Why am I bloated?

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Many of my patients look nine months pregnant, but they aren’t full of a growing baby. They are full of gas, which is definitely less cute than a sweet little bundle of joy. The gas creates so much distension and cramping. Trapped gas is a pain in the butt—literally!

My chronically bloated patients are fed up with the cramping, pain and distension. Many feel self-conscious about how their belly’s look in clothes. Some have even been asked “when are you due?”, which as you can imagine is mortifying for them.

My patients are desperate to ditch this bloating. They want to feel confident to eat their favorite foods and wear their favorite dress. But, many of my patients are not focusing on the right strategies for LONG TERM bloat relief.

My bloated patients are relying on the low FODMAP diet to reduce symptoms. They are happy when these diet changes help their bloating and discomfort. But, then when its time to reintroduce, they notice bloating returns so they just stay on it long term. For most of these patients, low FODMAP stops working at some point.

Some of my bloated patients find relief with some anti-microbials or antibiotics for SIBO or IMO. But, like low FODMAP, the relief from these strategies is usually short lived. Symptoms usually return shortly after finishing the course of Xifaxan.

And then there are many other patients that trial dietary restriction and/or antimicrobials with little or no bloat relief. Unfortunately, these patients start believe than they are “difficult cases”. But, they are not difficult cases, these strategies are the wrong fit for their bloating.

There are two big assumptions about bloating that my patients and many providers have that are misleading and can lead you astray. Here are ideas that often trip my patients up: