Feeling Bloated and Other Digestive Issues. Please Help!

[puffycookie]

I am on Day 25. One of the things that prompted me to endeavor to do a Whole30 was the amount of heartburn and indigestion I dealt with on a regular basis. I've been doing lots of reading and research during my W30, and have been doing everything I can think of to try and get things figured out.

The last 2-3 days have been really aggravating. I am so bloated that I can't eat. I'm not exaggerating. I couldn't eat dinner last night, and I couldn't eat breakfast this morning. I could only eat half my lunch the last two days. I don't have a lot of gas, but I am burping a TON. I have bowel movements one to two times per day, but I still feel like I'm constipated.

I read a lot from Chris Kresser's websites, and have implemented a few of the things he suggested. I started taking a probiotic, as well as eating more sauerkraut and drinking kombucha. I also started taking a digestive enzyme that has HCL and pepsin in it.

The more I take the digestive enzyme, the more bloated I feel. I don't think that's how it should work.

Kresser also mentions an imbalance between good and bad gut bacteria, so this morning I decided to increase the probiotic (still within recommended limits) to see if I could help swing the tide in my favor.

I'll try that over the next couple of days and see if there is any improvement. Does anyone have any other suggestions? I'm grumpy and irritable because I feel so bloated and gross. The first couple of weeks were great, save for the heartburn I dealt with. I was hungry when I was supposed to be hungry, I could eat my entire meal and not feel bloated and uncomfortable, and I could go to the bathroom once a day and not feel like I still had to go. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[Karen]

If you're taking HCL and you don't need it, that *might* cause the issues you're having. I just started reading up on HCL in particular so I'm no expert, but there are some ways you can test this out and see if you really need HCL.

If you started something new and you're seeing some really negative side effects, it might be worthwhile stopping it for a bit and seeing if the issues resolve themselves. I have a medical professional that always looks at me with a cocked head when I rattle on about how awful I'm feeling on a new med/supplement/etc. and she just says, "Well, STOP TAKING IT!"

[Michaela Elmore Cogswell]

I just read Chris Kesser's series on heartburn. I have GERD and have taken Prilosec for close to 20 years. In his article about getting rid of heartburn, he did mention lowering your carb intake and specifically to eliminate starchy carbs (which I'm taking to mean sweet potatoes) and focus on a specific group of starchy veggies: winter squash, turnip, rutabaga, celery root.

I'm planning to try this, when I get to the store to stock up, and see if that, in combination with enzymes, probiotics, will help. I also plan to pick up some HCL to try it. I'm not sure that the HCL would cause a bloated feeling, since it's basically stomach acid, but you might need a different brand or something.

I was also reading up on Apple Cider Vinegar and will probably throw that into the mix to see if it will help settle down the heartburn.

Or it could be the adjustment to all of the changes at once. I have noticed that I've felt bloated the last weeks, but it hasn't been horrible. I'm still hungry and able to eat fine when it's time.

[puffycookie]

So yesterday, I experimented a little. I took two probiotics before breakfast, and I felt better. I had something to eat, and took the digestive enzymes with my meal. I took them again at lunch, and I think I skipped them at dinner.

I just read some great articles on how to test for low HCL, and how to hopefully work out any issues. I think I'm going to try their recommendations. Also, I learned that digestive enzymes with HCL in them are not equal to an HCL supplement.

I think I'm going to back off the digestive enzymes for a few days and see if that helps.

[Michaela Elmore Cogswell]

cool, do you have a link for the article to test for low HCL?

[Karen]

Here's the one I was looking into: http://scdlifestyle.com/2012/03/3-tests-for-low-stomach-acid/ I'm not familiar with these guys and don't know if I can trust them, but figured it might be a good starting place to at least experiment.

[Michaela Elmore Cogswell]

Thanks Karen!