Need advice with all my symptoms. I have been to 5 ER's, [...]

Your symptoms can describe several things which is unfortunate. On your CT, did anyone ever discuss with you sclerosing mesenteritis and/or mesenteric panniculitis? You state that it said swollen lymph nodes, etc. 🙂 Your symptoms seem to go along with those diseases But can go along with others as well! 🙂 The thing that caught my eye is wherein you stated about the nodes, etc. 🙂

I am a 57 year old female. My stomach looks like I am pregnant. Bloated all the time even when I'm not consuming food? I was diagnosed with GERD 6 yrs ago. Because of chest pains. I never bloated. I don't believe this is GERD. This is new and uncomfortable.kinda worried. Looking for some answers.

Just a quick note. One of the symptoms of some forms of Amyloidosis is a rounded and proturbed belly. Ask your doc to do a Bindings/Mayo Serum Free Light Chain assay on you. If your blood SERUM shows a Free Light ChainAssay of 1.8 or more mL per deciliter, this is the likely culprit. The misfolded protein fibrils worm their way into the belly muscles and fat, and make the belly swell up in a rounded for, something looking like pregnancy. The experts are at Mayo, Sloan Kettering, Stanford, Boston. Do not trust a local doc for this one. It takes a lab and doc with lots of experience. ARUP Labs in Salt Lake is great.

Hello @6409 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I am so sorry you suffer with this very uncomfortable condition and I understand your concern. I have heard this symptom mentioned many times and have made an attempt to understand it a little but I unfortunately do not have much to offer other than my concern for you. @oldkarl offered some good advice in his response and if I could add to that, I would also suggest an office visit to your doctor. If you feel you need help a little bit more urgently you could go to the ER. I only suggest that because I sense your concern.
If you see a professional at least you will get some answers and have relief from worry. If you would like, you could print what @oldkarl suggested and take that with you. There are others at Mayo Connect that may be able to offer additional information or experiences.
If you don't mind me asking, have you seen a doctor for this condition?

I pray you will have relief of your symptoms.
@vdouglas

So sorry to hear your in pain. I know how you feel. I have terrible stomach pain. I have colon polyps that seem to show up every 6 months. I have silent gerd and Barrett's esophagus. So far treatments have not really helped me. I too am very anxious because this has been going on for a long time. It just gets worse. I do hope they find your problem and you can get some relief. Take care from Lynn

@oldkarl Good suggestion, I had not heard about that before.

@largetree80 Another thought that came from a member who had a plain abdominal x-ray (not a CT or MRI) when bloated. She said it can show mega colon or adhesions from previous surgeries or other things inside the abdominal cavity that might be "tugging." You can look at her post dated April 30, 2017, her username is @muffincat.

Also, @largetree80, does this bloating get worse after exercise (if it first thing in the morning did you exercise the day before), or have you found any "trigger foods" or trigger activities that make the bloating worse? Sometimes keeping a diary of activities and/or food and drink can be helpful and might show you a pattern.

Teresa

Hi @6409,

I'd like to add my welcome and thank you for joining the Connect community. I'm sorry to learn that you are not feeling well. We have a few discussions that might interest you:
– I am a relatively healthy person with a problem “bloated belly” https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/i-am-a-relatively-healthy-person-with-a-problem-bloated-belly-my/
– My stomach makes me look pregnant.https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/my-stomach-makes-me-look-pregnant/
– Stomach bloating/ digestive issues https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/stomach-bloating-digestive-issues/

I'm tagging @mroreo126 @luladavis @shoregal45 @gloriaeb @upnorthnancy @boogirl @citygirlannie @keysgull @jigglejaws94 @clemlaa, @monasolis @amihealthy @lizwhite80 @saucy @66andcounting @oregongirl as they've experienced similar symptoms, and I hope will join in with their insights.

@6409, may I ask if you take any medication to get some relief? Do you still get chest pains? Have you consulted your doctor with these concerns?

What have you done about your Barrett's? How long of segment of Barrett's? Does your endoscopy/biopsy show any dysplasia? I only ask these because I had about a 4" BE, treated at UW MADISON with Radio Frequency Ablation, in fact still having follow up endoscopies.

Hi Bill @waterboy,

I hope @nanny23 will return with some insight for you. May I ask if you would share a few more details about yourself with regard to Barrett's Esophagus (BE)?

Last year I was scheduled for my first colonoscopy, and asked my Dr if he could order an endoscopy at the same time.... I asked this because I have had bouts of Gerd and have been coughing up some nasty looking phlegm. I also have Mod COPD so I wanted to see if the two were connected. The colonoscopy went well, minor polyps only, the endoscopy went differently... minor hyatel hernia, and Barrett's Esophagus (BE) almost 4 inch segment. Was explained that this happens when gastric fluid from the stomach pushes into esophagus. The gastric fluid causes the esophagus to protect itself by replacing normal lining with lining similar to the intestinal tract, but this is abnormal skin there. This can lead to esophagus cancer. At that time they only found minor dysplashia so no treatment was needed, just careful watching and acid reduction treatments Omeprazole. After six mos and another endosocopy/biopsies it had advanced to high dysplasia, so was scheduled for 360 deg Radio frequency ablation (RFA)... this is where they use radio frequency to burn about 3 microns of the abnormal skin off for the full length and full circle... the first treatment is the worst, but tolerable. Keeping the acid off will let the esophagus replace the abnormal lining with the normal lining. You return about every 3 mos for endoscopy and biopsy until it is fully repaired.