What should you know about bad bloating?

Bloating is a feeling of fullness or visible abdominal swelling. It can follow eating quickly, swallowing air, constipation, or a change in gut bacteria. Food Intolerance, including Lactose Intolerance, may cause bloating with gas or loose stools after particular foods. Irritable Bowel Syndrome can present with bloating alongside abdominal pain and altered bowel habits. Coeliac Disease may present with ongoing bloating and diarrhoea or weight loss. Giardiasis can cause bloating with prolonged diarrhoea, especially after unsafe water or travel. The symptom pattern matters more than the sensation alone.

Record meals, bowel movements, pain, and timing for several days. Eat slowly, drink fluids, and take gentle walks if comfortable. Treat constipation only with advice suited to you, especially if pain is significant. Avoid removing many foods at once, because this can make triggers difficult to identify and may reduce nutrition. Nutrition Counselling can help you test dietary changes safely. Do not start a gluten-free diet before discussing Coeliac Disease testing, because it may affect results.

Get urgent help for severe or rapidly worsening abdominal pain, a hard swollen abdomen with repeated vomiting, inability to pass stool or gas, fainting, blood in stool, or breathing difficulty. Book a clinical review for recurring bloating, diarrhoea that persists, constipation that does not settle, unintentional weight loss, fever, or symptoms that wake you at night.

Ask whether your pattern suggests Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Food Intolerance, Lactose Intolerance, Coeliac Disease, Helicobacter Pylori Infection, or an infection such as Giardiasis. Ask which tests are appropriate and how to change food without creating nutritional gaps.