Bloating

[Guest Posts]

I started getting bloating about 10 years ago when I hit my mid 30’s and was told by the doctor it was IBS. They advised that I go away and spending time thinking about my diet. I was very careful in what I ate and then slowly the bloating stopped and all was fine which was great! However, in recent years I have noticed that it has started again and whilst before I thought I could control it through banning certain foods from my diet, nothing seems to make any difference. Can you advise please? Thank you (Sharon)

[Julie Thompson]

Hi Sharon

I am sorry you are experiencing bloating again.

Firstly, if this is a new symptom it is better to see your GP to get checked out. It is better not to assume it is IBS that is causing the bloating, particularly if you have had a number of years without the symptom. You can read some information from the NHS about bloating here https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/bloating/. The NHS suggest to see your GP if:

• you've been feeling bloated for 3 weeks or more
  you feel bloated regularly (more than 12 times a month)
  you've tried changing your diet but keep feeling bloated
  you have a swelling or lump in your tummy
  you have bloating along with being sick, diarrhoea, constipation, weight loss or blood in your poo
  you find it difficult to move or do daily activities because you’re bloated

Bloating in the gut can be caused by swallowed air or by the gut microbes fermenting fibre that we eat. Bloating from food tends to get worse through the day and people usually wake with a flat stomach. It is best not to cut out too many foods as this can risk malnutrition so you should add foods back into your diet to tolerance where you can. If you are struggling with your diet, you can ask for a referral to a dietitian.

There is also some information here from Guts UK on bloating https://gutscharity.org.uk/advice-and-i ... -and-wind/ with some different treatment options. Or a longer article can be found here https://patient.info/digestive-health/i ... d-bloating In my experience, if your doctor thinks this is your IBS having a flare up, if symptoms return when following a restricted diet this is more often caused by a stressful event, so it is perhaps worth considering what other lifestyle changes you have experienced around the time you experienced the change in symptoms too. You can read about IBS here if you wish https://gutscharity.org.uk/advice-and-i ... -syndrome/.

I hope that is helpful and I wish you well.
Take care
Julie