me last year and came back clear :/

[Nesie237]

I agree with the celiac matter. You don't need gluten free unless you have celiac. The amount of weight you describe makes me think of liver problems or, unfortunately, some kind of abdominal cancer. If it's fluid, you would be able to, lying down with no cover, push your abdomen from one side and perhaps visualize fluid movement. I certainly hope it's neither, but that is a worrisome amount of weight. Maybe your doctor will do an ultrasound to help diagnose the culprit. Best wishes, Nesie237

[Lisad2016 in reply to Nesie237]

I've been tested and came back clear but I feel awful if I have gluten so thought I may have a slight intolerance to it and prefer to keep it out of my diet where I can. I had 6 blood tests recently which tested my liver and kidney function and also CA125 which came back clear (thankfully!) I really hope the gastroenterologist can pick something up. It's so upsetting when you're doing everything you can to lose weight and it's not shifting. I used to have such a flat stomach and now I look 6 months pregnant! Thanks for your comments x

[Nesie237 in reply to Lisad2016]

Certainly, follow the diet that works for you. A gastroenterologist should be able to get to the bottom of this. I was a mostly critical care nurse for 25 years. I think my brain goes to the worst place. Sorry for that. That weight gain is perplexing. I hope you get your flat tummy back, Lisa. Take care, keep me posted. Nesie237

[marthaalice]

Do you drink caffeine. I have the same problem as you, I gave up tea and coffee and replaced them with peppermint tea. I drink 8 cups a day and find it helps. I walk at least 10,000 steps every day without fail. Fennel tablets are something else you could try. I am not cured but am more comfortable

[Lisad2016 in reply to marthaalice]

I don't drink tea or coffee but I do drink green tea. I've just started drinking peppermint tea so hopefully that helps! I do a lot of excercise already but will try the fennel tablets - thank you

[marthaalice in reply to Lisad2016]

i used to drink green tea before I swapped to peppermint, think it really helps if you drink enough of it..............the only other thing I thing you should get checked for is an ovarian cyst, I went backwards and forwards to my gp for 2 years being told it was just my ibs and I had a huge 15 x 20 cm cyst on my Ovary, I wish I had paid for a private scan in hindsight as I ended up having a hysterectomy, if they had spotted it soon I could have just had it removed keyhole surgery............I was putting on weight at an alarming weight as the cyst got bigger.............be persistent...........

[villages2]

If you scroll through some of the revious posts on here you will find lots of other meds to try which other sufferers have found helpful.

If its any consolation i also bloat out badly. Some weeks i am a 12 and others a size 14 !! I have two lots of clothes on the go !! Good luck.

[Lisad2016 in reply to villages2]

Thanks! I've gone from a 10 to a 14....I'm constantly bloated! I don't have any wind though so could it still be ibs?

[medcal73]

i also am very bloated like eight month preg. been like it for years but to no avail nothing as docters dont know enough about ibs and diverticular deasease only eat plenty of veg. which i do love my veg drink plenty of water am no different and also have fever like symptomswhen ibs diverticuler flares up feel like passing out when at toilet also had a few accidents so painful. still nothing can be done had clonoscopy 4 times flexyscopy ct scan s still no treatment..

[jnbina]

FODMAP should help.. it may be certain foods that are triggering the bloating...

[CMeiJ]

Hi,

I experienced the above symptoms from November 2014, right through until January 2016, and discovered (randomly I might add) that it was a combination of emotional stress, physical training stress and...porridge! To keep a long story short, I cut a lot of foods out of my diet last November in an attempt to discover what foods were upsetting me, and found that staying away from porridge, and minimising dairy and processed carbohydrates (gluten free pasta for one, which is a nightmare when your a cyclist because we live off pasta!) has really helped. I was eating porridge everyday to fuel my training but I was gaining more and more weight and getting more and more bloated, and as soon as I stopped eating it regularly my symptoms eased significantly. I also took an extended rest period from training and racing to re-set my body and give my brain time to process all the strain it had been under over the last 18 months. The bloating has slowly eased and I've managed (slowly I'd like to add) to shift the excess weight - I have adjusted my training load, as we discovered that my body does not deal with volume particularly well, so we focus on the quality of the work outs I'm doing and have included more rest. If you are doing a lot of abdominal work, this can cause compressed and sore tummy muscles (and crushed and sore guts), which can contribute to bloating, so making sure you stretch your back, obliques and abdominals out after working out, or even take a complete break from abdominal workouts to see if that helps to ease the bloating. This was my experience, so it may not work for you, but consider what the nutritionist and coach has advised, as it may not work for someone with IBS.

[Brigeen]

You sound like I did back in 1995, I went to a nutritional adviser, followed exclusion diet, was tested for all sorts. Just as you describe carry on the perseverance route with your GP one thing you may consider that made great difference to me was when I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, also if you are a busy person snack with bananas and carry a bottle of water with you, you may get a liking for dried bananas and coconut mixes from Holland and Barrett. Good luck I lost more than two stone but slowly and over the years but the comfort came quite quickly after that.

BridgetD x

[Deerlands]

i`m not sure what to say about your constipation and diaorrhea except go back to the doctor but i must say beware of gluten free food. it`s packed with fat and sugar and may be the cause of your weight gain. i was diagnosed with coeliac disease in 2012 and switched to gluten free food. i put on 2 stone and could`nt figure out why till someone at a keep fit club told me about the fat and sugar content. i have been trying to avoid gluten free food for a year or so and have now lost the weight i put on. it`s not easy. for example when i would have had sausages i just had nothing instead and had more potatoes and veg instead. good luck.