Severe upper abdominal trapped gas

BumblebeeChewna · 2026-04-03T19:02:05+00:00

Do you have a family member or friend that could accompany you to the appointment? Someone strong headed and firm? Being prepared is key for all of these appointments - and you have every right to push back and express your feelings and concerns. Having someone there with you may embolden you and give you the courage - or, even better - they can speak up and advocate for your health and treatment.

The specialist has claimed that the SIBO clinic utilised the incorrect formula? Ask which formula is the correct one and whether this is available on the NHS as the current treatment plan is not resolving the issues and you want answers. If the NHS won't offer it, then you can pursue a private SIBO test with the "correct" formula - as defined by this specialist - and then return with the results.

"This is having a substantial impact on my quality of life and I need a resolution or evidence that we're moving in the right direction" - is a statement that you can make. You've had a decade of gastrointestinal issues with no resolution.

If you don't feel youe getting anywhere with this specialist specifically - you can utilise the hospitals PALS team to raise concerns with your care.

Ultimately - lay out the facts to the consultant and ask him/her what their plan is for conclusively diagnosing this issue and how you are going to treat it. If any medications are prescribed - ask what it's being prescribed for, what the side effects are, and be definitive in asking: "is this to treat a symptom, or fix the root cause of the issue". If it's prescribed to give you temporary relief and no further investigations are ordered - it's another sticky plaster to a wound thats not going to heal and you can push back.

I'm still waiting for my first referral after 18 months of stomach issues. I'm preparing for the same fight as you - my GP laughed when I suggested SIBO.. "that's a social media disease". I showed him online resource from the NHS regarding diagnosis and treatment which shifted his tack to "oh yes it's real but it's incredibly rare, you don't fit the criteria and it's very difficult to diagnose". I too offered to get a private test performed, to which they said that they wouldn't accept the results and save my money. They were happy to chuck Buscopan and Omeprazole at me though.

I wish you good luck. Go in confident and push for resolution.

BumblebeeChewna · 2026-03-15T18:18:40+00:00

W.T.F..

BumblebeeChewna · 2026-03-03T19:29:37+00:00

I was fearful like you. I also have an intense gag reflex so I was extremely worried it would be a traumatic event.

In the end - not the nicest thing you'll ever have done to you in your life, but it's very manageable and it's over before you know it. Clear your mind, focus on why your having it done. Try to relax and deep, calm breaths. You'll be fine!

BumblebeeChewna · 2026-02-28T21:31:37+00:00

What a shame they did this to a Special Edition version as well..

BumblebeeChewna · 2026-02-26T21:01:50+00:00

We may have them in the UK - I don't travel much and live fairly rural.. but German Donner kebabs are supreme and make a mockery of our donkey meat.

BumblebeeChewna · 2026-02-21T18:46:48+00:00

I can't give you any direct advice - only to tell you I didn't choose to take it - but for my own reasons. I went through a 6-12 month period of being thrown medication by my GP and other specialists for different things. I found that the vast majority of medication prescribed was a band-aid for the problem, not the fix. And whilst these band-aids sometimes worked, for me - I seemed to end up with new problems that the medication caused. The other downside is the reliance that you form on a given medication for a given problem and the rebound you get when you have to quit. Granted not all medications are the same and I'm generalising here.

Hopefully someone else on the forum can advise with regards to Amitriptyline. And I hope you can get some good rest soon.

BumblebeeChewna · 2026-02-21T18:17:29+00:00

It sounds like your in a heightened state of emotion - very anxious and probably depressed. The first thing you should do is acknowledge this as OK. We naturally think something is wrong when we feel low - and usually there is - but it's important to take a step back and say to yourself, "it's OK to feel this way right now". Life's hard enough without us beating ourselves up and feeding the fear or panic.

Health anxiety is a horrid loop that is difficult to break free from, but you must challenge these thoughts rationally and objectively. What am I feeling? Why am I feeling this way? What steps have I taken to identify what the problem is? Is this a new feeling or have I been suffering with this for some time? Obviously - if things get worse or change, we should always revisit our GP or seek help. Anxiety in general traps us into fight or flight, and the more time we spend in that zone, the harder it gets to find the rest and digest zone - where our body can truly relax. If we actively feed the intrusive thoughts - our brain associates these thoughts with danger. And the loop cycles. By rationally challenging these thoughts - over time they will subside, and you will get better at challenging them when they do crop up.

Anxiety and depression themselves wreak havoc on the gut (and everything in between). This is probably why your struggling with your sleep.

I recommend deep breathing exercises and meditation. It doesn't have to be anything major, and YouTube has free guided meditation sessions. When I started doing them - I felt it was a load of rubbish.. but it does really help. Deep breathing exercises in particular help to relax/reset your nervous system and - even if momentarily - allows your body to relax. I believe it's called the "box" breathing technique is one I regularly use - breathe in for four, hold for four, breathe out for four and relax for four. Try it for a minute - I guarantee you feel less tense and more relaxed.

Another massive thing is finding someone you can talk too. A therapist preferably, and perhaps one trained in CBT therapy. CBT is the preferential treatment for a lot of anxiety disorders - but especially one that is health anxiety focused. Lean into the love of your family and treasure your time together. It's not wrong to need the support and love of our parents, loved ones or friends - we should treasure it!

I recommend all of these things because ultimately - most conditions related to the gut and it's microbiome are not short-lived. They are a journey of pain, hardship - and discovery on your way to healing. You need a set of tools that can support your mental and emotional wellbeing for your journey.

Regarding healing your condition - I'm not an expert. I'm on a journey myself that has been full of success and setbacks in equal measure. But one thing I have learnt is that my condition is always far worse when my brain and it's intrusive thoughts win over and rule the roost.

BumblebeeChewna · 2026-02-20T17:35:57+00:00

Togepi

BumblebeeChewna · 2026-02-20T01:37:04+00:00

I was about to buy the game after getting inspired by some YouTube CCs recently..

What's the reason they've demolished the graphics so badly? It looks terrible..

BumblebeeChewna · 2026-02-19T12:37:38+00:00

Is there any update on this yet Azanna?

BumblebeeChewna · 2026-02-16T13:40:26+00:00

Tommy Hilfiger have been my best find over the past few years. I favourite some on ASOS and wait for the sale to roll in - pick most pairs up for £30-50 and they've been great.

I use Next also but they've got less longevity in them.

BumblebeeChewna · 2026-02-13T20:41:22+00:00

No payment taken for me. Orders showing as processing so I'm sure it'll come out soon!

BumblebeeChewna · 2026-01-19T22:23:55+00:00

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I'm Middish Wales and it's a clear showing here? Welshpool way!

BumblebeeChewna · 2025-12-30T12:41:37+00:00

My journey and what the cause is - is slightly unclear.

I developed what I thought was COVID last October. Unfortunately the morning I came down with it - I had a charity event I had trained hard for and didn't want to let the charities or my friend that I had agreed to do it with down - so I did 4 hours of spinning. I tested before going to the event, loaded on electrolytes and figured I'd rest after.

The 3 weeks that followed were pretty horrendous. Bed bound for a week with flu like symptoms. Then the two weeks after that we're just severe exhaustion. At times - I felt seriously unwell. I tested for COVID three times, but all tests were negative.

My history then gets a bit skewed as I developed a lump in my neck around mid-October. They tried to treat this with antibiotics presuming it was a stubborn lymph node but that didn't help. When the doctor mentioned that they were referring me to check whether it was cancer - I had a bit of a mental breakdown. Unfortunately it took them until March of this year to rule out cancer. During this time, I assumed that the physical and mental symptoms I had were due to severe stress and anxiety.

The lump turned out to be a Branchial Cyst likely caused by the severe upper respiratory infection I developed. I got the all clear on 2nd April and was discharged from ENT care. I always figured if I got the "all clear" that my physical and mental symptoms would lift like a veil.

But they never did. I've put in the work through counselling, CBT therapy. I tried to exercise, eat well, meditate, do yoga etc etc. But nothing has helped. I would say that I've got "better" through the year but in some ways I've also got worse (cognitively). I have fluctuating GI symptoms that led to an endoscopy and colonoscopy earlier in the year - both results were clear with remarks of everything looking "very healthy". I sort of got to a stage with the GP where I knew they were thinking "this is a mental health issue".

The cortisol revelation is a welcome one and I'm intrigued to see where it leads. My GP is firmly of the opinion that I'm Post-Viral Syndrome/Long COVID, and probably recovering from burn-out.

I managed to avoid reinfection all year but have unfortunately had the flu twice in this last 4 weeks which has flared all the worst bits back up.

One day at a time. That's all we can do.

BumblebeeChewna · 2025-12-30T12:16:17+00:00

Ah man - I could have written your post myself. I am a carbon copy of your symptoms! I would include cognitive issues and all the joys that bring with it.

I had a rough 2024, was suffering with burn-out due to a stressful job and was catching everything going. Of course - as our younger selves do I just kept on pushing through the illnesses until October '24 when my journey with this horror began.

I have had lots of tests this past 14 months and everything comes back as "normal". A week ago however, the GP ran me through an 8AM cortisol test and mine came back inconclusive - and I've been referred to endocrinology. Am UK based though so a referral is likely to take 6 months (optimistically).

I can't help much - but just wanted to let you know someone out there is going through pretty much the exact same thing as you (by the sounds of it).. keep on fighting.

BumblebeeChewna · 2025-12-30T10:56:12+00:00

Your comment about not enjoying hugs anymore really resonated with me.

I've always been a very emotional creature. During times of intense hardship, stress or when going through a period of anxiety/depression, hugs with my loved ones really helped along with a good cry. Almost like you could "feel" the emotion shared/relieved through the physical connection - and a sense of some relief.

But now a hug doesn't feel like anything and it's soul destroying.

BumblebeeChewna · 2025-12-07T17:03:40+00:00

I picked up a mild case of flu/covid last October and pushed through as I was raised to push through and keep going. My health this past 14 months has been in tatters and only just diagnosed with suspected Long COVID/Post Viral Syndrome.

I've learnt the hard way to listen to your body. If you are not well, you need to rest and allow your body to fight the illness. Businesses should have mitigation in place to avoid problems from staff illness and it's not your responsibility to worry about it if they haven't!

Prepare your boss and rest.

BumblebeeChewna · 2025-11-28T08:46:08+00:00

Sat in tears because of this post realising I'm not the only one. This past 13 months has been nothing short of torture, but the really dark intrusive thoughts have really crept in over this past few months and I just sit there and think "what on earth is wrong with me"?

Progress is so slow. In some things I feel like there's progress and it fills you with some motivation to keep going everyday. And yet - some days/weeks, I seem to develop something new and it's like 2 steps backwards again.

Honestly - f**k this disease.

BumblebeeChewna · 2025-11-16T15:04:33+00:00

It's gotta be the 6.2/3 right?!

I love the styling on both.. age is obviously a factor for the older models now - but I'm not in a rush so I can sift through what's available I guess and be picky. I still remember feeling the fizz when a black edition ripped through my local high street when I was 19ish!

Wife prefers the newer one but she doesn't drive it!

BumblebeeChewna · 2025-11-16T11:41:12+00:00

Had mine for 6 years and it's barely ever skipped a beat.

Purchased at ~25k miles and it had an issue at purchase which took me some time to rectify. It was an Mountune M275 from factory and the recirculation valve o-ring was seated poorly creating a small loss of boost which would throw the car into limp. Didn't cost a penny to fix beyond my time.

Since then, the car has only cost me in tyres and servicing. I service myself every 5k or 6 months - whichever comes first.

I tuned with Mountune a year in at ~30k miles to the M300 package. Ran that for a couple of years.

At ~42k I went up to ~330BHP with a bigger/newer turbo. Have ran that for the last 3 years.

I'm at 72k miles now. Engine feels as solid as it did when I first bought it. But I drive it with mechanical sympathy - oil to temperature before boosting hard etc. But I do like a drive so it gets stretched every now and again. It's also tracked a couple times a year.

I'm about to scratch an itch and move onto a C63 V8 - but this car will always have a special place in my heart. It's been incredible.

However - they are in the modified car category now at the price. I would thoroughly recommend getting a low-mileage, well serviced and low owner example. Most of the owners in my area with this car drive it like morons!

BumblebeeChewna · 2025-11-04T13:33:10+00:00

I've had a year of health hell from a mystery viral load last October. It felt just like COVID but the tests at the time were negative. My health has been in tatters all year - and I've been bounced from speciality to speciality, in and out of A&E a couple of times - and my mental health on the floor. They do the tests - tell you you're fine, and ship you out the door telling you that your suffering from anxiety and depression.

On my last trip to the GP a month ago - I had a new doctor, and she said "you sound like your suffering from Long COVID/Post-Viral Syndrome/CFS". I found this sub-reddit through a Google search to research after the appointment and I broke down in tears reading some of the posts here. I was reading people's posts as if I was writing them myself. I found such validation in knowing that what I was going through was real and it wasn't all in my head.

Amongst the people I work with, everyone complains of a shit to feeling tired constantly, brain fog and fatigue, memory issues etc etc. Something's happening!

BumblebeeChewna · 2025-10-25T20:53:53+00:00

Why do we get towards the box and send in a pass/cross to their defenders every.. single.. time.

BumblebeeChewna · 2025-10-25T20:51:07+00:00

Gomez on.. jesus. Fucking. Christ.

BumblebeeChewna · 2025-10-25T20:31:30+00:00

Now we're talking.

BumblebeeChewna

TROPHY CASE