“I Am So Bloated!”

Health Tips / “I Am So Bloated!”

Susan had written “BLOATED!” in the section marked “What’s the main problem?” She told me she’d been suffering for years, her stomach feeling like some gremlin was inflating a balloon every time she ate. When the bloating was especially severe, Susan said she looked like she was in her fifth month of pregnancy. She was even embarrassed to accept dinner invitations. “You can actually see my stomach expanding. I have to wear elastic waistbands…it’s horrible!”

Susan had visited a couple of gastroenterologists, who quickly asserted the problem was irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), though she had neither of the two IBS mainstays, diarrhea and/or constipation. Her colonoscopy was completely normal. She’d been prescribed all the standard stuff for IBS: bulking agents (e.g., Metamucil), antidepressants (e.g., Prozac), and antispasmodics (e.g., Bentyl). Since she wasn’t particularly constipated, she was never prescribed the two newer meds for constipation-related IBS (LINZESS and AMITIZA).

One gastroenterologist gave her an honest shrug of his shoulders, telling her “We just don’t know.” On the plus side, despite the misery of her symptoms, “bloated” has never, in the history of medicine, appeared on anyone’s death certificate. On the downside, being bloated can truly impair your quality of life, ruining day-to-day enjoyment of meals and activities. It’s especially frustrating when you hear over and over again the mantra of modern medicine, “We can’t find anything wrong with you…all your tests are normal.”

Bloating itself is a subjective symptom

Subjective symptoms are those you report to your doctor as physical sensations. A physical examination, including an abdominal exam, may show you’re perfectly healthy. When you’re with your doctor, you might say something like, “I just feel so full and gassy every time I eat. I want to belch but nothing happens.” What you really feel like doing is isolating yourself and passing gas until you empty out like a deflating balloon. But no such luck.

When bloating becomes severe, it’s accompanied by very visible distension, or expansion, of your abdomen. Seen at the right moment, your doctor will nod in agreement.

As Susan learned early on, bloating is on the list of the numerous symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a condition that in one way or another affects about 25% of the population. Symptoms of IBS are just what you’d expect: constipation or diarrhea (or a blend of the two), GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease, or heartburn), indigestion, nausea, pain, and cramping. However, some IBS sufferers experience bloating with or without belly distension and no other IBS symptoms.

Not surprisingly, a lot of research has gone into IBS and bloating. In most cases, the answer is still elusive. The reason for the mystery is that there are so many possibilities, which explains why a treatment that works miracles for one patient will do absolutely nothing for the next. Patient A, for example, might eliminate gluten from her diet and find she’s cured. Patient B eliminates gluten and now she grievously misses her croissants but remains as bloated as ever. A third patient eliminates gluten and feels maybe 50% better, but when she adds acupuncture to the mix she’s almost cured.

If bloating is the bane of your existence, don’t despair

Let’s see where you can start. First, nutritional approaches and useful diagnostic tests:

1–Food sensitivity elimination diet. If a particular food is an issue, you’ll usually get a clear answer. For two weeks, completely eliminate all dairy, egg, corn (and corn products), gluten grains, citrus, and soy (and soy products). If you’re feeling better, add one food group back every three days until feeling crummy again indicates you’ve located the culprit. If you feel exactly the same after the elimination/reintroduction period, then food sensitivity is not an issue. Move to steps 2, 3, and 4.

2–Reduce your FODMAPs. A lot of recent research has shown that reducing foods containing FODMAPs can help IBS and bloating. The letters stand for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols, which are gas-producing, short-chain carbohydrates. The FODMAP diet, though not difficult, is best undertaken with professional supervision. I’d recommend an appointment with one of our nutritionists. Unlike many programs, the low-FODMAP eating plan is not a lifetime diet. Many high-FODMAP foods can be reintroduced once your symptoms are under control.

3–Comprehensive Stool Digestive Analysis with test for parasites and candida. You’ll get a kit to take home, where you’ll collect some poop and FedEx it to the lab for a detailed testing of your digestive processes, bacterial balances, and the presence (or absence) of parasites. Most insurers cover the lion’s share of this test, though there’s usually some out-of-pocket expense. When test results are positive, they’re usually caused by:

  • Bacterial imbalances, which you can treat with probiotics.
  • Missing digestive enzymes, treated with enzymes and/or betaine (stomach acid).
  • Candida (yeast) or parasites, treated with natural or prescription meds.

4–Breath Test for Bacterial Overgrowth in your Small Intestine (SIBO). This kit contains a harmless sugary liquid to drink and a very clever system to collect samples of your breath. You’ll FedEx your breath to the lab for analysis (anyone else chuckling at that sentence?). Again, insurers cover much of the cost. A positive test result will show an excessive amount of hydrogen and methane in your breath. Check this link for a typical positive test result. Treatment for significant bacterial overgrowth can include natural products containing essential oils and herbs or a prescription antibiotic called Xifaxan.

Next steps

If those approaches to your bloating yield absolutely nothing of use, try any of these well recognized treatments. At least one of them should give you some relief, and if you do get relief, add a second to see if you’ll do even better.

  • Probiotics such as Probiophage DF or Thera-Biotic Factor 4, both of which contain Bifidobacterium and a prebiotic to stimulate probiotic growth.
  • Carminative herbs. These are herbs that historically reduce gas and bloating. The word “carminative” is from the Latin “card for wool” and the herbs are to untangle “knots” (i.e., gas) from your intestines. Excellent carminatives include peppermint capsules or peppermint tea, ginger tea, or a few drops of bitters before a meal.
  • Acupuncture with Chinese herbs. You can schedule an acupuncture appointment with Cindy Kudelka, Mari Stecker, or Helen Streitelmeier. One study showed that moxibustion, the burning of herbs at the end of the acupuncture needle, was especially effective for bloating symptoms.
  • Homeopathy. Schedule with Sujatha Mannal.

The solution  to Susan’s bloating turned out to be fairly straightforward. Her SIBO Breath Test was very positive for significant bacterial overgrowth, and even before the results were back from the lab she was improving with a low-FODMAP eating plan. We went right to the prescription intestinal antibiotic and she’s now pretty much symptom-free.

However (and she’s prepared psychologically for this), bloating symptoms can return in a few months as gas-producing bacteria regenerate. It’s not uncommon to need a course of antibiotics each year or two, but we’ll make every effort to keep her symptoms at bay with periodic use of the natural antibiotics.

Be well,
David Edelberg, MD

20 thoughts on ““I Am So Bloated!”

    I have been dealing with BLOATING for almost 15 years! Tried all the diets and I had to quit job because I was so uncomfortable and could only wear sweatpants. I recently was treated with Augmentin for an ear infection and was amazed at how much my digestion and bloating improved almost immediately! It helped for about a month and then the bloating was back. My dr suspected sibo even though I had a neg breath test. I went on Rifaximin but it did nothing. She is hesitant to put me on Augmentin but I have lost so much quality of life I am willing to try anything. What could be causing this?

    Kelly
    Posted July 23, 2019 at 9:13 am

      Hi Kelly
      Augmentin is fine and was most often used before Rifamixin was introduced. Here’s an article to show your doc
      https://www.medicinenet.com/small_intestinal_bacterial_overgrowth_sibo/article.htm

      Dr E
      Posted July 29, 2019 at 11:41 am

    Hi Stephanie
    Xifaxan is used to treat C Diff so that’s not an issue. Candida is a possibility so after completeing Xifaxan, start natural candida treatments for a month, like Candibactin A/R and B/R

    Dr E
    Posted September 4, 2017 at 11:49 am

    How would one keep yeast under control AND keep C-Diff at bay while taking Xifaxan?

    Stephanie C.
    Posted September 1, 2017 at 10:18 am

    Hi Rae
    Neomycin works as well as Xifaxan and is covered by all insurers. Once the SIBO is cleared you can resume a normal diet

    Dr E
    Posted March 28, 2016 at 8:50 pm

    Do you also use neomyicin and prokinetics with patients that you feel would benefit from these?

    Once sibo is cleared can a normal (non-fodmap) diet be followed?

    rae
    Posted March 28, 2016 at 1:52 pm

    Doctor, question on Sibo antibiotic Xifaxam. Does it kill both good and bad bacteria in the intestines or just the bad ones ? Looking forward to your reply.

    Yusuf Koita
    Posted February 6, 2016 at 9:46 pm

      It kills all bacteria. It is important to re-inoculate with “the good” bacteria as soon as possible.

      Dr. R
      Posted February 7, 2016 at 7:30 pm

        Thank you, Doctor.

        Yusuf Koita
        Posted February 7, 2016 at 8:58 pm

    Hi Steve
    Chiropractors are more familiar with Genova than many MDs. Your chiro can likely order this for you

    Dr E
    Posted December 3, 2015 at 11:45 pm

      Thanks again, Dr E…

      Steve
      Posted December 4, 2015 at 8:53 am

    Hey Dr E… following up on my question on ordering the SIBO test. Genova tells me I have to get a clinician to order this test; I can’t do it myself. Any other trustworthy online direct ordering options that you know of? Thanks.

    Steve
    Posted December 3, 2015 at 8:37 am

    Do you accept United Healthcare PPO insurance?

    Tiffany
    Posted November 16, 2015 at 4:34 pm

      Hi Tiffany – we are only in network with Blue Cross PPO, however we will submit a claim for services to United on your behalf so that you can take advantage of any out-of-network benefits you have. Please call out Patient Services staff for a complete explanation of how out of network insurance works at WHC. They can be reached at 773-296-6700.
      All the best,
      Dr M.

      cliffmaurer
      Posted November 16, 2015 at 5:17 pm

    Hi Chris
    Generally within a couple of weeks

    Dr E
    Posted November 16, 2015 at 6:11 am

    Hi Dr. E, how long does it usually take a person who has started treatment on SIBO with Xifaxan to start feeling improvement? Thanks.

    Chris O
    Posted November 13, 2015 at 12:07 pm

    Hi Steve
    You can order the SIBO test kit directly from Genova

    Dr E
    Posted November 11, 2015 at 4:39 pm

      Awesome… thanks Dr E!

      Steve
      Posted November 11, 2015 at 5:58 pm

    Can you recommend an online SIBO testing kit patients can get without having to mess with a gastroenterologist?

    Steve
    Posted November 10, 2015 at 9:29 pm

    “Bloating” can also be a chemo side effect experienced by cancer patients.
    One additional OTC remedy worth trying is the “baby colic” cure – simethecone drops in half a glass of water. Now marketed as adult gas relievers, the original baby drops in water seem to work best (for those helped by them).
    Great article!

    Patti Woodbury Kuvik
    Posted November 10, 2015 at 8:14 am

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