Bloating Specialist

What is bloating?

Bloating is a feeling of fullness and tightness in your abdomen. It happens when your stomach contains too much air or gas. In addition to the full or tight feeling, bloating causes abdominal symptoms including:

• Discomfort or pain
• Visible swelling
• Cramping
• Rumbling, gurgling, or other noises 
• Burping
• Passing gas frequently

Bloating sometimes happens alongside other symptoms, like blood in your stool, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation. These symptoms usually come and go, and you could notice a pattern, for example, sudden bloating after eating carbohydrate-heavy meals.

What causes bloating?

Bloating occurs for many reasons, including:

• Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
• Carbohydrate intolerance
• Lactose intolerance
• Acid reflux
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Celiac disease
• Diverticulosis
• Diverticulitis
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Crohn’s disease
• Ulcerative colitis
• Liver disease

If bloating happens only occasionally and quickly goes away, you might be able to manage it with simple home remedies. But persistent bloating that causes intrusive symptoms can point to a gastrointestinal disorder or disease. So it’s best to visit The Gastroenterology Group for a diagnostic workup if you experience regular bloating.

How is the cause of bloating diagnosed?

Diagnosis includes a detailed review of your medical history, symptoms, eating habits, bowel habits, and the bloating treatments that you’ve tried so far.

Depending on the suspected problem, you might need other tests to confirm the specific reason for your chronic bloating. These tests include breath tests, upper endoscopy, colonoscopy, serology testing, imaging exams, a capsule endoscopy.

How is bloating treated?

Milder cases of bloating improve with over-the-counter antacids and acid reducers. But chronic bloating usually requires specific treatment targeted at the underlying disorder or disease.

You could need prescription medication, probiotics, or other treatments to prevent and manage your bloating. If a severe condition like Crohn’s disease causes bloating and other disruptive problems, you could eventually need surgery.

In most cases, bloating responds well to medical treatment, but it’s equally important that you fully commit to recommended dietary and lifestyle changes. A few simple changes often make a big difference in how you feel. Reducing intake of certain carbohydrates, regular exercise, and eating smaller meals more frequently can work wonders.

Call The Gastroenterology Group now or click on the online appointment tool to get help for chronic bloating.