Severe Bloating and Distention: How did you find relief?

Posted by htocco @htocco, Feb 18, 2019

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

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Digestive Health Support Group.

@kanaazpereira

Hello @gab002,

You may notice that I moved your message and combined it with this existing discussion. I did this as I thought it would be beneficial for you to be introduced to other members who are discussing much of what you are experiencing.
If you click on VIEW & REPLY in your email notification, you will see the whole discussion and can join in, meet, and participate with other members talking about their or their loved ones' experiences.

I’d encourage you to view these discussions on Connect, where @losthope @sue6408 @pines @annapocono @ngorman25 @musicflowers4u @jcarndt @jackiem95 @maryjax and others have shared some valuable insights about bloating, FODMAP and probiotics:

– GERD and IBS: Meds causing constipation, laxatives & FODMAP? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/gerd-and-ibs/
– C. difficile -are your guts ever normal again ? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/c-difficile-are-your-guts-ever-normal-again/

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@kanaazper I have not been able to eat any regular food and have been existing on Boost for weeks. I have severe gas, bloating, distention, stomach cramps, pain, numerous loose BM's every day. I have an appointment at Mayo on March 29. I would appreciate any suggestion from you and the Community.

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@beanglow

@kanaazper I have not been able to eat any regular food and have been existing on Boost for weeks. I have severe gas, bloating, distention, stomach cramps, pain, numerous loose BM's every day. I have an appointment at Mayo on March 29. I would appreciate any suggestion from you and the Community.

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My mom and aunts are prescribed a powder that they mix with water or juice every morning and drink. Cholestyramine 4g

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@beanglow

@kanaazper I have not been able to eat any regular food and have been existing on Boost for weeks. I have severe gas, bloating, distention, stomach cramps, pain, numerous loose BM's every day. I have an appointment at Mayo on March 29. I would appreciate any suggestion from you and the Community.

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@beanglow

I see that your appointment at Mayo was today. Would love to hear how you are doing.

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@hopeful33250

@beanglow

I see that your appointment at Mayo was today. Would love to hear how you are doing.

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@hopeful33250 So sorry. My appointment is April 29, not March 29.

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@donnak142

My mom and aunts are prescribed a powder that they mix with water or juice every morning and drink. Cholestyramine 4g

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@donnak142 Thanks for your suggestion. I made a mistake on the month of my appointment. It's an April 29 not March 29.

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@beanglow

@hopeful33250 So sorry. My appointment is April 29, not March 29.

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@beanglow
I hope you find some answers. Mayo is a good place to deal with hard to diagnose problems.

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@beanglow

@kanaazper I have not been able to eat any regular food and have been existing on Boost for weeks. I have severe gas, bloating, distention, stomach cramps, pain, numerous loose BM's every day. I have an appointment at Mayo on March 29. I would appreciate any suggestion from you and the Community.

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@beanglow @htocco Severe bloating, diarhea, cramps and excessive gas are symptoms of gluten issues. You can do an experiment to see if removing all foods with gluten helps. I cannot tolerate any gluten or this will happen to me. I felt better right away when I took gluten out of my diet. I also developed other food allergies because having inflammation from the gluten caused a leaky gut, and I did an elimination diet to figure that out, so I have to be careful now with food. There are blood tests for celiac disease which should still work if done soon. If you avoid gluten for a long period and then get tested for celiac disease, you might not be making the antibodies any more that the test is looking for.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/celiac-disease/doctors-departments/ddc-20352229
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@jenniferhunter

@beanglow @htocco Severe bloating, diarhea, cramps and excessive gas are symptoms of gluten issues. You can do an experiment to see if removing all foods with gluten helps. I cannot tolerate any gluten or this will happen to me. I felt better right away when I took gluten out of my diet. I also developed other food allergies because having inflammation from the gluten caused a leaky gut, and I did an elimination diet to figure that out, so I have to be careful now with food. There are blood tests for celiac disease which should still work if done soon. If you avoid gluten for a long period and then get tested for celiac disease, you might not be making the antibodies any more that the test is looking for.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/celiac-disease/doctors-departments/ddc-20352229

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Thank you for your message. I have tried gluten free, low fodmap. No change. I only suffer from constant bloating/distention. All GI tests have been negative. I guess I should feel positive in some ways I don't have other symptoms, as well.

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@beanglow

@kanaazper I have not been able to eat any regular food and have been existing on Boost for weeks. I have severe gas, bloating, distention, stomach cramps, pain, numerous loose BM's every day. I have an appointment at Mayo on March 29. I would appreciate any suggestion from you and the Community.

Jump to this post

@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

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gab2002, you may be allergic to anything and everything. I'm bascially eating a caveman's diet because everything I eat makes me sick. Plus I have to soak nuts overnight for smoothies and eat mushy veggies to heal my gut. Soy makes me sick. No corn.No seeds. I eat pumpkin pie for breakfast because it does not bother me. I eat lots of meat to heal my gut and it's working. Plus I had pain in my colon. My body was in a battle and I lived in the bathroom. I became friends with la toilet. I am awaiting results from Enterolab owned and operated by a physican and researcher. He's become a friend. You will find everything you can/can't eat. So in the meantime, I'm avoiding everything and eating only overcooked veggies, soaked nuts for smoothies, and healthy meat. I am starting to feel better. We are what we eat.

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