Stomach bloating and weight gain

[laddieboy]

I have been on a diet to reverse pre-diabetes and was astonished to lose the bloat and 10 lbs. in 6 weeks. For me it was limiting dairy and meat. The book I read was Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes. I follow the diet 50-75% of the time. All I wanted to do was lower my glucose levels to avoid type II diabetes. My mother had it and my readings were increasingly pre-diabetic. The bloat & weight loss were an unexpected bonus. Also, I am not suffering from tree pollen this spring and the pollen counts here are astonomical. Good luck!

[connollyhome]

I am 30 years old. In August 2008, I went to the ER with severe pain in the upper left quadrant of my stomach. They ran several test, gave me some pain medicine and sent me home. The CT scan was normal, the x-rays normal, the abdominal ultrasound showed a small gallbladder polyp and everything else normal. I have been to my regular doctor, gynecologist, gastro specialist. They did a endoscopy, colonoscopy, Hydrogen breath test(check for a gluten intolerance), and a gastric emptying study (delay in digestion test), CA-125 (check for ovarian cancer), pelvic ultrasound (check for ovarian cancer or cyst), Celiac test (check for sprue intolerance). They cannot figure it out. They say it must be severe IBS. But I was diagnosed with IBS 10 years ago and never had these problems. I would suffer from stomach cramps and constipation. How can IBS go from that to my stomach bloating so much that I feel and look like I am six months pregnant overnight. I have different pant sizes in my closet for when I am bloated and when I'm not. I gained 20 pounds that first month. Now I have gained a total of 40 pounds to date. I went from a 10/12 to a 16/18. Now when my stomach bloats the 16's will not fit. I am highly depressed. I am disgusted with my looks. Now it is almost summer and I am ashamed to wear a swimsuit. My co-workers and family cannot understand how devastating this can be. Not to mention frustrating, when you pay doctor co-pays left and right and get no answers. One of my doctor's said it was a mystery diagnosis....that was not helpful. Have you heard of the small intestine telescoping into the large intestine? I have had two people tell me they seen a story about that and the person seemed to have the symptoms as we have....Any advice or thoughts would be appreciated. I am thankful I found this blog website. I was starting to think no one else ever went from normal to six month pregnant look in ten minutes.

[MichaelXY]

What was the size of the polyp, >10mm ? If so I would wonder why this did not raise concerns with the doctors. Although I think this is unrelated to any change in body size, It might cause the severe pains which prompted you to visit the ER. I imagine the polyp was smaller than 10mm or the doctors should have shown concern.

Often these polyps are caused by an increase in cholesterol. Were your cholesterol levels tested?

If you are having cholesterol problems, this may be an indicator that your diet might need to be re-examined.

Well, good luck to you...

Disclaimer: I am not a MD, and as such, my opinion should not be taken as that of a MD

[connollyhome]

I was doing some research and seen something called DERCUM's DISEASE....Look it up and see if you think it sounds like what we may have???

[MichaelXY]

I was doing some research and seen something called DERCUM's DISEASE....Look it up and see if you think it sounds like what we may have???

First off, I am not an MD, so take what I say with that in mind.

I think the internet is a wonderful thing. It has opened us to a world of information and a wealth of knowledge. Sadly though, with all this benefit comes a down side. Internet diagnosis is now common place and is often harmful to the person making the self diagnosis.

Educating oneself in a possible illness is not a bad thing, but it does lead one to follow advice given on the internet rather than seeking a medical professional.

I have to comment on your self diagnosis. You suggested Dercum's disease. I would like to point out that this illness is rare, and you would have major problems in your joints. So, I don't think so.

Consult your MD once more, and be honest to your MD about your lifestyle.

[Dexinger]

My 14 year old daughter has a delaying of emptying of the stomach problem. Her stomach feels stretched and bloated after she eats and it takes an hour or so to empty. She had an upper GI done and a follow through and nothing really showed up, except some acid build up. The doctor gave her a prescription for Zantac (acid pills) but it did nothing to help. I did some research and a natural health specialists suggested good digestive enzymes may help. I went to a health food store and bought UDO's Choice digestive enzymes. My daughter has been taken them for about a week now and thankfullly, notices a big difference. Also, drinking a glass of water with a piece of fresh lemon in the morning and water through the day helps as well. Thought this might anyone with the same problem.

[benpam]

Hello everyone...sorry to say this, but its sure good to know I am not alone.

I am 49, and have suffered with my stomach all my life...I was first hospitalized at 3 yrs old with severe abdominal pain and here I am 43 years later and still suffering.
I have had my gall bladder removed and the Dr said I had a birth defect, this was 7 yrs ago and still suffering... I have always been slim size 8/10 and over the last 2 yrs have moved to a 14/16 and could easily move up to a 18 after a couples of hours after I get up in the morning. I get so bloated and my belly looks like I am 7 months pregnant. I also have gerd (take nexium) have had so many test and have been told my gast. dr that I all test show negative on the usual, but my colonostomy showed such severe ulcers that I "probably " have Chrones disease. Everything I have read on this talks about weight loss, not weight gain and I am so sick of Dr.s I could puke. I wish I had some answers for you all, but I don't.

Iam so glad to have found this web site...

[MichaelXY]

My 14 year old daughter has a delaying of emptying of the stomach problem. Her stomach feels stretched and bloated after she eats and it takes an hour or so to empty. She had an upper GI done and a follow through and nothing really showed up, except some acid build up. The doctor gave her a prescription for Zantac (acid pills) but it did nothing to help. I did some research and a natural health specialists suggested good digestive enzymes may help. I went to a health food store and bought UDO's Choice digestive enzymes. My daughter has been taken them for about a week now and thankfullly, notices a big difference. Also, drinking a glass of water with a piece of fresh lemon in the morning and water through the day helps as well. Thought this might anyone with the same problem.

Glad to hear your daughter is feeling better, but I suspect the suppliments are having a placebo effect, or perhaps the extra intake in water is helping her.

I seriously doubt the suppliments you are giving her offer any benefit what so ever. If you understood biology you would see why.

Enzymes are proteins with specific shapes which enable them to function on receptors. Furthermore enzymes must be kept in a temperature and pH controlled environment. If the conditions are not met the enzyme denatures and becomes a hardboiled egg. In other words, the enzyme loses its shape. and changes in some way or another.

The stomach acids create a pH environment which normally denatures a enzyme or protein. The enzyme pepsin is an exception to this rule however as it does survive the pH level of the stomach.

This brings me to my second point. The digestive enzymes in the stomach work to break down proteins such as other denatured enzymes, converts them to peptides. At the end of the day, your enzyme suppliment becomes nothing more than a steak.

I noticed on the UDO website that they did not list the specific enzymes used in their product, most likely because they know they would quickly be debunked.

[Ortahome]

I, too, have been suffering for about 3 years with this mysterious ab pain, upper right quadrant, and bloating (as if I'm 6 months pregnant in minutes). I have also gained 12 lbs in the past 3 months, while everyone else in my family have lost 6 to 14 lbs on my diet and exercise plan! And I'm even more dedicated than they are! I have been to the ER 5 times, had numerous blood tests, urine tests, MRI's, Ultrasounds and an endoscopy. I know I have gastroparesis. But why? I think it's just another symptom of what is really wrong. I am now seeing an Endocrinologist. He is testing me for Cushing's, Vitamin D deficiency, and checking for possible allergies to dyes, found in many prescription drugs, foods and juice-like drinks. I am shocked to read how many people are suffering from the same thing I have, and they have not been diagnosed, yet, either. I will post if we find it! Best wishes to all!

[Jennuan]

I think I found the right combination that works for my daughter's bloating. She was suffering upper abdominal pain, was diagnosed with 17 food allergies (milk, soy, banana, corn, chicken, turkey, pork, etc) In addition, she was diagnosed with two ulcers; one in her esophagus and the other in the upper portion of her stomach. She's ONLY 7 years old! Anyhow, she's been seen by many specialists, all of whom have minimized the problem and/or suggested harsh pharmaceutical drugs (Prevacid). Well, I did the unpopular thing and did extensive research on homeopathic and natural remedies, and her symptoms have all diminished. We had her on a diet where we avoided all of the foods she was allergic to, which was very difficult to do, and had her on a super digestive enzyme, daily, that she ate with all her meals. We avoided the foods she was allergic to for 5 months and saw a noticeable difference. The foods she was most allergic to was milk and soy, so we started to add the other foods back into her diet while continuing to take digestive enzymes with every meal, and her stomach stayed down...no more bloating. She also had two ulcers. Well, I researched aloe vera juice online and am having her take a capful of the aloe vera juice with each meal as well, since it's known to cure ulcers. Well, I don't know for sure if it's working, but her little girl voice is coming back (it used to be harsh and scratchy sounding.) I'll get another endoscope done in another 4 months or so, but I wanted to tell everyone of my success with organic/herbal remedies. You have to be careful when doing your research, because you have to really get a good handle on your symptoms. I've been scared and had a lot of self-doubt when making the decision NOT to do what the doctor prescribed, but I've been very forturnate in the outcome I've experienced. Natural remedies = healing...a coicidence? Trust your motherly instinct, that's all I have to say. My story ended in success (well, almost ended...we still have to take a few additional tests to make sure all her symptoms went away.) I wish all of you success and will check back!

[nutrition4thesoul]

i would recommend testing for h.pylori, food allergies (many already stated in previous posts..including fiberous foods, lactose, gluten, soy, etc.), and any kind of irritable bowel.

i had more symptoms than could be named....after 2 years, I was tested for h.pylori...tested positive...after treatment and some work with a registered dietitian, I have never felt better!

If doctors and many tests are not working out for you...I would recommend meeting with a REGISTERED DIETITIAN. They are natural miracle workers

best of luck and health.

[narayan]

Hi everybody

Essentially, the best way to control IBS is to control stress, avoid certain foods and to maintain a healthy, consistent diet. Fiber may be helpful as well. Increase the fiber in your diet slowly. Increasing fiber content in your diet to rapidly will increase the likelihood of gas and bloating. As your body becomes more accustomed to the increases in fiber, the gas and bloating will resolve.