Quick question..."swollen" belly?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Quick question..."swollen" belly?
4
Mon, 04-03-2006 - 2:44am

Hi, it's late right now and I want to check in and post more completely later, but I was wondering about something in particular...I hope it's all right if I just post this quick question.

I've noticed recently that, though I'm thin overall (and actually lost about 12 lbs over the past few months, making me underweight now), my abdomen seems to be swollen...and to me at least, it seems out of proportion to the rest of my body. I thought maybe it was bloating, but it's been there all day, even though I didn't eat for most of the day.

I was able to eat later this evening though (I've gotten on a bad schedule of staying up at night), but I know my diet is still awful. I'm also wondering if my many weeks of stomach trouble could have caused something so drastic as mild malnutrition...I *am* always near exhausted too, but more like a painful exhaustion...my muscles ache and just feel like they can't do the basic things I need them to. (I've attributed that to an old problem that ended up not getting diagnosed as anything but fatigue and fibromyalgia, so I hadn't been too surprised by it).

Wow, OK, this is getting too long. I think that would be a major stretch, though, to think I could get a swollen belly like the horribly undernourished kids you see pictures of in the third world...right now, I'm 5'3" and about 98 lbs, so not that bad. (I feel like I must be heavier only because I have trouble buttoning my pants around my belly!).

Sorry, maybe this isn't quite the right board for this question, but I wasn't sure where to ask. And I thought maybe it could be stomach-related somehow...I did have that pseudomembranous colitis a while back, and though that seems to have resolved (I've just started taking Acidophilus supplements that really seem to be helping), I don't know if that could be contributing somehow.

Thanks for listening...I am eating better now, so hopefully some of these issues will improve...I'm just not sure if the swollen abdomen is something I need to be concerned about.

Thanks again,

Rose




Edited 4/3/2006 3:12 am ET by rosa444
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-23-2003
Mon, 04-03-2006 - 9:06pm

Rosa,


Have they tested you for food allergies?

 
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Thu, 04-06-2006 - 9:22pm

Thanks very much...no, I've never been tested for food allergies. I really don't know much about them either...though it's interesting, allergies in general really run in my family (my mom's allergic to dozens of things, and my twin sister often gets hives and has even gone into anaphylactic shock before), but I've never had any major ones that I know of.

I wonder, do you think this is something I'd ask my primary care doctor about? I have a GI doctor (although I'm not sure if he still counts me as a patient if the last time I saw him was a year or so ago), so I don't know if I could just try to make an appointment with him directly...it does take several months usually to get in to see him, though.

And I don't particularly like him as a doctor...he heard about my family history of IBS and my symptoms, and that was it in terms of diagnosis...I didn't feel like he took me very seriously. I always end up waiting several months for an appointment, then waiting several hours in the waiting room because he runs so late, only for him to spend 10 minutes with me to tell me that there's not much he can do anyway. So I guess you can see why I haven't been there for a year!

Still, I guess I agree with him that my problem is almost definitely "just" IBS...and I guess IBS could cause bloating that would make my stomach look like this. And I know there isn't a good medical treatment for IBS, so I guess I can't blame him too much.

But the food allergy idea is interesting...I think I will look into it...thanks! I seem to keep losing weight, too, even though I've been eating...down to 96 lbs this morning.

Hope you're doing well,

Rose

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-03-2006
Thu, 04-06-2006 - 10:20pm

Hi Rosa. Have you seen a Dr. for you concern? Things that are "swollen" are usually painful and sort of "hard" to the touch. Is this so in your case? Also, have you been to the GYN lately? Some abdominal issues can be related to issues in the pelvic area.

Best Wishes!

Keep us posted.

CSmo

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Wed, 04-12-2006 - 7:29pm

Thanks, CSmo...sorry I didn't see your reply until now. To answer your question, I think I misused the word "swollen"...my abdomen isn't really hard or painful, just big and round...basically I think what a woman in early pregnancy might look like! (and there's no chance I could actually be pregnant). It goes all the way from my navel on down.

I haven't asked the doctor specifically about this...I actually did see my primary care doc today and planned to include this as one of my questions, but it didn't happen. I went to see her partly because my toes have become swollen and red and taken on a deformed shape, so we spent the appointment talking about that...though she said she's not concerned about a connective tissue disorder (as I am, although the tests I had a while back were negative) and thinks that I'm worrying too much and probably need to go back on antidepressants (which is probably true anyway, but maybe beside the point!).

Whew, sorry to go so incredibly off topic. But mainly I've become discouraged from asking many more questions since I have had tests that have come back normal, and since I admit I've gone to the doctor too much.

Still, this has become normal to me, but I realized I have basically zero appetite. I could go the entire day without eating, and often I pretty much do. Today it's "dinnertime," and all I've had the whole day was a piece of string cheese and a piece of bread, and that was only because I thought I should.

I want to start exercising again (though it hurts a lot with my toes like this), but I don't know what the minimum amount is that I have to eat or weigh in order to be able to jog or do a normal routine safely. I guess I should be fine...just worrying again!

Sorry for this long post...I guess at least I haven't lost any more weight (I was forcing myself to eat some), so maybe it's stable for now...thanks again for your reply,

Rose




Edited 4/12/2006 7:31 pm ET by rosa444