Stomach bloat won't go away

Lilaselise

Hi !
First a little presentation : I'm 4"10' and approximatively 89 lbs. I'm not underweight but quite undermuscled, so I don't look too skinny. I'm also small framed. I had issues with undereating but switched to a much healthier lifestyle with loads of good food (trying to hit maintenance everyday even if i don't really count) and weight training, around May 2013.
It went great, I managed to lose a little bit of stubborn fat on my stomach as well as getting much more muscle definition. I also felt better than I ever had. Overall I looked and felt much more healthy.
But on August 2nd, I woke up with a flat belly, had my breakfast (oatmeal) than blew up like a balloon. It lasted for the whole day... And since then ! The next morning I woke up with a huge pregnant-looking belly, that went bigger and bigger with everything I ate. I had no digestives problems, neither did I felt gasy. I just looked huge. I didn't go to the doctor.
From August 5th to August 27th I went on a trip to Asia (China then Vietnam). My belly magically went flat again on August 6th and the huge bloat came back ten days after. I still had no digestive problems or pain, so I was convinced it had something to due with my birth control, like water retention. I went to the doctor on August 28th, and he told me it was gas, asked me if I had been stressed lately (I had not) and told me to avoid a huge list of food (cabbage, raw vegetables, carotts, potatoes, and all the carbs in the world). He also gave me antispasmodics and antibiotics. I took the first meds in the evening and woke up the next day with a flat stomach, which went huge again as soon as I ate. Funny thing is I started having stomach pains when I started the meds, as well as diarrhea. I was as though I couldn't hold food, everytime I ate something I had to run the toilets. I lost my appetite as well, so I was eating very little and going to the bathroom all the time. My stomach was less big at times, but for one second, and never like before. I did not gain any weight.
I finished my treatment and it's still happening. My stomach is huge in the morning, and huger as the day goes by. I'm starting to think it might be gluten intolerance, because when the bloat suddenly went away during my trip, I ate a small amount of bread once in ten days. And when it came back, it was around the same time I started eating bread again. Also, this week, my belly blew up like never before and I had horrible (gasy) pains, right after eating bread. So since friday (September 19th) I'm trying out a gluten free diet to see if it improves.
I'd still like your opinion on this. It's driving me crazy, when I think of all the people I know who eat crap and don't have huge pregnant looking stomachs ! :laugh:
Here is a picture from August, now my stomach looks even worse than that (my mother said that if I was pregnant with my first baby, it would be 6 months pregnant... nice :laugh: )

http://i41.tinypic.com/zkg075.jpg

sallysoldiergirl

There seem to be more and more people these days that have intolerances to processed foods. You can buy gluten free products if you wish to test the theory. it means you avoid an irritant but are still able to eat the foods you like.
I eat everything fresh. I don't not touch anything that has been processed in any way.
all fresh veg and fruit, meat, some diary like eggs, milk, minimal amount of cheese. as a treat I will eat a very small amount of bread but usually I don't eat anything made from grain.
Drinking a lot of water helps too as when you have an episode the intestine become irritated and pulls water in to flush out the offending food this can lead to dehydration and water retention. water is needed for a healthy digestive system. a somewhat active person should be drinking about 2litres of water a day (this can include tea/coffee/juice etc)

hope this helps

Lilaselise

Thank you
The thing is, I almost never eat processed... My diet consist of fresh fruit and vegetable, whole grains, fish and eggs... The only thing that seemed to have changed in my diet around the time I started to bloat is I was eating a little more bread and cheese. I was recovering from being afraid of certain foods and allowing myself to enjoy the foods I like in moderation. So I ate processed in a small amount, once in a while. I also was getting my 2 liters (sometimes more) of water, now a little less because the bloat makes me feel very heavy.

Do you think I should consult again ? It's not getting any better, on the contrary. Also, how soon can I expect improvement with a gluten free diet, if gluten is indeed the problem ? I don't really know when I should give up the theory, if I see no change.

QuilterInVA

It can very well be the grains. When we eat carbs, our body stores 4 grams of water for every gram of carbs. Since going low carb my belly has been flat.

Lilaselise

Could it cause gas and digestive problems as well ? It feels more like that than water retention.

kikih64

I did strict paleo diet for 4 weeks and all my digestive problems are gone...I'm now adding in a little fruit and a little dairy with no issues. I've had a few cheat meals with grains (pizza, enchiladas) and felt a little off, but not where I was before. I had a follow up with my gastro doc today...described the diet I followed and she was pleased with my results.

I had the symptoms you mention - bloat, gas, elimination issues. They did all kinds of tests and never found anything. They wanted me to try gluten-free next and take Nexium too. I decided to do my own research and thought I might have a candida issue too, so no sugars at all. I also took an herbal supplement for yeast. The doc won't buy into the yeast thing - said Western Medicine has not caught up to that yet, not enough supporting info.

I never had tummy problems - I had a cast iron system! They told me sometimes it comes on when you're older, or gets worse. All I know is since the diet change and using the supplement my belly is flat and I've had no issues. Might not work for everyone but did for me. I will not go back to eating the standard american diet, but will have a cheat every once in a while.

Good luck!

yvobrn

I had symptoms like that and it turned out to be lactose intolerance But it could be gluten as well, hard to tell. Maybe you should consult another doctor, who's specialized into these issues.

tawanda6329

There are no test that you doctor can run that will tell you if you have an intolerance with Wheat/Gluten. So, your best bet is just to elimate those foods and see if your symptons go away. You'll notice within a week.

Lilaselise

Thank you all for your answers !
I've been staying away from gluten for a week now, I see no change in my bloat... My stomach still look the same, very big in the morning and huge in the evening. I still have gas and don't digest very well. However, even when I ate a little too much, I didn't have stomach cramps like when I had A LITTLE bread for dinner. Should I wait a little longer to see if there really is a problem with gluten ? I will see a gastroenterologist, it's a very good idea. I'm just wondering if gluten intolerance is still a possibility.

Mainebikerchick

Sounds like an issue with the grains you're eating...I have a friend with a gluten allergy and that's what happens to her.

Lilaselise

I just came back to the gastro enterologist. It went horrible. He basically said that it was very common and because of stress and that he didn't want to do more than a blood test. Nothing else, no meds. I told him about how
- I went gluten free for three weeks and felt a little better
- I even had a flat stomach some mornings (it's almost never flat, only sometimes when I didn't have dinner the night before)
- I ate bread again after three weeks and had nausea, pain and my stomach distented way more
- I always felt gasy and blaoted after eating fruits for breakfast, so I tried eating plain yogurt instead, not only did I feel good but my stomach stayed flat even after lunch (gluten free) so I tried eating ONE grape and I saw my stomach blowing up immediately.
He didn't care at all and told me I'm imagining things, that I can't know stuff about my body.

It feels really awful to be told it's about stress, it happen to me during the holiday, I was the happiest I've ever been, I was eating loads of good food, working out, loving my body for the first time after endless cycles of overeating and undereating. My mother (I should have never let her come with me) confirmed that I was stressed but i'm so not ! Yes I'm a student, but it's going great. Last year and numerous times in my life when I was stressed and depressed I never experienced something like that. I can't eat anything without looking six months pregnant and feeling horribly gasy. I was suspecting somekind of intolerance because elimating some food kinda worked.

I really don't know what to do if my blood test doesn't show anything. Eliminating gluten and fruits makes it better but i still blow up everytime I eat, sometimes without even eating. I'm thinking about seeing another gastro enterologist.

Stage14

Definitely get a second opinion.

Lilaselise

Thank you, it feels kind of awful when nobody believes you. Somehow I trust the people on this forum more than the doctor.

elsyoommen

keep a careful log of every single thing you are eating (your probably already do this if you are on this site) with the exact times and also a careful log of all the stomach issues, you can also log your stress levels and anything else you think is significant e.g. where you are in your cycles. You can do this on a chart so you see it all side by side.

This might help you determine the issue. It's also good to have such logs when you see your next medical professional. Often they ask you to do this in any event.

You said when the bloating started you had extra bread and dairy. So start with both of those, not just the gluten.

AbsoluteNG

I've had the same thing happen to me when i tried to reintroduce crabs back into my diet after going Zero carbs for 3 months. My bloating occurred near the upper portion of my abdomen, around the spot of the pancreas. If that's the same spot you're experience bloating, than I'm going to assume you are experiencing some form of insulin resistance. Your pancreas is enlarged because it's trying to digest all the carbs you are eating but your muscles are resistant to insulin so your pancreas is being over worked to deal with the blockage. Insulin communicates with insulin receptors on your muscles telling them to absorb carbs when you eat carbs but when you are insulin resistant, the communication between insulin and insulin receptors are not there, causing the block-aid leading to an enlarged pancreas. This is not good and can lead to extremely bad things down the line if this bloating is a constantly occurring.

In order to help relieve your pancreas of being overworked, you need to jog at least 24 mins after any meal containing carbs. Try for 12 min mile. If you don't like jogging, walk for 1 hour after any meal with carbs. If i am correct, your bloating should go away after the exercise routine i recommended. Exercise opens up your muscles without the help of insulin to take up carbs so your bloating should go away fairly quickly with the aid of exercise. If you find that cardio solves your problem after each meal, your next step is to build more muscles as more muscles can take in more carbs and when you've built enough muscles the bloating will go away to the point in which you no longer need to jog after every single meal.

I'm not a doctor, this info is coming from my personal experience and my own research I've looked across online dealing with insulin, how it works in the body, and my stomach being enlarged after a meal high in carbs.


.

tcunbeliever

Try adding probiotic foods to your diet - kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, etc.

red_road

I find a fast day while drinking lots of liquids helps get rid of bloating.

TR0berts

I went to the doctor on August 28th, and he told me it was gas, asked me if I had been stressed lately (I had not) and told me to avoid a huge list of food (cabbage, raw vegetables, carotts, potatoes, and all the carbs in the world). He also gave me antispasmodics and antibiotics.

Why would he prescribe you antibiotics for gas?

Get a new doctor ASAP.

KittiesSong

I have celiac and lactose sensitivities. There are very few foods that don't make me bloated however I have found that fresh veggies and certified gluten free foods (they have to be certified!) and some lactose free things don't bother me as much. I got told it was all in my head too until they did a colonoscopy and found my small intestine was damaged from being celiac! Human digestion is such a fickle thing!

larsensue

I had the same problem and now I take CLA and alieve every morning. Alieve is a supplement that helps reduce the symptoms of IRRITABLE BOWL SYNDROM. (or IBS). get checked for it. I hardly ever have bloating anymore....

Stage14

Thank you, it feels kind of awful when nobody believes you. Somehow I trust the people on this forum more than the doctor.

I know what you mean. I had RLS for years before it was properly diagnosed. Doctors kept telling me I just needed to stretch before bed, family said it was all in my head, and I felt physically awful AND like everyone thought I was a nutcase. It took 7 doctors before I finally got real answers and help, and even now, I run into doctors who say that can't be right, I'm too young for that, etc.

Keep your chin up and keep asking questions. Find a different doctor, one who takes you seriously, and don't take your mom to any more appointments.

ash8184

Thank you
The thing is, I almost never eat processed... My diet consist of fresh fruit and vegetable, whole grains, fish and eggs... The only thing that seemed to have changed in my diet around the time I started to bloat is I was eating a little more bread and cheese. I was recovering from being afraid of certain foods and allowing myself to enjoy the foods I like in moderation. So I ate processed in a small amount, once in a while. I also was getting my 2 liters (sometimes more) of water, now a little less because the bloat makes me feel very heavy.

Do you think I should consult again ? It's not getting any better, on the contrary. Also, how soon can I expect improvement with a gluten free diet, if gluten is indeed the problem ? I don't really know when I should give up the theory, if I see no change.

I limit breads and cheese (and pasta) for this reason - I get terrible stomach bloat with even 1 piece of bread or a small piece of cheese. Try eliminating these from your diet for a month and see how you feel?

Dragonwolf

I just came back to the gastro enterologist. It went horrible. He basically said that it was very common and because of stress and that he didn't want to do more than a blood test. Nothing else, no meds. I told him about how
- I went gluten free for three weeks and felt a little better
- I even had a flat stomach some mornings (it's almost never flat, only sometimes when I didn't have dinner the night before)
- I ate bread again after three weeks and had nausea, pain and my stomach distented way more
- I always felt gasy and blaoted after eating fruits for breakfast, so I tried eating plain yogurt instead, not only did I feel good but my stomach stayed flat even after lunch (gluten free) so I tried eating ONE grape and I saw my stomach blowing up immediately.
He didn't care at all and told me I'm imagining things, that I can't know stuff about my body.

It feels really awful to be told it's about stress, it happen to me during the holiday, I was the happiest I've ever been, I was eating loads of good food, working out, loving my body for the first time after endless cycles of overeating and undereating. My mother (I should have never let her come with me) confirmed that I was stressed but i'm so not ! Yes I'm a student, but it's going great. Last year and numerous times in my life when I was stressed and depressed I never experienced something like that. I can't eat anything without looking six months pregnant and feeling horribly gasy. I was suspecting somekind of intolerance because elimating some food kinda worked.

I really don't know what to do if my blood test doesn't show anything. Eliminating gluten and fruits makes it better but i still blow up everytime I eat, sometimes without even eating. I'm thinking about seeing another gastro enterologist.

If you didn't eliminate oats or even the supposedly "gluten-free" grains, then that's probably why you still had issues.

Try going grain-free and dairy-free for at least a month and see what happens. Gluten intolerance often goes hand in hand with lactose intolerance, and grains still have certain proteins that someone with gluten intolerance may react to. Eliminate them all for a month or two, then reintroduce them, one at a time (and no more than one introduced a week), starting with the "safest" foods, and see how your body reacts.

Also, fire your current doctor and get a new one.

HealthyLeeLee

I had the same issue and it seemed to have come out of nowhere! Flat tummy in the morning, heavy bloating after eating ANYthing (including lettuce and tiny portions of food). I started taking a probiotic and within days it went away. I took it consistently for a month and haven't had the extreme issue anymore. I also keep yogurts and kefir around for the probiotics when I get a little bloated. It helps a lot! And you're not crazy

kikih64

Before trying paleo, I took a course of antibiotics to see if my issues were due to some sort of infection and also Probiotics for 3 months - neither thing helped at all. Dr. had me do lactose-free for one week - he said that one is quick to correct itself. When nothing changed there, next step was gluten-free. He told me to do that for 4 weeks because it takes longer for things to settle down. Gluten hides in everything - you might still be injesting it in some form. Eat real foods - nothing packaged and no grains at all, not even oatmeal - for 4 weeks. Then go from there. It sounds like you had some improvement, so just keep going.

Also - I don't like your doctor at all!! Sounds very condescending. You should see someone else in my opinion.

qtgonewild

ive never met an adult that weighs 89 pounds before :O

Lilaselise

Thank you for all your kind comments and advice. I come with an update : after my blood results came back with elevated white blood cells count, my GP prescribed tests for h pylori, coeliac disease, food allergies, and stool and urine tests to detect bacterias. I haven't done the stool test yet, but apart from that everything came back negative... except for food allergies ! It turns out i'm allergic to several things, but the main offender is so surprising : I'm allergic to bananas. I had no idea since I got symptoms after eating anything, but it makes sense because I eat bananas first thing in the morning every single day. I'm astonished ! It also explains why the symptoms went away for 10 days, I had 0 bananas during that time. I'm 3 days banana-free and already feeling better : 90% less gas, less pain and most of all barely no distension, which was my main symptom and never went away except for when I ate almost nothing. I am so relieved. It's hard for me to tell what offender causes what since my main symptoms were GI ones, and I've also always been asthmatic and always had eczema so i don't really know why it's aggravated sometimes, I always figure it's because i'm allergic to all kinds of trees, dust, pollen etc. I'm going to wait until I get 100% better and then test every offender separately.

I'd like to sum up my symptoms for anyone who could be experiencing similar things, even though it varies from person to person. I'm convinced it's mostly due to the banana allergy, and since GI problems seem not to be the most common symptoms for this particular allergy, it could help to share my experience. I had thought of banana allergy for a second but didn't really look into it when I read on the internet that it mostly causes oral symptoms.

Allergies : banana, kiwi, hazelnut, shrimp, garlic, sesame seeds, brewer's yeast, celery.
Allergies that came back negative : egg whit, cow's milk, wheat, soy. Also negative for coeliac.

SYMPTOMS
- Distension (first symptom and only one for a month) almost only in the upper-abdominal area. Gets worse with eating and can be severe, at the end of some days I would look 8 months pregnant. It was less distended on mornings but never completely, only a few times when I skipped diner and breakfast.
- Gas : gasy pains, feeling like you need to pass gas but barely do, triggered by eating food (all the time) and relieved a little after a bowel movement.
- Pain : located in the upper part of the abdomen, at first only on the left then on both sides, sometimes all over because of the gas. But mostly on the upper and middle part, always a discomfort above the belly button.
- Cramps : occasionally, which provoked an urge to go to the toilet.
- Feeling like the food does not come down and stays in the upper part of your belly/in your chest, frequent. No reflux though.
- Constipation : occasional
- Diarrhea : occasional
- Nausea : rare but happened after eating

As I said it can't know for sure about asthma or eczema since I always had it, and it seems to come and go randomly. But yes my asthma and eczema are not very good lately. I did not notice oral issues, except that i remember that it itched when I eat kiwi, but I almost never do. All in all, it looks a lot like IBS. But antispasmodics did not help, charcoal either. The only thing that makes a difference is staying away from bananas. I'm yet to test those other offenders. Do you think I should still do the stool test just in case ? Also, I've read that bananas, kiwi, shrimp are related to latex-allergy. Should I watch out for other foods associated with it that didn't appear on my test results ?

I want to thank you again for all of your answers and encouragement. I'm glad I kept looking for the real cause, it would have been a shame to remain undiagnosed. I hope my experience will help someone in the future

Dragonwolf

Thank you for all your kind comments and advice. I come with an update : after my blood results came back with elevated white blood cells count, my GP prescribed tests for h pylori, coeliac disease, food allergies, and stool and urine tests to detect bacterias. I haven't done the stool test yet, but apart from that everything came back negative... except for food allergies ! It turns out i'm allergic to several things, but the main offender is so surprising : I'm allergic to bananas. I had no idea since I got symptoms after eating anything, but it makes sense because I eat bananas first thing in the morning every single day. I'm astonished ! It also explains why the symptoms went away for 10 days, I had 0 bananas during that time. I'm 3 days banana-free and already feeling better : 90% less gas, less pain and most of all barely no distension, which was my main symptom and never went away except for when I ate almost nothing. I am so relieved. It's hard for me to tell what offender causes what since my main symptoms were GI ones, and I've also always been asthmatic and always had eczema so i don't really know why it's aggravated sometimes, I always figure it's because i'm allergic to all kinds of trees, dust, pollen etc. I'm going to wait until I get 100% better and then test every offender separately.

I'd like to sum up my symptoms for anyone who could be experiencing similar things, even though it varies from person to person. I'm convinced it's mostly due to the banana allergy, and since GI problems seem not to be the most common symptoms for this particular allergy, it could help to share my experience. I had thought of banana allergy for a second but didn't really look into it when I read on the internet that it mostly causes oral symptoms.

Allergies : banana, kiwi, hazelnut, shrimp, garlic, sesame seeds, brewer's yeast, celery.
Allergies that came back negative : egg whit, cow's milk, wheat, soy. Also negative for coeliac.

SYMPTOMS
- Distension (first symptom and only one for a month) almost only in the upper-abdominal area. Gets worse with eating and can be severe, at the end of some days I would look 8 months pregnant. It was less distended on mornings but never completely, only a few times when I skipped diner and breakfast.
- Gas : gasy pains, feeling like you need to pass gas but barely do, triggered by eating food (all the time) and relieved a little after a bowel movement.
- Pain : located in the upper part of the abdomen, at first only on the left then on both sides, sometimes all over because of the gas. But mostly on the upper and middle part, always a discomfort above the belly button.
- Cramps : occasionally, which provoked an urge to go to the toilet.
- Feeling like the food does not come down and stays in the upper part of your belly/in your chest, frequent. No reflux though.
- Constipation : occasional
- Diarrhea : occasional
- Nausea : rare but happened after eating

As I said it can't know for sure about asthma or eczema since I always had it, and it seems to come and go randomly. But yes my asthma and eczema are not very good lately. I did not notice oral issues, except that i remember that it itched when I eat kiwi, but I almost never do. All in all, it looks a lot like IBS. But antispasmodics did not help, charcoal either. The only thing that makes a difference is staying away from bananas. I'm yet to test those other offenders. Do you think I should still do the stool test just in case ? Also, I've read that bananas, kiwi, shrimp are related to latex-allergy. Should I watch out for other foods associated with it that didn't appear on my test results ?

I want to thank you again for all of your answers and encouragement. I'm glad I kept looking for the real cause, it would have been a shame to remain undiagnosed. I hope my experience will help someone in the future

Yay! It's good to know that you've found a starting point. (Boo on being allergic to bananas, though.) Hopefully you can root out all of the causes of your issues.

Some forms of asthma and eczema can both be caused by allergies to something, or some other inflammatory reaction to something, in the diet, so I can definitely see your dietary changes having a positive effect on your symptoms there.

Also, I wouldn't totally dismiss gluten sensitivity the same way you dismissed the banana allergy before getting tested. Celiac is the far end of the gluten sensitivity spectrum (basically, the equivalent of the person who goes into anaphylaxis if they eat a single peanut), and wheat allergy is a different beast altogether. In between "no reaction" and "Celiac" is a range of gluten sensitivity that doesn't get picked up by the Celiac tests (the person who gets a mildly scratchy throat after eating a tin of peanuts). Eczema and asthma are both linked to gluten intolerance (those with full-blown Celiac are 3 times more likely to have eczema, as well; and asthma runs on the same channels as other allergic reactions), as well. So, if you've cut out the culprits listed in your test results and are still having some issues, it might still be worth cutting out the grains again and see if it makes any difference this time around.

And yes, watch out for the foods that are linked to allergies of other foods. You might want to watch the tree nuts, too, since hazelnuts are on your list (note - coconuts and peanuts are not tree nuts, so you're probably safe with those). You may also want to experiment with different foods that are related to see how you react. For example, garlic is on your list of allergies, but depending on what it is in garlic that you're allergic to, you may be able to eat Elephant garlic (a garlic-like leek), or you may not be able to eat onions, shallots, or leeks, either (onion and garlic are of the same genus and are also related to shallot and leek).

kikih64

I agree with Dragon's assessment on the gluten. I had many of the same symptoms that you mention, but all my tests came back negative. The doctor still wanted me to go gluten-free for 30 days to see if it helped. About 3 days in I felt so much better, and now 4 mos. later I can really tell when I've had gluten. The bloating and all comes back. So, not technically celiac or allergic, but I seem to be sensitive to it.

Good luck!!

Lilaselise

Thank you for all of your advice, even though I was hoping never to have to ask for your help again
After finding out which food i'm allergic to, everything came back to normal, no bloat, no stomach pain, no nothing. It took a few days for my stomach to get back to its normal size for the first time in 5 months, and about 10 days for the gasy pains to go aways. I accidentally ate garlic, had a mild reaction (bloat and pain) that also took only a few days to disappear. After that, I had a full month where I was free of any symptom, even when eating a lot during the holiday.
But once again I accidentally ate something I'm allergic to (celery) and a full bloat came back, along with pain, feeling like I'm digesting slowly (like the food is stuck in my chest) and I'm worried because it has been lasting ever since... 4 weeks ago ! At first it seemed like it was very slowly getting better, as the bloat moves to my lower stomach instead of being stuck in the upper belly and I feel like I'm passing more gas instead of it being trapped. But now it seems like I'm back to the same nightmare, even though I'm absolutely not eating anything I'm allergic to. The feelings are disturbingly similar, sometimes worse like I had terrible nausea and ended up vomiting undigested food (5 hours after eating, is that normal ?), which had never happened before. The only differences are that the upper bloat is less frequent and overall less severe, and I also never feel "poisoned" by the things I eat, like I did before.
So I'm wondering if it's just my body taking a long time to recover, or if my food allergies were not the cause but only the symptoms of something else. I don't really know since the only times I got better (and I mean perfect, like it had never happened) are the times I avoided food I'm allergic to.

bunnydumpling

ugh!...I had the same problem with my endocrinologist who didn't believe that I "working hard enough to control my weight". He told me I need to "try harder, use some self control. Eat less, exercise more, one hour of sweaty cardio every day." Thankfully my dietitian backed me up and recommended I eat more and ditch the work out for now...I lost 15 pounds in 2 months!