Really bad bloatedness. At my wits end, please help!

[maddarlo]

Hi there, I'm new here but I hope you can help me with a problem I've been having for many years and one which is getting worse and worse.

I'm a 36-year-old man and, for 15-20 years or so, I have suffered with stomach bloating.

In the past two or three years, this problem has got worse and worse. Some days, I'm so bloated that I look like a pregnant woman. My abodmen swells and feels rock hard to touch. It makes it hard to breathe and even to urinate. My navel has also "popped out" as a result of all this swelling. I am a little overweight but nothing too severe.

I looked around on the web and thought it could be a gluten intollerance (coeliac disease), so went to discuss this with my doctor, who did some blood tests.

These came back negative. The doc said I did not have coeliac disease - but it may be a more mild intollerance to gluten, so suggested I lay off on the bread and pasta for a couple of months, see how I go and then go back for more blood tests.

Now I've been on the web some more and discovered that yeast intollerance can cause these symptoms, along with dairy intollerance. I know it's not the latter because I was a vegan for two years and still had the bloating.

So, I wondered if anyone could make any suggestions that might be able to help me. Any advice would be very welcome.

Also, I see there are several test kits you can buy online. Can anyone recommend any of these, which may show up a gluten/wheat/yeast/anything else intollerance?

Thank you so much for reading this.

All the best,

Andy

[Sue10191]

If you are suffering with a rock hard stomach making it difficult to breathe and urinate, you need to go to another physician right away!  Food allergies can be tested.  You should get an upper endoscopy as well.  Don't wait.  Call tomorrow!!  Good luck.  Let us know what happens.

[Tuckamore]

Hi Andy,

I assume you have seen a Gastroenterologist. If not I suggest you consult one. If you have already seen a Gastro than a second opinion may be beneficial. An Allergist may also be able to offer some suggestions. There are so many things that your GI Tract could be reacting to.

Fifteen- twenty years is a long time to suffer these symptoms without a diagnosis. Have you ruled out other system contributing factors. Meaning are you sure this is gas bloating and not fluid?

What medications have you tried if any? Has anything been successful in relieving your symptoms and if so to what degree?

~Tuck~

[maddarlo]

Hi Dtownstew and thanks for your response. No, I'm pretty regular and very rarely constipated. The problem seems to be purely bloatedness.

Thanks, Andy

[Dtownstew]

Hey buddy, sorry to hear that you feeling this way.
Are you irregular and constipated some?
That seems to make me this way sometimes here.
Try a Glycerin suppository, you can buy them at the drug store.
Just idea. Let me know if it helps. Drop me a line or a note here.
-Matt