Okay, this is probably a TMI thread and can be too graphic at some points! Consider yourself warned. =)

I eat pretty clean most of the time..very high fiber, low fat, high protein etc. I have the occasional binges and stuff, but I don't know if that is causing my problems.. I have gas and lots of it but it only comes around the afternoon, evening times. It gets so bad my stomach becomes very distended and everything is very uncomfortable. But by morning I am fine and then everything just repeats. Binge or no binge I have gas come afternoon time. Also I have the constant feeling of having "to go" if you know what I mean. And then when I do "go" I don't feel like I'm done. Also most of the time the foods I eat are not processed and I can clearly tell what they were once I do "go". It's like the food doesn't get processed. This has been getting worse lately. I've always kind of had this problem but only now has it gotten to the point where it really bothers me where I can't sleep normally and all the gas and constant urges to go actually hurts me. It used to just be an embarrassing problem that didn't really hurt me as far as I knew, but now I am worried about my health.

I've done a lot of things to my diet to try to alleviate the problems. I'm eating very limited foods now and still have problems. I have been living off of homemade yogurt and cheerios for the past few days and it does seem to be getting better...

I have an appt to see a doctor but I'm suspecting something like IBS. I'm scared to death of what sorts of tests are going to be done. Does anybody have similar issues so I know what sorts of tests may be done?

I am not a doctor or a nurse by any means... but have you considered that you may have lactose issues? How much dairy do you eat a day?

I know that many people with lactose intolerance problems have issues with gas and needing to "go".

Hard for me to say really when I don't know exactly what you are eating... it could be an issue with nuts or seeds as well or some sort of allergy.

I hope someone comes in and can pinpoint it better than I can. I hope this improves for you very soon!

Sounds like you need to see a doctor to make sure there's not a deeper lying problem. I have the same problems issue ( I too eat a lot of fiber, low fat) but mine seems to happen when I have a lean cuisine/smart ones/whatever frozen entree for lunch. It's actually specific ones that seem to cause the most problems for me but I haven't pinpointed the ingredient that's doing it yet.
Good luck and I hope you figure this out soon!!

Have you been eating this way since November? The high fiber I mean.. I know I woul dhave the same problem every day at the same time, and it lasted over a month... it was because I just started eating a bunch of fiber and didn't really slowly work up to it. However, it eventually straightened itself out and my body adjusted to my high fiber intake. I would be sitting in class and have to discretely unbutton my jeans because the pain and bloating was so excruciating. I took Gas-X, but it only seemed to help sometimes.

The other thing you might try is probiotics, which you can take as a supplement. I was struggling with the same issue, and after two days of a good-quality probiotic the problem completely disappeared. I make this suggestion because you mention that you're eating yogurt and it seems to be improving. It may be the active cultures in the yogurt that are helping. If low levels of gut bacteria aren't the problem, probiotics aren't going to hurt you.

Good luck!

I am sorry, I don't know what kinds of tests they do. Have you been to Healia communities? You can ask your question to one of the health professionals and they will answer your question quickly (usually within 48 hours) as well as communicate with other members who have had similar experiences. Hope you feel better!

I was thinking the same thing about the probiotics. And interestingly, do you drink milk? Eat dairy products (besides yogurt)? If yes, might the problem be lactose intolerance? I ask only because I just recently noticed similar symptoms in myself and realized that I'd been drinking/cooking w. cow's milk (as opposed to soy milk)
Might be worth a try if you do eat dairy (besides yogurt) to lay off for awhile and see if the problem eases.
Aside from that, maybe celiacs?

Hope that the Dr. can help!

~lexis

i know veggies, esp brussel sprouts can do this to me.. so can special k.. the hardest part is i have told hubby ( who's british) that american women (me) dont have flatulance lmao... 3.8 years i have gotten away with my goal to convince him lol.. but some days are soooo hard

I'm not sure of ALL the tests they do, but I imagine they'll do a rectal exam as well as push on your tummy and abdomen. I haven't had this issue, but usually these kinds of "tests" are where they start.

I also get gassy/bloated after eating certain lean cuisines. I'm not sure of the ingredient that causes it but I think it might be the red bell peppers they put in. That with the large amount of salt in them. I really like the alfredo/broccoli/chicken pasta lean cuisine. I LOVE pasta and this so good and keeps me from splurging at Olive Garden.

I have the worst stomach ever, and there are things I KNOW I can't have, or if I do I plan to stay home (or close to a restroom):

Coffee (or ANY type of caffeine)
Regular or diet colas
Chocolate
Lowfat/fat free dairy (full fat actually settles my stomach)
Gum (omg, if I chew gum I am in so much pain!)
Sugar alcohols (like in sugar-free stuff)
Asparatame
Nuts (I will be doubled over in pain)
Wheat

I really recommend Googling "Dr. Jillian McKeith" and reading her book "You Are What You Eat". She explains eating healthy but also realizing food allergies and digestive problems without doctors or drugs. If you can recognize by one mean or another what is coming out when you 'go', then you are not digesting the food and therefore not absorbing the nutrients, which might make you hungrier later. But check Dr. McKeith out- her book is awesome.

I understand the gravity of your situation but it seems puzzling considering that you are eating so healthy. If I have a meal with too much fat in it, including cooking oils, I will get diarhea from that. I had a lot of GI tests done about 16 years ago. I was never told what was the cause. I still don't know.

I do seem to retain a lot of water in my body and that might be one cause of the diarhea. I do not have a lot of gas but I do have a lot of bloating especially in my lower abdomen. Sometimes, my stomach will protrude several inches.

As I weaned myself away from a poor diet of fast and processed foods, it seemed like it stabilized. However, now that I am eating healthier doesn't mean I still don't have some diarhea issues from time to time.

I agree that eating yogurt does help settle your stomach. In fact, I tell my DH to eat some of that instead of taking Tums or other antacids.

Sometimes, I wonder if the root cause is having eaten a poor and low nutritious diet for years that it has caused some kind of damage to us on a metabolic level and the way we process food in general. It seems to make sense.

Let us know what you find out. It will certainly help others, I am sure.

I've had issues similar to yours for years and years. I have simple IBS and occasionally get inflammation that they cannot pinpoint to any condition.

I get gas in the afternoon and evenings too, toot away in the evening and at night ( good thing I'm not married ) and wake up in the morning with a flat tummy. I also get some upper GI issues but that is pretty much manageable with Zantac. I eat the Med diet way, whole grains, lean meats, scads of veggies, good fats, low fat dairy.. etc everything I am suppsoed to do, but it still happens!

Anyway, the tests they could run are a sigmoidoscopy, colonoscpoy, barium enema and a endoscopy. Which ones they use really depends upon the doctor and the severity of your symptoms. I have had all of them and they are really no big deal. You may require no tests.. or your doc may want some. I am sure they'll also do a blood test and probably a basic physical workup. You won't have any of the fancy tests the same day as your doc visit though. Those take a prep and are sceduled as an outpatient procedure

When you say you eat very high fiber, what does that mean? How much a day? I suffer from IBS and I must have 40-60 a day in order not to have problems. I've even had as high as 70 something in a day and suffered no ill effects. When you se eyour MD and if she/he mentions fiber, it might be a good idea to see your medical group's registered dietitian. most health plans will pay for this and it really can give you some great ideas.

The best place to start is with your Dr. It could well be Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Seems like the syptoms for it, but the Dr. will have to do some test to rule out other things.

It can be triggered by foods we eat. Everybody is different. I do know that they say eggs, nuts, bran and fruit with small seeds can be triggeres for it.

You can try to take a good probiotic because that can help as well. It could also be Candidas (yeast), because it works that was as well.

Oh, the joys we have!!!

3FC just totally rocks! Thank you all for your suggestions and support! I'll definitely take a look at helia and check out Dr. McKeith. I am not lactose intolerant as far as I know. I can handle milk fine and besides yogurt it isn't a big part of my diet. I've been taking probiotics and eating lots of soluble fiber now and it kind of helps although not much. I hate this constant bubbling in my abdominal area! I've since added oatmeal to the mix of "safe" things to eat so now I eat three things! I have eaten pretty high fiber for years and although I still had these types of symptoms there were manageable and not as bad as recently. I'd say I get an average of about 50+ a day... Raising or lowering the number doesn't really seem to help. I did notice that if I did eat something out of my realm of normal foods I would have MAJOR issues. I would toot and go like nobody's business. Any processed types of things or really oily stuff would just fly through me. I kind of just chalked it up to my body not liking it, not that my body had an actual problem which now I am pretty sure it has one. My appt has been delayed a week because of my doc's scheduling. I will post what the outcome is once I know. I hate this feeling of being in limbo...

Get your doc to test you for gluten intolerance as well. I thought it was IBS and lactose intolerance and it ended up being celiac disease.

Life without excessive gas and bloating is bliss!