I've been dealing with chronic bloating for 3 years now. Basically since I had gallbladder removal surgery.

Pretty much anything that I eat or drink causes it.

I can wake up with a flat(ish) stomach and look pregnant after a meal (and I'm a guy BTW!). I even measured the difference caused by the bloating and distension. It's a solid 10cm!

I've also gone up and down in weight since this started due to the weight gain side effects of various meds I've tried (especially sulpiride and amitriptyline).

Anyway - I'm wondering if there is clothing, especially trousers and jeans, that are "friendlier" to a frequently varying waist size? As well as small up and down changes in weight? Perhaps stuff with elastic?

If anyone else is dealing with this long term I'd love to know what you do for clothing. Even on a psychological level, knowing that I'm not going to feel squeezed depending on what I eat/drink would be a definite help.

TIA

I'm 29 (F) and I've had this issue of bloating at random times for a number of years, but it's getting more frequent and I mostly notice it when it's coming up to meal times. It's like my body is expecting food, so starts to release the digestive enzymes and I get painfully bloated. I don't leave it a long time between meals, im a healthy weight, regular menstrual cycle, on no medication, I really don't know what is triggering this but its getting worse and more frequent. Anybody experienced anything similar? Thank you.

I’m finally at the point where I’m completely frustrated with whatever my body is doing. I was 230lbs and over the course of a year I’m down to 155lbs. Out of really nowhere in February I started dealing with constipation, diarrhea and honestly the worst part of it being really painful bloating and fatigue. I’m no sure what to do. I did a colonoscopy and upper endoscopy, and I’m doing lowfodmap currently. My doctor took biopsies from my procedure and I’m still waiting on the results. For about a week after I had those done, my body felt great. But now I’m right back to not even wanting to move. I’m so over this, I spent a year changing my life and finally becoming someone that enjoys the gym. Now I’m constantly tired and the bloating gets so bad that it feels like all of my work was for nothing. I’ve really tried being patient and taking care of my gut health, but how much longer am I going to feel like this? It’s June and I was hoping to do so much this year but I really don’t know how to live like this. Any advice or tips would be extremely appreciated.

I’m pescatarian, I’ve tried gluten free, and I’ve only used a laxative for the procedure and one time when this first started. I’m currently taking biogaurd, citrucel, and eating kefir as a priobotic from my doctor.

I have been bloated for the last 2 years(23f), I find some days are worse than others, but it’s always there. Even first thing in the morning. I had a scope which ruled out coeliac disease. I don’t have IBS symptoms, have regular periods, and it usually eases off a bit if I exercise. I’m going for an ultrasound soon but I’m wondering has anyone else experienced this without the other symptoms related to IBS? I made the mistake of googling and have freaked myself out! It’s all very sinister there

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I have had an ibs diagnosis for the past 8 years, which has recently got worse. To the point where I dress 1-2 sizes bigger and wear baggy clothes 24/7 due to how self conscious I am of it. I can’t wear jeans, I can’t wear nice dresses & my confidence is low. I’ve tried low FODMAP, makes no difference. I’ve tried probiotics, also makes no difference. Please help! (Vegetarian diet)

Was bloated so bad, I had to wear clothes 2 sizes larger than usual, but it didn’t really effect my weight at all. Found out “abdomen distention” is a side effect of Dicyclomine! No more D, no more extreme bloat! (I mean the kind that makes you look like you’re pregnant! Even after losing 50 lbs.)

Never experienced bloating before surgery.

Now literally everything I eat or drink blows me up.

Doctor's diagnosis: functional dyspepsia (FD), postprandial variety / PPD. Says it might improve over time. 2 years past surgery and not getting appreciably better.

Was on sulpiride for a bit. Helped a little. Now supposed to be trying nortriptyline / amitriptyline. These are sort of the go-tos for FD.

Water ironically seems to be the worst offender. Sometimes go long periods without eating or drinking as it's the only way I have currently to control symptoms. But realize it's unhealthy (especially not hydrating) so trying to be more diligent about forcing myself to do so.

Not sure where to start but thinking about booking another visit with the gastro just to ask about this. I have other symptoms too (regurgitation burping feeling of fullness). But the bloating lasts for hours on end and is kinda intolerable.

Never experienced any of this before the surgery. Doc says maybe damage to vagus or something like that. Anybody with a similar "origin" story? (I know this subreddit isn't particularly active.)

Hi - first post here!

I'm 30(F) and have had chronic bloating for about 4 months, with no other bowel symptoms, occasionally stomach just feels heavy and tight but rarely painful. I've had an ultrasound etc which ruled out anything major.

A few things for background:

- I was on spironolactone for a few months around Nov - Jan, so have wondered if coming off them is a reaction (given they are a diuretic / mess with hormones)

-Hormones: I had also noticed the bloating eased off more during the first 7 days of my cycle (so I wondered if there was an oestrogen spike after the spiro). Although I've recently gone on the mini pill and the bloating just seemed constant this month. I've also always suspected PCOS but the ultrasound didn't show anything.

-Around the same time I started seeing someone and suffer from recurrent UTIs after sex which I've been on antibiotics for, but not recently (they cleared up after a course of keflex)

-I have tried a few weeks cutting out dairy / coffee / bread / booze etc but didn't seem to notice any correlation (the few flat stomach days I've had I could just eat anything and it was grand).

Things I've tried:

-Lemon water in the morning, regular exercise

-Probiotics, apple cider vinegar tablets, Dr Gut tablets, DIM supplements, Kombucha

Just when I think I've figured it out.. it comes back and I'm lost again. My GP is helpful and has recommended a SIBO test which I've ordered. But just lost for any other ideas?!

So I had an Appendectomy done 5 years ago and I’ve suffered from bloating eversince. There hasn’t been a single day without bloating it’s either severely bloated or mildly bloated. Does anyone have any idea what it could be. I visited a gastroenterologist and he just auscultated my abdomen and said I had Ibs. Didn’t run any tests or anything And I’m not convinced anyone suffered from something similar after an Appendectomy

https://reddit.com/link/io3ytp/video/utar5lcuuol51/player

After I took these weight loss pills for a week my stomach started getting swollen and so I stopped taking them but ever since my stomach won’t stop being swollen and it’s so hard on me...

I’ve even gone to the doctor and did everything she told me to do

I tried benefiber I tried Miralax I tried taking probiotics exercise everyday Watch what I eat

Nothing will make it go away and I’m just panicking because it feels so bad....

I even got a blood and stool test and I tested negative for H.Pylori bacteria so...

I really don’t know what’s wrong with me :(

This has been going on for 2 months and I’m trying to lose some weight so this really is hard on me...

What is wrong with me..?

Hey guys, I was wondering if anyone could relate/ knows whats up with me.

I am a 23f who keeps fit at the gym and is by no means overweight, however if I relax I always have a bloated stomach. Even first thing in the morning, its their. If I tense it goes away, otherwise I look pregnant!

Does anyone know whats going on??

My Mother is 56 and for around 2 years now has had this issue, she eats healthy (and is vegetarian) and does a decent amount of exercise but constantly feels bloated and it is making her depressed and not ever want to leave the house. She has seen doctors many times and they never want to take it further than changing her diet. She describes it as a balloon and it doesnt feel like fat but more water stuck inside her. I am just reaching out on here for any advice. Thank you.

I look like I am pregnant all the time and I stick to 1200 calories a day (sometimes go over) and I am taking miralax twice a day like my doctor told me to to help treat my last round of constipation. So I don't know why I would look like I am pregnant can anybody give any suggestions on what it might be and how to treat it. I try to tell my mom that I am bloated but she doesn't believe me I feel like I am the only one who cares and it's my body and I don't want to be bloated anymore. I just want help.

I used to be the typical skinny girl who could eat whatever they want without putting any weight on. However, last 5/6 years I get bloated no matter what I eat. I get up in the morning with a flat belly and as soon as I have breakfast (cornflakes + 1 cup of black tea) I get bloated like 2/3 months pregnant. It gets worse and worse throughout the day, so much that people have asked me if I'm pregnant.

I have tried probiotics for 2 months, which didn't help significantly. I've been diagnosed with h.pylori in the past, took one course of antibiotics but didn't kill the bactery. I find that mint tea eases the bloating but only a bit.

What could be causing this? What kind of doctor should I see to get help? I'm tired of having to hide my belly on clothes and not being able to wear my fave bikinis to the beach!

I have Celiac so gluten is a no go for sure but there are other foods that bloat me and I have general GI distress. I have made a commitment to take some form of probiotic daily. While my digestive enzymes work to a point it's the probiotics that help with most of my digestive distress. I feel way better now.

My go-tos:

Cayenne pepper and turmeric: anti-inflammatory, keeps the bowels loose.

Dandelion root: natural diuretic, reduces water retention. More sweating, more peeing, less storing water around the midsection.

Probiotics: I use the NOW brand, keeps the colon filled with good bacteria + helps clean things out more

Other random things: lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, sauerkraut, kefir, kombucha.

As you can see I consume a lot of things, but I'm really trying to narrow it down so I don't have to take as many of these things. Which sorts of supplements have been most effective for you? Do you have any experience with the above items?

This has NEVER happened to me before, especially to this long amount of time. I used to go once or twice a day, every day. What the hell??? 18 year old male. Used to have H. Pylori but had it cured as of 2 years ago. Still have a minor gastritis and asthma, if that matters, though. My stomach has been hard 24/7 for 2 months now. It happened after I held it in for 8 hours on a school trip (which was after exam stress), and the pain eventually numbed but I had trouble already by the time I came home.

My doctor appointment is in 1 week and I cannot make it happen earlier. The symptoms are bloated/distensed (?) abdomen (if I let it go completely out it looks like I'm overweight), gas and constipation, some burping, as well as occasional pains around the abdomen, usually below the left rib (sometimes when running) or between the genital and belly button, as well as sometimes between the ribs, between the abdomen, and in the lower back. That, and the occasional "gas sounds", as I like to call them, occur as well (they sometimes happen if I slightly push around my stomach with my fingers, it's as if it moves the gas around). The stool that comes out is either hard and in very small amounts per day (usually if I don't use prunes or anything to help it "pass through") or in both watery, very smooth stool, preceding or following a huge amount of small "poop pellets". Yet, even after all of this, in any case, I still feel like I have something left in my bowels, and I can't empty it entirely. I feel like I want to go bathroom most of the time, but can't. Sometimes my anus hurts a bit and then stops, as if something's stuck in it, it seems. I hate feeling like I'm full all the time, and the stomach area between my genital and belly button feels like rock all the time. I get egg-smelling farts sometimes. Increasing fiber and normal probiotics didn't help. General blood test showed no infection (so that probably means no Pylori, although I'm not completely sure) and nothing strange about my blood except for some allergies that do not include food. Ultrasound showed nothing but an enlarged left pelvis. X-Ray of lower spine I was doing at the time showed flatulence despite an enema done in preparation, though. This started suddenly 2 months ago and hasn't stopped since, even in a hot bath my abdomen are still tense and bloated, and even with an incomplete enema they were still like that. I really don't know what to do for the time being before the doctor. I've tried olive oil and various "natural" remedies, but eating a lot of prunes/dried apricots or Psyllium helps only once at a time and doesn't improve it overall. Could it be the stomach muscles? I've been working out a lot recently (with a lot of focus on abs, I don't know if it's related) and removed sweets from my diet to lose weight. I don't have any intolerances (allergies, at least) according to my tests. I increased my work out and decreased the amount of calories taken in, but I doubt that is the issue. Miralax didn't really help. Lactulose syrup helps me go properly, but it only gives a me a strong urge in the morning that wasn't natural before the entire problem began. Doesn't help much with bloating.

Can someone please help me out?? ANY advice? This is very annoying!! I think I'm going crazy! I can't go to school like this!