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Posted 7/15/2011 4:04 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, I'm Paul from Ireland. I'm 15 years old and I'm at secondary school. I have had a problem with my stomach for over three years now and I would like to know if there is anything I can do to stop it.

Every Tuesday at school in English class, I have a library day. This is where my class, teacher and I go down to the school library and sit in silence reading books. I dread this week and when the bell rings to go to English class, I feel sick.

My stomach rumbles loudly in the library class and I can't do anything to stop it. I sometimes ask my teacher if I can leave to go the bathroom and I just wait in there until the class is over. All my friends laugh at me and I hate it.

I eat a packet of low-fat crisps and a slice of white bread with honey and I go to the bathroom before I go into this class. I sit in a soft chair low to the ground and I constantly look down, and never whisper to my friends, like they often do.

I can't read my book because I'm always waiting for my stomach to rumble. However, whenever I read something like Guinness Book Of World Records, my stomach sometimes doesn't rumble. (This is only if I get REALLY into the book). Even after the class, the torture doesn't stop. At lunch, my friends and classmates joke and laugh at me. It eventually dies down, until the following week when it happens again.

In addition to the stomach rumbles, I get huge pains. These pains go on for a few minutes and when they are relieved, a loud groan might happen. I feel them below my bellybutton. I do not think these noises are due to hunger because I eat a big lunch. I eat a packet of crisps and a slice of bread at break (11am approx.) and I eat a bacon roll at lunch (1pm approx.).

My problem can also happen in other classes whenever it goes quiet. However it never happens in tests or exams.

I recently did my Junior Cert (BIG state exams in a BIG exam center. The equivalent to Britain's GCSC's) For some reason, thank God, my stomach did not rumble once in these exams, even though the exam hall is in silence. Maybe its because I was really concentrating on something else other than my stomach.

Sorry if some of the above information is irrelevant, but I'm just trying to tell you everything that happens.
Please post if you have any ideas of what I could do. Thanks in advance. :-)
Posted 7/15/2011 4:11 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Paul

Welcome to Healing Well. LOVE Ireland ... I got married there!
It sounds like your problem could be trapped wind. Sometimes this causes quite loud noises and can cause a colicky typ pain in the abdomen. If the pain goes away by a loud noise as you state, then I think it could be wind. Sometimes when I have this, I get awful stomach pains.
Maybe try taking a rennie or something similar that relieves trapped wind to see if this helps it. If it doesn't, see your GP and see what they say about it. Do you suffer with any other symptoms apart from the noise and pain?

I remember when I was at school, whenever I was in an assembly, my stomach would rumble and make so much noise. I used to dread the assembly and hold on to my tummy tightly. When it happened, all my friends would get the giggles and we would inevitabley get told off for laughing.

Hope there are some other members here who can give you some good advice.
Take care and keep posting!
Posted 7/16/2011 6:30 PM (GMT 0)
White bread and honey - aka sugar and starch - is food for the bacteria in your colon, which sit around happily making gas. It's probably where the gas rumbling is coming from, not your actual stomach. A lot of gas in your lower intestine is painful. I'm not sure what's in the low fat crisps, but anything labeled low fat is suspect for additives that cause problems.

You could try eating non-gassy foods for a few days - do a search. White rice is definitely OK.

Worse than gas is smelly gas - cheese, eggs, beer, broccoli, asparagus, etc.

Adding some probiotics - the right kind of bacteria for your gut - might help also. If you can get the capsules, or maybe try some yogurt, unless yogurt gives you gas too because of lactose intolerance (milk sugar).
Posted 7/17/2011 2:04 PM (GMT 0)
I prefer this probiotic:

Renew Life, Ultimate Flora, Critical Colon, 80 Billion Count (but the 50 count is very popular, go the Renew Life website, (.com), pull up products, especially all Ultimate Flora probiotic pills.

You will find these in your local health food store's chilled section, near yogurt.

It was recommended on the colitis forum here at HW, to take these pills on a completely empty stomach, they are enteric coated and will not dissolve until they reach to lower colon. But to be extra sure, if there isn't any food in your GI tract, they will remain intact and open just where you need probiotics - your large intestine/colon.

I highly recommend these probiotics (I've taken 50 billion count but 80 seems to be what my gut needs).
Posted 8/21/2011 1:25 AM (GMT 0)
Hi! Paul again! Firstly, I'd like to thank you all for replying. I've felt so alone on this whole issue in my life and it's nice to know there are people out there to help!

In reply to the first comment, it is mostly the groans that come from my stomach area which bother me the most. I get VERY nervous going into that library class. It could lead me to tears the night before just at the thought of sitting in that class for 35 minutes in pure silence. This makes me very anxious about it and the more nervous I get, the more groans I hear.

I was also wondering, is there any exercises I could do to help stop these noises? Would building up strong abdominal muscles help? And is there any medicine or tablets I could take, excluding Rennie's, to reduce the build up of gas?

And lastly, I would lik to just reply to the other comments. I forgot mention that I am lactose intolerant, so I can't have ANY diary products. I hate it but I've put up with it for 15 years now. And unfortunately, I don't like rice.  I just don't enjoy the taste of any rice or pasta. Is there any other food I could eat to avoid the rumbles?

Thanks for the comments and if you could, can you please reply to my latest comment in the next couple of days as I am going back to school in just over a week and I would love to get this problem sorted out first.

Thanks again!

Paul - Just edited your surname as this post can be seen by anyone so just wanting to protect your full identity

Post Edited By Moderator (**tori**) : 8/21/2011 4:14:54 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 8/21/2011 9:01 PM (GMT 0)
My mom, my daughter and myself have IBS and I've found that ViSalus shakes which have probiotics in it have reduced most to all the symptons.





Post Edited By Moderator (**tori**) : 8/22/2011 2:47:08 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 1/4/2012 7:09 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Paul :)

I know you posted this a little while ago and so maybe you won't see this, but I'm hoping you will because I have almost exactly the same problem (it's freakishly similar) and I worry about it all the time, so much that it's sort of running my life by this point!

Ok, how my issue is similar to you: I'm 15 years old as well, so still in school which is maybe the worst possible place to have this! and I have something thats sort of similar to your library class- every day we have morning chapel for about 20-30 minutes and we have to sit in these rigid benches and the whole school is everywhere. Apart from when we're singing hymns, the whole place is pretty close to absolute silence.. and its fairly echoey.. so every time this situation comes around, I'm seriously scared that it's going to happen- and this fear makes it so much worse, but I can't do anything about it. It's like a daily torture! and then on Sundays (because I'm a boarder, so I live at school, with more horrible situations like these..) we have an hour service and it's really really bad. For most of this term, I've managed to get out of some of these services and things because my mum was at home, so I could just come home for the weekend. But, shes going off again for a long while so I have to do it again.. :( also I have my GCSE mock exams in 4 days and I've spent the entire holiday worrying about this so havent really got much revision done, which is making me more stressed! I'm petrified as most of them are like 3 hours long :/ and thats only the mocks...

Sorry you had to get through that whole story- probably quite a lot of irrelevant stuff there but you're the closest I've found to my problem and I just had to get all of that out.. Ive been to a doctor and talked about it with some other people but they just don't quite get it!

Ok, so the problem: most of the time, this rumbling isn't to do with hunger, its this horrible tension in my abdomen and this is when I know it may rumble (which is the worst) and this pressure builds and builds and feels like it will only be released if it makes the loudest sound in the world.. but it is so uncomfortable by this point, I'm almost wishing for it to rumble so it would be over with.. sometimes its just released quietly but there's been a few times where its growled like a grizzly bear :S at first i thought it may be lactose or wheat intolerance or something, then IBS (the doctor prescribed Apercap, which i thought helped but made it worse after a week..) and then a friend told me about Charcoal tablets so i tried them too, but I'm not sure if they work, and the first day you take them, you rumble loads :/

so I'm back to being very very scared.. please please reply so I know you got this (I'm so sorry it's so long!!) and if you found anything that helped you, or if you just want someone to talk to who has the same issue, I'm here :)

Again, really sorry it's so long!! :S

Laura
Posted 1/5/2012 2:17 AM (GMT 0)
Hiya Laura!

I can't tell you how much your reply meant to me! I hope you're smiling that I got a chance to reply back to you! Thankfully, I got an email that told me I got a post on this website. I was so happy to read another reply! No need to apologise about the length of your last post, cuz this will probably be pretty lengthy, too. Haha :L

I can't believe how similar our situations are! It's such a great feeling knowing that there is someone else out there that I can talk to and relate to so closely! In my case, I'm now studying for my Leaving Cert. (which is the equivalent to your A Levels, I think :/) It's inbetween the Junior Cert (your GCSE's) and going to college or university. Anyway, our English course is fairly long, so we don't have much time to go down to the library and read random books. At the start of the year, we used to go down every Friday, last class, and it would ruin my Friday, just with the thought of going to that horrible place! But thankfully this has stopped and our Friday class is just like a typical English class, which I really love!

This siad, my English class is not the only class in which I suffer from severe stomach pains :/ My business class is a class which only has 10 other people in, so when we're given work to do, it's extremely silent! And business is a particularly boring subject at the moment so I tend to concentrate more in my stomach than I do with learning... I have actually found a really simple solution. You probably just perked up a bit. Haha! It works for me and I really hope it'll work for you. Water. Seriously. One day in the middle of my Christmas exams a few weeks ago, I noticed that a lot of students had a bottle of water at their desk during the exam, and I thought 'Why don't I try that?' Because it seems in my school that I'm the only with this problem so I thought water might be THE solution.

I keep four bottles of water in my locker and two in my bag. In all honesty, I actually drink A LOT of water at school and my mam is always saying that I shouldn't be filling myself up with water, because I'll end up losing weight. But to be fair, I haven't noticed myself losing any weight and I'd rather lose some than have the constant humiliation of my stomach rumbling. 

Whenever I feel I'm going to make a noise, I take a drink and exhale slowly to allow the water to go down with make a weird noise. When we're nervous, we breath heavily so we're filled with air so when we drink something, the air tries to come up while the water goes down which makes some noises. I feel dead smart for figuring that out, but it actually happens. Well it does for me. Haha! So I just breath out to allow the two to pass. The water gives your stomach something to do and so you won't make any noise.

I do other things to help me overcome this. I go to the bathroom at least three times in a school day. It sounds silly but again, I'd rather do that than be embarrassed. I also have a big lunch so that my stomach is filled. The feeling we're getting is actually gas that builds up and we get that by breathing so much because we're nervous. So I have a big, hearty lunch so I'm nice and full and ready to learn with nothing to worry about. Lastly, it may sound stupid, but I always have a packet of malteasers in my pencil case so that if I'm really hungry, I can eat one when the teacher turns away. And I no longer chew chewing gum, because this filled me with air which contributed to my problem. Also, I don't want to sound weird but all my teachers kinda like me because I'm a very good student, so I ask to go to the bathroom during class quite a lot. I do this only when I really feel that I'm going to make a noise and it also gets you out of a boring class.You should try it!

Now I'm the one who should be apologising for this post being so long. I just wanted to give you as much advice as I possibly can! Try the water. It seems so stupid, I know, but really, please trust me, it works. I hope I've helped you, or at least made you feel a little better. Don't feel pressurised to write back! You don't even have to read all of this, however if you're reading this bit, then you probably already have. Haha! Anyway, I'll talk to you whenever you get a chance to reply! See you soon,

Paul :)
Posted 1/5/2012 12:25 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Paul!

Thank you so so much for replying (and so quickly!) That actually made my day, and yep i was smiling! haha :P it really means a lot to me that you took the time to reply and wrote so much helpful stuff (no need for you to be apologising either- i love getting long replies :) )

I know! It is so amazing to know that I'm not the only one- it never seems as though anyone at my school or anything has this problem, and im extremely jealous of people who don't- they have no idea how lucky they are! its seems like such a small, insignificant issue but it actually sort of takes over everything :/

Aw it's good to know that your English library nightmare is over :) but yeah, same with me, its not just that specific time- its any silence! anytime theres lots of people or im nervous, the thought of it just pops into my head and that triggers it - it's a vicious cycle :(

So are you in Lower 6th (or equivalent) now, or are you super clever? haha :D yeah, with this stomach thing, i tend to focus on that more than the learning or exam- which is not good! :S

Haha wow! Clever you (with the water thing) makes a lot of sense :) I hope it does work for me too- I'll definitely try it- thank you so much :P
Does it work pretty much most of the time, or do you still kinda have the problem at times?

Haha the malteasers thing sounds like a good idea too :) you kind of sound like me with the whole teacher thing- im generally a good student and so they don't mind when I excuse myself to go somewhere else :P which is good, but in an exam thats sort of hard :( it doesn't usually happen in exams and stuff because im concentrating on that instead, but the problem seems to have worsened recently (ive had it for about 3 or 4 years, like you!) so im much more cautious and aware of it- plus, the exams are longer :/

Oh! Almost forgot- for your rice and pasta thing- do you like potatoes? they're quite a good starch source and that was basically all i ate when i wasn't sure what this was (i have to eat and everything at school so there arent many options :( ) also, nuts are a pretty good snack as they're full of fibre and keep you fuller for longer (we just got a new housemistress and they took away most of our break so i had to find something or i'd die by lunchtime! :S) Hope some of that was useful to you too :P

Again, thank you soo much- it means a lot to me that you replied and gave so much useful information! I will definitely try your tactics to see if they work for me :P I hope you get another chance to reply because you seem really great and it would be so good to keep talking to someone with pretty much the same situation!

Laura xx
Posted 11/19/2012 2:32 PM (GMT 0)

Hi friends. sad

I'm Mahsa.An Iranian girl.I'm 18 years old.It's been 2 years that I have the same problem.

You mentioned any problem that i have.

You can't imagine how happy i am just because there are some people in the same boat as me.I had my most embarrassing time in the chemistry class.I learned almost nothing in that class.I sometimes wish to die just because of this darn disease.

unfortunately in iran we don't have good English classes so please don't laugh at me if you see any misspelling or irrelevant words

Anyway i was talking about my problem.I have to study for my university enterance exam and i realy like to become a doctor.

In our country it is so difficult to reach that goal.imagine 500000 people take this exam and only 1000 are allowed to study in this field

the problem is that this exam takes place only once in a year and i couldn't do my best in that exam mostly because of my rumbling stomach.

I want to take that exam one more time and i'm worried to death that the same thing happens again and worse than that if i become successful in the exam i have to live in the dormitory with srangers that don't realy understand what my problem is. It is my worst nightmare in life.

By the way,Water as you seggested may work but the problem is we have to go to bathroom several times to get it out

I've heared it over a grapewine that starchy food such as potatoes and bread is our pain in the neck.

I want to see a specialist soon i will inform you about his recommendations ASAP.

Wish you a great deal of time without stomach rumbling.

Post Edited (Obscure) : 11/20/2012 3:44:58 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 11/20/2012 9:36 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Mahsa,

I'm so glad you found your way here! I know how good it feels to know that there are others just like you going through the same thing.. I think you'll also be pleased to know that I've found a lot of things to help:

Charcoal tablets- I think I mentioned them in one of my other posts, but they are really good. They very effective with most stomach issues as charcoal absorbs gases in the gut and helps indigestion. It's a good natural alternative for when the problem isn't too bad. I usually take about 3-4 after having pasta or whenever I'm not feeling too great.

Wind-eze or Wind-Setlers- The active ingredient is "simeticone" and it is very effective for our problem! I take one little tablet after eating bread or as soon as I feel like my stomach might rumble.

I've also figured out what foods make things worse and what foods I'm okay with. For me, red meat, coffee, spicy foods and croissants are the worst thing ever! But I'm fine with things like porridge, vegetables, chicken, fish etc.

That's really sad that you couldn't do well because of your stomach! Again, I know exactly how you feel- my stomach has given me mild anxiety meaning that I find it really hard to be around people in certain situations! If you are worrying about it or think it may be caused by stress, I would recommend talking to someone about taking St Johns Wort. I'm on it at the moment and I think it's really helping. It just sort of aligns the systems inside your body so it doesn't feel so messed up!

I hope this helped and that you let us know how you're getting on! I'm still struggling a bit but these things have helped me and hopefully we can all work through this together! :)
Posted 11/21/2012 6:08 PM (GMT 0)

Hi! blush

SuperThanks. you are very kind and helpful.I will try whatever you've mentioned.I hope i can find the same tablets in my country.

You are right,my stomach rumbling gets worse when i think about it.

I also found that "cardamom" , "cummin" and "fennel" ,which are some kind of plants, are realy effective.I myself will try these things from tommorrow.they told me i would see the effect after some time.

Here's the instruction of using them:

Use the poweder of the cardamom in your tea.(which is thought to be the most effective one)

Use cumin in rice(actually you can use cumin as a kind of spice with any kind of dish)

And about the fennel which is so disgusting,you should take one teaspoon of it everyday.

These have worked for some people in about 2 weeks.

I'm sure i have a kind of illness.So it's better to meet a doctor.I think i will see him in about 5days.It is very difficult to meet the best doctor in this field, It takes a very long time.

This problem is realy nerve-racking.I have almost no concentration while i'm studing.And i have always this fear that in the university among at least 40 people in the class which is complete silence, when the professor is teaching ,i will be humiliated in front of everybody by a loud rumble.

People say it is not a very bad disease but i think nothing can be more nerve-racking than this problem even the cancer.

Anyway,I'm realy sorry because i'm so talkative.

By the way, what is St Johns Wort?I couldn't understand it.

Thank you for giving me your golden time.

Post Edited (Obscure) : 11/21/2012 12:28:06 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 11/26/2012 11:32 AM (GMT 0)

I have this too. It is caused by a bacteria that is passed through saliva. Did you kiss someone that has this, share drinks, or share utensils? I got it from a kiss. The guy didn't even use his tongue, but there was definite saliva swappage. Now my stomach growls like his.

You can go to a dentist that does "oral dna" testing. There are 3 oral dna tests. One for genetic predisposition for periodontal disease, one for oral hpv testing, and one for bacterial analysis. Get the one for bacterial analysis. Unfortunately the test is so new that insurance will not cover it. It will cost around $175. For best results, don't gargle any mouthwash before going, as this could momentarily reduce the bacteria in your mouth.

The bacteria on my chart says it's "refractive" as in, resists treatment. But there were other bacteria on my chart as well, so you may not have the same ones I have. The guy that gave this to me has had it for about 15 years. He knew he was giving it to me but went ahead anyway. He did not warn me.

Posted 11/26/2012 11:33 AM (GMT 0)

I just want to add, I know with 100% certainty that this is passed through saliva. Saliva is the only thing me and this guy swapped. There was no down and dirty or even "feely uppy." All of my symptoms mirror his.

What's more, when I first told him about my stomach problems, he asked if I had a white tongue. I said no, but then 3 months after the kiss I got the first white tongue of my life. The reason people are not connecting this with saliva is because it takes time for the symptoms to show. It was about a month after the kiss when the borborygmi started for me.

Everyone has been taught to believe saliva is safe. Sharing drinks and kissing are so common. Stomach problems are also so common. Not all stomach problems are contagious, but this one is!

Posted 11/26/2012 5:19 PM (GMT 0)

Hi. :-)

Thanks for your answer.

Kissing?! shocked NO definitely.

I haven't kissed anyone in the way you mentioned in all my life.In our country we kiss people on the cheek.

And about utensils,I'm not sure.I usually use my private ones.And i'm sure the same test is not available in my country.

Unfortunately I couldn't meet the doctor today.It's supposed to be on Saturday.

The good news is that i found a guy with same problem.She told me a doctor had given her a kind of medicine called "Gastrolit" and after using it for a week all of the symptoms had gone away.

I have bought it too and i want to give it a try.

this medicine includes mint and thyme.It is used to cure IBS(the irritabe bowel syndrome).She was so happy that she could be cured after 3 consecutive years.

I hope it can work for me too.

Before i talk to people about my problem i thought i was the only one with this problem but now that i talk to different people about that,I have found out that many people have this problem.

Thanks God I'm not the odd one out.
Posted 11/26/2012 9:04 PM (GMT 0)
Hi everybody,

Mahsa- I'm so sorry for taking so long to reply to your last post, been so busy! I'm kind of scared about university too- so many people in such a quiet hall! shocked
Sorry I should have explained: St Johns Wort is a natural remedy (i think its a kind of plant or herb or something) that helps anxiety or depression. You can take it either in liquid form mixed with water (called a tincture) or in tablet form, but the tincture is apparently better.
I think you should be able to get the things I recommended in your country, most pharmacies should have it or something similar.. if not, you could go online and order it from an international pharmacy.
I agree- this thing is one of the worst things ever, the fear it causes is horrible..yet it seems so small a problem!
The Gastolit thing sounds pretty good- please let us know if it works!!

salivadisease- what you've said is very interesting, and that may be one cause but I'm not sure its the same for everyone.. I've had this for quite some time and I don't think the first guy i kissed gave it to me.. and my last boyfriend didn't seem to get it from me- so I think our things might be a little different. I'm not saying that what you are saying is wrong, I think it probably IS a bacteria thing. Do you know how the person you kissed got it?
Posted 12/2/2012 5:47 AM (GMT 0)

Hi everybody.

I could meet the doctor at last.I want to cry out. cry

when i told him the symptoms i had,he laughed at me saying "it is most probably IBS.and it is mainely caused by your stres.Just be carefree and don't be afraid of getting embarrassd in front of people,this is caused by yor fears.up until the time u have stres,it is continued."

he also ased me to have blood test and excrement test so that he get sure I don't have any problem.And he said according to my tests he will give me the appropriate prescription.

He gave me some tranquilizing medicine insted.

Here are the names of the medicines:

1.Propranolol

2.Fluoxetine

3.Bi****h Subcitrate(this for i thing a kind of microbe in the stomach or sth i'm not sure)

And about Gastrolit that i ordered u in my previous post,I used it for some days it didn't help much.

To be honest,I know my problem is caused by stres because it got started as soon as i become involved in prepration for university entrance exam and rivalry...

Maybe we should be more carefree. rolleyes I will inform u about the results of the tests and any further prescription.

　

Have nice time
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