Bloating, Gas, Constipation, Stomach tension, lack of appetite, missing periods, and more..

Hi..ok so I see that there are alot of people with the same problem. My stomach is also bloated all the time and can be quite painful. I've had problems with constipation for years and haven't been able to find an answer. I want my flat stomach back soooo bad. I have had alot of stress in the past year (my husband died and I'm a single mom of 2 small children) so I'm wondering if that could be a part of it. I have to take a laxative to have a bowel movement and have been to the doctor twice to have my bowels cleaned out. I suffered from an eating disorder when I was in my teens and now in my later 20s.(anorexia nervosa) I abused laxatives so bad. The doctor said that the laxatives could thin the lining of the bowels and there wasn't anything he could do about it. I can understand that but what can I do about my belly????? Glad I found some people that have the same issues!

Hi,

i think belly tension can cause a lot of the problems described.  bascially belly tension impedes the digestion, and the flow of energy through the body, which can result in extreme fatigue, lightheadedness, etc.  In all ancient exercise systems, such as yoga and taichi, the lower chakra, or you can say the area below the navel, dantien in taichi is the main energy source of the body.  when the flow there is constricted, many many things can go wrong in the body.  what goes wrong is somewhat random, depending on each person's constitution.

so i think the key is to release belly tension. i've done craniosacral, acupuncutre, rolfing and biosync (a massge that directly addresses the belly tension - painful, but works!).  i think these are all helpful. emotional work is needed to, because we are holding our stress and emotions locked up in our bodies.  i think it is important to become aware of how we use our bodies, our emotions as they arise, so we can break the habitual holding pattern.  anything that increases body awareness such as yoga, taichi, meditation is good, but if the issue is entrenched, therapeutic intervention can make things go much faster.  i used to so tired, and suffer from so much tension in my body that my bowel movements were slow, couldn't eat because the food just wouldn't go down.  all the doctors said i was fine. but i knew the energy in my body was very stagnant.  i am improving in tandem with how much my belly is loosening up.   Please let me know if you any other questions. 

Thanks.

im 16 and i have similar problems last year i had 3 episodes where i ended up in hospital

i had to go through countless blood tests, urine samples, stool samples, x-rays, ultrasounds, barium meal and i even had an endoscope but they never could find what was wrong. i was soon told i suffer from stress and anxiety. i have never had a normal bowel or kidneys for that matter, i am one of those people that are pretty much always constipated, when i started noticing that a large amount of blood coming out of my bum when going to the toilet, i went to the doctors straight away and they still couldnt find out why. we finally came to the conclusion of bran and i had to have that every day (alot of it) it did help alot. my dad always asks around and finds problems that other people have with their stomachs and they tell him their story, one day a girl at my dads work told him she was gluten free and told him her story. i decided to go on the diet for a month and see how it goes, as i did, my stomach is alot better my cramps arnt so painful and i havent looked like im 4 months pregnant everyday. the problem was that bran is a type of wheat so i coulnt eat it on my gluten diet so the poo side of things started to glog up again, alot of tablets, vegetables and water helped a bit but not by much. i have recently had my wisdom teeth out and because of my fragile stomach the panadine forte i was taking made me severely constipated, i had an enema and these poo tablets but at the moment i cant eat at all. at night i can get down about 3 small pieces of watermelon but thats it, im living on water and sugar drinks, all i want is to enjoy a big bowl of pasta. i dont know how to fix everything but maybe oneday we may find out. friends and family really help. its nice to see that there are people out there that do experince the same things as you.

 

I have similar issues with IBS however I haven't had anything as severe as I have read. I feel more appreciative that I don't, and I feel very bad for anyone who has severe cases. My family line goes back to Denmark, & Sicily. I have noticed when I was in Australia and in Europe I have felt completely at best. Even though I'm constipated because of travels, thank you IBS. Anyway, my last trip to Europe I ate the cheese in Denmark, the meat, the cream... went potty every day mostly. Went to Italy at the bread, drank the wine, did what I've always been taught not to do, eat lots of pasta and cheese, ate gelato (ice cream)... didn't have any of the problems I have encountered in America. I'm sorry to say but our health physicians although I'm entering into the Veterinarian field, they don't have the answers. Constricted to text books only, and having 5 minutes if that to listen to us. I have had to be my own doctor and listen to my mother, & grandmother. Who both suffer from each side of IBS. I am younger obviously, than both but my symptoms are developing much more like theirs as I get older.

My only way to truly find the problem (yes I have been given laxatives, milk of magnesia (gross) and other self help) lies within my diet and exercise. My father is a firm believer in running. My mother is a health nut. Australia has it right on the money, they eat to their blood type. If you haven't heard or tried this before, maybe it's time to re-think the way you eat, the way you move around. I didn't gain but a couple pounds in Italy because I was constantly moving (Backpacking), but walked everywhere. Running is not needed for an average person. I say average because who exactly here runs marathons? If so you wouldn't be constipated. But running (I hate to run) gives the body the added help to get things moving. But hiking and walking for longer than 30 minutes can do this. My folks run their dogs every morning, and every morning, they have 2-3 bowls. Yes dogs are different that humans, but in other countries its common to have a bowl 2-3 even 4 times a day. Think about babies then; when their born their immunity is still developing but they are healthy for the most part, they eat, and within a couple hours they potty. Our bodies are designed to potty typically after we eat, rids the toxins. If our dogs do not potty one day we typically are concerned right? Same with babies? Why aren't we concerned when we don't?

Try getting rid of dairy (Slowly, it's hard to do), try then getting rid of your spicier foods, or limiting. But just for a test see how you feel after 2 weeks... I honestly am going to try subtracting more and more, because I have been bloaty since I came home. I was depressed because our food did not appeal to me. I tried to eat bread and olive oil then got addicted to subway tuna subs. Besides the point, I have been drinking milk ( I don't usually because I'm lactose-intolerant) I haven't been able to work out, and I'm super tired and gaining weight daily. Purposely? No, just I want cereal and I want milk, but the pain it has caused is beginning to be a wake up call. I mention blood type earlier because I think (opinion only) that our blood truly does require nutrients to "feel" good. It's like the oil in your car, different cars need different types of oil. Our blood is the oil in our body, it runs everything everywhere and if it's not getting the proper nutrients we feel sluggish. Something to look into right? It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle. If anything else, try limiting factors in your diet to see what the cause of the inflammation-

Medicine can help aid, but diet is the ultimate solution. Yogurts with good bacteria cultures also can help, Activia has this, but can be too sweet. The idea is there though. Exercise is also very important, keep your body active and moving, if too painful, start slowly just walk. That's the best way to move your stool around, lots and lots of water... You would be amazed at how things can be cured if only we drank enough water (which in U.S we don't)
At the moment I have given up chocolate. I am going off milk today, and soon I will be giving up cheese. I am desperate as to why I'm bloaty since coming back from Europe. (Not pregnant) I will be shocked if I end up giving everything up, but it will show me that our food process here is causing all these complications, and it makes me sad because I love this country but if I can't handle the food, I'm going where I can- And there are plenty of places where the food still comes like it should and seasonally. Another idea to research if you want to find a solution, is read up on Gluten. It causes a lot of inflammation in the body. Look it's not easy, but if you want to get back your life, and feel good, got to be your own doctor, because you know your body better than anyone. It'd be shame to be lazy and drug yourself with medicine, although some can add relief, you can't be dependent on that because it's only a band-aid. You have to change your diet, and you have to exercise to get things to flow. Typically don't run or exercise right after a meal, wait a while- or go before. Take your dog for a walk, they will appreciate that, take your kids for a walk, teach them to love walking so they don't grow up with complications. If all of these factors have been applied, then there's something wrong with the food. We should not have to suffer with constipation. There is a food in your diet that is causing tension in the belly and constipation and there is no quick way to tell- you have to not cheat yourself and find which food or ingredient is causing these flares up.

Good luck to all, I'm in the same boat, I am honest, I haven't been as strict because it's hard, nothing good in life is easy, but I know I have felt better and that's usually when I'm out of country :( Which is not often, but I pay attention and anaylize everything, because I'm weird like that, but I am starting today going to start everything I have suggest because I'm tired too much, my head hurts too much, my body aches too much, and as a mid 20's and full time student, I shouldn't feel like I'm 50+ and I do, and I have to change my lifestyle. I don't eat out in fast food chains, but there's still something I eat that causes this, and I think it's dairy and lack of exercise, so I am doing my own tests. Can I mention I have had acupuncture and the doctor doing that said my body is hot, it produces too much heat. Chinese medicine have good solutions to their gut, it wouldn't be bad to look into also. But I was astounded when she could tell by my tongue that I am not drinking enough water, that I have abdominal pain, and that I sometimes have night sweats. Water, water, water, she tells me, and no spicy food, no alcohol... Damn, how boring, but in reality, I feel she's right. So another thing to investigate, heat and cold- what the Chinese do differently than us when it comes to food..

Good luck to all, I wish you all the very best. As my uncle died of bowl obstruction and vomiting his own feces, look, not pretty, but definitely is serious, it's important to you, and your children if you have any, or if you want to have kids. Make the time; try in baby steps!
 

I have same problem. I solved this but does come back again. I can give you a few tips if you want.

Try to avoid cheese and white bread. These clog up the system. Also, try drinking a full glass of water one hour before your meals, especially before breakfast. First thing in the morning drink the glass of water, and eat breakfast at least half an hour later. Follow-up with a full glass of water half an hour after you have finished eating. This will move the food through. Eat whole wheat bread from now on. Eat fruits and vegetables. Also, take a short walk after your meals. This gets the system moving along. Let me know if this improves.

This is GrEAT advice! <3

i feel you all i have the same things anxiety disorder and depression along with bouts of constipation and diarriha my stomach very rarely relaxes unless i make it relax then it tenses up again if im not thinking about it

I have this too...every so often i get a "flare up" usually when i am stressed and not drinking enough water. I think the stress clenches my intestines causing extreme constipation pain where i cant walk or stand up straight. Once i get the pains it makes my anxiety sky rocket. Doctor has run a bunch of tests, no answers...

Hello Sheeply,

I have experienced the same symptoms for years and one day, I discovered fasting. Your body needs a vacation. Make sure you try this for at least a whole week. Just water. Nothing else. You might find this difficult but remember that it's best to suffer it through once and for all. Result guarantee. Do some research on fasting if needed. If only everyone would fast one week a year to reset the clock to zero and start fresh. You're the boss of your body. Be a good boss, give it a vacation, it works round the clock digesting... It's trying to tell you to stop eating for a while. Listen to it.

Good luck, Mike

Well - I would say that I went through a period in my life where I had a pretty constant gnawing in my belly for no immediate reason. Having tried a number of different approaches and feeling like they had little or no effect (therapy, anxiety drugs), I found a book on meditation that was given to my wife by her sister. For me, I still find the positive affects that meditation has on my life to be nothing short of miraculous. Everything in my life becomes better when I start meditating. The world starts to react far more positively to me because I am putting out better energy. To be clear, I will go through periods when I will not meditate and I will notice that after a period away from it, my mind will start ruminating a lot and my tension will increase. This will dissipate when I start doing meditation again.

I don't claim to be a meditation expert - everything here is my own personal experience. It may or may not be your experience. I just know that I tried about everything else and this was the one thing that I really know worked for me.

Some things to bear in mind:

1. It took me a while to feel like I was getting anything out of the meditation - I would say at least a month and maybe closer to 6 weeks. During this period, I found the act of meditating itself to be stressful. Push through. Keep turning your attention back to your breathing and don't stress out at the fact that your mind wants to return immediately to whatever it is currently obsessed with. At the beginning try to do it for 15 or 20 minutes a day and try to be disciplined about making yourself do it. One day you will notice that your mind is going into a deeper state and you will come away from the session feeling better without really knowing why. 

2. When I don't meditate for a while, it may take me a few days to get back into it, but eventually I do. The more you meditate the quicker you are able to return your mind to a relaxed state. When I do it a lot, I can pretty much close my eyes anywhere and feel my body and mind start to relax. Sometime I will meditate everyday, while other times I wont meditate for weeks. I feel that the benefits start to dissipate over time but the great thing is that it is always just a cushion and 20 free minutes away. I wish I was more disciplined about it but I wish I was taller too. 

3. I have meditated in complete quiet and with meditation music playing. Both approaches are fine for me. I think that I prefer the music method. 

Anyway - I hope this helps someone out there. 

 

 

Please go vegan and gluten-free. Your life will change, and you will have bowel movements regularly again.

Hi, I am suffering from the same symptoms and not just the stomach tightness. It almost feels like it involves my legs too (restless legs) and another area. Its more like a sensation. It is worst when I lay down. I get dizziness and headaches too. I thought it was related to stomach ulcers. Anyway, my doctor prescribed a stomach medicine used to treat stomach ulcers, and it went away, but it came back. I don't believe its anxiety or stress. I am actually annoyed with doctors using anxiety for a diagnosis when they don't have a clue. If you find help please share.

With ongoing issues like those I think seeing a good naturopath will give you the answers and help you need. They have an amazing understanding of body systems and instead of trying to fix individual symptoms they will identify the underlying cause of them combined. It does require a paradigm shift on your part though. The way it happened for me was that I had exhausted other options. Then when i tried what the naturopath suggested it helped me and I got better. Sometimes you just have to try it out. Hope it helps.

Hi. The only thing that makes me go is Dr. Schulze Intestinal Formula #1. (I suffer from tense stomach also.) It actually causes you to have more than one bowel movement a day because Dr. Schulze said a healthy person should be having three. You can adjust how many capsules you take. Unfortunately, I am now dependent on it and don't go without it, but it is much better than suffering the health consequences of not going at all which sound terrible. The doctor says that too. 

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