Abdominal Pain Forum - Severely bloated abdomen

Dor102 wrote:

I am a 56yr old woman, usually fit and healthy, very active outdoors, healthy diet, 169cm and very slim.

For almost 7 years I have experienced:-

Slightly bloated abdomen, especially noticeable towards late afternoon

Very tired/exhausted immediately after eating. (what I ate made no difference)

Occasional indigestion, and gnawing feeling under ribs. (endoscopy showed “mild stomach inflammation”)

Bowels normal

3 years ago above symptoms more noticeable and intrusive.

Abdomen swollen earlier in the day now and increasingly noticeable.

Felt hot and flushed around late afternoon when stomach more swollen.

No indigestion, heartburn etc now.

Breathlessness (increasing) when abdomen swollen.

Mild headaches

Becoming increasingly tired/exhausted.

Past 12 months – above symptoms have become very uncomfortable and impacted severely on my quality of life.

Abdomen bloating so uncomfortable – feels so heavy, and as though it will burst at times!

Clothes I wore 12 months ago no longer fit, and yet I have lost weight.

Burp often (but little wind)

Tired/exhausted, burnt-out feeling constant now.

What I eat doesn’t make any difference: Low fibre, low irritant diet and gluten free diet made no difference.

Stomach/Abdomen can swell up in a few seconds! Stomach feels “full” all the time. It swells also as I eat/drink.

[At times it feels as though I’m being strangled at the waist, and kicked in the stomach at the same time.]

Extremely tired after eating and more breathless now – stomach/abdomen now takes up ‘all the room’, puts pressure on other organs, and feels so heavy.

But, the bloating is not constant and still (usually) wake up with only a slightly bloated abdomen - after a glass of water/cup of tea it expands! And when I walk with just this fluid you can hear it (like a hot water bottle).
Nothing gives relief.
I have seen several GP’s, and 3 gastroenterologists.
It’s not cancer.
No ulcer.
No helicobactor pylar
Not coeliacs disease.
Not fructose intolerance
Not lactose intolerance

I have had:-

Endoscopy (2)(showed mild gastritis, stomach inflammation)
CT Scan of Abdomen – Normal though liver slightly enlarged)
Ultrasound
Barium Meal (small bowel studies)
Gastrogaften
Bloodtests

Pescribed: Gaviscon, Mintec, Nexim, Np7, Simethicone, Carafate, Zantac, Pariet, Flagyl, Motillium
none of these gave any relief – they were either useless or aggravated the condition/symptoms.

GP’s and specialists just “don’t know” and apply the term IBS to cover such conditions, and have no (other) treatment/advice to offer!
Meanwhile the extreme discomfort continues and is becoming increasingly worse as time goes by.
If anyone else has this condition or has any advice, or answers in regard to ‘dealing’ with this condition it would be greatly appreciated!

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Hi Dor102,

I just read your post, and since you have had so many tests to r/o all of the functional diseases one usually sees with these symptoms I was wondering if you are an anxious and highly stressed person? Or is that possible and you are not aware of it or ignoring it? I know if you went to Mayo Clinic they would not only give you all the tests you have had but also have you talk with a psychologist and perhaps take a few tests with them also. Stress and anxiety (whether we realize we have it or not) can cause all kinds of problems and symptoms - some of them very odd and scary and even debilitating. I know, because I lived it for awhile.

I ask because I know several people (myself included) who can get very bloated, gassy, and have very uncomfortable GI and other odd symptoms before and after eating (even of I eat slowly and eat "healthy" things). I had all the tests you did and tried most of those drugs also. Nobody (oddly) but ONE holistic oriented doctor suggested (after actually asking me how my life had gone and was going since I had the symptoms), that high levels of stress and what most would call at least mild anxiety disorder or anxiety off and on, could well be causing my chronic indigestion and other weird symptoms.

Well, I got help, and talked with a therapist-counselor and also 1-2 other doctors who believed that my stress and anxiety and worrying was indeed a good bet for why my digestion and other symptoms were cropping up for no apparent "medical" reason. I am happy to say that once I learned how to relax and how to not keep anger and some other symptoms inside me, my indigestion and other odd symptoms started to fade away. It took awhile, but it obviously was the cause.

We know that so many diseases and symptoms are caused by or made worse by stress and anxiety, it is no surprise that this was what was causing my problems. I am pretty much symptom free now, but when I get tense or stressed out and am not paying attention to taking care of myself emotionally, my stomach-gut will start to bother me. That is my sign that I need to get a grip on my stress and do all I can to calm things down or resolve things in my personal life. Once I do, my indigestion and very uncomfortable other symptoms go away.

Since you did not mention exploring this area, I thought it was worth a mention. One of the first things to happen when we are emotionally upset, worry, or anxious, is we get indigestion - at least most people do. If you have not thoroughly investigated this as much as you did looking for physical causations, I would suggest it might be well worth the time and effort.

I wish you the best.

circawdm