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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oakbourne | @oakbourne | Apr 13, 2019
In reply to @astaingegerdm "@oakbourne I agree that drugs to heal you can also kill you. My first colitis treatment..." + (show)
@astaingegerdm

@oakbourne
I agree that drugs to heal you can also kill you. My first colitis treatment was methotrexate. Had taken that poison already when I was getting chemo for breast cancer.
Some years later I took Imuran for 7 months. Remission. However, had several bad infections.
Do you ever drink pedialyte or other hydration fluid with diarrhea? Helps electrolyte balance.

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No, I usually stick to my all meat, super soft veggies, no soy, no gluten and fruit diet. I am a Type 1 diabetic who runs low on the blood sugar scale, so I indulge in diabetic pumpkin pie for breakfast and snacks. Everythinhg has to be soft. I cheated and had pecans not soaked and potato chips, and I suffered. Watery diarrhea which is the forefront of Microscopic Colitis. I need lots of protein for healing my gut. Right now, my gut feels like an ocean in a rough storm. Gurgle Gurgle Gurgle. I'll do anything not to get sick and heal. I would have to check the ingredients with Pedialyte for hydration. I mostly drink pear juice for hydration because it's not a citric acid that irritates my gut. Orange juice makes my gut hurt. NO CITRUS! I don't trust most food manufacturers. They pay billions for protection. Not to be trusted. "Breaking the Vicious Cycle" gives you the legal and illegal foods to consume. This is written by a world famous PhD who wanted to help her sick daughter back in the 1950s or 1960s. She's the guru of Celiac Disease and other inflammatory diseases. Hope this helps.I drink pear juice, water or tea for hydration. No artificial anything. No dyes! Check and double check the ingredients and if you don't know em, trash the item and get simple ingredients you know. Dorothy

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1 reply
oakbourne | @oakbourne | Apr 13, 2019

Don't get me started on Gastroenterologists. Big Disappointment, nor do they care. They're a few good ones out there, but it's like finding a needle in a haystack. Good Luck

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bentley33 | @bentley33 | Apr 13, 2019
In reply to @oakbourne "Hi astaingegerdm. I have decided against all drugs. They wanted to give me steroids for MC.No..." + (show)
@oakbourne

Hi astaingegerdm. I have decided against all drugs. They wanted to give me steroids for MC.No steroids. It eats your bones and causes cataracts. I took the Pepto Bismol route - 8-10 tabs per day and when I got up during the night, I was falling. I was losing my balance. I got off Pepto Bismol and the balance problem ceased. I know the researcher who stated Pepto was the way to go, but not for me. I think it's not recommended for MC, now. I am Diet all the way and it has helped. I am slowly healing. Microscopic Disease is a nasty monster. It makes your mind go off the rails. You can't think. You are fatigued, irritable and depressed. You live in the bathroom and wear Depends. Sometimes it's so bad with watery Diarrhea, the diaper leaks through. I went to ASPEN DENTAL for a toothache. They told me I had 15 cavities. They tried to sell me their electric tooth brush, mouthwash, floss and toothpaste. It's a Money Game and with Aspen Dental, I knew everything about them was a lie. They are a corporate dental chain run by rich men in NYC, who aren't dentists. I started crying and watery diarrhea was running down my leg. They marched me out of the building like a criminal. They are a money-grubbing chain and I was a mess. My car was filthy from the D. All they care about is your money. They should be shut down. I went to another dentist and he said you have three cavities and a filling coming out. I brush three times per day and floss twice! I hate anything corporate in the medical field. If you need a support group, check out MC and wonderful Wayne Persky runs the site and can help. He knows so much and the people on board tell their stories of what works and doesn't work. I love the site. Good luck with this monster.

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Hello @oakbourne. I just read your post about the dentist office. You poor thing. I have had embarrassing moments and luckily people have been kind to me, that was straight up rude! I hope you wrote a letter to the office manager,(if not, please do) no one should be treated that way. You are correct they are in it for the money and that’s all! Again I’m so sorry for what you went thru and are going thru. Stay strong. This is the best site for all of us to share our good, bad, humiliating, and funny stories because we know the pain, frustration, stress, and the emotional toll it takes on all of us. ❤️

REPLY
2 replies
beanglow | @beanglow | Apr 14, 2019
In reply to @harmonyln "Hi Elaine, the first thing that I can think of is that Boost has lots of..." + (show)
@harmonyln

Hi Elaine, the first thing that I can think of is that Boost has lots of other artificial ingredients in it that could be irritating to your system. I recently found an app to put on my phone that is very comprehensive about foods and food additives to avoid. I've been off of dairy and gluten and yet I learned that there were numerous additives to some of the "approved" foods that I was still eating. You might want to have a look at it, it's called "Gluten Free Diet." I hope this helps.

Jump to this post

Thanks, I will check into it. The only thing I know is that I have lactose intolerance and inflammation.

REPLY
beanglow | @beanglow | Apr 14, 2019
In reply to @oakbourne "No, I usually stick to my all meat, super soft veggies, no soy, no gluten and..." + (show)
@oakbourne

No, I usually stick to my all meat, super soft veggies, no soy, no gluten and fruit diet. I am a Type 1 diabetic who runs low on the blood sugar scale, so I indulge in diabetic pumpkin pie for breakfast and snacks. Everythinhg has to be soft. I cheated and had pecans not soaked and potato chips, and I suffered. Watery diarrhea which is the forefront of Microscopic Colitis. I need lots of protein for healing my gut. Right now, my gut feels like an ocean in a rough storm. Gurgle Gurgle Gurgle. I'll do anything not to get sick and heal. I would have to check the ingredients with Pedialyte for hydration. I mostly drink pear juice for hydration because it's not a citric acid that irritates my gut. Orange juice makes my gut hurt. NO CITRUS! I don't trust most food manufacturers. They pay billions for protection. Not to be trusted. "Breaking the Vicious Cycle" gives you the legal and illegal foods to consume. This is written by a world famous PhD who wanted to help her sick daughter back in the 1950s or 1960s. She's the guru of Celiac Disease and other inflammatory diseases. Hope this helps.I drink pear juice, water or tea for hydration. No artificial anything. No dyes! Check and double check the ingredients and if you don't know em, trash the item and get simple ingredients you know. Dorothy

Jump to this post

I can relate to Gurgle. My stomach sounds and movements are so strange. It does sound like a storm in my gut. Sometimes it sounds like someone is pouring water into a glass. Following that is usually watery diarrhea. Thanks for your advise.

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beanglow | @beanglow | Apr 14, 2019
In reply to @oakbourne "Beanglow, CROSS CONTAMINATION! Happens all the time. Have you been tested? I eat no gluten, milk,..." + (show)
@oakbourne

Beanglow, CROSS CONTAMINATION! Happens all the time. Have you been tested? I eat no gluten, milk, or soy. My test came back and that's all I was allergic to and I was pleasantly surprised. My pecans and almonds have to be soaked overnight for a smoothie in the morning. I have to eat mushy veggies because my gut is wounded like a bullet-riddled Marine Warrior. I bleed inside my gut. I have to heal and healing takes place by eating the proper Caveman's Diet. I have a book on Celiac, the mother who started it., It's limited in what I can eat. But I also have Microscopic Colitis. I don't care, I can't live in the bathroom and wear Depends all the time. I am sick of this life I am healing but as an adult it takes time, longer than if you were a tot. If you want the name of the book, give me a note. You have to order it on Amazon. Dorothy

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I would like the name of the book. I haven't been diagnosed with celiacs or microscopic colitis but I can't eat anything and have been living on Boost. I will ask about Cross Contamination. Thanks for your help. Elaine

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1 reply
beanglow | @beanglow | Apr 14, 2019
In reply to @oakbourne "Hi Beanglow, manufacturers are putting stuff in our food we know nothing about. They hire large..." + (show)
@oakbourne

Hi Beanglow, manufacturers are putting stuff in our food we know nothing about. They hire large expensive lobby groups for protection and put crap in our food that is killing us.We have no idea that they are doing this. READ THE INGREDIENTS! If it's something you don't know - Skip it and move on to pure and simple ingredients. It's important. We are slowly being killed by our diet. They put all kinds of stuff in our food like the pink crap they fill ground beef at Wal-Mart. A worker at Wal-Mart told me that one. We can't trust most manufacturers. Everybody wants us sick. That way the Pharma Companies make more money . Don't even get me started. Our government is corrupt and we are suffering because of it.

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I agree that things are put in our food that are causing us to get sick. I've read so many ingredient labels that have numerous chemicals in them. The label says Lactose-free but when you read the ingredients you find that it has milk in it. has milk in it Thanks for your input.

REPLY
beanglow | @beanglow | Apr 14, 2019
In reply to @harmonyln "Hi Elaine, the first thing that I can think of is that Boost has lots of..." + (show)
@harmonyln

Hi Elaine, the first thing that I can think of is that Boost has lots of other artificial ingredients in it that could be irritating to your system. I recently found an app to put on my phone that is very comprehensive about foods and food additives to avoid. I've been off of dairy and gluten and yet I learned that there were numerous additives to some of the "approved" foods that I was still eating. You might want to have a look at it, it's called "Gluten Free Diet." I hope this helps.

Jump to this post

Thank you. I will check out the book. I was on a low residue diet after rectal cancer and a diet for GRD. I am lactose intolerant, so that doesn't leave much left that I can eat. I've lost a lot of weight and Boost has helped me maintain the weight that I'm at, but it may be making things worse. I'm going to Mayo and hope they will have some answers for me. If they can't help me than I don't know what I will do. Thanks for your help.

REPLY
beanglow | @beanglow | Apr 14, 2019
In reply to @lelia "Harmonyin has a good point. Boost would be especially bad if you have fructose malabsorption, because..." + (show)
@lelia

Harmonyin has a good point. Boost would be especially bad if you have fructose malabsorption, because it has sugar(s) in it. So does Ensure. Have you tried plain chicken broth made from scratch? Best, Lelia

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I have tried chicken broth from scratch but I still have the bloating and distension. I've tried Swanson's but it doesn't have any nutrients in it. Sometimes I get so hungry and the Boost does make me feel satisfied somewhat. I found the coconut ice cream but it has too much fiber in it. My husband found a Bryer's brand but it has Oreo cookies in it. I can't have Oreo cookies. It seems like a no-win situation. Thanks for the suggestion though. Elaine

REPLY
1 reply
oakbourne | @oakbourne | Apr 14, 2019
In reply to @bentley33 "Hello @oakbourne. I just read your post about the dentist office. You poor thing. I have..." + (show)
@bentley33

Hello @oakbourne. I just read your post about the dentist office. You poor thing. I have had embarrassing moments and luckily people have been kind to me, that was straight up rude! I hope you wrote a letter to the office manager,(if not, please do) no one should be treated that way. You are correct they are in it for the money and that’s all! Again I’m so sorry for what you went thru and are going thru. Stay strong. This is the best site for all of us to share our good, bad, humiliating, and funny stories because we know the pain, frustration, stress, and the emotional toll it takes on all of us. ❤️

Jump to this post

Hi Bentley, thanks for contacting me. Aspen Dental is awful and wanted to make sure you never use them. Hope I've been of help with the bloating and diarrhea. Dorothy

REPLY
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