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Bloated All the Time - No Answers
I am desperate.
About the time I came home from college for summer vacation, I began noticing drastic changes in my GI system. Though I had absolutely NO stress upon coming home, after finals, things got really bad. Everytime I eat I am bloated, and was in terrible pain. I began putting on weight despite eating only about 1000 calories a day, due to such bad pain from eating. I excercise very hard most days of the week but began to get weak and tired from being in pain and not eating enough. I began to rule out foods left and right, I already follow a high-fiber, super healthy vegetarian diet plus seafood, no dairy and so when I ruled out eggs, caffeine, sucralose/sorbitol, anything processed, there was not much for me left. I stopped eating wheat and gluten entirely, nothing helped much. Not eating usually was the best remedy, but still did not help entirely. I kept putting on weight, still super bloated, and missing my favorite foods. I even tried eating more, back up to 1600-1800 calories for a week and this made things worse. i tested negative for H. Pylori, my thyroid was checked twice, I had a CT scan, a pelvic and abdomen ultra sound, a million blood tests (including tests for hormones), a stool sample, and my doctor said there was no need for an EGD or a colonoscopy - ive had two EGDs in the past for my 3 ulcers i had (which are gone).
I was pretty constipated too, only going once every few days...I tried fiber therapy (citrucel and fibercon), I tried Bentyl and Pamine (horrible reaction), I tried probiotics with little to no success, I tried Reglan (helped the BMs), and now am on Amitiza. Thankfully I am going to the bathroom every day again and the stomach spasms have diminished but there is a lot of undigested matter, mucus and is not how it used to be. I reintroduced a little bit of wheat here and there, stay away from veggies during the day, and eggs and none of them seem to make it significantly worse. I stopped eating so much soy and peanut butter (legumes) thinking this was the answer since I dont eat those things at college but have not noticed a drastic difference yet. I drink "tummy teas", take digestive advantage and drink tons of water. All I know is my worst symptom is bloating, I am 150 pounds for 5'8 and was 130 when I came home 2 months ago :(.
I have been to 2 GI doctors, one thinks it is IBS with constipation and said I had nothing unusual in my stool/blood to be concerned about, and the other thinks I should just "let it run its course, I am overreacting" and to stop all probiotics and teas and what not. I cry all the time and this condition is interfering with my life, the gas/pain/bloating nearly debilitates me, especially the flare ups. i don't know how I will go back to college like this, the only thing getting me through are the "good days" which are soo few and far between. I don't know what to do or what is wrong with me, I almost hoped I had worms or something when the tests came back because at least it would have been an answer - my newest thing is maybe it is a food intolerance? It came on so fast!
About the time I came home from college for summer vacation, I began noticing drastic changes in my GI system. Though I had absolutely NO stress upon coming home, after finals, things got really bad. Everytime I eat I am bloated, and was in terrible pain. I began putting on weight despite eating only about 1000 calories a day, due to such bad pain from eating. I excercise very hard most days of the week but began to get weak and tired from being in pain and not eating enough. I began to rule out foods left and right, I already follow a high-fiber, super healthy vegetarian diet plus seafood, no dairy and so when I ruled out eggs, caffeine, sucralose/sorbitol, anything processed, there was not much for me left. I stopped eating wheat and gluten entirely, nothing helped much. Not eating usually was the best remedy, but still did not help entirely. I kept putting on weight, still super bloated, and missing my favorite foods. I even tried eating more, back up to 1600-1800 calories for a week and this made things worse. i tested negative for H. Pylori, my thyroid was checked twice, I had a CT scan, a pelvic and abdomen ultra sound, a million blood tests (including tests for hormones), a stool sample, and my doctor said there was no need for an EGD or a colonoscopy - ive had two EGDs in the past for my 3 ulcers i had (which are gone).
I was pretty constipated too, only going once every few days...I tried fiber therapy (citrucel and fibercon), I tried Bentyl and Pamine (horrible reaction), I tried probiotics with little to no success, I tried Reglan (helped the BMs), and now am on Amitiza. Thankfully I am going to the bathroom every day again and the stomach spasms have diminished but there is a lot of undigested matter, mucus and is not how it used to be. I reintroduced a little bit of wheat here and there, stay away from veggies during the day, and eggs and none of them seem to make it significantly worse. I stopped eating so much soy and peanut butter (legumes) thinking this was the answer since I dont eat those things at college but have not noticed a drastic difference yet. I drink "tummy teas", take digestive advantage and drink tons of water. All I know is my worst symptom is bloating, I am 150 pounds for 5'8 and was 130 when I came home 2 months ago :(.
I have been to 2 GI doctors, one thinks it is IBS with constipation and said I had nothing unusual in my stool/blood to be concerned about, and the other thinks I should just "let it run its course, I am overreacting" and to stop all probiotics and teas and what not. I cry all the time and this condition is interfering with my life, the gas/pain/bloating nearly debilitates me, especially the flare ups. i don't know how I will go back to college like this, the only thing getting me through are the "good days" which are soo few and far between. I don't know what to do or what is wrong with me, I almost hoped I had worms or something when the tests came back because at least it would have been an answer - my newest thing is maybe it is a food intolerance? It came on so fast!
YEs I agree I have a ovarian cyst and I am always bloated, just found out and made an appt. with my gyno
funny thing is, when i got my CT scan and pelvic ultra sound they found a tiny tiny ovarian cyst...but sai it would go away. That was well over a month ago, almost two now. I went to a fertility doctor and he said it was probably just a coincidence.
Consider seeing a gynecologist. Ovarian cysts can cause bloating, pain, weight gain and constipation. I had terrible bloating with an ovarian cyst. Interesting enough, many problems other than a direct GI cause can make your GI tract to go haywire, so look into it especially if the pain you're having is in the lower abdominal area. Good Luck!
Be sure to get reliable opinion is it fluid or gas what's in your abdomen. It's quite possible it is both, but it is important to find out is it fluid or not.
thank you for your help, i posted in the original post that the stool sample was negative for everything and i am 'perfectly' healthy. they ruled out diverticulitis too when I went to the ER one night with pain.
First - doctor must say is your abdominal swelling from gas or from fluid. Also your leg swelling - do you have swollen ankles? Or if you press on your shin bone, does impression stays there for some seconds? It has to be found where you got 10 kilos from? I would even search for intestinal worms. These 10 kilos are from: fat, stool, water or parasites.
You should have stool test for parasites.
Diverticulitis - by x-ray with barium enema.
SIBO is diagnosed by a breath test.
You should have stool test for parasites.
Diverticulitis - by x-ray with barium enema.
SIBO is diagnosed by a breath test.
yea i was negative for h pylori - which was annoying. It is very lower-GI...definitely. my upper abdomen is sculpted just like it always has been. the lower part is puffy and uncomfortable, how could they test for diverticulitis?! That is interesting. I do not drink beer, cola OR fruit juice :( i barely drink/eat anything of any variety. I asked my doctor about SIBO and he brushed it off and said I was a healthy young girl and that was ridiculous but, I am not so sure. I should probably look into SIBO some more.
Well, look, this symptoms sounds like a water retention.
- gaining weight
- stomach swelling which doesn't go down completely, I dont know, it may just be ASCITES.
- leg swelling
Common causes are: liver, kidney, heart or hormone (thyroid) disease.
So the first thing is confirming, do you have water retention or not: even GP should confirm this by simple examination.
Gas (if it causes UPPER abdominal bloating and BURPING) may be from H. pylori (if you had blod terst, you may again have a BREATH test for H. pylori.
If gas is like LOWER abdominal bloating and FLATULENCE than this may be from small intestinal bacterial overgrowth or parasites or diverticulitis...
Diet in bloating is: low fibers, low sugar (including BEER, cola fruit juices).
- gaining weight
- stomach swelling which doesn't go down completely, I dont know, it may just be ASCITES.
- leg swelling
Common causes are: liver, kidney, heart or hormone (thyroid) disease.
So the first thing is confirming, do you have water retention or not: even GP should confirm this by simple examination.
Gas (if it causes UPPER abdominal bloating and BURPING) may be from H. pylori (if you had blod terst, you may again have a BREATH test for H. pylori.
If gas is like LOWER abdominal bloating and FLATULENCE than this may be from small intestinal bacterial overgrowth or parasites or diverticulitis...
Diet in bloating is: low fibers, low sugar (including BEER, cola fruit juices).
No on good days, I am not 100% better. Like today, I am having a good day but I am not completely comfortable - but then again all I have eaten is a banana and later I had an apple baked in the microwave. I have tried eliminating fruit and that does not help either, so i eat it because I love it....
My doctor noted that I was very very gassy even though I was not expelling any, he pushed on my stomach a bit. My legs are swollen too.
My doctor noted that I was very very gassy even though I was not expelling any, he pushed on my stomach a bit. My legs are swollen too.
On "good days" does your stomach goes completely down to normal? It's kinda strange you've gained 20 pounds with less eating. Only explanation to this is retention of fluid, but this should go with some swelling around ankles and the fluid would be detected in the stomach even by simple examination by doctor.
I guess you were tested for hypothyroidism.
Or stool simply stays in the colon and gradually increases your weight.
I guess you were tested for hypothyroidism.
Or stool simply stays in the colon and gradually increases your weight.
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