Insane bloating and distension? Let's chat

Yesterday the story of Kerri Dowdswell was splashed across websites. Regardless of what she eats, she bloats up to the extent that she looks pregnant and her doctors just don't get it.

I feel her pain, in my experience doctors don't get it and most of the doctors that I have seen give you strange advice like "try not to swallow air" and then follow it with the "we're not very good at this kind of thing" statement as they usher you out of their office. I'm sure there are good doctors out there, it's just that I've not come across them.

I mentioned my first attempt at seeking medical help here. But by that point I had already had 'food issues' for 5 years. Initially it was just bloating, burping and an awful stabbing pain in my gut. That developed into urticaria (hives), angioedema (swelling), food drunkness (so very true), immediate 'sleep' after eating some foods, muscle paralysis, light sensitivity and other fun games. I have been tested for all sorts of medical ailments and everything has come up blank.

If you type "bloating" into google, you're hit with hundreds of forum sites in which people are looking for help. From my experience (and the 11 people that I've asked as research for this post) there is no single answer. Some people swear by eating a high fibre diet, some by drinking copious amounts of chamomile tea, and others swear by a high protein, low carb diet.

In my experience, the high protein low carb diet suited me best. Before I carry on, an important note is that in terms of the diets discussed the best thing to do is choose whatever is right for your body; if there are certain foods that you feel aren't suitable for you (and foods that are) then by all means adapt it to what you feel is right for you. :)


While it is difficult and does require a lot of willpower and persistence it is also worth (what will have become) the novelty of being able to eat food without ballooning, being in pain or suffering from any other number of symptoms.

In the meantime there are other things you can do to help the process;

• Bodybrush - By stimulating the lymphatic system you help the body to pump out toxins. It's helped all but 1 of my research group combat bloating, so it's definitely worth a try. Here's our post about bodybrushing
• Eat small portions - Again, anecdotal advice but it has worked for all of us.
• Keep a food and reaction diary - as obvious as it would seem this will help you keep track of your diet and any reactions that you might have. Last year I was suffering from a food reaction that would happen 3 days after eating the offending food. Without the food diary I would never have been able to figure out what was causing the problem.
• Think outside the box; try visiting a naturopath or an alternative health practitioner this post from Boing Boing (update: here's a follow-up of the original post) describes the case of a lady who managed to greatly reduce the frequency of her migraines by avoiding certain chemicals like SLS.
• Like the lady just discussed; Try and cut out any possible environmental triggers.

Are there any tips that have helped you? let us know in the comments!
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