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What Causes Stomach Distension After Eating?
Question: Hi , I'm 65 year 0ld male 6.3" 290. My stomach swells after I eat. I have a hernia for years and actually down from 335 5 years ago. 30min to 1 hour after I eat, my stomach swells. I measured it and it can be 2-3" expansion and then it continues to fill with air, I guess, or gas, and gets so tight that I have trouble breathing. I go to the VA and repeatedly ask them to do an upper gi series. they gave me one, but they only xrayed my throat after I drank some liquid that filled me with burps. I had a upper gi 20 years ago when I was diagnosed with irritable bowl syndrome. I drank liquid and they xrayed it all thru my stomach. My sister 72, had that camera run down her throat, and had acid burned stomach and ulcers.She takes Nexium. It's healing her. I take insulin and beta blockers for my heart, plus some blood pressure meds. The NP I got to at the VA Gave me Omeprazole 20 mg tabs I take twice a day. they're not helping. I don't want to be one of those people dieing waiting on the VA to do anything. I have medicare and supplemental insurance now. What do you think is wrong, obviously gas related, what kind of doctor should I go to, what kind of test should I asked for .incase he says,, oh well? I see that on Mystery diagnosis all the time. Finding someone who cares is 99% of it, so it seems. I'm not criticizing the VA in anyway. They do their best but it's becoming eventual healthcare not immediate healthcare and that what leads to people dying after waiting 2-3 years on treatment. It's not their fault, they're overwhelmed.
Brief Answer:
See a gastroenterologist!
Detailed Answer:
Hi and thank you so much for this query.
I am so sorry to hear about this stomach distension after eating. I am also sorry to hear of how you feel about the treatment and care you are receiving. We hope that things get better at taking care of our veterans who have sacrificed so much and even put their lives at great risk to serve their nation.
From the information you have provided, your symptoms seem suggestive of gastropareisis. This is a complication of diabetes which results in a slower emptying of the stomach. This means that food eaten would take a longer time before exiting the stomach. This would cause distension and exertion of pressure on the diaphragm and chest organs would cause breathing difficulties. If your diabetes has been going on for a long time, then this maybe the most likely cause of your symptoms.
Glad enough, we have tests and investigations to confirm this suspicion and look for other possible causes. Gastric emptying studies are good at this. Also, an upper GI endoscopy, as you rightly suggested, would look into the digestive tract and report all abnormalities. These studies would for sure provide more information that would lead to a greater understanding of this problem. The best doctor to consult for these would be a gastroenterologist.
For now, I will suggest that you fractionate your meals into small portions and eat several time in a day. Also, avoid going to bed shortly after meals but, do some form of walk around.
In all, this seems to be a complication of diabetes. A gastroenterologist would be able to do the necessary studies to make the precise diagnosis and propose a management plan for you.
I hope this helps. I wish you well. Thank you so much for using our services and do feel free to ask for more information and clarifications if need be.
See a gastroenterologist!
Detailed Answer:
Hi and thank you so much for this query.
I am so sorry to hear about this stomach distension after eating. I am also sorry to hear of how you feel about the treatment and care you are receiving. We hope that things get better at taking care of our veterans who have sacrificed so much and even put their lives at great risk to serve their nation.
From the information you have provided, your symptoms seem suggestive of gastropareisis. This is a complication of diabetes which results in a slower emptying of the stomach. This means that food eaten would take a longer time before exiting the stomach. This would cause distension and exertion of pressure on the diaphragm and chest organs would cause breathing difficulties. If your diabetes has been going on for a long time, then this maybe the most likely cause of your symptoms.
Glad enough, we have tests and investigations to confirm this suspicion and look for other possible causes. Gastric emptying studies are good at this. Also, an upper GI endoscopy, as you rightly suggested, would look into the digestive tract and report all abnormalities. These studies would for sure provide more information that would lead to a greater understanding of this problem. The best doctor to consult for these would be a gastroenterologist.
For now, I will suggest that you fractionate your meals into small portions and eat several time in a day. Also, avoid going to bed shortly after meals but, do some form of walk around.
In all, this seems to be a complication of diabetes. A gastroenterologist would be able to do the necessary studies to make the precise diagnosis and propose a management plan for you.
I hope this helps. I wish you well. Thank you so much for using our services and do feel free to ask for more information and clarifications if need be.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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