as promised
my stomach: as promised - Thyroid UK
my stomach
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anbuma
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30 Replies
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Sorry to see that. I saw a similar condition recently on a young woman on Embarrassing Bodies and the cause was that the abdominal muscles had stretched open and never returned to the right position post-pregnancy.
anbuma in reply to
if muscles stretched then what over?several possibilities for swollen stomach btu gp never considered any other than IBS -no symptoms of IBS.
anbuma in reply to
saw this tonight too,if muscles separated could this be why It feels like I have a hole in the centre of my stomach
I think I saw that too.not my situation never been pregnant and now i am 55.abdo muscles stretched over a mass????
in reply to anbuma
Not necessarily. The condition Hypnoteq's describing is called diastasis recti. And yes, it's a condition that more commonly occurs in women who've had babies, but women who've never been pregnant - and men - can get it.
Hi anbuma, I could well be wrong but would hazard a guess that if it was a mass in stomach it would have been picked up on the scans you have had,if it was responsible for that size of swelling it would not have been missed.
Also bear in mind,if that were a tumor causing a swelling that large for the length of time 18months or so,you would by now be desperately ill,really desperately ill,and probably pretty thin all over apart from stomach.from all your pictures you aren't skeletal,just normal size.
There's no doubt you feel less than well but really unlikely to be serious disease causing it.
hi thanks fro your replies.it has got worse since august when I had my gallbladder removed.i am pretty normal everywhere except stomach but have lost weight everywhere else too.my arms are and have always been quite thin.dont recall showing any pics other than my stomach and face?lost weight on face altho probably don't show cos of swelling.I do feel like crap and more so in the last few weeks .I get home from taking my dogs out -(catching a bus home is the norm lately)and just die!can do no more than crawl back into bed literally.
my questions I still ask are-my ca125 (ovarian cancer )test never below range-lowest was 52.also said to be unreliable.why else would I gain 2+ stones on my stomach alone.?if my dr had been more supportive rather than dismissive and given me reassurance then i can t be blamed for thinking its something serious especially as have read of many stories of people being misdiagnosed and my dogs know.
hi there I think we have communicated before, I too have a huge stomach that all doctors say oh my goodness you present as having ovarian cancer, but I don't, cant get much satisfaction, but it starts off reasonable in the morning and then bloats as soon as fluid or food hits my stomach, I feel ill with it and my energy levels are about zero, after about 2 hours out of bed I too want to crawl back. I look very unwell, big black rings around my eyes, do you have any of these symptoms? I had my gallbladder out 40 years ago.
hi denvajade .have they said what it is if not OC?i have not been given any diagnosis other than an assumption of IBS.mine never goes down and is increasing day by day.this last week I have felt quite ill and weak,i crawl back to bed after taking my dogs out cos in so much pain everywhere.gallstones and thyroid related.mine worse after my gallbladder removal and that's when dogs' behaviour started getting strange.i know all my weight gain is on my stomach-i would say 2 stones -not bloating but a solid hard mass.have you gained weight with it being all abdominal and if so would you mind saying how much.
will ask my gp about muscles being stretched and what over?
You mentioned the lady whose dogs' attention was always drawn to the breast wherein the cancer was discovered. As you're concerned about your pets' behaviour lately, have you also noticed that they have been drawn to a specific part of your body, in a similar way, eg your stomach ?
Another possibility is a hernia - they can distend the stomach in that way. As Cupid says, a tumour causing such distension is unlikely to have gone overlooked.
in reply to
I don't know if this helps:
"In a patient with a distended stomach , it was the diaphragm, the dome-shaped muscle that divides the chest and abdomen and which we use to breathe, that caused the problem. Normally when the gut is full of food or gas, the diaphragm automatically relaxes upward, giving the abdomen more room. When that coordination is lost, the diaphragm contracts rather than relaxes when it senses abdominal fullness, and the gut is forced down and out rather than upward, where it would normally go. The abdominal wall muscles are forced to relax to accommodate this change, and that causes abdominal distention and bloating."
anbuma in reply to
I have not heard of may of these-are you in the medical profession?
The condition that Hypnoteq mentioned is now called 'abdominal phrenic dyssynergia', the loss of synergy between the muscles of the abdomen (the diaphragm and abdominal wall muscles) and the phrenic nerve (the nerve that transmits sensation and movement to the diaphragm).
anbuma in reply to
hi yes buster often nuzzling the top of my leg/pelvic area
Hi, hopefully this link will provide some reassurance. This is one of the biggest ovarian tumours ever discovered, and weighed 7kg, so less than your gain. The stomach swelling is very different and the doctors could feel the tumour through the skin.
Hi anbuma, I have been thinking og you and your stomach problems. Have you ever had or been tested for endometriosis?
anbuma in reply to
no I haven't.willgoogle it
have you ever been to hospital about it?
I went to A&E earlier this year and spent the whole day having tests done and ended with being seen by a gynaecologist who said it must be your bowels.the A&E dr said would get to the bottom of it btu got no further than seeing the gynae.today could barely walk for what started as pain in buttocks and as day proceeded couldn't sit in chair for long-pain in left shoulder blade and back pain (kidneys?)and keep getting up to move about.pelvic pain persistent tho not as painful today.
in reply to anbuma
They cant sat whether or not you have endometriosis until they do a laparoscopy they neef to look inside.
anbuma in reply to
will ask gp on wed.
Hi again, you must chase it up don't let them forget you, ask if its anything to do with liver, due to gallbladder now gone. wishing you well.
seeing dr on wed -going armed with load of things written down -suggestions from other members and photos/lists of symptoms etc
Hi anbuma I really feel for you as I have been in a similar position, can I suggest when you go don't mention the dogs! I think the doctors believe we are nuts, be specific about your symptoms, can I suggest your stomach may be fat (SAD TO SAY) due to a lack of metabolism because of gallbladder and liver, your pain me be FM due to the stress you have been through with your health so it could be a combination of several issues not just one. You could ask for liver tests to do with bile malabsorption. WISHING YOU WELL
Epsom Salts could possibly be the answer anbuma. I've just ordered some for myself, it's years since I've used some, but anyway, have a read of this article - they say it's good for bloated tummies. Well I hope so, hope it's good for bloated legs & feet too. 
What looks unusual to me about your pic is the shape it swells out and then sort of flat edged rather than rounded
anbuma in reply to
hi there p1pp1ns
it was rounded but began to change shape several months ago (probably after gallbladder op)and became kind of flatter at sides and more pronounced at the front/top half then straighter below belly button .at each side (looks slightly red in the pic)is very sore to touch and in the middle (front)it is hard each side with a hollow where belly button is.
where does everyone get their info from-is it the internet,gps or personal experience?
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