Expert: Robert Borucki Date: 7/12/2008 Subject: Severe stomach / intestinal problems
Question Hi,
I've been experiencing the following problems for almost a year now, but it has gotten progressively worse and is an almost constant problem for me now.
The main symptom is severe bloating after meals, no matter what I eat or drink, a glass of water or a slice of pizza.
The bloating occurs in the lower abdomen and can be so severe that I cannot fit into my pants. It is so uncomfortable that I spend most of my day thinking about it and it has started to affect my work. I can have a bowl of cereal in the morning, then a salad for lunch and be painfully bloated for 5-9 hours. It has become such a problem that I'm afraid to eat.
This is accompanied by a constant cycle of constipation, which can space bowel movements up to a week apart, then diarrhea for a day or two, then back to constipation.
Other symptoms are occasional blood in stool, fatigue and poor sleep, and heavy swings of depression.
My diet is pretty good. No fast-food, no beef or chicken, occasional fish and pork, regular fruit (lots of apples), and a fair amount of organic vegetables. I do each a medium amount of cheese and bread, and drink 1-2 cups of coffee per day. I rarely eat packaged food and avoid products with high sugar additives and long ingredients lists, tending to stick to more natural and simple foods. I consume approximately 10-20 alcoholic beverages a month and have 4-10 cigarettes a month (sometimes I turn to smoking to help with constipation).
Any help with this very painful problem would be more than appreciated.
Thank you very much,
Scott
Answer sounds like some irritable bowel symptoms or some type of food intolerance.... sometimes celiac disease... (that is helped with diet, try a google search) I would try that, or try Zantac 150 mg twice a day or consider getting your glaa bladder checked by ultrasound... try the diet and/or zantac for at least 3 weeks to see if it works.... hope this helps.
