persistent lower abdominal bloating

[waitandsee]

Ihave had persistent lower abdominal bloating, that seemed to come on suddenly about 2 weeks after xmas.New pants I had bought didn't fit 2 weeks after I bought them.  I have been working out and firmed up everywhere but there. My abdomen is no bigger but no smaller,Even after taking laxatives, anti gas etc.Plenty of gas, but no gas pains.  I now get constipated easily but am eating tons of fibre and drinking water. Occasionally after passing lots of gas I soften up but it literally lasts 30 minutes or so, then I firm up again, looking 4 months pregnant. My weight is stable, around 123 lbs. My doctor did a pelvic,a ca125 (15) and ordered an US. Problem is there is a huge wait list, 3 to 5 months,and I am getting nervous. Gyn problems didn't even occur to me. There is no family history of ca. I frequently have to pee if I bend, and feel pressure from my abdomen constantly. My Dr. feels I have nothing to worry about, and states she knows I don't have OC. I am 46 and have three children, and have learned enough to know early DX is important. Last summer I did have a bout of gastritis after taking a few Ibuprophens after cartilage surgery in my knee.  It sent me to emerg twice, but only one milder bout since. My Dr has not done any test of this, stating it was stress of surgery. I am taking Zantac now (on my own) as I feel gnawing since the stress of this.My husband and I are prepared to travel to get US but don't want to overact.  Anyother ideas?

[roadrunner2000]

I am a 21 year old woman and I suffered for about a year with these same problems (bloated, distended stomach, particularly after eating and in the evening).  I figured that maybe it was partially due to birth control (which I had started a while before I had the symptoms) or a side-effect of running (which didn't actually make much sense because I've been running for a long time). But then towards the end of the summer I fainted on my mouth and chipped my front teeth. The downside was that I had to stop eating sandwiches (my favorite!) and eat a lot of soup and smoothies for a while. But the amazing thing was that my stomach issues almost completely vanished. That was when I realized that I was gluten intolerant, which based on my research, about 1 in 7 people suffer from (though for some it is more severe than others). My symptoms could also mean other food allergies also though--so perhaps try cutting different probable causes out of your diet for a time (lactose, gluten) and see if symptoms improve. If you do have a food intolerance and continue to eat these foods it can really be bad news though--it can damage your small intestine so that nutrients are not absorbed as they should be (as I discovered after I took a blood test and found that I had the antioxidant levels of an old woman and am anemic). Hope this helps some of you---I know these symptoms are absolutely miserable!!

[bloatbombgone]

I am a 32 year old male, who after about a year of suffering severe abdominal bloating ended up in hospital. I had every scan, bloodtest possible, they pumped me full of antibiotics and other cocktails which only made me worse. I apparently began slight tearing inside on the lining of my stomach and was finding it difficult to breath and with ribs aching from the pressure moving up from my stomach. Thank Jesus that one day an older Doctor (not my arrogant ones!) passed by, apparently hearing about my suffering, he told my mother to get me out of the hospital and to have me drink about 3 glasses per day of pure aloe-vera juice. Miraculously and simply, within half an hour after the first glass I felt relief, 24 hours later completely recovered. I beseech any sufferer to run with open arms to the health food store or pharmacy and get the stuff. I use Bioglan Natural Juice 99.7% pure and also Lifestream Aloe-Vera Juice 99.8% pure, ones brown, ones clear??? and I have a glass of each, every morning first thing and last thing before bed! CURED! Ofcourse if I go off it for more than a few days the symptoms return. I never travel with my bottles!

[NYCVegGirl]

As much as I hate to hear about everyone else suffering, this thread has helped me feel a bit less crazy.  I am a 24 year old female, who exercises fairly regularly.  I am 5'8 and weigh about 140 lbs (was 132 before all of this nonsense started).  In the past few months Ive experienced persistent lower abdomen bloating like all of you noted.  I adhere to a vegan diet, and I was starting to think that perhaps I was eating too much fiber or plant matter, but as it seems that many of you have the same symptoms with varrying diets, this is probably not the case.  I am not fond of doctors and have not yet gone to see one, but it appears that it would be useless anyway.  The only symptoms I have are severe bloating, having to pee a lot and random spotting after intercourse.  The bloating is horrible because as others said, it gets worse by evening,  my stomach feels like a basketball and I look 4 months pregnant at least.  If anyone has found an answer, please post.  Also, do all of you have desk jobs?  This is my third year of working full time, and Im starting to think that maybe sitting for 10 hours a day is part of the problem.


Please post any helpful information you have.  Thank you all, and good luck.

[alewk]

The persistent abdomina bloating and menstrual irregularities is probably as a result of hormonal imbalance...I have been having the same problem since 3 months and natural progesteron supplement lead to the resolution of the bloating as long as I am on the pills ...After discontinuation bloating came back immediately..Now I am going to start Cyclo progynova (estradiol valerate + norgestrel) 21 days hormon replacement therapy to restore the my cycles...You can ask you Dr about that...Good luck..I know how disturbing is the heavy bloating like pregnant

[teen18]

I'm a 17 (!!!) year old male and suffer from a lot of the same symptoms that you all speak of ie. lower abdominal bloating, constipation etc. I'e also been to doctors who say it's IBS or that it's all in my head. I eat ridiculously healthy, and have almost no body fat so it goes with out saying that having a bloated lower stomach really agrivates me. some other smaller symptoms are having to pee, and then again straight afterwards. another is lethargy which is probably the worst but i guess thats due to constipation. I'm really not sure what the cure is and like all of you i would love to know exactly what is happening. it's so frustrating because it could be 1 of a million things ie. diet, infection, tension etc. Some things you all could try research (maybe it could help you) is the CANDIDA DIET (BUECALTA: give it a try seeing as the yoghurt helps you.), which has to do with bad bacteria in the gut, you could also go for an IMU-PRO TEST at the hospital which is where they take a blood sample and look to see if you have any food allergies/intolerances. One reason that makes me think my case isn't a food issue is that apparently food intolerences are associated with diarrhoea, and lord knows that would be a blessing!

Will let you guys know bout my progress!

[dcnana]

I have several suggestions as to what it might be. I had similar symptoms in my late 20s - bloating (worse in the evening after working), nausea, and even bleeding with intercourse. I had a hysterectomy which revealed fibroid tumors, scar tissue from my previous tubal ligation, and a hernia. After the surgery, all my symptoms went away. My guess is it was the hernia but I don't know for sure. Just some things to check out.