Of all the IBS side effects, my worse has got to be the bloating. At times my stomach makes me look like I am 9 months pregnant. It sticks out very far, and hurts, as if someone is stabbing me over and over with a knife. I can't suck it in either, so I end up just walking around with a stuck out gut. It is so embarrasing and makes me not want to leave the house. My bloating has been the reason I have had the following tests: celiac, gallbladder, colonoscopy, endoscopy, food allergy, pelvic ultrasound. I do have food intolerances, which I am sure add to my problems, but I am noticing that around the 15th of the month the bloat starts. I usually get my period around the end of the month. I have two bloody cysts that my gyno thinks might be causing problems too. Overall bloat is my big thing.

So...what have I done about it? Well I try and keep regulated by using miralax, a digestive enzyme, gas-x, or tums. They don't always work. I try to stay away from gassy foods like dairy and lettuce, but sometimes I am fine after eating lettuce. If I could just pinpoint something or just have a doctor say "This is what is wrong with you!" life would be so much easier. But all I hear is "It's IBS...."

Let's hear some bloat stories! Please let me know that I am not the only one that can at times look 9 months pregnant when I'm not pregnant at all!