Please help...battling gas and bloating
#303914 - 04/03/07 09:32 PM
|
|
|
|
|
line415
Reged: 09/09/06
Posts: 976
Loc: New Jersey
|
|
|
I don't know what has been going on with me lately. I don't think I've changed too much in my diet, but b/c I consider myself stable (or at least stable from my D), I have been eating a variety of things but nothing "new." I have added much more IF b/c I wasn't having daily bms and without them, I was quite uncomfortable, also feeling incomplete evacuation. Now I am "going" daily...but the problem is that I get so bloated and gassy by late day...I can't figure out if it's lunch (different daily) or too much soy (replacement foods like cream cheese or a luna bar) or even my calcium supplement. I had considered switching from Caltrate Plus to one with magnesium also but I didn't want to mess with it once I started having normal, daily bms.
So last night I did not take my calcium supplement, today I did not have any more soy than my soyfee in the morning, and I also skipped my 1/2 tsp acacia dose at lunch, thinking perhaps maybe that was a culprit. I know I am all over the place but if I did the BTC diet, I would get extremely c so I guess I'm asking for some thoughts in case anything sticks out to someone. It is such a grueling process to trial and error with this IBS.
Today I had minimal gas but I was still bloated...it's like I wonder if it is just "fat" in my belly b/c perhaps I've put on a few pounds?? It looks so rounded though and my belly button sticks out (it hasn't quite gone back in since my last baby 2 1/2 years ago!  ) Does anyone else have this?
Here's an idea of what I have been eating:
soyfee with 1/2 tsp acacia AM
oatmeal with water...some raisins (some days without raisins and still feel gassy later in day)
good bm
feel wonderful...no gas/bloat for morning
morning snack: bagel, fruit, Heather's banana bread, or smoothie...always IF included since I didn't have much at breakfast. Even ww bagels.
Gas seems to start
lunch: 1/2 tsp acacia, turkey sandwich on italian bread, rye with tomato and lite miracle whip, some fruit, pretzels (which by the way, I have always thought pretzels gave me gas...but again...even on days I don't have them, I feel the same  )
later snack: peanut butter ( not daily b/c this can give me gas) and 1/2 banana or bite or two of my son's pb and j on ww bread, fruit, graham crackers
dinner: lately brown rice instead of white or pasta with chicken or seafood, veggie burgers once in a while, always lots of veggies mostly IF(broccoli, medium basic salad, green beans, asparagus, sweet potatoes...) 1/2 tsp acacia
Dessert: non-dairy ice cream or a luna bar (often only half)still gassy with non-soy desserts by the end of the day, almond choc. milk with rice crispies
Note that I have been taking beano before lunch AND dinner now....not sure what to change!! Could I be getting too much IF? I felt it was the right amount b/c I am having 1 normal bm daily, but it feels like by evening, another bm would empty all the gas and bloat. What about the acacia amount? I have been back and forth on whether to add or decrease...if I add, then I would be trying to eat IF ALL day to balance it I think.
Please give some suggestions! I'm going to stay off the caltrate for a few days and see what happens (I can always do a cal-mag supplement when I'm ready) and also I'm going to avoid soy products or at least reduce them. I posted about not liking tea and possibly trying some peppermint tummy tamers. Thank you for any insight!!!!
--------------------
Originally IBS-D for a million years!
Then IBS-A, Now a transformed slightly C
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
The only things that stick out to me really are whole wheat foods, salad, and fruit. Some people can handle these better than others. For me, though, almost anything more than a couple of bites of either can make me gassy.
My worst gas culprit is egg whites. I still eat them, but I just choose carefully when and how much I eat. As for soy, soy milk can make me SLIGHTLY gassy, but nothing bad at all. I eat either tofu or a soy burger almost every day with no gas problems at all. For whatever reason, the tofu type stuff seems to be much better for me. I totally pigged out tonight at dinner on my tofu spaghetti and, as usual, didn't have even a rumble afterwards. 
I hope you're able to figure out what your culprit is. I'd start by eliminating the whole wheat first, since that is a common IBS problem food. If that doesn't help, then you can look at what/how much fruit you're eating and other things. I know for me, though, that your morning snack would make me gassy, too.
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
So sorry to hear you are having such a miserable time with the bloating and gas. I was having similiar problems after being on the Acacia Fiber for 6 1/2 weeks, after always being "D" I became "C" was throughly miserable and uncomfortable, the more IF foods I ate the worse the bloating got and I needed to eat them to stop the "C". I drank gallons of Fennel Tea and other teas, tried the P. Caps but I have difficulty swallowing pills and as you are only supposed to drink alitte water with them they would not go down properly, then I would get a strong peppermint taste come up into my throat, Altoids worked better. I tried eating more IF to help with the "C" and I took Beano before lunch and dinner(I recall you were the one who recommended it to me, it made me gag but I got them down, they helped some). I was having trouble sleeping because of the painful gas, used the Heating pad all night. My Dr told me to stop the Acacia, fiber does not agree with everyone, within 2 days of stopping the Acacia, I started havng BM's and the gas and bloat started to disappear. Now I"m back to loose BM's after a couple of "bad "D" episodes but I was happy to be cleared out and rid of the gas build-up. I've started with the Caltrate 600+ which helped me a few years back, they haven't given me any significant gas or bloat yet, only 2nd day. I can't take soy products, make me too gassy. It appears to me many of the foods you eat are gas producers, wheat, broccoli, asparagus, green beans, peanut butter, many fruits are too, especially dried fuits, I wish I could advise you what to do "Line415", have you checked with your Dr, it sounds to me like you have lots of trapped gas? I do hope you feel better soon.
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
It may just be that your body is not used to this much fiber (since you said you started eating more IF). You could cut back on the veggies and slowly reintroduce them so your body has time to adjust. I know it's not a problem for everyone, but the inulin in Luna bars gives me major bloating and gas. It might be worth a try to cut those out for a couple days and see if that helps.
--------------------
Kim
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
I read through your diet and the following foods would and do cause major gas for me:
Acacia, bananas, bagels and pretzels (which can be more common gas producers than you would think), veggie burger (contains soy), broccoli, salads, asparagus, soy "ice" cream, and LUNA bars, big time.
Depends on what kind of fruit you are eating.
That's just my personal experience, though.
--------------------
IBS-C with pain and bloat
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
I never really had trouble with gas, until I had a Laparoscopy done in December. Ever since then, I have experienced trapped intestinal gas that causes me cramping and abdominal pain. The ONLY thing that I find helps me is many many glass of hot fennel tea. Drinking fennel seems to relieve the trapped gas and pain.
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
Thanks for everyone's replies. Yes, it would appear that many of my foods could cause gas, but what do I eat? I need the IF to make me go or else I get even more gas and bloating b/c of c. I had always eaten broccoli VERY soft and believe it or not that is the least of the culprits. I started doing ww again b/c I figured it was a nutritous IF and I could handle it (meaning no d but I guess major gas does not mean true stability either, huh?)
Today...starting out good as usual. Oatmeal..NO raisins, good bm, no gas, now I'm having some banana bread and cantaloupe so we'll see what happens. Ya know, perhaps it was the bagels that triggered these past few days of bloat...it seems that when I get them from certain stores, they must be made differently.
I have a question about acacia since I am so confused now. If I have a meal that has a lot of SF (food-wise like pasta), can I just eliminate my 1/2 tsp of acacia for that meal? Or would that be too much changing from day to day with my amount? I would always take the dose in the AM, but later in the day maybe the extra fiber is giving me the bloat. Ugh...this is so crazy trying to figure it out! Just when I thought I had it down...I take a few steps back.
--------------------
Originally IBS-D for a million years!
Then IBS-A, Now a transformed slightly C
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
I think that for me, and even for some lucky others, bloat and gas just may be a constant symptom, no matter what we eat.  I eat very "conservatively" and still get gas and bloat every day. The mentioned foods above just make it worse for me.
And fennel does not help me, unfortunately. I also take GasStop or beano...but still get gas/bloat, so I have no answer for you. Sorry. If you figure something out, please let me know.
--------------------
IBS-C with pain and bloat
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
So sorry to hear about your gassy problems. I know, from experience, how miserable it is. I have that problem a lot!
I have trouble with any fruit. I eat fruit only in the evening, around dinner time. If I eat it any earlier I will definitely have problems. The same holds true for me with soy...evening only. You might want to try cutting back on the fruit and have it only at dinner. It might help. I cannot handle ANY whole wheat! You might want to eliminate that for a while. I just posted a GREAT recipe for Honey Oatmeal Bread in the recipe board. It's great and gives me no problems. Good luck!
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
Quote:
I had always eaten broccoli VERY soft and believe it or not that is the least of the culprits.
I just spent the last three days recovering from a "broccoli attack". I ate some for dinner Saturday and a little more for lunch Sunday, and spent Sunday afternoon, Monday, and Tuesday morning with D (I'm normally C). I won't be touching that stuff for a LONG time!!
--------------------
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lisa, IBS-C (Vegan)
Stable since July 2007!
Mommy to Rhiannon Marie (Dec. 13, 2008)
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
Posts
