Trapped Wind.: Hi All,I have a question to ask... - IBS Network

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Trapped Wind.

Breathless1943 profile image
20 Replies

Hi All,I have a question to ask. This may seem a bit yucky,but I cannot break wind unless I’m sitting on the toilet. Consequently it’s beginning to wake me up at night,it’s absolute agony.

Has anyone got any suggestions. I also have autoimmune diseases like RA, which I’m on a strong tablet,but I’ve been taking it now for almost 15-20 yrs.

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Breathless1943 profile image
Breathless1943
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20 Replies

have u tried windeze or any trapped windOTC like pepperment tea/ capsules etc.

Breathless1943 profile image
Breathless1943 in reply to Waiting_for_godo

I will give some peppermint tea a go.

SjogiBear profile image
SjogiBear

I have Sjögrens and lupus and have increasingly had IBS type issues over the years. The trapped wind alongside constipation has increasingly become a problem over the past few years and I did end up paying to jump the NHS waiting list to see a gastroenterologist privately this summer. He was completely unsurprised and told me that it's a combination of factors including dysmotility and problems with the autonomic nervous system seen in connective tissue diseases (combined with adhesions from previous surgery and endometriosis!). He was less helpful on how to solve or even just relieve the problem! He told me to continue with laxido and use peppermint tablets when necessary. He also suggested seeing a dietician and going low fodmap . .. I'm waiting to go on a list for that! It's so uncomfortable and miserable and I think there are many of us with these diseases suffering with IBS like this and it's just brushed aside by our doctors. I am currently trying going dairy free to see if it helps at all - I'm already gluten free.

winfong profile image
winfong in reply to SjogiBear

I have large-vessel vasculitis (another autoimmune disease like lupus). Unlike you, I had IBS years before. Right now, though, it seems to be giving me a lot of trouble.

I have been seeing a gastroenterologist for IBS-D, and his solution was more fiber. That does seem to be working, though I'm afraid I've never had Breathless1943's issue. When I do have gas, I take some form of simethicone. Seems to do the trick.

Breathless1943 profile image
Breathless1943 in reply to SjogiBear

I think the problem they have with helping us with IBS,is they have no answers. Oh and don’t feel guilty about jumping the NHS,in the past I’ve done the same,all to no avail.

edwangy profile image
edwangy in reply to Breathless1943

You pay just to be fobbed off again, they only care about the money

Readmeastory profile image
Readmeastory in reply to SjogiBear

hi I could have written the same answer I was given from the specialist . Laxido and peppermint caspules and tea . I sometimes just wish I could pass wind like anyone else I’ve tried wind ease and they do help a bit . I was told adhesion and narrowing round my bowel so to be honest I really everyone is different. I suffer from constipation and it adds to the pain. I feel peppermint caspules help . Try the ones with a special coating . But try the tea first .

b1b1b1 profile image
b1b1b1 in reply to SjogiBear

The fodmap diet is definately worth doing. It helped me a lot and it can be done so that it is very nutritious. Did the gastro mention taking some sort of fiber, as I believe that is supposed to help move things along. It can be used in conjunction with the fodmap diet. The main thing is to have a good dietician, preferably a medical dietician. I would ask your gastro for a referral to one.

Luisa22 profile image
Luisa22

I think certain body positions can often help us to break wind more easily. Maybe that has something to do with it?

Of course, if wind won't come out it gets trapped. Before you go to bed, have you tried a hot water bottle on your tummy, and massage your tummy to encourage any wind to come out before you go to bed? Eating certain foods can also make you more gassy (like cabbage, onions, broccoli, cauliflower etc)

Breathless1943 profile image
Breathless1943

I used to take a water bottle to bed,but my problem is now,it’s waking me early morning. Sunday night I woke at 2oclock and never went back to sleep.

711debbie profile image
711debbie

Deflatine (Boots and Superdrug) helps quite a bit!

Merlinjardin profile image
Merlinjardin

have you tried gaviscon helps me and buscopan

Blearyeyed profile image
Blearyeyed

Oh I'm so sorry , trapped wind can be awful and painful.

Do you have IBS with Constipation, Diarrhea or a bit of both?

Have you found it is worse with certain foods?

There are some things that can help release the wind.

Eating more soluble fibre foods but limiting foods with insoluble fibre helps a .

Improving how many good bacteria you have in your gut by eating probiotic live yoghurt , or , taking probiotic supplements. Getting checked for gluten or lactose intolerance. Reducing processed sugar . Drinking more water through the day helps limit stomach acid and reduce bacteria build up in pockets which are a big cause of gas.

Try not to eat anything with sugar , carbs or saturated fat after 7pm.

Drinking ginger, green and peppermint tea can ease gas and acid.

If you can take it with your health issues and any medications you take , a Turmeric supplement can help IBS symptoms including gas a great deal. Just start on one tablet , not two as often stated on the bottle , as it can cause a bit of stomach griping when you first start it. Garlic capsules can also help

Use massage on your stomach making big firm ,but gentle, anticlockwise circles with the heel of your hand , starting near the belly button then working outwards . Do it a few times a day or an hour after meals . This can both help the bowel work more smoothly and release gas.

Try a warm bath or shower before bed and sleep on your left side with your upper body raised on more pillows and your knees raised to a comfy foetal shape . This can stop stomach acid adding to your pain or increasing the build up of wind at night. A warm wheat bag or warm clay back wrap can ease the pain at night.

Bowel exercises , called Kegle exercises, which you can look up on the NHS website and download as a PDF , two versions are available for women , or men, are very useful . Careful exercise and gentle strolls also help your IBS symptoms in general and reduces trapped wind. Hope it improves soon

DonnyInPain profile image
DonnyInPain in reply to Blearyeyed

What a lovely, positive reply.

Cazbob21 profile image
Cazbob21

try tumerc and black pepper tablets max strength one a day fixed my stop h problems had numerous cameras in rear end and down throat turmeric works for me but be careful some tumerc tablets no good buy best quality and musty also contain black pepper

Linley profile image
Linley

It could be that you get anxious when trying to release wind in case you have an accident, especially if it gives the feeling of wanting a bowel movement. This happens to me at times so best to be safe than sorry I sit on the loo.

drax83 profile image
drax83

Wind is such a real pain. I have IBS and divertular. Even with no flare up, wind is with me most days, early morning and just late evening. I try to keep away from any bean products, but love runner beans. I find many proccesed meals, including sausages, bacon are no go's. Don't eat fried or poached eggs. I can eat most home cooked Chinese takeaways without problem. But supermarket curry's and breaded products cause a lot problems. Windeaze I tried once, no affect, waste of money. My problem is worse because I am disabled with artehrits hip and ankles, which makes actual exersise almost impossible, so wind gets trapped often.

Breathless1943 profile image
Breathless1943 in reply to drax83

I so feel for you,as I have a few health issues,add on 79yrs old,I can’t move like I used to.

needlewoman22 profile image
needlewoman22

there’s been a lot on these sites lately about lack of the right bacteria in the small bowel affecting one’s wellbeing too! Gas is often formed by too much of the wrong kind of bacteria in the large intestine causing fermentation and not enough of the good bacteria digesting food. A book called You are what you eat is interesting reading- probably get it from the library.

Meleber profile image
Meleber

(Chronic) excessive gas in the intestines can have a lot of different causes and can lead to slow transit constipation (STC). I currently am trying Boswellia serrata for alleviating this symptom in my intestines. I have been taking it for 12 days and do think now it does help a little in my situation. I'm taking it because of a suspected methane overgrowth in my intestines caused by chronic longstanding dysbiosis. This dysbiosis could for example be caused by the fact I haven't been breastfed and did get a course of penicillin every year till I was 7 years old because of asthmatic bronchitis. My mother does have gut issues since her youth so I also can't rule out the genes I inherited too. I will have an appointment with a gastroenterologist in an university hospital next month so I can discuss the hypothesis of intestinal methane overgrowth (IMO) as underlying cause of my health symptoms. If so it should be treated with a suitable antibiotic, that's what the current guidelines of the modern Western medicine suggest. It's also advised to eat almost no carbohydrates because you than are feeding the wrong microorganisms in your gut and eat more (good) fatty foods.

But there are also a lot of natural options from the 'old' traditional Chinese (TCM) / Arab / Asian medicine available, like boswellia serrata or andrographis. Both suggested/contributed by members of this very helpful forum 🙂

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