:!: from the time I entered the fifth grade my stomach made these noises...I did not have the slightest idea what to do! I would sit at home and cry sometimes because these noises were so loud. Every day in school we have a silent study time every day...Then I have to sit there and study while everyone is sitting and studying (not to mention laughing at) how my stomach kept making noises. It wasnt even because I was hungry. I was going insane! I knew it was because I was holding in sometimes gas because I was at school. So here are my tips that have helped get over this horrible problem:

...When you feel like the noise is going to come breath out and try and then back in, in a normal pattern and it will pass without a sound.
...Try taking something like pepto bismo I swear it works!
...Do not, I repeat, do not wear tight pants!!!!! It only makes it worse!
...Before you go to school or go to this even try to use the bathroom and it will go away for awhile.
...Do not stuff yourself, eat lighter!
...Dont have mints, hard candies, or swallow a lot of air, have a normal breathing pattern!
...Try and focus your attention on something else, dont think about your stomach and I guarantee you, you wont hear any...But only if your mind is not on your stomach.
...If it sounds like the kind of noise your stomach may make when your hungry then be like to your friend "man did you hear that, my stomach just won the growling contest of the year!" now its not a grown that your stomach has made but its a great cover-up for this embaressing sound!

Good luck and I hope this condition goes away!

And I thought I was the only person on planet earth who has an alien baby growing in my intestinal tubes. My gestation period has been going on for as long as I can remember. There can’t be many of us sufferers around because I have never heard any of you.

I have different sounding rumbles, low medium and high. The low ones are below my belly button, and are more like a slow popping sound, which depending on the amount of background noise, can easily be mistaken for something completely different. The high rumble sound like I have just stood on the cats tail and tend to draw the most attention. The medium rumble is a mixture of both – the low rumble of an approaching thunder storm mixed with screeching cat calls. Real attention grabbers!

I wish I knew what caused it and will endeavour to try to find a cure – because there must be one out there. My feeling is that we all suffer from exactly the same condition which is not irritable bowel syndrome.

The annoying thing about this is that just when you think you have discovered a cure the noises come back with a vengeance. I thought that pepto bismol cured me. I had some rumbling yesterday, loud but not loud enough to wake the neighbours. My wife suggested I try some pepto, which after a while stopped the rumblings.

Today as soon as the rumbling started I took some pepto and since then the rumblings have got progressively louder.

Maybe this has something to do with our metabolism and diet. I like spicy foods.

Maybe this has something to do with our lifestyle. For example I spend most of my working day sitting on my but for up to 10 hours.

Maybe this is exasperated by nerves. I know that when I am attending a meeting, or am going to be around strangers there is a 90% chance that my tummy will rumble. Knowing that probably brings it on. Next week I am off to do some teaching and will spend most of the day in a quiet classroom with 20 attendees – something I am not looking forward to.

Lets all work together on this one. Maybe we should start by keeping a log of what we eat, drink, what times we get the rumblings, how long they go on for, what we do to minimise them – drink water, take deep breaths etc. Etc. Etc.

I suggest that we start looking for a common denominator. Maybe its caffeine (i hope not), some innocuous food type, or living at sea level.

Maybe we should start to keep a record of the quiet periods – what brought them on, how long do they last, what did you eat just before this quiet period, was it the exercise?

Keep looking for a cure and post your findings.

Oh yes.. I know all about this. High noises, low noises.. Feeling unfomfortable in crowded places/the office due to the constant emission of sound.. Etc, etc.

I think the idea of keeping a log/diary is a very good one, noisemaker. With proper statistical analysis, one may hope to reveal some of the factors associated with our condition(s).

For me, there is no doubt that stress is involved. It may even be the main factor, but I can't really try to take this phenomenon out of the equation, since like many people nowadays, i'm more or less constantly stressed.

Physical inactivity.. Yes.. It may also be an important factor. This, of course, often correlates with stress -- when you are highly stressed, you don't have too much energy to go the gym.

It's probably worth to experiment with the intake of caffeine. I'm trying to reduce my coffee drinking to 3 cups per day.. A lofty goal, indeed. I also suspect that simple carbohydrates _may_ trigger/worsen symptoms, but I admit this may be idosyncratic.

Alright, i'm looking forwards to discussing this issue in more depth.

Regards!

hi guys!

Im not a doctor - but what works for me is vigorous exercise! When I know im going to be in a quiet place like an exam center - the only thing that gets me through it is a long session at the gym first (no food immediately proir to the gym by the way!).

It has worked wonders for me!!!!

I suppose I read yourstar's message and had to reply - so this is directed at yourstar. Im luckyish - im 25 now - I managed to get through school and some of college without the problem but since 2nd/3rd year college ive had to deal with it.

Exams were/are my biggest fears because I know I cant leave them. I have to do it. I have to sit there. And if my stomach is doing its thing. Theres nothing I can do. Up until last year I had tried everything to deal with the problem until eventually I thought I would never get over it. It was just by chance one time that I went to an evening lecture having gone to the gym first and noticed how 'good' I felt. It felt like there wasnt even a chance that my stomach would make a noise and sure enough - for the whole lecture (90mins) it didnt make any noise. I felt sooo elated!! I had figured it out!

So my advice to you guys is litterally get in shape. I dont know what conditions you are all in, and maybe exercise isnt a possibility -but if it is - do it. Join a gym and go 3 or 4 times a week!

Ive thought so much about this stuff and why would my stomach be making noises - and why more so when im nervous? And why after going to the gym did my stomach stop making noise? As far as I know, after excercise, your body digests the food quicker and I suppose is too busy trying to repair/rebuild whatever energy you have exerted.

Nervousness: an added bonus from the gym was that my nervousness before an exam would be much less - because I knew my stomach would behave itself. Not only that, after being in the gym, youre too fatigued to even give a damn about the exam!

But - for me it only works after a good proper workout. Im a 25 year old guy and im in good shape, which means a 90 minute session of running and machine weights. Its a tough old deal but its getting me through it!

And just in case your thinking, nah this guy hasnt got it bad, the noises my stomach makes are really bad. I mean audible for miles. Sometimes it actually sounds like iv broken wind, several times! Which in hindshight is pretty funny in an exam!

Also - I agree with one of the previous comments! - if you are with friends or whatever - in the cinema - and it happens - just say - did you hear that?! My stomach wants food/has had too much food!

Ive only started saying that in the last year or so and it has helped enormously!! Because when people say back to you, 'i didnt really hear it, or was it that bad, yeh that happened to me' - it makes you feel so much at ease.

I hope iv been of some help to you guys, yourstar hang in there, go to the gym dont drop out of school.

Oh yeh - another thing I started this week was cutting out milk and dairy to see if I am lactose intolerant etc. Because apparently as adults we arent able to digest it as well as kids. So everyone should try it.

The other thing is, apart from your stomach making noises and the obvious embarassment etc. - do you really feel that bad? I really think im making headway on this and the more I think about it, the more I think, can I really worry my life away?!

So lets all struggle on and keep moving and walking and talking!!

Best of luck to all of you.

Hi everyone,

i can really relate to all these posts. I've been suffering from anxiety associated with my rumbling stomach for about 15 years now - however I do want to try and give some positive advice to people and show that it is possible to live with this condition and still be able to function like a normal human being. I have a good job, am happily married and am generally a happy person even though I get terrible anxiety before, and during, quiet situations. I still try to avoid situations which I know are going to be quiet, e.G. Cinema/meeting, but my job involves going to a lot of meetings so I just force myself to go and sometimes I feel ok, sometimes I don't. The 'forcing yourself to go' bit is really important - it is really easy to give up and to avoid all quiet situations but this is where it can really start to mess up your life. You have to be determined not to let this beat you ... Life is too short.

The things that I have found to help me are:
- avoid tea and coffee around about the time you have to be in a quiet situation. I find they cause my stomach to make even more noises and get me even more nervous. Water is ok.
- try to adopt as many relaxation techniques as you can before the quiet situation. The more relaxed you are the less your stomach will rumble. Often it is the anxiety that your stomach is going to rumble that makes it rumble even more
- go to the loo before the meeting/film etc
- always sit on the end of row and/or near the door in meetings/cinema etc. You'll always know you have an escape route if you need it (but really try not to leave)
- really try to concentrate on the meeting/film/whatever. If your mind wanders to your stomach it normally makes a noise right on cue.
- eat slowly and chew your food well. Do not overeat.
- too much wheat seems to aggravate the problem. Try porridge for breakfast - it fills you up and is calming on your stomach.
- talk to someone who is sympathetic to your situation. It's not good for you to keep your problems to yourself.

Hope these help. My main problem now is not really the stomach rumbling (although it can be really loud and embarassing if I haven't eaten for a while) but the fear of my stomach rumbling. It causes me great anxiety. One counsellor suggested that I could be a person who craves control and that is why I feel so bad when my stomach rumbles, because it is a loss of control. In fact I am person who likes to be in control so am I working on trying to be less in control at the moment and see if this helps. I'll let you know what happens.

Good luck to everyone - i'll keep looking at the board for new posts. We can't be that wierd as there are so many people with the same problem!

Ps my dad's stomach growls all the time but he doesn't care what other people think of him and is confident in himself. I think we should all be a bit more like that. - i'm working on it (slowly)!

Oh dear god - guys - I have been going through the same thing - and i've been into reading a lot of literature on stomach related health problems - and I went to a doc too - and the tests were all negetive. So I started this candida diet - and I feel a little better - the noises have definitely reduced in intensity - but they come right back on when I resume a normal diet - I plan to take some anti fungal and figure out once and for all if candida was it. I will post in something as soon as I figure it out myself. For one - I dont believe we have to live with it - guys - lets all read stomach related stuff and try to see if we can figure out whats going on here - cause I "cant" live with this .. I mean - no cinema , no classes, no hanging out - its absurd to settle for something like that. I dont want to be embarressed of myself for life - no way!
Ps: disclaimer: I am not a doctor or a health professional in any sense and I am just posting my experience here. Please consult your doctors before you take me seriously.

Oh thank god, I have had this problem for a couple of years now. It started at the end of school, when one time my stomach made a noise in chapel and my friends were laughing about it.I got so embarrassed! Now I hate going to any quiet places because I am constantly scared that my stomach is going to make loud noises! I hate it I am so aware of it all the time. I am going to a psychiatrist about the anxiety side of it, because I have nearly full scale panic attacks when I have to go to lectures etc..... It's so frustrating! But, what I have figured out that helps is green tea - it settles the stomach, and make sure you go to the toilet before you have to be in a quiet situation. Cutting down, or even cutting out caffeine and milk products has helped me too, and if I can I try not to eat wheat too (because your body finds it hard to digest) but then seriously what is left to eat after that? Are we supposed to just live on fruit....
Good luck with this, i'm sure that there is a way to get over this! I am certainly going to anyway! I am so sick an tired of having to worry about it all the time

I just remembered!! Chewing gum is great for when you are in a lecture/cinema/school etc because the peppermint in it settles your stomach. Also make sure you are hydrated - drink lots of water it is so good for your digestion. Make sure you don't drink it while you are eating - only after. Apparently drinking whilst eating is bad for digestion too

I had no idea that so many people were suffering from the same thing that I have. I am a jr in college and I have finals this week...Surviving my classes this semester have been horrible...I believe this semester is the first semester that my stomach rumbling has become an issue...I just never noticed it before...I actually left one of my finals before I had written down a complete essay just so that I could get out of the silent room...Normally my stomach noises can be masked if I shuffle papers suddenly or if im lucky enough that the teacher is talking...Something else I look for is a background noise...In classrooms this is normally an air conditioner...I try to get to class before others and turn on the air...That way the background noise will block out my stomach growling...I used to think that my stomach noises came from an eating disorder I suffered with for many years...But knowing that there are so many other people out there with this has comforted me...Since im a psychology major I cant help but think that anxiety has a lot to do with this...It seems that every time I get nervous or anxious about it making noises they become horribly loud and will do it every minute or so until I leave the room...And once I get up and walk out my stomach is fine...It really is the wierdest thing...If anyone finds anything that works please post it...Im desperate for a solution to this embarrassing agony.

Hi everyone

i nearly came to tears reading this forum because I completely can relate to you guys! I graduated college about 2 yrs ago and suffered this problem all through my college days.


However I have almost completely cured this problem of myself. The trick is a healthy diet and weight loss! In my case I was 50lbs overweight, eating fast foods day and night and close to a heart attack.


I completely turned it around, started eating healthy foods, exercising and limited my milk, bread, beans, cabbage ( u know the foods that cause gas intake). Now I do still get gas however less.

Funny thing is i'm assistant professor so I where mic, so if my stomach makes sounds the mic will pick it up and .... I don't even wana talk about lol

Hi guys, theres a very similar section to this one if u go to 'noisy abdomen' on this site there have been a lot of useful posts on this problem! If u havnt seen it already...

Just would like to say rorop99; you're fantastic.
Thank you for the reply. Made me feel a lot better! For someone to actually understand and acknowledge my problem wholeheartedly means quite alot!
Luckily I havent dropped out of college. But was close....
I finally plucked up the courage to take my mum along to see the vice principal and she told him. While I bawled of course haha!
He was so sympathetic, but yeah didnt really understand the fuss.
He himself told me he had a stomach problem - hernia I think.
But made me feel tons better!
My attendance was slipping (and still is) but at least I have an excuse now.

I'm very very nervous for my eng exams this week. Not helped by the fact ive missed half the course due to anxiety, doctors and obv the stomach issue. But hopefully I can pass.
Im going to definitely use your help rorop99, by maybe getting up 2 hours early [5am haha] and go on my mum and dads exercise bike thing. Im determined not to let this get to me anymore.

Im in pretty good shape myself - im 5' 4" and have a healthy bmi. But yeah I will definitely look into joining a gym again.

The stomach noises are still really bad - especially after dairy products and spicy foods. And chips! Chips are a no no!
But even if I have water....Or even a little sweet or whatever - the noises are still as loud as always.

"exams were/are my biggest fears because I know I cant leave them. I have to do it. I have to sit there. And if my stomach is doing its thing. Theres nothing I can do. "
my feelings absolutely!
I always feel so self concious and actually terrified someone will hear them. This will definitely happen on thursday and next week.
I wont be able to eat all day wednesday and thursday.
Its terrible how this silly thing gets to us isnt it?
But I have days where I can eat what I want when I have "noisy lessons" and days where I cant eat at all cos I have "quiet lessons"
stupid eh?

Wish there was a cure for all of us.

I think you're all amazing on this board. Thank you so much rorop99 and everyone else for the heads up & tips.
Will report back on friday no doubt after the exam! *so scared*
x

thank you for sharing this mike1509. This its amazing how youve turned it around! Well done :-]
and wow, the noises have nearly all gone? Awesome news

but the fact is on my part; I dont really need to exercise/change my diet.
I eat pretty healthy and im in good shape. So I dont think this will help! Very frustrating.

And arghhh I know what you mean about the mic!! I feel your pain. I always thought if I wanted to be a tv presenter [i wanted to for a while when I was younger haha] I could never do that now. Interviewing famous people with no background noise with a mic on...*shudder*

you say you nearly came to tears....Every time I come on here I just cry haha. And kinda teary typing this...
But oh well! Theres a solution somewhere....X

I am a 41 year old man who is married with 2 kids and I have suffered from this stomach disorder for 15 years.
I thought I was the only person in the world , but obviously not. I was so relieved to read your posts I had to call my wife in to see it.
This is a very real thing. I have been to doctors etc and only been frusterated by the "oh some peoples stomachs are louder than others" or"that just means you are digesting , everyone gets that".
Well that little noise has prevented me from many things including education, jobs that I wanted , and could have had but was worried about how quiet the environment would be.
I am on my way to a two day meeting in about a half an hour and I am terrified. I want to get to the hotel early so I can find a seat by the door and the thermostat so I can try to have the compressor for the air conditioning kick in to hide my stomach noises. Does any of this sound familiar to any of you?
Anyway I am going to try some of the suggestions I have read here. I am not going to eat anything until lunch( and then only fruit) wish me luck
fellow rumblers

my stomach has done the same thing for about 2 years, I have been told everything from a stomach ulcer to ibs. I have even been in the doctors office right in front of the doctor and it would start growling really really loud. All the doctor told me its an "air pocket". :?

He has even felt of this "air pocket". Sometimes it can be very painful too. Mine is under my left ribcage and it does it when I breath :?:

sometimes it just does it for a couple of minutes sometimes it doesn't do it for weeks.

Well I made it through a 9 hour meeting today with just a few rumbles near the end. Fortunatley the content was lively enough to cause alot of conversation so there was plenty of noise to drown out my stomach.
I sat close to the door and the thermostat (air conditioning is a good way to drown out the rumbles).
This is the key I think: I had nothing for breakfast until about 10:00am and then I had some sliced melon.
At lunch I had a chicken soup (with no noodles)and some raw veggies.
I also drank plenty of water throughout the day. It seems to have worked so far.Although have been disappointed before with false results.
I think that the gluten intake has alot to do with it. Stay away from grains and wheat (which means breads pastas and beer [ouch])for a couple of days and let me know if anyone sees any results.
I had two hard boiled eggs and porkchop when I got home and I am just getting very mild rumbles now.
I am going to try to focus on the lactose and glutens and see if thats where the problem is.
If anyone else has the means to do this other input would help.
Keep the posts coming and maybe one of us can norrow it down to something we all have in common.
Peace

A few months ago I started searching for the cure or the relief for this loud noises in my stomach, as time went by they got worse.

I saw an ad on tv for activia a dannon yogurt that supposed to help you regulate your digestive system... Omg it works!!!!! I just made this account on ehealth to share my expierience and I hope it works for you too.

I have been having this loud noises for over 2 years and they kept getting louder and more frequently as time went by.

I have been eating those yogurts for less than 2 weeks now and I feel so good it's great and believe me for me to eat yogurts it's like a medicine because that taste of rotten milk and fruits never appealed to me :) , the raspberry flavor it's actually not bad taste.

I also have been drinking less coffee and more water and fruits like grapes bannanas and peaches and in the last 10 days I only heard my stomach make some really low noises once!, when before this it was constantly several times a day.

I really can believe how good I feel and I hope this information can help someone with the same problems.

I thought I was the only one with problem as well. I've been having this problem for about ten years now and it seems like it is getting worse each year.

The funny thing is, I will be a first time teacher at the high school level this coming fall. I am so nervous about those quite classes and what students and collegues might think of my stomach noises.
In the ten years i've seen all sort of doctors and specialists and their suggestions just made my problem worse.

Eating plain yogourt, I usually take three to four table spoons, helps me keep the noise down. I will eat the yogourt if I am going to a quite environment such as a meeting. But the noises start to come back after a few hours.
Javascript:emoticon(':)')
smile
so guy3436 I will definitely try the activia a dannon yogurt

this is what i've done so far in trying to solve my problem:

1- I have stop consuming all dairy products (milk, cheese, etc.)
2- stopped eating the apple fruit (my noise increase as soon as I eat it)
3- stopped drinking coffee altogether (this was the hardest thing to do for me, cause I use to drink two to three cups a day)
4- stopped eating spicy food
5- exercise five days a week

i've kept up the above steps for about two months. Has it solved my noise issue? The answer is no.

So I recently started to:

1- drink chinese green tea (you'll visit the bathroom at least three times a day).

2- taking lactobacillus acidophilus, bifidus and fos (want to more about http://www.Watershed.Net/dds-plus.Htm

3- also taking bromelain -- http://www.Organicfood.Co.Uk/vms/bromelain .Html

4- another substance I take is maria's swedish bitters
http://www.Florahealth.Com/flora/home/usa/ products/r68190.Asp

5- I don't eat anything after 8:00 pm except drink water. It is really tough at times, but I am so determine and focus in trying get to the bottom of my problem, I don't feel the late night hunger.

The above steps have helped reduce the noise level to some extent.
But i've still got the noise, so I am just going to keep researching and experimenting.

Well I found out a couple days ago I had a ovarian cyst that ruptured. :(

thats one reason I have the pains I have.

Yogurt really helps?
I always tried to avoid it because I felt it was probably a source of lactose. I will definitely give it a shot
thanks guy3436
thanks to ridak for that input too. I think I may try some of those things as well but maybe to introduce them one at a time. If it works and I have taken everything I wont know what it was that worked.
Please keep me posted on your progress with the herbs ridak
peace