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Stomach hurts/bloated after all day worse after eating

Hi all. I've had stomach troubles for a long time. I have been diagnosed already (in 2010) with a hiatal hernia, gastritis, and slight GERD. Recently over the past 6 months I've been having lots of pain and pressure in my upper stomach. Sometimes it literally feels as if a knot is there. I've had two abdominal ultrasounds in the past year and they come back clean. Over the past few months things have become worse. I have lost 20-25 lbs. I'm a petite person (5'1 female and used to weigh 110.) and now weigh 86 lbs. I don't have much of an appetite most days but when I do get hungry and try to eat I instantly bloat up and feel extremely nauseous. Sometimes it feels as if I have tons of trapped gas or something as I can literally feel it moving around in my stomach. Last week I had a bout of diarrhea which definitely felt like a stomach flu and my daughter had it too. After that stopped I've pretty much been constipated since. I've only has a BM once since that illness which was 6 days ago. I did not take any anti-diarrhea medicine either or any medicine for that matter. I'm honestly very frustrated and emotionally upset that I have lost so much weight as I love food and do want to eat. I've been tested for celiac disease twice in the past and it came back negative. I've also tried gluten-free and dairy-free diet (except yogurt). Nothing seems to be helping. Any ideas as to what could be causing all of this? I desperately want/need to gain weight and be able to eat. I'm seeing a new GI Dr as the last one was unable to help me and tried to tell me it was all in my head. This is very real. Thanks in advance to anyone who reads this and replies.
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Avatar universal
I am getting flatulence continuosly without gap i am feeling uncomfortable to sit by the side of my friends kindly please solve my problem
Helpful - 0
2085202 tn?1373199740
Sorry you are going through this. Crazy i'm a 27 year old male in NM dealing with this same exact thing and have a daughter also. The HH is hell. I have no idea how I got it. I've literally about wanted to commit suicide it is effecting me so badly. Nothing is working. Do you have anything that helps yours? I get all these symptoms you are speaking of too. Feeling bloated. Never hungry EVER. Just force feed. Feel like my whole torso is going to explode from gas. Burping alot. The worst is all the pain that mimics serious deathly things like heart attacks, liver area pain, neck and back hurting. Now allergies have all of a sudden crept up on me out of no where. Never had them in my life now living with constant migraines. Talked to GI and PCP and they are like no surgery. It will make it worse. Just gotta live with it. Truth is I won't let that be that way. I have asked others and they say the fundoplication surgery is rather non invasive and if you find a good doc to do it (check the net and your local area listings as well as ratings/feedback) that it has a high success rate and if it fails it can be redone. Hope this helped and yeah what is it you are doing for your HH and does anything help? Also heard going to a good chiropractor that knows what this is can help temporarily alleviate it every time it acts up really bad. Just gotta keep going back which *****. Hang in there. You are definitely not the only one.
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Avatar universal
We often hear of people complaining of stomach rumbling, distension, or passage of gas. In all likelihood, what these people experience can be called Malabsorption. There are numerous specific malabsorption disorders, some of which are listed below:
• Achlorhydria
• Hypochlorhydria
• Atrophic gastritis
• Colitis
• Duodenal ulcer Dyspepsia Gastritis
• Diverticulitis
• Celiac disease
• Lactose intolerance
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) - including Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis
In my case it is Hypochlorhydria or maybe even Achlorhydria of wich I am not sure yet. Hypochlorhydria is low stomach acid ,Achlorhydria is no stomach acid. I am also Lactose intolerant.
Hypochlorhydria begins imperceptibly and progresses gradually (unless one takes acid stoppers or antacids), so it is difficult to know if one has it. Chronic stress is one of the most frequent causes of hypochlorhydria. For me the non stop belching after a meal was most annoying and it took me a few years to figure out what was wrong! Look up the info on Hypochlorhydria  and Achlorhydria to see if it applies to you ,too ! I would like to help my fellow sufferers with this.
Unfortunately, a balanced diet will not work if the First Stage of Digestion is not producing sufficient HCL (stomach acid ), to sterilize and emulsify the nutrients consumed. People with Hypochlorhydria or Achlorhydria cannot convert and absorb the nutrients consumed, because of the lack of HCL. There is little or no conversion of Protein into Amino acids without the presence of sufficient quantities of HCL. Pepsin, which is one of the most important enzymes, is not active when the pH of the Stomach becomes alkaline. It is a fact that the absorption of the nutrients by the small intestine can be hindered, resulting in malabsorption. However, this condition is not actually considered a disease. Rather, it is a symptom or a signal that something is not in its right order.



Testing for Hypochlorhydria
A test, the "Heidelberg Capsule Test" is available (unfortunately few physicians have the equipment in their offices to provide it) that is capable of scientifically determining the stomach's ability to produce adequate concentrations of acid (HCL). If this test is not available to you, another "low tech" method of making a correct determination is available. This involves the use of a Betaine Hydrochloride that is used as a challenge substance, when eating, to see if digestive function improves with its use.
When using Betaine HCL for the first few times, please be sure to follow the directions carefully. Always take Betaine HCL at the start of the meal! If taken without food, stomach burning may result.

1. At the very start of the meal, take one capsule of Betaine HCL. Monitor how your stomach feels during and after eating. Should any burning or heaviness occur, or if burning has been present previously (before taking the supplement) and is now worsened with the use of the Betaine HCL, do not continue using this!!! This is an indication that your stomach is overproducing acid, or that your stomach lining may be damaged.
• 2. If the first dose of Betaine HCL produced no noticeable stomach discomfort, try taking two capsules at the start of your next meal, again monitor for burning and or heaviness during and after eating. If taking two capsules produces some discomfort, but one capsule does not, restrict yourself to one capsule at the start of each meal. If the two capsules  produced no discomfort, try three capsules at the start of your next meal.

3. If all goes well when taking three capsules at the start of each meal, stay with that dosage, most individuals will not require increasing the dosage to four capsules.  I hope this can help you !
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