Never Ending Bloating -

[pufffee]

Hi

I got officially diagnosed two weeks ago. Second Endo and all positive blood work. My mother has it as well.

I have been doing great on diet and have a lot of help from this site and of course my mother. I have gurgling noises and what seems to be stomach acid issues but never get heartburn ever. I was given Bentyl and only take one pill three times a day. This comes from months of taking pepermint, Ginger, etc with no help. Still, this is not working either, but it has only been two weeks. BUT I have been bloated for over a year and half. Now that I am officially diagnosed and on diet, will this ever go away? I have lost about 7lbs over last 6 months but belly looks like I am pregnant or have little bowling ball in stomach.( i am 6"3 190lbs . I was told I have lactose intolerence but drink milk and eat cheese in small doses and see feel no reactions. Also I have given up all Lactose containing products for a month at a time and still bloated. Everyone on here gets the Big D, tired constantly, and have muscle issues during recovery and prior to diagnoses. I will admit I am tired a lot but muscles are fine and all vitamin levels are fine.

Anyone with similar issues or advise with bloating. I have come so far with this but can't get this one thing fixed.

[tarnalberry]

Are you taking probiotics?

Have you looked into any other foods which may tend to bother you?

[pufffee]

Are you taking probiotics?

Have you looked into any other foods which may tend to bother you?

I have been eating yogurt. Yoplait gluten-free yogurt for the first time in my life so that is my only probiotic I take. I have taken then in the past as well with no luck. Maybe try again? Rice Works chips bother my stomach alot so no more of those. But other then that not much really bothers me. I am just constantly bloated

[Wolicki]

I am thinking it's secondary food intolerances. Why not try an elimination diet? The common culprits for Celiacs are dairy, rice, corn, soy, nighshades and eggs.

[bluebonnet]

i've dealt with bloating and i'm 3 months into gluten free. i started feeling less bloated after about 3 to 4 weeks. somewhere in week 5 or 6 i accidentally ate it somewhere though and my stomach bloated out 3" and that lasted for 4 days!! crazy.

i also drink a lot of water and take hikes and walk a lot so that makes me feel better too. i try to make ginger tea often with hopes that it will ease some discomfort but i think that ends up being more pyschological.

it will get better ... just hang in there!

[pufffee]

i've dealt with bloating and i'm 3 months into gluten free. i started feeling less bloated after about 3 to 4 weeks. somewhere in week 5 or 6 i accidentally ate it somewhere though and my stomach bloated out 3" and that lasted for 4 days!! crazy.

i also drink a lot of water and take hikes and walk a lot so that makes me feel better too. i try to make ginger tea often with hopes that it will ease some discomfort but i think that ends up being more pyschological.

it will get better ... just hang in there!

Thank you! I hope it does get better it is a dumb problem to have lol

[DonaldandAlanda Evans]

I have been eating yogurt. Yoplait gluten-free yogurt for the first time in my life so that is my only probiotic I take. I have taken then in the past as well with no luck. Maybe try again? Rice Works chips bother my stomach alot so no more of those. But other then that not much really bothers me. I am just constantly bloated

This could be part of your problem if your lactose intolerant.

[GFinDC]

Hi Puffee,

It seems like you really just got started on the gluten-free diet. It's not a light switch where you can just throw it and you get better instantly. It takes time. Your gut has a microsystem of bacteria that changes based on what you eat. Some bacteria do better with the gluten and others do better without it. So you can go through a re-balancing period at first and that can last for a while. A couple things that might help are getting rid of all diary, and sugar in your diet. From what I can see, Bentyl has lactose in it, which can be a problem at first.

Being you are new to the diet, you have a learning curve to master. So be a little patient with yourself as you go along, cause it can take a while.

The easiest way to start the diet is to stick with all home cooked meals made from whole ingredients. NO processed foods or spice blends, or multi-vitamins with tons of ingredients in tiny type. Remember everything you eat or drink needs to be gluten-free.

After you have been at a a few months, you could try an elimination diet if things don't improve.

[pufffee]

Hi Puffee,

It seems like you really just got started on the gluten-free diet. It's not a light switch where you can just throw it and you get better instantly. It takes time. Your gut has a microsystem of bacteria that changes based on what you eat. Some bacteria do better with the gluten and others do better without it. So you can go through a re-balancing period at first and that can last for a while. A couple things that might help are getting rid of all diary, and sugar in your diet. From what I can see, Bentyl has lactose in it, which can be a problem at first.

Being you are new to the diet, you have a learning curve to master. So be a little patient with yourself as you go along, cause it can take a while.

The easiest way to start the diet is to stick with all home cooked meals made from whole ingredients. NO processed foods or spice blends, or multi-vitamins with tons of ingredients in tiny type. Remember everything you eat or drink needs to be gluten-free.

After you have been at a a few months, you could try an elimination diet if things don't improve.

Thank you, this helps! I am gonna look into cutting as much of lactose out of diet as possible. I do have handle though on what has gluten and what does not but need to focus a bit on lactose more I guess

[GFinDC]

You are very welcome Puffee. Lactose iintolerance is common with us because the lactase enzyme that digests milk sugar( lactose) is produced by the villi.

The villi lining the small instestine get damaged by the antibodies to gluten, and then no more lactase enzyme. The nice thing is, some times after people have been gluten free a while and healed up, the villi start producing lactase again. So, you might want to try it every 4 months or so and see if you can eat dairy again.

For me it took 2 years on the diet to get back to eating dairy. But I had an intolerance to soy that was causing me lots of problems. When I eliminated soy everything started getting much better.

[CecilyF]

Puffee, I just posted something about this same problem! Pregnant-looking, severely bloated for over a year and a half. Cannot figure out what's causing it. Some days are better, but the bloating is taking over my life. I get very fatigued, sleepy, nauseated and unable to function. I cannot wear my clothes unless they have a stretchy waistband because I never know when it's going to swell.

My food intolerances: wheat, soy, peanuts and aspartame

Anyone else have a similar story or any advice for us?

[Tummy Frustration]

Puffee, I just posted something about this same problem! Pregnant-looking, severely bloated for over a year and a half. Cannot figure out what's causing it. Some days are better, but the bloating is taking over my life. I get very fatigued, sleepy, nauseated and unable to function. I cannot wear my clothes unless they have a stretchy waistband because I never know when it's going to swell.

My food intolerances: wheat, soy, peanuts and aspartame

Anyone else have a similar story or any advice for us?

I have the same problem too with the depressing bloated belly that looks pregnant! It is sooooooooo extremely frustrating to only see my stomach flat and "normal" maybe once a month--it sucks that bloated tends to be my normal belly that I forget what it's really supposed to look like. I feel super uncomfortable with certain shirts/jeans b/c of it also. I'm attempting to be strict with no gluten--have not been diagnosed with anything besides IBS, hiatal hernia, and gastritis.

[Ahorsesoul]

BUT I have been bloated for over a year and half. Now that I am officially diagnosed and on diet, will this ever go away? I have lost about 7lbs over last 6 months but belly looks like I am pregnant or have little bowling ball in stomach.I was told I have lactose intolerence but drink milk and eat cheese in small doses and see feel no reactions.

You have no reaction? But you are bloated? Is bloating not a reaction?

[pufffee]

You have no reaction? But you are bloated? Is bloating not a reaction?

I don't consider it a reaction because I have given up both lactose and gluten for a month at a time and still bloated everysingle day and when I drink milk or eat icecream, nothing new happens I was already bloated. I will give it up again now that I am strictly gluten-free now.

[newgfcali]

I'm with ahorsesoul... bloating IS a reaction, so maybe there is another food you're sensitive to. Try deep-sixing the soy and yeast and see if that helps. If all else fails, you can do an extreme elimination diet, starting with very simple things like lamb and pears, then start adding one thing at a time. It takes a really long time, but at least you'll know exactly what's getting you.

[KateGrace]

As soon as I eat anything disagreeable, I bloat up (and get constipated). I feel your pain!

Yes, an elimination diet is the way to go. It helped me tremendously. Your body IS reacting to something; keeping a food diary will help you pinpoint what it is.

Experimenting in this way helped me discover that, besides no gluten, my body developed "issues" with dairy, eggs, soy, corn, and beans. And grains...I can only handle rice-cakes or plain white rice (it's very refined and thus easy to digest, but oh, I miss my wild rice!).

Most surprising discovery? My bloating was down 90% (after six weeks gluten-free), but when I stopped eating meat for a few days (by chance), my bloating went down 100%! My cheekbones popped, I suddenly had abs...it was unbelievable.

I added meat back in the next day, and within hours,my face softened up a bit and I got a little constipated.

I love meat But it's probably too much for my body to handle right now.

I'm very happy with my current diet, which is very restrictive but makes me feel OH so good. I wish you the same, and good luck with being a detective!

[tomtom009]

I've had nothing but bloating for 6-8 years! So I'm with you on this one. I've been gluten free for about month now and they bloating has decreased considerably. At about the 3 week mark things started to really settle down, although I wouldn't say it's 100% gone. Just stick it out, track your foods and know there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It's always darkest before dawn.