Strange Gut Reactions To Not Being Upright After Eating?

[playin-d-fiddle]

Looking for anyone with any experience with this problem, as the doctors look at me curiously and respond with a "hmm, I've never heard of that before".

Let us start by saying I am Celiac - gluten free since diagnosis over 3 years now. A never-cheater, living in an entirely gluten free kitchen and home, very careful about food intake and happy to be healthy. On to the weird stuff...

Let's say that you've just finished eating a meal, a big one or a small one, a definitely gluten free one - doesn't matter what the food happened to be aside from it not containing gluten (I've ruled out food triggers of any kind concerning this issue and the time of day is no matter as well). Let's say you finished your meal and were comfortable - so you leaned back in your chair while everyone chatted over their plates. Perhaps your behind was 4 or 5 inches from the back of your seat so you could be said to be "reclining". Five or ten minutes later you get up and go about your business, in an upright position, and your stomach slowly begins to swell. We're talking 7 or 8 months pregnant swelling. Just absolutely full of air, or something, or an alien, who knows. To the point that it is only comfortable to bend at the waist to relieve the pain and pressure, or be laying down curled around a pillow for a couple hours. The eventual 2-3-hr-later result involves a lot of air... escaping... the body.....

This happens when I lay, when I lean (seriously!), when I bend over for more than a minute or two; any time I do not stay completely upright for at least two hours after eating. IF I do lay down after eating I can avoid this giant bloated belly by staying in that horizontal position for 3 hours or so. As you can imagine, this interferes with normal life, with work, with my relationship. This has been going on for at least 10 years.

Does ANYONE have any experience with this? Doctors don't seem concerned. I'd like to plumb the depths of your experience before I demand my doctors refer me to all sorts more tummy-insides-guts specialists. Thanks in advance.

Bloated,

Tianna

Seattle

[masterjen]

I had bloating that became severe (along with other symptoms) around Christmas (2009), and was diagnosed with celiac about 6 weeks later. When I started going gluten-free, the bloating gradually subsided, and now, if I do get any, it tends to be minor. Like you, the bloating would start shortly after eating, and after a few hours the gas would finally start to, er, release . . .The whole thing was extremely uncomfortable, painful, and embarrassing when the release finally started (and I had to excuse myself from the family for awhile and be in private). Strategies that helped me (and that I still use, even though I am gluten-free): eat small portions of your meals 6-8 times per day rather than 3-4 larger meals, and avoid lounging right after eating. For this latter strategy to keep me moving for a little while - and it doesn't have to be a major walk outside - I make a point of cleaning up right after a meal, or I'll save a small chore (such as tidying a room or putting on the laundry) for after I eat. Makes a big difference for me - maybe it'll work for you too. It doesn't medically solve the problem so it doesn't happen at all, but a bit of relief from the symptoms are worth it! (not to mention that a couple of chores get done that I might have otherwise put off - LOL!!

[moggio]

Looking for anyone with any experience with this problem, as the doctors look at me curiously and respond with a "hmm, I've never heard of that before".

Let us start by saying I am Celiac - gluten free since diagnosis over 3 years now. A never-cheater, living in an entirely gluten free kitchen and home, very careful about food intake and happy to be healthy. On to the weird stuff...

Let's say that you've just finished eating a meal, a big one or a small one, a definitely gluten free one - doesn't matter what the food happened to be aside from it not containing gluten (I've ruled out food triggers of any kind concerning this issue and the time of day is no matter as well). Let's say you finished your meal and were comfortable - so you leaned back in your chair while everyone chatted over their plates. Perhaps your behind was 4 or 5 inches from the back of your seat so you could be said to be "reclining". Five or ten minutes later you get up and go about your business, in an upright position, and your stomach slowly begins to swell. We're talking 7 or 8 months pregnant swelling. Just absolutely full of air, or something, or an alien, who knows. To the point that it is only comfortable to bend at the waist to relieve the pain and pressure, or be laying down curled around a pillow for a couple hours. The eventual 2-3-hr-later result involves a lot of air... escaping... the body.....

This happens when I lay, when I lean (seriously!), when I bend over for more than a minute or two; any time I do not stay completely upright for at least two hours after eating. IF I do lay down after eating I can avoid this giant bloated belly by staying in that horizontal position for 3 hours or so. As you can imagine, this interferes with normal life, with work, with my relationship. This has been going on for at least 10 years.

Does ANYONE have any experience with this? Doctors don't seem concerned. I'd like to plumb the depths of your experience before I demand my doctors refer me to all sorts more tummy-insides-guts specialists. Thanks in advance.

Bloated,

Tianna

Seattle

I've got the same problem as you but I've only been gluten free for a little over a month so far so it might go away....or not.

If I'm sitting normal after I've eaten I get very bloated and even some brain fog. If I'm being upright,leaning or lying down I can avoid it.

I've figured that if I stretch my back,legs,hips and so on after I've eaten I'm able to get the air out faster. It's like a huge cloud that has to get out. It's weird!!