# Gas! (Belching/bloating like crazy!)



## BCorsair (Apr 5, 2010)

Hey hey,New here, so go easy! Also, apologies for the length - I do hope you read this anyway! Briefly - late 20's male, been super-fit and healthy my whole life, which is why being diagnosed with IBS in my late teens was such a blow. I always thought that people who hit the gym almost every day of the week and ate truly healthily didn't end up like this...Anyway!I've controlled my IBS for the last ten years through diet and exercise; avoiding eating too much, avoiding really greasy food, eating lots of fiber, and heavy weight-lifting in the gym (it's a passion). I used to be IBS-D, but I've been IBS-A for the past few years, with many days being completely normal, unless I don't get enough sleep or eat really poorly. I sometimes get gassy/belchy a bit in reaction to some foods, but generally that's only in response to major 'trigger' foods (really fatty food is my enemy, which I hardly ever eat anyway).Five months ago something went wrong. I developed what my MD called gastritis - I was having some mild/moderate acid problems (not GERD, but rather a sort of burning pain in stomach) and chronic bloating/belching. I medicated with Pepcid AC, which did a good job for the most part. Things got worse, however, and I (and the doctors I've seen) are blaming stress; I've just completed a Master's degree, moved away from family/friends to a new city, and have had a problem getting the job I wanted due to the fact that I went to a European university (and they say foreign degrees are prestigious!).The problem I have these days is that I'm bloated and belching almost ALL the time. The 'regular' IBS problems (bowel trouble) are actually not that bad right now - no worse than ever. It's the bloating/belching that's really getting to me, which was traditionally only an 'occasional' issue for me, but now is nearly constant. It's often so bad that I can barely eat or drink (even a sip of water is too much, sometimes), and is sometimes accompanied by nausea. It tends to be worst in the late evening, when I'm getting tired, and I tend to feel best early in the day (the only time of day I can usually get even a small meal in). This pattern repeats itself every day - decent morning (sort of), horrible evening/night.The long and short of it is that I've lost quite a bit of weight - at least ten or twelve pounds over the course of two to three months, and I've lost that weight solely (as far as Doc's are concerned) due to not eating enough, which is entirely correct - I can only get in about 1200 calories per day, on average. Eating can lead to such massive gas/bloating that the feeling isn't pain, but rather a hugely uncomfortable sensation that feels like my stomach will explode if I so much as take one bite of food... I just CANNOT put anything in it, sometimes. Keep in mind this is "belching" gas, not the other end...Anyway, I've had numerous blood tests, a check for H. Pylori, checks for celiac (I'm not, and not lactose either as far as we know), an abdominal ultrasound - you name it. All tests were completely, 100% normal. Short of an endoscopy (something I've been told is both uncomfortable and probably not needed in my case), I have pretty much had every test that could find something wrong with me. Oh, and I did have a colonoscopy about five years back, and was praised for having such an immaculately clean-looking gut, so nothing wrong there...I'm on pantoprazole (Protonix in the USA?), and also on something called "Tu Zen" - a very strong probiotic pill. I take Gas-X regularly, which does help get rid of some gas. I feel *slightly* better on my meds, but I'm still nowhere even close to well. I've had to stop working out and exercising for the past couple of months, due to the weight loss; I was already trim and fit to begin with, and the kind of exercise I used to do would only cause me to lose weight faster (I'm a really small guy, naturally - 130lbs, normally, now down to about 118 - 120lbs).Long story short: Doc's are really convinced at this point that this is IBS, and that it's caused by the massive stress in my life. The drugs I'm on do very little. I desperately want a normal life back, and find it extremely frustrating when just half of a small meal-replacement shake makes me feel like I've packed in a ten-course meal. If anyone has suggestions, I'd love to hear them... five months of this #### has me scared and exhausted, to be honest. Barely being able to eat most days is just plain frightening...


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Belching usually is an upper GI problem, not a colon problem like IBS.Functional Dyspepsia can occur in IBSers and some doctors don't really differentiate the two.Some people find a digestive enzyme with pancreatin in it can help with the bloating. You want one with animal pancreatin in it (partly as it is also a signal). The prescription version of it was tested in a small study for bloating and seemed to have some effect. I've used the ones I can get over the counter.You may want to look at practices that may increase air swallowing. Chewing gum, hard candies, pens, pencils. Smoking. Talking while eating. Drinking anything with bubbles in it.


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## BCorsair (Apr 5, 2010)

hmm... I find your response interesting, as a number of medical journals and universities do indeed list bloating/belching as an IBS-related symptom. The colon may be the site of the majority of problems, but it does not have exclusive rights to the condition, according to the experts I've seen.As to the whole 'air swallowing' thing, I don't do anything that would encourage it; I don't smoke, eat candy, chew gum or tobacco, or drink carbonated beverages - I'm too much of a health nut to do anything like that. I don't chew pencils or pens either!Thanks for the reply; I may look into some sort of digestive enzyme, but as I'm already on a very strong pro-biotic and a PPI, that seems like over-kill.Any other thoughts would be most welcome!


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Not according to the Rome Committee. But if you think the belches come from your colon, feel free. I have no idea how colon gas will get all the way back through the small intestine and all that to be belched out. Belching is also normally listed as a symptom of several upper GI problems from ulcers to functional dyspespia unless I read all those wrong, too. Generally that is much more of an upper GI problem, but then a lot of people don't notice that functional dyspepsia and IBS are two different disorders (although they often occur in the same person, which makes people say IBS causes every single thing that happens in any part of the body that has nothing to do with the colon).Mostly a splitter vs a lumper type of problem. I tend to go with the researchers on the Rome Committee and keep things separate. Lot of people like to lump all symptoms of all syndromes anyone may have into one pile and put one label on the whole thing.If you don't want to try digestive enzymes because adding another natural compound is too much I don't know what else to offer. But then I don't have a problem taking several different herbs, etc at the same time because I rarely find anything is the "silver bullet" that will fix everything and most every health problem I have ever had needs a multi-factorial approach. Would be nice to ever get something that just needs one thing.







I've seen combo pills that have pancreatin and probiotics all in one formula so it really isn't uncommon for people to recommend both at the same time.Although it may be worth looking at size and frequency of meals. See if 4-5 smaller meals makes you more comfortable than 3 larger ones. Sometimes that kind of thing can make a surprisingly big difference. Some people will consciously or even unconsciously swallow air when they have upper GI discomfort (I know I do, but I always swallow more than I can belch up so it makes things worse and I try to make sure I don't do it because I end up just needing more belches to get rid of the air I swallowed to generate the last belch, vicious cycle).


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## BCorsair (Apr 5, 2010)

I was not trying to suggest that the belching was coming from my colon... that would be lunacy







. Please forgive me if my response sounded belligerent, I was just a bit surprised, given what I've been informed of over the years.What has been suggested to me is that due to stress/IBS/unknown, my guts spasm and don't digest very well at present, causing the gas/bloating. It's been suggested that I take an anti-spasmodic (Dicetel) to potentially cut out the gas, but I have not read anywhere that anti-spasmodics help with the kind of gas that I have.Thank you for the response, however. I very much appreciate the assistance.I suppose the issue is that I'm not sure what my problem is, and again, short of an endoscopy, I've had pretty much every test known to man (multiple blood tests, celiac test, H. Pylori, ultrasound - all 100% normal). Doc's are fairly sure that if I had an ulcer and/or some sort of erosion that I would have a noticeable amount of stomach pain, something I rarely (if ever) have. I had some when this condition first started, but it went away quite early on, leaving only the bloating/belching/constantly 'full' sensation behind.Is there any particular make/brand of digestive enzyme that you would recommend? I'd be interested in looking at what it is, and running it by an MD. If you can recommend a specific name of a digestive enzyme product that I could look up (or perhaps a website that sells it), I would appreciate it. From the reading I have done about digestive enzymes, over-supplementation is potentially risky, and more than that, I would think someone would have to actually be deficient in them to see any benefits, and for all I know, I'm not deficient.Oh, and I already eat smaller, frequent meals (when I can eat at all, these days), but thank you for the suggestion. I've done that for years just to manage my IBS, and it has usually been successful.Thanks again! ... and I suppose this is an odd question, but does this really sound like the sort of thing caused by stress?


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## Jillywindy (Jan 17, 2010)

Well, although I have Chronic Abdominal Pain, (no D or C or gas) the only other symptom that I have is belching which co-incides with incidences of colon pain. That symptom led me on a futile search for it's cause for months. I have now concluded that it's must be just a strange visceral reaction to the colon pain and that I must be swallowing air and belching it up when I get the colon pain as the belch doesn't taste of anything and I don't do it at other times. Like you, I don't do anything to facilitate air swallowing. I did used to get bloating sensations as well but not so much now.Early in my illness, I lost a lot of weight due to the fact that I didn't feel like eating and had to force food in. I also felt full and somewhat nauseous. My initial diagnosis was also gastritis (it wasn't), I had an endoscopy and all was well. I have a very high transverse colon (most of my pain was there) and couldn't distinguish between stomach and colon pain. Since I discovered that it was colon pain, I found that, by treating the IBS symptoms, the stomach issues abated and I now have a healthy appetite. I still have episodes of belching but not nearly as bad.A friend of mine, also with IBS, had belching as well. Since it's a functional problem, maybe the stomach issues can relate to colon problems through the nervous system.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

There are prescription digestive enzymes and they were the ones used in the clinical study http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10489912Usually the brand name of creon http://www.creon-us.com/default.htmThe study showed it helped bloating in normal healthy people who ate a meal designed to bloat anybody.http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/search/en/que...ection=vitamins has a bunch of just pancreatin brands, but I haven't used them (I just started going to this store as they opened a large one by me, but I plan on getting some from there next time I need it, I only get bad bloating once in awhile).I've used GNC and Rexall brands, but I don't know if either is still available. They were mixed formulas with a bunch of enzymes and the Rexall had some probiotics added.Stress makes everything worse. Which physical symptoms show up with stress depends on what illnesses/conditions you have. I had a friend in college that ended up in the hospital with a severe asthma attack during finals from the stress. He'd have it under control most of the rest of the time. Have you hard of Functional Dyspepsia? A lot of doctors roll it up with IBS so do some web sites. But basically it is a functional problem up top, like IBS is a functional problem in the colon. Doesn't help much to get the label as there aren't a lot of treatments but upper abdominal pain, bloating, and other symptoms are very common (like IBS is very common) and a lot of the times it is FD which will not show up on any of the medical tests. People can have FD or IBS or some combination of the two. You do not have to have upper GI symptoms to have IBS. I rarely get upper GI symptoms (but under certain medicine combinations I will get upper GI bloating, feeling too full too long, nausea and belching that the enzymes help with, I take them at the start of meals). I do have GERD up top and sometimes FD will respond to GERD meds, but you are already on one of them.http://www.medicinenet.com/dyspepsia/article.htm is a nice long article about it.


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## Moises (May 20, 2000)

This is a discussion that is of some importance to me.I had bothersome diarrhea almost my entire life, starting in my childhood. But I did not seek medical care until my early 30s when my burping became intolerable. Unfortunately, I know of no easy answers.The stock explanation of burping (eructation) is aerophagia, or swallowing air. The only recommendations that I've read to avoid this have to do with staying away from certain foods, like carbonated drinks.I once spent an entire week avoiding swallowing by spitting in a cup, because my GI insisted that I was swallowing air when I swallowed. That didn't help me, nor did putting a cork in my mouth.Although his book did not cure me, Pimentel's A New IBS Solution expanded my understanding of this problem. Burping seems to be a condition that is rarely taken seriously. In my case, it has a larger negative impact on my quality of life than diarrhea does, so I take it seriously. I was pleased to read Pimentel's book, because it does treat burping as a real symptom. It also suggests an answer to something that has long troubled me. Can the gas be coming from some place in the tract below the stomach. Pimentel's answer seems to be in the affirmative.Unfortunately, the antibiotics, elemental diet, and pancreatic enzymes that Pimentel recommends never helped me in any way. What has helped me slightly is a low-carb diet with almost no fiber. Burping still bothers me every single day, but the most severe instances of extreme abdominal distention (that is where my abdomen measurably expands) have been reduced in number.On a purely speculative level, there might be some kind of connection between the upper and lower symptoms. When my lower tract is particularly bad, my upper problems seem to be exacerbated. So--again this is purely speculative--there might be some kind of overall disruption to the enteric nervous system that can manifest at both ends.My suggestion is to be as systematic and as patient as you can be. I always try new things. Currently, I am testing sodium butyrate and lactulose. What I've learned over many years is that if I have an all-or-nothing attitude, I do myself a disservice. What has served me best is to closely monitor the results of any changes I make. I now try to maintain those dietary or supplementary interventions that bring about small (on the order of 10%) improvements. By building upon these small improvements I can see some overall progression.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

As I've said before, and will have to say again.If you at any time in your life have more than one health problem at the same time, or ever get an acute illness of any kind at any point in you life it will create physical stress that can set another health problem off.Chronic problems tend to flare up together even if there is no way the joint in your toe is directly effecting the ear on the other side of your body. If the one hurts enough to cause physical stress the other thing will more than likely get worse around the same time.It would be great if only one thing could flare up at a time. Unfortunately that isn't how our bodies work.So even though you can have either the upper or lower GI tract go bad as a lot of people have only one or the other, some people will have both and if you have both, when one gets bad, the other will be much more likely to get bad at the same time.I do think SIBO (depending on where in the small intestine the bacteria are) could effect belching. Especially if antibiotics make the belching go away.


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## BCorsair (Apr 5, 2010)

Interesting responses, and thanks for them.What I'm more or less reading is that I'm kind of... well.... in a bad spot. There's apparently no cure or specific drug/treatment to remedy this. I assume if there was, one of the MD's I've seen the last few months would have found the right one, or if this was transitory, it would have resolved by now.How depressing. I'm afraid that I really am one of those "all or nothing" guys - like I said, I've been super-fit and healthy my whole life. Body-builder, competitive athlete, health-food nut. Ending up like this is just a huge blow.Well, thanks for the tips, guys.


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

Corsair, Just a thought... but..You mentioned being a body builder...if you take any supplements.. look into the possibility that they could be causing some problems for you. I know some body builders/super fit/health conscious people sometimes take supplements and never think that they could be causing any stomach upset... but for some people.. they can.


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## Jillywindy (Jan 17, 2010)

If the gas was a product of bacterial fermentation, wouldn't it taste of something accordingly? BCorsair don't think that you are "ending up like this". I was the same but got back into my favorite sport as soon as remotely possible. The day after my colonoscopy to be exact. You need to claw some of our old life back as it will help you to recover your health.


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## BCorsair (Apr 5, 2010)

Thanks for the words of encouragement; very kind of you, and appreciated. It's just that nearly six months with no relief in sight (and at times even 'regressing')... well... yeah. Kinda depressing. I'm supposed to be going on a five-week holiday this summer with family, in Europe, and there's just no way in hell I can run about all day as a tourist for that long on only 1000-1200 calories per day... I'll just be flat out pooped, if I even have the energy to move.As to body-building supplements, no, I don't take any save for a very high quality protein powder which has never, ever caused problems in the ten years that I have taken it for.As to the bacterial fermentation issue, that was a guess of mine as well, but the belch/bloat reaction is just too 'fast' in my experience - it starts within minutes (or less) of eating at times. I highly doubt bacteria will shoot out that much gas, that quickly.Maybe this is an acid problem that PPI's just aren't fixing (or at least this one isn't). It's just that my first gut reaction (pun intended) was to believe this was related to IBS, especially as multiple MD's have suggested as much, and also since I have heard of other IBS suferers with a similar issue.Thanks again guys.


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## Jillywindy (Jan 17, 2010)

Be cautious about using PPI's unless you are sure you are experiencing acid reflux. If you do not have an acid problem, then using them can be quite detrimental. You need that acid to digest that protein that you're taking. And they can actually cause nausea as a side effect - they did with me. You can look up the stats for side effects for all medications on the net and the one I was taking caused nausea in 12% of people.


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## BCorsair (Apr 5, 2010)

Jillywindy said:


> Be cautious about using PPI's unless you are sure you are experiencing acid reflux. If you do not have an acid problem, then using them can be quite detrimental. You need that acid to digest that protein that you're taking. And they can actually cause nausea as a side effect - they did with me. You can look up the stats for side effects for all medications on the net and the one I was taking caused nausea in 12% of people.


Well, this all did start out (way back last November!) as definitely related to acid, at least *somewhat*. I had developed a nasty burning sensation in my stomach that was definitely acid, as well as other tell-tale signs of gastritis - the bloating/belching/early fullness. The docs think my IBS is 'amplifying' this problem, but are fairly certain that I definitely am producing excess acid these days, probably due to stress.I'm on 40MG of pantoprazole right now, prescribed by my MD (better known as Protonix). To be honest, I think it helps a *little*, but not as much as I would like it to. I've been on it three weeks, and there hasn't been much of a change since a few days after I initially started it.Not to de-rail the thread, but I do suffer from IBS, like the rest of you. As I seem to be repeating, though, all the doctors believe my current problems are a case of my IBS going crazy, and amplifying other issues.


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## karoe (Sep 22, 1999)

Gold standard test for H Pylori is stool sample. Your regular doc may not have access to this. I have used an integrative medicine physician who has access to DNA testing. You can find such a doctor on the website for the Institute of Functional Medicine. I have made excellent progress treating my problems based on this excellent testing. See my other posts.


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## WonkyColon (Apr 22, 2010)

Many people with IBS also have GERD (reflux), which can cause burping.I have IBS and I burp like crazy. I hope you feel better!


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## Endzone (Apr 13, 2010)

BCorsair I so much sympathize with you, and I do not have your specific problem. I'm a 53-year-old male living in America. This does not mean your life is over. Somehow by the grace of God you will get through this. Yes, there will be a lifestyle change for a while. But look, you can still walk, you still have both your legs--right? You can drive a car. You're not in a wheelchair. I don't know much about divine healing, but it is certainly a possibility. Just be at peace now. There will be a solution in the grace of God. Endzone


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## Dennis Smith (Jul 4, 2013)

I can not tell it enough how embarassing it is when I am in class and my intestine makes noises! if it was for once in a while I would have tolerated it because it happens to everybody like that but if it is frequent then it will be a source of anxiety. The other symptom I have is acid reflux which now has subsided almost non existent. I happen to watch some video online (http://dess.me/Lkygt )and it interested me because I heard most of my symptoms in that video. Would like to know if anyone has seen it.


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