Bloating/Distention/Intenstinal Gas

[pelorick]

I am a 34 year old male in good health. In general, I eat pretty healthy and I go to the gym 4-5 times a week. However, I have been trying to figure out a stomach/GI issue that I have been dealing with for the past couple of years. When it started a couple of years ago, it only occurred every once in a while. Then it started happening a couple times a week. Well, in the past 4 or so months, it has been occurring every day and has become progressively worse. Basically, I am dealing with abdominal bloating/distention and intestinal gas. When this issue started a few years ago, it seemed like the intestinal gas was the more prominent issue. However, it is the daily distention that is affecting my quality of life. It is extremely uncomfortable and sometimes downright painful (the pressure); not to mention it can potentially be embarrassing. When it is bad, I don’t feel like doing much and the pressure buildup also leads to more frequent urination. I have tried many things that don’t seem to help. Basically, it starts off in the morning where I feel slightly bloated, but it isn’t that bad. I would say on a scale of 1-10, it starts off at about “2” on a daily basis. Then throughout the day, the gas pressure/bloating builds and peaks (anywhere from 7-10 on the scale). It seems like it peaks in the early afternoon during the week because I start my days early. On the weekends, it seems to peak in the late afternoon because I usually eat breakfast later than during the week. My doctor is perplexed because these are the only symptoms. Because my symptoms don’t include any elimination issues (i.e. diarrhea, constipation, etc.), he says that IBS and other similar diseases/issues are unlikely; I don’t fit the profile. I have tried the following supplements/items, but none have worked:

Gas X
Charco-Caps
Lactaid (for dairy)
Beeno (digestive enzyme)
Peppermint oil capsules (to help alleviate intestinal gas/bloating)
Papaya enzymes (to help alleviate intestinal gas/bloating)
Fennel seeds (chewing them is supposed to help intestinal gas/bloating)
Prilosec OTC (tried this for 2 weeks even though I don’t have heartburn)
Digestive Advantage – IBS (even though I don’t have IBS, this is supposed to help bloating by restoring the balance of good bacteria in my GI Tract. This will only work if the bacteria count is skewed)

My doctor tested me for Celiac disease and for the H. Pylori bacteria. Both of these blood tests were negative. Recently, I took the lactose intolerance hydrogen breath test and found out that I am not lactose intolerant. This explains why the Lactaid didn’t help me, but unfortunately, none of the other things mentioned above helped me either. Not even when taken in combination. Although I am not lactose intolerant, I just found information related to a milk ingredient called Casein. I have heard that this could cause GI issues, but from what I understand, is a lot less common. I also had an abdominal ultrasound. The results were normal. The only thing noted was that there was a small mass on my gall bladder which the doctor wasn’t at all concerned with. He said that it is most likely a cholesterol polyp which is nothing to worry about and would not cause the symptoms that I am experiencing. I also sent in my hem-occult slides to my doctor’s office.

I have been keeping a daily food journal to see if there are any specific food items that seem to cause these symptoms. However, I have been unable to find ANY correlation between items.
At this point, my doctor seems to think that I have some type of food intolerance (not allergy). However, I am a bit skeptical because I am waking up bloated. I thought that symptoms from an intolerance would disappear overnight. Before, I thought that I was starting at “0” in the mornings, but I just don’t think I realized that I was actually waking up slightly bloated. I tend to hold my stomach in because it helps with my lower back pain. The only other suggestions that my doctor has at this point is to try two different dietary changes. The first one would be to try a modified Atkins diet/reduced carb diet. If this doesn’t make a difference during the two-week trial, he recommends that I try a two-week gluten-free diet. I am willing to try anything to find a resolution to this issue, but a gluten-free diet would be extremely difficult for me to follow based on my normal daily diet. I was going to start the first dietary change in a couple of days, but I have decided to try this Digestive Advantage product first. I don’t want to change my diet yet because then I won’t know if this product is working.

Any information that may help relieve or resolve this frustrating problem would be very much appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

[Unregistered]

I am a 37 year old female with the same exact symptomology as you describe. My abdomen's girth increases by 5 inches throughout the day. I am currently undergoing further tests. I have also had a abd/pelvic u/s which was neg, lab work that was normal, and have tried antacids, charco caps with no relief. It doesn't seem to matter what I eat, which I do eat healthy and work out. If you find something that works, please share for I will do the same.
Thanks.

[agypsygrl]

I have gastroparesis.....the stomach doesn't move with this thus you get the distention or bloating, diarrhea, gas with certain foods etc....You need to see a Gastroenterologist and he will also run an emptying test on your gall bladder. Mine was not emptying but only partially so it had to be removed. I have to take a medicine for this. Also, he can talk to you further about IBS more in detail. I have without the medicines for that you can have more diarrhea than constipation with IBS.

Get your doctor to refer you to a gastro doctor and get him to test you for emptying of stomach, gall bladder and facts on IBS.....you'll be glad you did. Good Luck

[pelorick]

Thanks for the replies. I have not had an emptying test done, however, my doctor doesn't think I have IBS nor any gall bladder issues. I have heard that some people still have the same issue even after their GB is removed. I am still interested in any more information that anyone may post. If anything starts working for me, I'll be sure to post! Thank you again!

[agypsygrl]

I feel much better since the gall bladder is out, but with having the IBS I still have the diarrhea....some days when its really bad can go 8 or 10 times a day.....the last medicine my gastro doctor gave me though stops it! I travel overseas every year to Greece so I told him I HAD to have something plus working couldn't go on like that. He understands the condition better because he treats that problem plus he also has IBS
Still think seeing the gastro doc for a stomach emptying test and GB empyting test would at least narrow the choices down. Plus he may have newer medicines to at least to stop you that your regular physician may not know of. I work for a doctor and normally with someone with your problem he refers them out for evaluations.

[hardmanm]

I am the same 37 y.o. that posed earlier. I also have had my galllbladder out 3 years ago. I also don't have problems with elimination (i.e., diarrhea or constipation). The worst problem for me is the bloating and pain that usually starts early afternoon and continues until the evening. My internist has done abd/pelvic u/s which where negative and general lab work which was wnl. I am know going to be referred to a GI doc to get scoped to r/o an ulcer although I don't take any drugs, drink, or fit the bill for the ulcer forming type! Any other suggestions out there?

[pelorick]

I was reading some replies to my post in a couple different forums. A couple people have suggested trying a dairy free diet for a week just to see if it helps. One of the people who responded said that they are also NOT lactose intolerant, however, they would get very bloated a few hours after eating dairy products. Additionally, it would take a couple of days for that person to get rid of the intestinal gas and for the system to get back to normal. I am thinking about trying this next week before doing the lower carb and the gluten-free diet. Even though I love dairy, I think it would be easier to try this for a week. I wish there weren't some many variables! Let's keep hoping that we all figure out our issues.

rp71

[hardmanm]

I had an endoscopy done that basically showed nothing but a little duodenitis which really shouldn't be the blame for all of the bloating, distention and gas. Next week I will get my lab results and also get a UGI and Small bowel series. So I will let you know if any thing significant pops up. I am still having the issues every day.

[pelorick]

Hello,

I started this thread a couple weeks ago. I have tried so many things to relieve this issue, but nothing has worked so far. I also saw the news segment with Dr. Dean Edell, and it basically says that Xifaxan was really helpful in eliminating chronic bloating. My only symptoms are bloating, distention and intestinal gas. I have had this issue intermittently for a few years, but daily for the past 4 months. The things I have tried are as follows:

Gas X (only effective before gas reaches the intestine)
Charco-Caps
Lactaid (for dairy. This was before I tested negative for lactose intolerance).
Beeno (digestive enzyme)
Peppermint oil capsules (to help alleviate intestinal gas/bloating)
Papaya enzymes (to help alleviate intestinal gas/bloating)
Fennel seeds (chewing them is supposed to help intestinal gas/bloating)
Prilosec OTC (tried this for 2 weeks even though I don’t have heartburn)
Digestive Advantage – IBS (even though I don’t have IBS, this is supposed to help bloating by restoring the balance of good bacteria in my GI Tract. Only works if the bacteria count is skewed)
Dairy-free Diet – 10 day trial. Didn’t consume any known dairy. Also, was diligent about avoiding hidden dairy.


My GI said that this could help because it is a good gut sterilizer with relatively no major side effects. I am thinking about starting this in a couple of days. One concern I have is that I don't suffer from any constipation or diarrhea. However, I am hoping that taking this antibiotic won't change it to the point where this becomes a problem. I don't think that this would happen. I would think that if it doesn't help, it just won't work (it won't create new problems). I just left a message for my GI to verify this.

I am really hoping that this resolves my issue. If it does, I will probably start taking a supplement to ensure that I always have a healthy balance of good bacteria in the intestines. If this doesn't work, the only other things I think I could try at this point would be a lower carb diet or a gluten-free diet.

I also want to say thank you for everyone who responded to my original post from a couple of weeks ago. Good luck.

[hardmanm]

Do you eat a lot of nuts or products with nuts in them like peanut butter? Just a curious question. I am trying to relate my problem with a particular food and this is the only constant I have come up with. Thanks