Trying to find some answers????

[Nickp89]

Hi,

Im Male and 28 years old, around 8 months ago I started suffering from a painful bloated stomach that never totally goes away it only eases off a little from time to time, a lot of wind and heart burn. I have seen a gastro specialist who carried out a colonoscopy an said everything looked fine so he recomened a low fod map diet after sticking to the diet I am still getting these symptoms and it's starting to really get me down I have never ever had any problems with my stomach before, I eat generally healthy and go to the gym. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[jules2105]

I suffer from IBS amd find it hrlps to know my triggers. Mine tend to certaim types of food e.g white bread, pasta and greasy foods which i try to avoid. My IBS has been worse over last 12 months,,my GP has advised me to take meberavine regularly along with probiotics and the fodmap diet. Hope you find something that helps you manage your symptoms soon

Jules

[runswithdogs]

Could be other foods, in addition to some of the FODMAPS foods. I took FODMAPS as a starting point, found out some triggers, and then continued to monitor symptoms and what I ate. It was a long process, particularly because sometimes foods bug you one day, but not the next.

[gurgleguts]

I know the feeling. I am in a similar position although older. No problems at all. I could eat curry for breakfast. Then out of the blue, similar symptoms to you. Healthy eating and exercise doesn't count for much where IBS is concerned. Im learning that lettuce can be a really bad trigger for me. Onions, which seem to be avoided at all costs on the fodmap diet don't seem to be an issue so stick with it. It will take time but you'll get there. You have to unlearn what you think is good and bad food unfortunately. Im not suggesting you live on Doner kebabs but things that you've been told are "healthy" can often cause flare ups. Ive replaced lettuce with watercress and spinach for example so there are always workarounds but it will take time to find them. Try, pro biotics and/or digestive enzymes. They really helped with my bloating and wind. Good luck and stick with it.

[Hidden in reply to gurgleguts]

I'm with you here gurgleguts as my stomach is much better if I don't eat the fruit and vegetables that I adore i.e. I find that broccoli/raw onions/sweetcorn/cauliflower etc do not like me. The ones I have to avoid at all costs as I get immense pain are the raw onions and sweetcorn, can't go near either and I absolutely love them.

[Hidden]

Hi there,

A good place to start could be this: Asking yourself what has been going on in your life for the last year or so that may have triggered it. IBS often has some relation to food triggers, but IBS triggers can be wide ranging. This article, and others on my blog, may help you move forward, Nick: sickofibs.com/ibs-triggers/...

Alison

[Ollies]

Try Iberogast (from Amazon), it is a herbal supplement taken with meals and helps many people with wind and bloating. It has some alcohol as a preservative so cannot be taken with any antibiotics/medications which interact with alcohol.

I have had many tests - H Pylori, blood tests etc and have also seen 2 gastroenterologists over the past 5 months, who totally dismissed the possibility of Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) but I have just had antibiotics (Trimethoprim) for 1 week for another reason and the bloating/reflux/wind totally went away! It was incredible after being told to live with it. However, the problem came back after the antibiotics wore off. So it seems it must be bacterial. Now have a caring, sympathetic GP who is trying a low dose for 2 weeks as a trial, plus the Iberogast. (Note: the antibiotic metronidazole cannot be taken with Iberogast as the alcohol with interact and cause vomiting.) You are not alone, there are so many people suffering these symptoms, and forums help a great deal in diagnosis.