“Bloating, a cause for concern?”
Female, about 40 years old, no children/pregnancies. I have been experiencing this (what I feel to be) extreme bloating following dinner. I am a fairly thin person and eat well-balanced, reasonably sized meals. I have been keeping a food diary, but am not seeing any correlations. I have no other symptoms. I am not experiencing diarrhea, constipation, nausea, weight loss, vomiting, etc. I very much doubt this has to do w/ simply overeating, as this feels quite different. About an hour or so after eating, my lower belly blows up like a balloon. It feels very taught and protrudes much farther than I could even possibly force my stomach out if I try w/ all of my might. I have brought this up to my doctor in the past, but there was no concern at the time. It is incredibly uncomfortable and makes me self-conscious. Should I see a specialist or is this just something I should get used to? The attached pics were taken about 8 hours apart.
Female | 40 years old
Complaint duration: 1 year
Medications: None
Conditions: None
2 Answers
Your symptoms of bloating are non-specific, but could be due to a pancreatic or intestinal ENZYME DEFICIENCY or an abnormality in your STOMACH, GALL BLADDER, PANCREAS, INTESTINE, or even in your PELVIC ORGANS (i.e., uterus or ovary). Thus, I suggest seeing a very reputable GASTROENTEROLOGIST and he will order imaging of your abdomen and pelvis, lab work that looks for issues involving the above organ systems, and maybe endoscopy looking for abnormalities in the upper and/or lower GI tract.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Bloating, especially after eating, is often caused by carbohydrate malabsorption. Reducing carbs in your meals usually helps. Try the low FODMAP diet. Taking peppermint oil like IBgard has been shown to help some people. Sometimes constipation or small bowel bacterial overgrowth contribute to bloating as well. A GI evaluation may be needed to help narrow down the possibilities, but I usually advise the low FODMAP diet first.
