unbearable bloat and gas

[penny10]

I am a vegetarian, so naturally i eat alot of vegetables and gassy foods, but lately the bloating and gas has been getting much worse. Ive tried gasx, beano, etc. Non work. I feel like a balloon is trapped in my stomach at times. Any advice?

[mausi79]

I've had similar problems for the past 4 months. I'm gassy and bloated everyday and now I've developed cramps and lower abdominal pain. I'm also very tired. Its beginning to make me very depressed. I have to wear baggy shirts to hide my extended abdomen (im 5'8" and 121lbs) and the cramps and pain make me very moody and on edge so i end up snapping alot at all the people i love. I'm also at the point where i don't know what to eat anymore

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Thanks for keeping me posted!
Itchy anus can be due to undigested food like citrus fruits, grapes, certain spices, tomatoes, certain medicines like antibiotics and laxatives and certain drinks like beer, milk, tea, or coffee. Anal fissures, hemorrhoids, threadworms can all cause anal itch. Itch can also be due to irritants like synthetic fiber, toiletries or fungal infection.

If you can identify any of these triggers, maybe it will help you. Along with this sense of incomplete evacuation of rectum, I strongly feel it is IBS. Hence the itch is due to undigested food.

Please go through this link. It will help you a lot. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/ibs_ez/

Hope this helps. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!

[penny10]

Well, It sounds like IBS. I recently had a colonoscopy done, and came out normal. They also tested for wheat allergies, and that was negative as well. Other symptoms I am experiencing include a itchy rash that i have developed around the anus, and a feeling of not completing a bowel movement, very gassy, and often fatigued. Are there any over the counter meds that could help the situation. Thanks for your help.
I will also try cooking food longer, as i do tend to eat them almost raw.:)

[Niffer991]

I have IBS and I had those same symptoms in the past until I learned to manage it with foods.

Raw vegetables are trigger gas foods so alway cook them (until you are better)

Raw fruits are trigger gas foods related to the excess water in them (dried fruit is better for now)

If you drink coffee then you would need to give it up or very very limit it for now

No alchohol

No shakes (for now)

Avoid high fat foods

There are many other triggers and each individual is different, I just know how I manage it with my diet as I have the very very odd accurance if I eat fresh fruit or high fat foods.

Jen

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Thanks for writing to the forum!
I feel that you are possibly suffering from Celiac Disease/Ulcerative Colitis/Irritable Bowel Syndrome. All these result in a combination of symptoms like tender abdomen, loose stool or loose stools alternating with constipation, abdominal distention, bloating, cramps etc. Please refer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coeliac_disease http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulcerative_colitis

If you have an irritable bowel fibrous food will aggravate the symptoms.

Hope this helps. I would strongly recommend you to see a gastroenterologist (a specialist who looks after the diseases of our digestive system). Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!