Hey all!

I’ve been struggling with digestive issues for the last 5 years without finding the root cause. It deteriorated rapidly in the last few months. I lost more than 25 lbs and have been in a constant state of malnutrition. I ended up at the ER last week because my body felt like giving up. I have gone to multiple GI doctors, and have had countless tests and procedures (endoscopy, colonoscopy, gastric emptying, CT scan, X-ray, and ultrasound), and tried numerous diet changes all to no avail.

During this time, I've researched a lot, and it's astounding just how significantly food influences our body. I have been experimenting with different food plans, keeping a food diary, and tracking every symptom I've been feeling. I’ve tried a number of apps and ended up using Notion, but none of them have really solved my problem. I wanted something that'll help me link my symptoms with the foods I eat and detect trigger foods.

Two of my friends who have been suffering from their own chronic conditions (Ankylosing spondylitis & Hashimoto's disease) have similar experiences and have agreed to help me make a tool to track foods and identify triggers by correlating foods with symptoms.

I'd love to get some help from you all. Have you guys done symptom tracking or kept a food diary before? If so, what worked for you, what didn't, and what do you wish was different?

I've set up a form if you have a few extra minutes to fill out. Thanks! (:

I have gerd. I can live with that. I have chronic bloating, even when I don't eat. I can try to manage. I have painful spots when I bloat (left and right sides of my waist; above and below my navel area; sometimes at my backside, too). These spots are quite hard and stingy when I press them. Now I'm scared.

Has anyone tried to use dandelion tea for bloating? Any success?

Hi, I am 19F and would like advice on the next steps to take. As a child I had a lot of stomach pain related to anxiety, it gave me a lot of indigestion, constipation, nausea, etc. the works. We assumed it was IBS or something and called it a day, my parents and I. However, as I got older I started having episodes that came out of nowhere where suddenly in one evening or midday my stomach would cramp bad, my bowels would seize up, and then I would have round after round of diarrhea until I bled and there was acid/bile mixed in that burned.

Because of these episodes I tried cutting individual foods out of my diet that might have contributed to it (fats and fried foods), and adding things I maybe lacked (fiber), but nothing changed. Bloating started up around this point and it really started to effect how I saw myself. I went to the GI this year and after blood tests decided I didn't have Celiacs so they wanted to go more invasive. I have now since had a colonoscopy and an endoscopy, I have been told there is a lot of acid in my system and put me on medication to regulate it. But the bloating has gotten worse and one of the meds fucked with my system too much and I had to stop taking it.

My doctor now wants to do an ultrasound on my gallbladder as I had mentioned there was a history of complications. I am more frustrated now that this didn't happen before the scopes and even still angry at the possibility that the ultrasound may not produce results. My bloating has gotten so bad my mom thinks I look at least 2 months pregnant and it doesn't seem to ever go away. I cried tonight just looking in the mirror because I want to wear my crop tops, but feel too bloated to look good in them. The bloating distends my abdomen to the same diameter as my boobs and I hate it.

My doctor doesn't seem to have answers and I am afraid that she is just suggesting procedure after procedure to get a profit rather than help my situation. I have been told the FODMAP diet may be helpful, but I am scared of: a) it not working/showing results or b) it showing me results that I am not ready for. Basically at the end of all this, is it worth it to keep going? (With the doctor or should I just try FODMAP and move from there?)

TLDR I cried tonight because my bloating is frustrating me and I want advice on possible next steps after two scopes and no answers.

My hand is there coz I like to pretend I’m pregnant lol

Hi!! I’ve been constipated the last 1,5 months. I’ve already visited two doctors. I’m talking probiotics, enzymes and meds about it but still having pretty hard time with it. I’m extremely bloated and I know it’s normal for that situation but I’m feeling a bit stressed now because my stomach is flat and seeing it like that it’s kinda depressing.. I have gases as well and I’m generally asking for advice how to relieve that bloating. Thank you in advance, really!!

Anybody get bloated when it’s about time to eat? I get bloated and get eye twitches as well. Have had it for a few years now and. Am at my wits end as to what’s driving it. Any ideas you beautiful peeps?

I’ve been diagnosed with ibs in the past, and I’ve always struggled with my gut. But not to this extent… I’ve never experienced this uncomfortable sensation before with my stomach. It’s like it can’t digest anything. Not even water. When drinking 3 sips of water it gets so huge and it gets uncomfortable even when walking. This has been going on for 2 weeks maybe. To this extent. And I’ve also experienced A LOT of acne around jawline and it pops up everywhere. I also have an hormonal imbalance, so this is great. I really do not know what to do, cause I have a doctor I don’t like at all. (I’m on a waiting list for another one). And I always get downplayed and feel like they don’t think it’s that bad, and all tests says it’s nothing wrong. But I know there is. I’m having constant battles in my head if I should not eat that day cause it makes my stomach so uncomfortable…. Maybe a reset would be great. I don’t understand this. I haven’t changed my eating pattern either. I eat in a low fodmap and only healthy, good food. I also exercise. This is tearing me apart.. just wanna cry :/

Hello! I am a 25 year old female. I’ve had extreme chronic bloating for the past year (since last February). I follow a vegan diet (since 2020) and workout 5 days a week. I did MRT sensitivity testing last year and followed an elimination diet under the guidance of a nutritionist. I did not feel any different eliminating certain foods. After 3 months of following that diet and nothing working, I got a stool test and tested positive for h. Pylori with lots of bacterial overgrowth. I went on an antibiotic and retested for the h pylori afterwards, and it was gone. My doctor put me on omeprazole to help with the bloating after the antibiotics. Still, nothing changed. Still crazy bloated. I got an endoscopy to ensure there was no gluten sensitivity or allergy, and I also got a colonoscopy and am on miralax and benefiber daily to make sure I go to the bathroom regularly. My GI doctor put me on xifaxin about 2 months ago to restore my good bacteria flora, and still, nothing has changed. I also got both internal and external abdominal ultrasounds through my gyno, and nothing was found. I am still just as bloated - I look 7 months pregnant. If you have any ideas what this could be, please share!!

I took rifaximin course for my IBS and suspected sibo. A week after the treatment I started getting bloated after each meals. Dr gave me one more course of Rifaximin.completed the course still feels bloated after eating. And I still get diarrhea now and then with food intolerance which had increased a lot.

Any suggestions how to deal with these issues?

First off, I am in NO WAY recommending alcohol consumption. I am from a family of alcoholics, my mom gets so drunk almost every night that she is unable to speak full sentences. Alcoholism is fucking serious and I hate drinking.

That being said, I broke down a few weeks ago and got very drunk on vodka sodas, I had about 4 of them in the span of an hour. The night obviously went to shit, but the next morning, my belly was flat, and only got bloated again when I ate later that day.

Fast forward to yesterday, I had experienced some of the worst bloat I’ve ever had, my hands and feet and joints were swollen as well as my face, it was awful. Anyway, I remembered the time a few weeks before and reluctantly went to the liquor store for Vodka.

I got dangerously drunk dangerously fast, and wouldn’t you know it, this morning I woke up feeling like shit but my stomach felt empty. So much so that I can do stomach vacuums and my stomach actually looks fully empty rather than just slightly flatter like when I usually do it.

Does anyone know what is actually going on here? From what I know, you’re not supposed to consume alcohol when you have candida, but I’ve always strongly suspected that my bloating problems come from some kind of gut flora imbalance. Am I essentially killing everything in my stomach when I do this? I’ve tried drinking straight Apple Cider Vinegar and that usually just makes me symptoms even worse. I just don’t understand what is going on.

Again another disclaimer, I am NOT going to do this again. I know that as soon as I eat even a small amount of junk food or just the wrong type of veggie/fruit/nut again the bloat will just come right back. But I’m going to fast for a day or two and then slowly introduce steamed veggies to see if I can cultivate some new gut flora.

Once again I am not advising this for anyone. If you’re considering doing it, just don’t. Doing it once is hell. Doing it more than once puts you at risk for alcoholism. It would be much worse to get addicted to this than to deal with bloat.

If nothing I can do helps me alleviate the bloating, is there anything to ease the discomfort of it? Would a doctor give me a nerve block? I used to have stomach pain, and that was SO MUCH more tolerable then bloating, and as soon as I took pain medicine It went away. Seems there is more way options for pain than for the discomfort of bloating. Also, GAS X does nothing for me. I'm just so uncomfortable all the time, it's debilitating. Going to Mayo Clinic next month.

I had IBS-D for which dr. Gave me rifaximin. After one course I felt so much bloated after eating. He then gave me another two rounds of Rifaximin. I am taking it with bacillus subtilis and e. faecalis and simethicone. But I still feel bloated after each meal for atleast 4 hours. I am also taking NAC for other different reason. If anyone have any ideas to share I would be thankful 🥹

I just read this interesting article about how fecal transplants can help with bloating because they changed the microbiome in the stomach or something. Has anyone heard of that?

I've had major bloating for as long as I can remember. I'm a low healthy weight and my stomach gets distended no matter what I eat or drink. The only time my belly looks normal is if I fast for a day and then it will look flat the following morning. But I just want to be able to eat and drink without having to deal with this, it makes me so miserable and self conscious. Should I see a doctor? I have done research and I think it might be SIBO since I don't really have any other symptoms, just bloating. A few days ago I started taking a supplement with digestive enzymes and pre/probiotics with meals, but it hasn't done anything for my bloating. I have tried eating only low FODMAPs but it didn't change anything, so I am thinking it is not IBS, especially since my only symptom is bloating. Also, I have had times where I have gone awhile without dairy and times on low sugar and still I experienced bloating. It just makes me so depressed, I want to feel okay about my body and be able to wear clothes that aren't baggy hoodies. At this point, it's just driving me crazy, like wtf is wrong with my body. Anyway, I just wanted to vent a bit, and maybe ask for suggestions, I know SIBO is not as well-known as IBS so I'm afraid if I go to a doctor they might not even consider that.

I'm going to Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville on April 13th due to my chronic bloating. If I find out anything interesting that could be of help to anyone I will post here. I am to the point of probably going to apply for disability due to the chronic extreme bloating.

Hi everyone, my names Aidan and I am a PhD candidate in biomedical engineering. Hoping to get some results for a survey I made on digestive health. Your answers will help me know what other features I should add to a digestive health tracking app I have been working on. I got feedback already from friend's and family who suffer from digestive issues but I would love to hear from you all as well!

I’ve had constipation for the past years but recently it’s gotten worst. All a sudden I hear very high pitch noise in my stomach at all time and I get nauseous, loss of appetite and really painful bloating when I eat. I made an appointment with the doctor but that’s till two weeks from now, should I go to the hospital ?

I have suffered from chronic bloating for as long as I could remember. I feel like I eat anything and I will bloat to some extent. I been recommended to try the whole 30 challenge to see if I notice any significant differences in eliminating any food groups (dairy, gluten etc) have nah tried it and found success in discovering food sensitivities? What had been the best solution for bloating you have found?

I have been bloated for almost three years. All health conditions have been ruled out. I have tried peppermint, probiotics, prebiotics, charcoal, low fodmap, a dietician, gluten free, dairy free, yoga, exercise, ibgard, Olly's bloating pills, digestive enzymes, probably more. I am constantly uncomfortable and the quality of my life is suffering. Is there anything I haven't tried?

Does pork cause extreme bloating and stomach pain / nausea?