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"   Question Over the past couple of months my stomach has been blowing up every time I eat.  When I eat bread or anything containing flour or yeast, my stomach is worse.  It looks as if I am about four months pregnant; my stomach burns and there is also a burning sensation lower down.  Every time I eat I feel sick. The last time it blew up I got so constipated that I was feeling a lot of pressure in my chest and because everything was swollen, it was also putting pressure on my bladder.  I went to the doctors and all they keep giving me is laxative after laxative and none of them seemed to work. I was in pain for nearly two weeks.  In the end, I decided to take half a bottle of syrup of figs \u2013 I know this was a stupid thing to do, but I was desperate and the next day I was a little relieved.  What am I supposed to do the next time my stomach blows up? I don&amp;#039;t want to have to rely on laxatives every day.  I am afraid to eat. Please help as it is really getting me down.   Answer Bloating of the stomach, associated with variation in frequency of opening the bowels are symptoms suggestive of an irritable bowel. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is extremely common and is said to affect up to one fifth of us at some time during our lives.  The exact causes of IBS are not known, although numerous hypotheses have been proposed to explain it in terms of a physiological disorder, including altered small bowel motility, or a sensory condition that might cause normal bowel motility to feel abnormal.  However, no convincing evidence has been found that either of these explanations are correct.  Stress and psychological factors may also play a significant role. The aim therefore is to try and be relaxed and to endeavour to achieve a normal bowel habit.  Simple dietary advice may help IBS symptoms in patients without specific food intolerance and drug treatment is usually directed towards the most troublesome symptoms.  Getting down to the practicality of treatment, if bloating is your main symptom, you may actually benefit from avoiding too much fibre.  Intermittent looseness of the stool can be aided with loperamide; and bowel spasm may be helped with mebeverine or Pro-Banthine.  Such therapeutic support as outlined above may need to be accompanied with help for the stress and associated symptoms.  It is recognised that food intolerance, such as lactose intolerance may play a part in IBS in a small number of sufferers.  It is important to understand that not every person with IBS will have food intolerances, and not every person with food intolerance will have irritable bowel syndrome.  As flour and yeast appear to worsen your symptoms, you may wish to try exclusion diet therapy.  There is no abnormality to be found in the bowel in IBS. There may not be an easy cure, but the symptoms are not life threatening and generally improve with time.  Despite the fact that your symptoms &amp;#039;sound like&amp;#039; IBS, you and your doctor need to ensure that there is nothing else wrong that may account for your symptoms. Yours sincerely The NetDoctor Medical Team  Other Qs &amp;amp;amp; As Feeling bloated with cramping pains in my stomach I feel bloated every time I eat I feel very bloated every time I eat My stomach is so bloated I look pregnant My stomach swells up My young son is burping a lot Stomach distension Swollen tummy What foods contribute to my stomach bloating?  Last updated 22.01.2015 "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/ask-the-expert/digestive-health/a4841/my-stomach-blows-up-every-time-i-eat/>