Help with chronic bloating, could be IBS

AXapakWECHANGED

Hi everyone,

I'm an 18 year old male living in Toronto. As a student, I tend to live a relatively sedentary lifestyle.

For as long as I can remember, I've had problems with constipation. In my youth, I had frequent stomach aches (which I outgrew) and took laxatives for extended periods of time. Up until about a year ago, the constipation didn't really bother me. However, in December of 2012, I visited Bulk Barn and ate a whole bag of gummy candy. I was extremely bloated and constipated for the following week. I took laxatives to clear myself out. Two weeks later, things had returned to normal, and I eventually ended up making another visit to Bulk Barn for more candy. The bloating and constipation returned, and since then, have not gone away.

I've been bloated and constipated for over a year now. My diet and lifestyle patterns are the same now as they were before the bloating occurred, which I find odd. The bloating is very noticeable; sometimes so much that my stomach physically can't stretch any further out. It's also extremely uncomfortable, leaving me feeling lethargic but restless. For the first few months, I found eating prunes helped. The bloating would "fully" disappear after relieving myself in the washroom, only to return almost immediately. Eventually, the prunes stopped being effective, never "fully" relieving the bloating, only "halfway". I've also tried Metamucil, which got me regular, but only relieved bloating "halfway".

I've been tested for celiac disease, lactose intolerance, and stool cultures. All fine. I've had an ultrasound of my GI tract, all fine. I've had an upper GI inspection, which showed food passing through me slower than usual. As such, my doctor prescribed domperidone maleate (Motilium) to speed things up. It helped my constipation a little, but not the bloating. After seeing a gastroenterologist, she's diagnosed my with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and has put me on RestoraLAX, Metamucil, and prucalopride succin (Resotran). She also suggested exercising 3 times a weekly, and eating smaller, more frequent meals full of fibre and fruits/vegetables. The first day of using all these medications, I went to the washroom three times, and the bloat was gone. However, the bloating return after the next meal, and despite using the medication and exercising for three weeks now, the bloating has not receded.

This bloating has really hurt my self-esteem, lowered my sex drive, and has left me miserable. Does anyone who has faced/is facing this problem have any suggestions for me? I'm all ears.

freddi11e

bump. story of my life.

cfredz

story of my life as well. would love to see some answers

NikkiDerrig386

Bump

bkerr30

I also have IBS and saw a gastroenterologist for years before trying a gluten free diet. Almost immediately my bloating and tummy issues subsided. I also had chronic joint pain and terrible exema that cleared up as well. (I have heard all these problems go hand in hand with gluten intolerance).
Talk to your specialist before any drastic dietary changes, because as a student it is a very expensive diet to maintain (especially if purchasing pre packaged foods) if you do decide to go this route, I really recommend leading to cook/bake ASAP and read A LOT about gluten intolerance before starting.
Best of luck to you, I feel your pain as I struggled for years with the same issues. Feel free to add me as a friend and message me any questions you have.

christiec2015

I've got IBS too - had it for around 7 years now, since I was in secondary school. However I have diarrhoea instead of constipation. Very embarrassing when it flares up and I'm out and about, but what can you do. Anxiety, as well as certain foods are said to trigger IBS, such as tea/coffee, alcohol, fizzy drinks, fatty food etc as they slow the passage of stool. Dietary changes can help to ease your symptoms and you should definitely try to gradually incorporate more fibre into your diet as your gastroenterologist said. I hope you manage to control the condition soon - I know how painful and annoying it can be!

Nottafattie

My sister and I have both been diagnosed with IBS. She uses Kefir milk and says it has made a tremendous difference for her (and she's been through many different treatments from her doctor). I have dropped all added sugar from my diet, forced myself to drink much more water, and started moving. I miss my soda like nobody's business, but nobody asks me when my baby is due now. And on those days I do slip up and eat something sugary, I feel like a mess the next day.

My guess (I'm not a doctor, so it's just a guess) is that it's something to do with your diet. My sister couldn't have tomatoes, or any sauce made with them. I don't do well with any food that has more sugar (real or fake) than nature put in it. I would start by breaking it down real simple, lean cuts of meats that you cook yourself (chicken and fish), fresh fruits and veggies (nothing too acidic) as your base, then add whole grains and dairy with live cultures to round out your meals. Keep with it for a couple of weeks, drink loads of water and walk everywhere. Park in the farthest spot, take the stairs, you've heard it all before. Give it time, and then slowly start adding the want items in one at a time with several days in between to judge your tolerance to them. Realize that you have spent years in this state, so it is the state that your body wants to revert to. It will take work and patience to change that. Don't give up on something if it doesn't seem to be working right away.

Elise4270

Im IBS-D. No gallbladder.

An elimation diet worked for me. Omit dairy, gluten, and soy. Perhaps any thing else that might cause your discomfort, like high sulfur foods. I've been tested too an nothing comes up positive. But I must be intolerant at the least.

Reintroduce one food at a time for say a month and see how that goes. Eat as cleanly as you possibly can.

I don't eat out (very much). Off gluten and soy and limit nuts and dairy (usually occasional yogurt). It doesn't suck when a change makes you feel better.

Don't forget the water. Good luck!