Bloating that comes and goes and puts pressure in middle of sternum, fullness in stomach that makes pressure like hard to breathe, burping but no pain or really any reflux, been having this ongoing now since feb, had endoscopy yesterday which didn't show anything abnormal however they have taken some biopsy (awaiting results) yesterday after procedure felt ok, but today its back along with feeling nauseous, my heart rate also jumps up due to pressure , i have polyps in my gallbladder which are being monitored atm, have had ovarion cancer test, hypolari test and celiac - all negative, anyone else experience these symptoms?
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sbadd
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I had awful bloating until I made a connection with gluten. Test came back negative, but then I decided to cut it out all together and I felt so much better.
Later I did a more in dept food sensitivity test and it came up I can’t tolerate gluten and other foods.
Looking at previous posts you have confirmed diagnosis of Hashimoto's
Gluten intolerance is extremely common with Hashimoto's
Hashimoto's affects the gut and frequently leads to low stomach acid and then low vitamin levels
Low vitamin levels affect Thyroid hormone working
Essential to regularly test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
Have these been tested?
Poor gut function can lead leaky gut (literally holes in gut wall) this can cause food intolerances. Most common by far is gluten. Dairy is second most common.
According to Izabella Wentz the Thyroid Pharmacist approx 5% with Hashimoto's are coeliac, but over 80% find gluten free diet helps, sometimes significantly. Either due to direct gluten intolerance (no test available) or due to leaky gut and gluten causing molecular mimicry (see Amy Myers link)
Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal and slowly lower TPO antibodies
Trying gluten free diet for 3-6 months. If no noticeable improvement then reintroduce gluten and see if symptoms get worse
Getting bloods retested after couple of months strictly gluten free
For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested. Also important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially if Thyroid antibodies are raised
Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and fasting. This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, best not mentioned to GP or phlebotomist)
Last Levothyroxine dose should be 24 hours prior to test, (taking delayed dose immediately after blood draw).
My view is that the sensation of bloating is caused by the gut going into a state of contraction ibshypo.com/index.php/abnor... and that magnesium deficiency underlies many cases ibshypo.com/index.php/magne... . There can be many causes of magnesium deficiency including hypo and hyper thyroidism, uncontrolled diabetes, parathyroid disorder and kidney problems including taking diuretics. Coffee and alcohol also reduce magnesium levels.
There is no useful blood test for magnesium as most magnesium exists within the cells, it's just a case of trying a supplement for about three months and seeing if you feel better. Most forms of magnesium are good but not magnesium oxide or magnesium hydroxide. I use magnesium citrate. I have found that if I sense abdominal bloating coming on I can abort the bloating by chewing a magnesium citrate tablet and holding it under the tongue for a minute or two before swallowing. You can also use antispasmodics such as mebeverine hydrochloride (Colofac) although I have found magnesium to be more effective and I belive it addresses the route cause.
Gluten intolerance is more prevalent in hypothyroids and a small patient group do respond to going gluten free. The symptoms are similar to IBS type abdominal bloating. I would try magnesium first because I suspect it is more likely to be the problem, but also because it is the quicker and easier option and I like easy options.
Been having similar symptoms for the past 6 - 8 months (early satiety, bloating, pressure/pain under sternum/ribs especially on right side, feeling like my ribs are protruding (right side), “so full” feeling, loss of appetite, nausea, bouts of constipation and diarrhea, etc). Gastro is trying to figure out the cause. Many tests so far:
- Colonoscopy - clear/no polyps
- Upper GI endoscopy - clear/ normal; biopsies for celiac (negative) and H pylori (negative)
- Abdominal Ultrasound: simple cysts on liver, lesions on spleen
- PillCam Capsule Endoscopy: clear/normal
- Abdominal Pelvic CT Scan with contrast: confirmed findings from U/S
- Consult w/liver specialist: says liver cysts are small but deep. No action to take now but if symptoms persist/continue to worsen will repeat scan to see if cysts have grown
- submitted Food/Symptom/Stool log for review: Gastro suspects gastroparesis and ordered the next test
- Gastric Emptying Scan: waiting on scheduling
Over time I seem to have adapted as the full feeling, pain and pressure are so uncomfortable that I want to avoid as much as possible. I tend to now eat small, nutrient-rich meals, as my eating has gone way down, which isn’t good. I also believe whatever it is that I have is also affecting nutrient absorption as well as oral medicine absorption. Another clue supporting gastroparesis.
In addition to HypoT, I also have lupus/Sjogren’s. Consensus seems to be that AI is most likely a contributing factor and that lupus and/or Sjogrens is attacking my GI system. That theory would support the coming and going of symptoms. I’ve had very bad stretches of symptoms but also days of reprieve.
While I wait on more tests and diagnosis, I have found Magnesium Citrate liquid to be quite helpful when I have the “so full” feeling. It seems to help move things along quickly. I only drink a few ounces so as to not induce full diarrhea. I also don’t drink it every day - just when I need it. As I wrote above, I’ve become efficient at eating small amounts to avoid getting the most uncomfortable symptoms. But sometimes, despite my efforts, I still get them.
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