Bloated Abdomen?

[sonja69]

hi everyone!

I suspect to be intolerant to gluten and I had some blood test done last week and will have a colonoscopy and gastroscopy next week.

I have a lot of stomach/bowel issues for years now, but the last two month they really got worse.

anyway, the last days I constantly have a bloated abdomen, it looks like being pregnant which I am not. I always had a big belly like a beer gut, but I am thin and it was mostly after I ate something. usually it's acceptable (though not flat) in the morning after toilet visiting before breakfast.

but now it's 24 hours, although I am eating not much and nothing with gluten and lactose (was diagnosed once as positive, second test was negative...but I am confused and I can live without lactose).

BUT I have no pain.

does anyone have the same symptom, looking pregnant or lika a Biafra child (you know the african starving kids) almost constantly.

sometimes I feel so depressed as this is a punishment for something I might have done in another life and I cannot imagine someone can really look like this. I am just feeling being a freak and I am very ashamed of it. how are you coping with it?

I am pretty sure that my test will come out negative and after searching for answers the last years I do not have a clue what to do.

Iam really thankful for answers!!

thanx, best wishes, Sonja

[loraleena]

This has been happening to me since going gluten free. I have a nice tummy when I wake up, but as soon as any morsel of food passed my lips I bloat up to about 5 months pregnant. Digestive enzymes were helping, but seem to not help anymore. I too have no pain, and not much gas passing either. My clothers are tight and I can't where my fitted tops anymore. It is bumming me out, especially since I used to have an eating disorder and my body image has not been great.

[BRUMI1968]

Bloating has been the bane of my existence. I've always had C and bloat for my celiac, which has been active since I was two or so.

Since going gluten-free, I've struggled with it less (at least less pain), but it has not disappeared entirely. Here is what I've gone through with it.

1. Quit wheat 2-1/2 years ago; this made small difference in lots of things

Quit dairy 2-1/2 years ago as well.

2. Quit gluten 6 or 7 months ago; this made big difference in everything but bloating

3. Quit potatoes; this imporved the poop quality, which had been being very weird

4. Quit soy (no obvious imporvement right away)

5. Quit all grains and beans.

Now, here is where we finally got some relief. I quit all beans and all grains. I was eating a Paleolithic diet - seeds, nuts, meat, vegetables, fruits. No potatoes (can't be eaten raw) or nightshades.

I extended this for a little while to the Body Ecology Diet, which has you go for a spell without any sugar at all, including fruit. This made the bloat entirely disappear. However, I ran out of energy really quickly.

ideas:

Yeast. If you have yeasties farting in your system, you will be bloated. Possibly the reason I got so tired was yeast kill-off.

Dairy. Don't do dairy. It's not good for you anyway, and most Celiacs are intolerant.

Lectin intolerance. Glycoproteins (or lectins) are foods that are both protein and carb, like beans, grains, dairy, eggs, and nuts to some degree. they can mimic antibodies, and some new theories believe that they may get into the blood stream through leaky gut, and set off our immune systems, creating autoimmune responses, especially to food.

Exercise: usually helped my bloat to some degree.

Food combining: eat fruits alone; don't mix carbs and proteins (this leaves sugars for the yeasties to eat).

I hope this helps. I still get bloated now and again. In fact, now I'm bloated. I've been eating some cereal that has corn in it, and that might be doing it. Good luck.

[Nancym]

I think some people are fructose intolerant too. :\ That'd explain why it goes away when you cut out fruit.

[IrishKelly]

hi everyone!

I suspect to be intolerant to gluten and I had some blood test done last week and will have a colonoscopy and gastroscopy next week.

I have a lot of stomach/bowel issues for years now, but the last two month they really got worse.

anyway, the last days I constantly have a bloated abdomen, it looks like being pregnant which I am not. I always had a big belly like a beer gut, but I am thin and it was mostly after I ate something. usually it's acceptable (though not flat) in the morning after toilet visiting before breakfast.

but now it's 24 hours, although I am eating not much and nothing with gluten and lactose (was diagnosed once as positive, second test was negative...but I am confused and I can live without lactose).

BUT I have no pain.

does anyone have the same symptom, looking pregnant or lika a Biafra child (you know the african starving kids) almost constantly.

sometimes I feel so depressed as this is a punishment for something I might have done in another life and I cannot imagine someone can really look like this. I am just feeling being a freak and I am very ashamed of it. how are you coping with it?

I am pretty sure that my test will come out negative and after searching for answers the last years I do not have a clue what to do.

Iam really thankful for answers!!

thanx, best wishes, Sonja

Oh yes, i would definitely try a gluten free/dairy free diet for at least 2 months...then start to write down everything your eating and you can start to eliminate other food intolerances if necessary.

and eliminate any bothersome problems

[breann6]

also experienced bloating and still do with glutening symptoms- going gluten free nearly cleared it completely and excercise eliminated the rest...i walk atleast 2 miles a day sometimes 4...it was terrible looking pregnant and wishing i was....still wishing- just don't have the torture of looking and not being...

~breann

[grannynanny]

Oh yes, yes, yes . . . bloated constantly, but especially in the midst of a celiac attack! I had such bad symptoms for so long (6 years before I diagnosed myself 2+ years ago) that I think my abdomen is just permanently swollen. I can't find clothes to fit and just generally feel depressed about it. Wish someone could tell me more about it and whether I can be helped!!!!!!!!

[Electra]

Wow this one is actually different for me. Usually I have a very flat stomach. I have had 4 kids and every time my stomach is the first thing to go flat. Yah I know lucky me, but I've never had NO HIPS if you get my drift lol!! Well the reason I stumbled upon Celiac was because my abdomen had swelled completly up after 4 days of diahreal (it was very painful though) the top of my stomach was hard and it looked like I was 3 mths pg. It was unbelievable. I actually was concerned that I had some kind of infection and my intestines may have a leak or something so I went on line to look up my diagnosed intestinal disorder that I now believe to be misdiagnosed!! Mine has since gone down and it flares up when all my other symptoms return and I'm eating Gluten, but I have major aching and pain with it!!!

[BRUMI1968]

Yeah, I spent most of my childhood and early teens and twenties and heck, half of my thirties doubled over in pain. Glad that's gone.

[sonja69]

hello all,

thanx for answers. I have this pregant look since over 20 years. I do a lot exercise, but it's not helping.

I am thin but not my belly. I am not eating many fruits and thought about fructose intolerance. I did some selftest, but that gave not really a result

food diary, I keep it now since 2003, canot figure something out though. hope that tests next week give me some answers otherwise I will try glutenfree after xmas, nad maybe diary and fruitfree.

but I have a difficult time to believe something is coming out from the test and that anything will help,but not eating. but thats not a real option.....

thanks again!!

Sonja

[Christa1]

Hi! I have been reading the information on this website for some time now but I finally registered today. I just wanted to comment on the bloating issue. I have had the same problem for my whole life. I always wondered why my belly would bloat out right after I ate especially if it was bread, pasta, pizza, etc. I just assumed it was because of the fat content considering that I didn't eat a high fat diet. I have always been a small person, 5 feet tall and about 115 lbs, growing up but my stomach would never go flat no matter how much I worked out. Now at 31 years old I am even smaller, 90 lbs, but my stomach is the same. It kills me that no matter what it will not go flat despite running at least 8 miles a day. I am completely gluten free now but it took some time to find out all the places gluten was sneaking up on me and then eliminating it. However, some candy that is gluten free seems to affect me. I have always had a sweet tooth and loved to eat mike-n-ike's, sweet tarts, skittles, big hunk candy bars, etc. When I eat them I feel yucky and then get constipated. It seems like the longer I am gluten free the more sensitive I am to foods that are not pure and wholesome even if they are gluten free. Hence, I am now eating bananas in rice milk with cinnamon and honey for a treat. It is very good and a whole lot healthier but I sure miss candy. Anyway, my point is that even though my stomach feels better it is not flat and I am not sure it will ever be. I look funny with no butt or hips and a distended belly but hopefully over time this will improve. I was however wondering if sweet-n-low affects anyone in reference to the bloated belly issue? Sorry to babble on and on, but I wasn't sure where to go and post this.

[num1habsfan]

i have the bloating issue too, more after being gluten-free than before. i technically have a flat belly, but most of the time i look pregnant. i guess its a good thing my jeans are now all too big on me, hey? . i havent found any reason why the bloating, it just shows up when i eat (and i am lactose free, too).

~lisa~

[Ltrain917]

hello all,

thanx for answers. I have this pregant look since over 20 years. I do a lot exercise, but it's not helping.

I am thin but not my belly. I am not eating many fruits and thought about fructose intolerance. I did some selftest, but that gave not really a result

food diary, I keep it now since 2003, canot figure something out though. hope that tests next week give me some answers otherwise I will try glutenfree after xmas, nad maybe diary and fruitfree.

but I have a difficult time to believe something is coming out from the test and that anything will help,but not eating. but thats not a real option.....

thanks again!!

Sonja

Hi. I just found out that I'm gluten intolerant (I'm not sure if I'm a celiac yet) about 3 weeks ago. I haven't intentionally eaten anything with gluten, but I've made a few mistakes. Anyway, since my senior year in college I began to develop a gut. It slowly got bigger over the past ten years. It wouldn't noticeably change throughout the course of the day. My pot belly would just always be there. I never understood it because I'm really pretty skinny everywhere else. I tried to watch my diet and exercise but I never saw the slightest bit of improvement. However, since going gluten/glucose free for 3 weeks and taking L-Glutamine for 1 week, I've seen impressive results. I can actually see the abs that I worked so hard for but never new existed. The biggest results showed up since I've started with the L-Glutamine.

[CatandCanary]

Hi All my belly buddies,

I have had this problem for so long. Now that I am trying to be gluten free things are sooo much better. I still have times when the belly distends and sometimes pain will also be a problem in the lower back and numbness in the legs and feet. I am new here so what I do may or may not be OK. Please check your lables and be sure not to do any of this if you are not sure it is right for you.

At the first sign of problems I take a Tbl. spn of Unflavored Fleet Phospho-Soda found at any drug store, in a small glass of water. This will start working real fast so don't plan on going anywhere until you know your ready. Then for breakfast or for the next meal I have Naturade brand Total Soy Meal Replacement found at Belair market, it is Gluten free, I like Bavarian Choclate flavor, blended in a blender with one whole bannana, ice chips and some Lactaid whole milk. My thoughts are better out than in. I eat light meals for the following 24 hours and drink a lot of liquid.

I hope this helps someone.

[moceansylvia-]

After reading what has been written on this site, I felt like it was me writing this. I have been gluten free for about 3 months. At first it was really hard and I acted like a child rebelling over not being able to eat my favorite foods. I have also been seeing a chiropractor for my lower back pain which I thought was due to my distended belly. I wish general practitioners knew more about this. I had a rough time over the holidays and am paying the consequences for it now. After feeling great for being gluten free, I cheated christmas eve, felt like crap and beat up (flu like symptoms) and then went down hill christmas day. I feel awful now and have been on this site hoping to get back on track (major headaches and stuffiness) Thank you to everyone who writes in on this site and helps people get back on track. DON'T CHEAT EVER ITS NOT WORTH IT!

[Lisa]

After reading what has been written on this site, I felt like it was me writing this. I have been gluten free for about 3 months. At first it was really hard and I acted like a child rebelling over not being able to eat my favorite foods. I have also been seeing a chiropractor for my lower back pain which I thought was due to my distended belly. I wish general practitioners knew more about this. I had a rough time over the holidays and am paying the consequences for it now. After feeling great for being gluten free, I cheated christmas eve, felt like crap and beat up (flu like symptoms) and then went down hill christmas day. I feel awful now and have been on this site hoping to get back on track (major headaches and stuffiness) Thank you to everyone who writes in on this site and helps people get back on track. DON'T CHEAT EVER ITS NOT WORTH IT!

Another incentive:

I had terrible lower back pain for three years. After several months of being gluten free, it totally went away and has not returned. I believe my pain came from inflamation of the small intestines.

Lisa

[RiceGuy]

Well now, I can see I'm certainly not the only one looking like a balloon! It started fairly recently - I've always had an entirely flat abdomen, even while eating gluten. But now this has me somewhat concerned, to say the least.

I have thus far concluded that it's some sort of inflammation within the digestive system. So far I've been unsuccessful in bringing it down, except for a few days about a week or so ago when it started looking a bit better. Now it's bigger than ever, and of course quite the embarrassment even more so. I can't just pretend I'm pregnant - that doesn't work unless you're at least female

Anyway, looking at it as an inflammation, I've been slowly modifying what I eat, and doing a lot of research on it. Given what I've learned so far, I feel I may have finally stumbled onto something useful. I have now made a few more changes, and I'm waiting to see how it goes. I won't mention them just yet since it might backfire in some way. I wouldn't want to make such poor recommendations. Over the next week or so I hope to see this swelling go down. I'll be sure to post an update as soon as I have a clear result either way.

Christa1:

About the sugar, you should look into Open Original Shared Link. It's a natural and amazing sweetener. That link will explain just about everything you need to know. But basically it's from an herb, has no calories, doesn't promote tooth decay or yeast growth, doesn't raise blood sugar or clog arteries, and has no known side effects. Personally I recommend the Stevita brand, as it is the purest, thus has a better taste than any of the others (so say the reviews). I don't have a sweet tooth, but so far it seems to work as the claims suggest.

[Nancym]

Hi All my belly buddies

We should be the Bhudda-belly club.

My belly is swollen from too much food at the moment.

[Lisa]

Add me to the Belly Club.

I do have a large hiatal hernia, which I think is causing some issues. I think my stomach is crammed under my rib cage at the moment.

[mamabear]

Add me to the Belly Club.

I do have a large hiatal hernia, which I think is causing some issues. I think my stomach is crammed under my rib cage at the moment.

Another club member here....my DH must get tired of hearing me say "what got me now??look at this!!"

Good thing we've been together 30+ years, or he might take off !

I agree with Momma Goose about the back pain issue....and sometimes it's like low level menstrual cramps(sorry,guys!!!)

[EighthRann]

I have never been so touched in my whole life. Everything everyone talked about has been me ever since I could remember. I am in great shape naturally when I wake up in the morning, until I eat something. It's like night and day from when I wake up in the morning to when I go to bed at night. It's SO embarrassing because I'm not an overweight person and too feel like I'm cursed with a belly that will not go away (I felt the same way as the first person who posted saying they thought this was a curse for something they did in another life). I've even had drug issues in the past all just because of this bloating. I always thought I was overweight and went through any lengths to get thin. When I used to do drugs I didn't eat and had the best shape, then as soon as I ate, boom there went my belly. I been sober for years now mind you and exercise and work out daily (I'm a dancer for Gods sake!!!). I seem to be in great shape, but still, once I eat my stomach explodes, and oh my god, at night before I got to bed and see it in the mirror, I literally want to die. It's the worst thing in the world to have to go through this. It's really affected my life in so many ways and still feels like a curse to me that will never go away.

I've been dealing with this issue for over 10 years now and it's just been a terrible experience. What really shocked me is the person who said they dropped down to 90 pounds and exercise a lot and still have the issue. I was planning on starting a gluten-free diet this month and was searching for info on gluten-free foods (including sweeteners) when I ran across this forum. I read what all of you had to say and was very touched. My friends used to make fun of me and say I'm not fat and it's all in my head, but they don't have to deal with the bloating like I do (plus I hide my belly pretty good and look muscular, which throws off attention from it). I recently learned about possibly being allergic to certain food (gluten, lactose, sucrose) and will being changing my diet (once again!) to eliminate these possible. I don't mean to sound conceited but I'm a very handsome young man who gets lots of attention and could even do entertainment, but I've been cursed with this bulging belly and despite being blessed with good looks, I have absolutely no confidence in my body (despite being in good shape in the morning). I feel like I've paid my dues just like anyone else, but it's not enough and am now ready to eliminate these other foods from my system and see how it goes. Sorry for babbling on so much, I was just very happy to read what all of you had to say in this forum and am grateful (yet sort of sad) to see that I'm not suffering alone through this.

I hope we can all make it through this curse with outstanding results! What a lot of you had to say has really touched my heart and spirit! I feel so much better now, and am ready to defeat this obstacle once and for all! Good luck everybody!

[EighthRann]

I meant fructose, not sucrose lol