How much gas is too much?

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-05-2004
How much gas is too much?
2
Fri, 09-10-2004 - 1:18pm
I've always felt that I have more than a "normal" amount of gas. I was just reading an iVillage article that mentioned a normal number of times to pass gas was 6-20 in a day. Another article said 1,500 ml of gas a day is normal. I've never actually counted, but I'd estimate my own gas at 50-100 times a day. It's usually close to odorless, but it seems like a huge amount, defintely more than a liter and a half. Most of the gas is in the evening. I'm pretty much gas-free until mid-afternoon, but through most of the evening I pass gas every 5 or 10 minutes. Gas-ex pills help, but I don't know how often I can safely take those.

It's definitely worse when I eat "gassy" foods like broccoli, beans, or lots of fruit. I thought it might be from dairy intolerance, but tried limiting my dairy and using the lactaid pills when I ate any of it, and that didn't make a difference. Caffeine and fatty foods are fine for me to eat in the morning, but at night they make the gas worse.

I know that gas can be one symptom of some disorders, but can it ever be the only symptom? I only have abdominal pain from the gas, maybe once a week. It's more annoying than it is painful. I'll get constipation or diarrhea about once every 2 months, sometimes that's just from eating wrong or getting some stomach bug. It's pretty much just the gas.

I'm probably just being paranoid and it's nothing more than me being more sensitive to it than the average person. But once I start reading things I start worrying. You should see me in my psychology classes. =]

Thanks for your help,

Amanda

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-14-2003
Fri, 09-10-2004 - 1:33pm

Hi Amanda and Welcome to iVillage

thflowers-hahd23222.gif picture by Wren53B

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-23-2003
Sat, 09-11-2004 - 10:49pm

Hi Amanda!


WElcome to the board!