1. < Digestive Health

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

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beanglow | @beanglow | Apr 1, 2019

Thank you so much. I appreciate all your support. Elaine

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beanglow | @beanglow | Apr 1, 2019
In reply to @oakbourne "Hi beanglow, the gastroenterologist/researcher is Dr. Kenneth Fine. The name of his company is Enterolab, located..." + (show)
@oakbourne

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.

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Thanks for the information. I will check it out. Elaine

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beanglow | @beanglow | Apr 1, 2019
In reply to @sue225 "@jenniferhunter if you are considering getting the blood test to check for celiac disease, wait until..." + (show)
@sue225

@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).

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Thanks for the information. I will wait to try the diet until after the test.

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beanglow | @beanglow | Apr 1, 2019
In reply to @gab002 "I am so sorry to hear this. I hope you get some answers and can feel..." + (show)
@gab002

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.

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Thanks for your prayers. I truly appreciate it. Elaine

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beanglow | @beanglow | Apr 3, 2019
In reply to @contentandwell "@beanglow Have you tried eliminating dairy? Your problems sound similar to mine. It took a long..." + (show)
@contentandwell

@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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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

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2 replies
CL | @lelia | Apr 3, 2019
In reply to @beanglow "I don't see anything that there is lactose in Boost but I suspect that the lactose-free..." + (show)
@beanglow

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

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Hi Elaine, I have the same results. Anything dairy has lactose in it even though they say something is lactose free. And, the Lactaid doesn't help. Probably a good idea to stop the lactose-free ice cream. Hope you can find something you can eat! Lelia

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1 reply
Mentor
Jennifer, Volunteer Mentor | @jenniferhunter | Apr 4, 2019
In reply to @beanglow "I don't see anything that there is lactose in Boost but I suspect that the lactose-free..." + (show)
@beanglow

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

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@beanglow @ contentandwell I have to avoid dairy and gluten. There are several non-dairy "ice cream" substitutes that really are good. My favorites are the ones made with coconut "milk" like So Delicious.

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1 reply
beanglow | @beanglow | Apr 4, 2019

I'm going to try to find the one with coconut milk. I haven't seen them in our local supermarkets. I think I'm probably going to try to avoid gluten. What can you eat though? I'm already on a low residue diet. Thanks for the tips. Elaine

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beanglow | @beanglow | Apr 4, 2019
In reply to @lelia "Hi Elaine, I have the same results. Anything dairy has lactose in it even though they..." + (show)
@lelia

Hi Elaine, I have the same results. Anything dairy has lactose in it even though they say something is lactose free. And, the Lactaid doesn't help. Probably a good idea to stop the lactose-free ice cream. Hope you can find something you can eat! Lelia

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Thanks for your reply. I haven't found anything yet. It seems like the only thing I can tolerate is Boost. Elaine

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JK | @contentandwell | Apr 5, 2019
In reply to @jenniferhunter "@beanglow @ contentandwell I have to avoid dairy and gluten. There are several non-dairy "ice cream"..." + (show)
@jenniferhunter

@beanglow @ contentandwell I have to avoid dairy and gluten. There are several non-dairy "ice cream" substitutes that really are good. My favorites are the ones made with coconut "milk" like So Delicious.

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@jenniferhunter I definitely do not have a gluten problem. I know something beyond lactose is bothering me, or perhaps I am eating something that has lactose hiding in it, although I do not eat many things where that could be possible.

I LOVE ice cream but somehow, I can do without it. My daughter and her husband love ice cream so I always have some in the house when they visit but I never even think of eating it when they are not here. When they are here I will take one spoonful of it when they are eating it. If I do get a craving though I will look for So Delicious. I am using a non-dairy creamer now that has coconut milk in it, Califia, and it's OK -- I would still prefer real half and half.
JK

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