Posted 9/15/2012 7:17 PM (GMT 0)
My symptoms...
I've suffered with huge amount of bloating, flatulence, distended bowel and gas for about 4 years now. I've been to the doctors a thousand times, not once have they managed to help me even a bit. 3 years later I managed to persuade the doctor to send me for the breath test. I constantly look like I'm pregnant, jogging can longer keep my body in shape. The bloating is just too much. My skin is like a rubber band, it just flops like a water bed. My family members are all astonished as I excercise on a daily basis, needless to say so am I, as before I had this problem I didn't suffer with flabby skin.
I feel the quote below somewhat manages to describe what's happening to the muscles causing us to bloat and expand like hell.
[quote]
It's also worth mentioning that as your abdominal muscles get stretched out, they're less effective at eliminating gas, and tend to flop out at the slightest pressure. Try as hard as you can to get exercise every day, and try to find a source of protien that doesn't get you distended to help build those muscles back up (I use whey powder. It's nasty, but I seem to absorb it fine)Okay now here are my results for Lactulose and Lactose breath tests.
Lactose Result:
Interpretation: Results are consistent with lactose malabsorption. Lactose fermentation has been demonstrated.
Lactulose Result:
Interpretation: Results appear to be consistent with colonic flora. Bacterial overgrowth does not appear to be suggested. The early rise may be consistent with a quick transit to the colon.
Okay, my next appointment with the Gastro-expert is on November 9th. Now I've gone and taken the info into account and started a lactose free diet as recommended by my GP. Been on it just over a week and can say I do NOT feel any different. My symptoms are just as bad, I haven't noticed any improvement at all. Absolutely nothing has changed. I'm not sure if it takes longer for results to show but I will continue on this diet until my next appointment with the Gastro-expert. Please can somebody give me an idea of what is going on here. They're completely clueless, and just want to blame anything and everything so they can discharge me as quick as possible to leave me to rot in my home for the rest of my life. I might not have SIBO, but could I perhaps have an overgrowth of bacteria somewhere else? One thing I've noticed for a while now is, if I eat sweets or drink carbonated drinks such as Pepsi not the diet version, I get diarrhea. I find sugar triggers diarrhea for me. Although now I've cut out a lot of sugar from my diet, I don't have it in tea, I no longer eat processed food or cakes, but I'm still bloated as hell. I just can't see how I'm lactose intolerant, I never experience any diarrhea, pain etc after consuming milk with lactose or other products with lactose. It just doesn't make sense. Now I'm pretty sure if I'm given a breath test for fructose, glucose, suctrose and whatever other sugars there are, the test will probably come out positive for a few of them.