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Chronic belching 10 years..
Chronic belching 10 years
I have worked with 5 GI specialists, but nothing has worked. Only one appeared to take a real interest in me and this condition, I think others had mentioned much more serious things to deal with and burping disorder seemed like no big deal ( but it is!). A couple admitted on day one that chronic conditions/habits like thus for a 63-72 year old rarely can be helped by much of anything. All the alternative and western medicine care listed below has not been even slightly helpful. The drugs and therapies and tests and dieting seriously have had no effect whatsoever. This may not be life threatening, but seriously affects the quality of my life 24/7. If you are in a hurry, you can skip over my laundry list below, just know nothing has worked so far, and problem is likely not physiological.
Baclofen , Pregbalin , Antacids , prescription Prilosec for several months,
FODMAP diet 6, 2, 3 month periods, no positive or negative foods.
SIBO( borderline ) three times. antibiotics, natural supplements, slippery elm, homeopathic remedies, calcium- magnesium, tums for indigestion ( not very often)
Barium swallow test (showed slight leakage of epiglottis, and I cough when eating sometimes, usually due to spicy food)
Stomach emptying test ( fast, 20 minutes)
2017, 2021 endoscopies, not remarkable. Rules out celiac, ulcers
Allergy testing
Biofeedback to eliminate mouth breathing and learn diaphragmatic breathing through nose between speaking phrases. ( failed at this)
Acupuncture, visceral manipulation, homeopathic and naturopathic remedies. Slippery elm tea ( calmed uncomfortable stomach, maybe reduced gas in stomach and gut.)
Fiber supplement every day, about I-2 teaspoon works. I have diverticulitis in colon , no other colon issues.
I eat slowly and carefully, mindful of talking.
After many days of reading online on reputable sites including Mayo, to learn more about the anatomy, supragastric and gastric belching and intestinal gas, causes and conditions and treatments, I have read about several studies that found success with cognitive behavioral therapy and speech therapy, based on the conclusion/assumption that belching syndromes like mine that don’t have a physiological explanation are due to a learned or chosen behavior ( although probably mostly subconscious in my case). I don’t have much anxiety about anything in my life ( except belching !), and reading about CBT seems to only point to “anxiety “ disorders as a possible approach for eating related issue.
Does anyone have personal or clinical experience to share about belching, CBT, maybe hypnotherapy.? I would really appreciate hearing your story and lessons learned. Thanks so much!
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Wow, what a pain (no sarcasm intended)! It's so discouraging when doctors minimize a problem...Makes me feel kinda crazy.
I read through your "laundry list," and did not see anything about your gall bladder. Before I had my gall bladder removed, I used to have bad attacks of belching. They went away after the surgery. I get them occasionally now if I eat too much fatty food, coffee, carbonated beverages.
Maybe acupuncture would help? Haven't tried it myself.
Hope these ideas might be helpful to you. Good luck and best wishes.
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1 ReactionI also have tried your laundry list of tests and “fixes” for about 5years. The burping is more than an annoyance, it doesn’t feel good and disrupts being able to go to sleep. My GI Dr thinks I am swallowing air, but have not tried the things you mentioned. I am looking forward to seeing what others have to say. I hope something can be figured out for you!
Thanks so much for responding. I often feel like I am the only one who is dealing with this. I have not had one caregiver in all these years say “I have had another patient with chronic eructation.”, even when I have asked directly, and have never believed I must be the only one. I do not know of one other person in my life for ten years that appeared to be dealing with this, it’s kind of hard to hide. I like to think I can “burp quietly” most of the time by not opening my mouth, but everyone knows because it is really obvious anyway.
So we’ll watch this thread carefully, maybe someone else will know things we haven’t tried that actually work. Are CBT , Hypnosis, or anything else not mentioned in my list, something you have considered or tried had a health professional even suggest?
We will both sleep better and have a whole new life if we ever get to the bottom of this….!
I did try acupuncture with two different practitioners for a total of 9 months with no effect even for a few hours.
Thanks for letting me know about the gall bladder possibility, I will look into it ASAP!
Thanks so much!
After a few minutes of gall bladder research, hearing about all the bad things that can happen, I am wondering if you had other major gall bladder symptoms that led to needing surgery, or just belching mainly?
I also developed pretty significant pain in the upper abdomen and gas. The pain alerted my doctor. : )
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1 ReactionI have not tried CBT or hypnosis, but have tried all of the gas, acid reflux medications. My GI doc thinks I am swallowing air, so like you I am very aware of taking in air as I am eating. To me it seems to be a reaction that happens after eating a substantial meal. Small amounts of low fodmap foods do not cause it. But if I have a restaurant meal or a complete dinner I am belching and sometimes have bloating/pain. I’m glad I could make you feel like you are not alone! I don’t know of anyone that has this either.
I hate to discourage you but I had my gallbladder removed but I still belch throughout the day. Just don’t want you to have unnecessary surgery.
Thanks for your input. Fortunately I don’t have any other typical gall bladder symptoms , and having just researched them, feel like I am getting off easy with just a chronic belching condition.
I am sorry to hear you had to have surgery, and that you are still stuck with the horrible belching to deal with. Keep an eye on this thread; maybe there will be something new to try. Are your sure , more than 50% anyway, that your belching condition does not a different cause than gall bladder now that it has been removed from the queue? Ever the optimist. I suggest you don’t give up yet …….
Excessive beaching can be due to one or more parasites. Or it can be due to you eating gas producing foods. Or if can be bc your pancreas is not making digestive enzymes. So best to see a Gastroenterologist. Wish you the best!
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