My stomach is round and bloated, and it makes me look pregnant

@jenniferhunter if you are considering getting the blood test to check for celiac disease, wait until after the test to start the glutenfree diet. There are two celiac organizations in the US which provide valuable and reliable information. (I was diagnosed almost forty years ago by small bowel biopsy: before the existence of the blood test).

@0akboume Thanks for your post. I'm still living in the bathroom and have a love/hate relationship with la toilet. I can't eat overcooked veggies, any kind of nuts, pumpkin pie or meat. Could you give me the name of the doctor at Enterolab and how I could contact him? I need to find what I can and can't eat. I have been on a low residue, low fiber diet since my colon rectal surgery in 2001. There were very few things I could eat on that diet but now even those things cause problems. Elaine

Booking for 5 days or a week sounds like a good idea. Thanks for the good wishes and information. I appreciate it.

Hello,
I have chronic bloating and distention of the abdomen and am very uncomfortable all of the time. I have had a colonoscopy and endoscopy (both negative), have tried a low FODMAP diet for several weeks, with no change. I do take probiotics as well a ginger root and peppermint. I rarely have cramping, except after a bowel movement. After a BM, the distention is more severe for the entire day. My GI doctor is at a lost as to what to do now. It seems much of the GI field is mysterious, and, unfortunately there are no answers for many conditions, including this. Is there anyone out there with similar symptoms? Does anyone have any suggestions for me?
Thank you!
Helen

Hi beanglow, the gastroenterologist/researcher is Dr. Kenneth Fine. The name of his company is Enterolab, located in Dallas, TX. He's on YouTube if you want to see what it's all about.

@jenniferhunter if you are considering getting the blood test to check for celiac disease, wait until after the test to start the glutenfree diet. There are two celiac organizations in the US which provide valuable and reliable information. (I was diagnosed almost forty years ago by small bowel biopsy: before the existence of the blood test).

I am so sorry to hear this. I hope you get some answers and can feel better soon. I can't imagine having to do what you're doing. Prayers to you.

@beanglow Have you tried eliminating dairy? Your problems sound similar to mine. It took a long time for me to figure out what the trigger was, and I finally came to realize it was lactose. I can now eat a little hard cheese, and I can have just a tiny amount of lactose if I take Lactaid. Lactaid does not help if I have a lot of lactose though.
The irony is that I was actually eating cheese when I was having soft stools because they always say cheese is "binding". Oops! I think I may perhaps have more than lactose intolerance though because it seems as if I do have the same problem sometimes when I do not have any lactose. As I said in another post though, maybe something I ate had lactose in it, unbeknownst to me.

Does Boost have lactose in it? I used to occasionally have Slimfast for breakfast, not for weight loss as much as for it being a very quick breakfast. It does have lactose in it though, so not often now. If I do use it I will take Lactaid and that helps. If you can tolerate Boost and it has lactose, then I guess that's not your problem.
JK

I don't see anything that there is lactose in Boost but I suspect that the lactose-free ice cream I have been eating must have it because I have bloating and distention right after I eat it. Taking Lactaid doesn't seem to help. So many things that say lactose-free still have milk in them. Elaine

I don't see anything that there is lactose in Boost but I suspect that the lactose-free ice cream I have been eating must have it because I have bloating and distention right after I eat it. Taking Lactaid doesn't seem to help. So many things that say lactose-free still have milk in them. Elaine