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Excessive wind and flatulence
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Hello there. I'm sure I've posted before with this problem, but I can't remember now. Anyway, I get lots of trapped gas in my stomach. Sometimes it's so bad my stomach 'expands' like I've been binge eating or something when in reality I haven't had anything to eat. I try to force myself to burp by swallowing air but that just seems to make it worse, and I have trouble forcing it out the other way. It can get really uncomfortable and honestly, it's really starting to affect my whole life, just for the fact I've had it so long. I went to the doctor about my stomach before and said I get stomach pains and he referred me to a counseller because I said it was associated with anxiety - which it is.
I never saw the counseller because talking to them ont he phone we both agreed it wasn't the only reason. I know that when you get 'butterflies' it makes your stomach do funny things, and feel this contributes towards the effect, but seriously, having as much gas as I do every day is a joke. Right now I can feel the pressure, at the moment it's at the sides of my belly, but it moves around as well. There are some times I'm sure I'm infested with some kind of Alien growing inside me
(not really, because that's just silly, but that's what it feels like).
I hope I don't have this for the rest of my life. I have had it for at least a year now I think and I live very much by the thought that given enogh time your body will sort itself out. I don't want to be on constant decongestants or whatever.
It could be a food allergy, but I don't know. My doctor isn't helpful because he thinks I'm a hypercondriact (sp?) or is careful around me because my brother went to him with depression and he gave him anti-depressants and my brother tried to kill himself, and my mum has depression sometimes too, so he thinks I'm the same and so won't take me seriously.
It's not all the time, but right now I feel quite down because I've got a pain in my stomach and I can't do anything about it because it's trapped gas, I can tell it is. Any help very much appreciated.
Rich
I never saw the counseller because talking to them ont he phone we both agreed it wasn't the only reason. I know that when you get 'butterflies' it makes your stomach do funny things, and feel this contributes towards the effect, but seriously, having as much gas as I do every day is a joke. Right now I can feel the pressure, at the moment it's at the sides of my belly, but it moves around as well. There are some times I'm sure I'm infested with some kind of Alien growing inside me
(not really, because that's just silly, but that's what it feels like).I hope I don't have this for the rest of my life. I have had it for at least a year now I think and I live very much by the thought that given enogh time your body will sort itself out. I don't want to be on constant decongestants or whatever.
It could be a food allergy, but I don't know. My doctor isn't helpful because he thinks I'm a hypercondriact (sp?) or is careful around me because my brother went to him with depression and he gave him anti-depressants and my brother tried to kill himself, and my mum has depression sometimes too, so he thinks I'm the same and so won't take me seriously.
It's not all the time, but right now I feel quite down because I've got a pain in my stomach and I can't do anything about it because it's trapped gas, I can tell it is. Any help very much appreciated.
Rich
0
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Comments
I think its so annoying when Dr's send you off for counselling because of things like this. Yea it *could* link with you anxiety but then you still need to have it treated properly as its causing you problems.
This is actually fairly common, and can cause feelings of bloatedness, among other things- it can be very painful for sufferers, but we don't really know what causes it. Some people suggest diet, although no conclusions have been drawn.
It is worth seeing another GP if your current one is being unhelpful, and asking for their opinion. You may be given a medicine called Spasmonal (Alverine Citrate) which will relax your gut muscles and may help relieve some of your symptoms.
My husband has suffered with IBS for years, but a couple of years back, I saw an advert in Holland and Barrett for a food sensitivity testing service. He paid about £30 and they tested him with loads of different foods, testing the bodys electro magnetic response or something (he didnt have to actually eat all the different foods I mean).
It turned out, theres a few things hes intolerant to, including beef, lettuce, oats, pilchards, kiwis and theres a few E numbers he cant have either - he would never have pinpointed those without the testing.
Since he found this out, and eliminated them from his diet, his IBS hardly ever flares up, and if he ever eats any of the things hes sensitive to, he gets bloating, severe wind, and abdominal cramps.
A lot of doctors wont test for these things because its not dangerous in the same way an allergy is, But It was certainly worth paying to getting the test done in this instance.
That said, there are definite associations bewteen IBS type symptoms and different food types. Common aggravators are dairy products, red meat, alcohol, caffeine and citrus fruits. Also excess or too little fibre in the diet can cause symptoms.
So my advice would be to experiment with your diet to eliminate known aggravators.
And to whoever said being to for counselling was annoying, respectfully, you are talking out of your arse. Anxiety and functional symptoms such as bloating and flatulence are well associated.
As I said, he rarely gets IBS now, after having it really severely since he was 11. There are a lot of things that the medical profession are sceptical of, but that doesnt mean theres nothing in it. It worked in this instance.
My only point was that he may have cut out an irritant food which was coincidentally pointed out by the quacks at Holland & Barrett. Sounds like they gave him a long list of insenstivities, which is rarely seen in reality.
My mum complained that she was bloated for ages and she's felt better now she drinks that every day.
God I sound like that tv ad!!!!
There were a few there that he rarely ate beforehand such as pilchards and kiwis, so im not sure about them, but he did used to eat a lot of beef and oats are pretty hard to avoid, as is lettuce.
If he eats any of these things now, he farts like a trooper for the next couple of days. It may be more than is seen in the majority of the population, but if he didnt have the problems, we wouldnt have forked out for the test. We werent WANTING him to be sensitive to foods. In fact its a pain in the arse (excuse the pun)
I really dont think its a coincidence. They tested him for LOADS of stuff, came up with about 5 or 6 things he should avoid, and all of a sudden his IBS symptoms disappear. Its no coincidence. It was too dramatic an improvement.
I usually notice it after eating alot of bread and pasta in one day. Try eating more vegetables and stuff like lentils and beans...they produce more of the 'good bacteria' that you get in the actimel style drinks, at first you may notice a more wind while your body gets used to it but it does help keep your system moving along nicely.
If its painful you should see your doctor and hopefully they can sort it out, if only to stop people asking 'whens it due?!?' :grump:
My IBS is really flaring up at the minute - I'd been fine for months (nearly forgotten all about it!) and then I had one dodgy curry about 8 weeks ago and I'm still paying the price for it! Seems to have left with particularly sensitive to a lot of things
ETA: I've been looking on the net since I wrote this - I've just found a company called Health Screening Ltd. which sound like they could have been the ones; it says they visit health shops and the alike. Am going to phone them on Tuesday to find out when they are next testing in my area. Could be the answer to everything!
Eat a healthy diet for 2 weeks, then come back to us.
And IBS includes some types of food intolerance.
Get yourself down the Doctors/Nurses they'll be able to have a good look into things
http://www.synergy-health.co.uk/articles/Allergy.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/conditions/foodintolerance1.shtml
theres a bit on the bbc site somewhere saying that these vegas machines are a con. It appeared to work for my husband though, so I guess people have to make their own minds up.
I'm booked in for testing on the 7th June. Will let you know how I get on - am kinda scared they're going to tell me to quit eating nearly everything I usually have, but we'll soon see! :S
Hi there
I'm completely new to these boards but I thought you may be interested to know my story. I never had a problem with gas or bloating or anything like that until I changed my diet to vegan in 1987 and I've had almost non-stop trouble ever since (although I stopped the vegan diet some time later and went vegetarian instead. My trouble is mainly at night... of course, I prefer to sleep alone so it's not doing my marriage any good!
The worst thing is, I now realise my 5 year-old daughter has it worse than me and she passes wind frequently, and is now being bullied at school because of this. The other kids - even those in year 6 - are following her round the playground at playtime calling her 'smelly'. Her behaviour is poor and she bursts into tears at the slightest thing. I can't bear to see this happen to her, I can cope with the problem myself and come to terms with it but I fear for her going through school with this. What can I do about it? Does anyone have any idea which professional would be best? Doctors are pretty damn useless with such things in my experience!
Oh my Lord! This is an old thread. I never pay attention to these details...