What Does A Bloated Stomach Look Like

You Could Be Constipated

Constipation is one of the most common GI problems, according to Johns Hopkins Health, and it affects women more than men. Along with your period, not drinking enough water, not eating enough fiber and taking some medications may make you constipated. The lower GI is where you tend to feel very distended, saysDeborah Fisher, M.D., a gastroenterologist and associate professor of medicine at the Duke University School of Medicine. Constipation may make you feel bloated or like you need to pass gas. Cramps are also common, and if youre feeling bloated at the same time, you might resolve both by making a few trips to the restroom.

Talk To A Doctor If You Think A Gastrointestinal Disorder Is Causing Your Bloating And Distension

If your bloating doesnt follow a neat pattern, you cant pinpoint a factor behind it like hormonal changes or lactose intolerance, and you experience additional bothersome symptoms, you could have a gastrointestinal condition like ulcerative colitis or Crohns disease. These both fall under the umbrella of inflammatory bowel disease , which describes conditions that cause inflammation of various parts of the bowel. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains that ulcerative colitis affects consistent stretches of the large intestine and rectum, while Crohns disease can affect any part of the digestive system, with inflammation usually occurring in patches.

• Unexplained weight loss

People with Crohns or ulcerative colitis can go for long periods of time with no symptoms. But these are serious, chronic conditions that require treatment. Left untreated, ulcerative colitis can lead to rectal bleeding, joint inflammation, and inflammation in deep tissue layers of the large intestine, the NIDDK says, while Crohns can lead to ulcers, intestinal obstructions, fissures, and abscesses.

Most of the time, bloating indicates nothing more than your digestive system doing its job. And now that you know how to determine if its potentially serious, you can tell the difference between when you may need to see a doctorand when its time to change out of your uncomfortable jeans and into your favorite leggings.

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How Do I Know If Im Bloated Or Gaining Weight

Gently press your stomach specifically around the swollen area. If your abdomen feels hard and tight, it means you are bloated. Generally, our stomach is soft and spongy and it remains the same even after gaining weight. If you can easily gasp an inch of your stomach, it can be due to excess of fat.

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Symptoms Of Bloat In Dogs

Bloat is a very uncomfortable, often painful, health crisis for dogs. As a result, a dog with bloat may:

• Dry-heave without vomiting any food. Sometimes a dog might spit out white foam when trying to vomit, which is usually mucus from the esophagus or stomach.

• Have abdominal distention

• Experience sudden anxiety, pacing, an inability to get comfortable or constantly moving around the room/house.

• Be guarding their belly or looking back at their belly

• Position themselves in downward facing dog pose, where the dogs back half is up and upper half is down

• Have a racing heartbeat

Wheres Your Abdominal Bloating And Pain

Pain in different areas of the abdomen can mean different things.

Abdominal pain can be anywhere between the chest and the pelvis. People often call it a stomachache. The pain can also be:

Causes of abdominal bloating and pain can vary from mild to severe. Most of the time, abdominal bloating and pain occur due to:

This kind of bloating or pain is usually normal and will go away within two hours.

In cases of the stomach flu, you may feel intense pain or bloating that comes and goes before each episode of vomiting or diarrhea. Stomach viruses usually go away with rest and home care.

This guide lists the organs associated with different locations of abdominal bloating or pain:

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Is It Normal To Be Bloated Throughout Your Period

For many women, one of these unpleasant consequences is bloating. Your stomach feels swollen and hard, you may feel puffy all over â its not pleasant. Period bloat is completely normal and occurs due to hormonal changes which result in water retention, however, its not something many people talk about publicly.

What It Means If Your Dogs Stomach Is Bloated

In the most general sense, dog bloat refers to an enlargement or swelling of the abdomen. If your dogs stomach is bloated, it could be due to a number of underlying causes, ranging from mild to severe, including pregnancy, heart failure or liver dysfunction, uterine infection , internal bleeding, GDV, and several others. Many of these are very serious and concerning conditions, including GDV. Because of this, its fair to say that, across the board, a dog that looks bloated should always be taken to the vet ASAP.

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External And Internal Obliques

At the sides of the body are the external and internal oblique muscles, which help perform various kinds of movement in the body. This includes helping with forwarding bending or crunching movements.

The internal and external obliques attach from the bottom of the rib cage to the top of the pelvis, and mesh together in an X-shaped fashion, Gasnick explained. When contracted, these muscles allow the torso to side bend, rotate, and twist, as well as assist the rectus abdominis in performing a forward bending or crunching movement.

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Causes Of Bloat In Dogs

Its unknown why bloat and GDV occur in dogs, but there are suspected risk factors that can increase the chance of bloat.

While bloat can occur in any dog, risks factors that increase the chances of bloat in dogs are:

• Ingesting large amounts of food or water too quickly

• Weighing more than 99 pounds increases the risk by about 20%

• Being deep chested

• Eating from an elevated food bowl

• Having a close relative that was diagnosed with bloat

• Eating dry food with fat or oil listed in the first 4 ingredients

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What Is Period Bloating

Period bloating is one of the common PMS syndromes that occur around one to two weeks before your period starts and vanishes after a few days on your period. Period bloating is when a woman feels her abdomen is heavy and swollen just before and at the start of her period. When you get this it may make you feel like youve gained weight or feel that other parts of your body are swollen or tight. Although you might not be able to completely prevent or stop bloating, there are some things you can do to reduce it.

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Is Bloating A Cause For Concern

October 26, 2018 By Yenny Rojas

Weve all had that bloated, uncomfortable full belly feeling at some point. Most of the time, its perfectly normal and no cause for concern. On rare occasions, it could be an indication of a more serious problem. Unless your bloating is accompanied by other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and weight loss, its probably nothing to worry about. Most of the time, diet and other simple reasons such as eating a big meal or too much salt can explain the bloating youre experiencing. Lets discuss some common causes of bloating, and when bloating can be a cause for concern.

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Consult With Your Doctor

Once youve ruled out all the obvious sources of belly bloat, make an appointment with your family doctor to discuss any lingering concerns you might have about your bloated abs.

Continual swelling in the abdominal area could be a sign of a more serious medical concern,, especially when bloated abs are accompanied by other unusual or uncomfortable symptoms.

In some cases, women who suffer from bloated abs should be screened for ovarian cancer an aggressive form of cancer that can cause the ovaries to swell, leading to belly bloating, while both women and men with abdominal swelling and discomfort should talk with their doctor about colon cancer screening.

When Should I Call The Doctor

If your PMS is severe, your doctor can help with treatments, including medicine. Call the doctor if you:

• dont feel better after trying home treatments
• feel very sad or hopeless
• ever think about hurting or killing yourself
• cant do your usual activities because of your PMS symptoms
• have PMS symptoms that dont go away after the first few days of your period

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Will I Need Surgery For Ascites

Sometimes, diuretics and a low-sodium diet arent enough to improve the ascites. You may need other treatments, including:

• Paracentesis: Your provider inserts a needle into your abdomen to remove the fluid. This procedure can remove a large amount of excess fluid.
• Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt : This procedure is performed to treat fluid build-up in the abdomen. A wire mesh is inserted into a vein in your liver. When inflated, the stent forms a channel to bypass the liver. TIPS may be appropriate if your ascites arent responding to other therapies, if you need several paracenteses per month and youre not a candidate for a liver transplant.
• Liver transplant: In cases of severe cirrhosis, when the liver is failing, a liver transplant may be necessary.

Is It Normal To Experience Bloating Before A Period

Yes, the feeling of bloating just before a period is very common.

It may occur every month, once in a while, or bloating may never occur at all. Once your period arrives, or a few days into it, the symptoms should disappear. As your period progresses, water retention declines rapidly and the swelling subsides.

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How Do You Know If A Swollen Stomach Is Caused By Bloating Or Fat

The most telling observation is how the distention varies across an entire day. If it is fat, it will never go down, but if it changes with meals or bowel movements, it is likely to be bloating, Dr. Curtin says.

Here are other tips to help you figure out whether you are dealing with bloat or excess fat in the stomach region.

Check the mirror in the a.m. When we wake up in a fasted state, our food has already left our stomach and is probably well into our colon, so we do not get that bloated feeling and look, says Alex Caspero, RD, the owner of Delish Knowledge. If you wake up with a stomach that is a good two sizes smaller than when you go to bed, something is definitely going on in your gut.

Think back to your bathroom activities. Being backed up causes you to weigh more until your body releases the waste it is holding onto, says Lisa M. Davis, PhD, a clinical consultant in nutrition. This can literally expand your stomach. While every womans regular is slightly different, if yours is not on a pretty reliable schedule, it is not regular. Irritable bowel syndrome , low fiber intake, PMS, sleep changes, stress, and even traveling can all contribute to constipation, she says.

Know your body. When you gain weight, it is rarely in one area, says Caspero. It spreads out over your arms, belly, butt, face, thighs, etc. Though you might notice it most in areas where you tend to carry more of your body fat, bloating is all about the abdomen, she says.

When Should I Be Worried About Abdominal Bloating

See your healthcare provider if your bloated stomach:

• Gets progressively worse.
• Persists for more than a week.
• Is persistently painful.
• Comes with symptoms of illness, such as fever, vomiting or bleeding.

A note from Cleveland Clinic

A bloated stomach is not a pleasant feeling. While its a common experience and usually temporary, you may become weary of the cycle. Spending a little focused attention on the problem to identify the cause can be well worthwhile. Try recording your symptoms and possible triggers in a journal. Note diet, hormonal and stress factors. When in doubt bring your notes to a specialist for professional guidance. The different factors that contribute to bloating can be complex and difficult to parse, but medical testing can help. As always, seek medical attention if your symptoms are persistent or severe.

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Try An Abdominal Massage

found that abdominal massage is helpful in reducing malignant ascites, which is a buildup of fluid in your abdomen.

Press gently with your fingers to perform this abdominal massage:

What Causes Fat To Accumulate Around Your Stomach

Excess calorie intake, together with lack of physical activity and a stressful lifestyle, can lead to weight gain that preferentially shows up as fat deposits around the midsection, or visceral fat, Koch says.

Certain foods may contribute to abdominal fat gain, including alcohol, foods high in fat , and sugary beverages and foods, according to Koch.

Menopause could also be to blame, thanks to the change in hormone levels, specifically a decrease in estrogen.

To avoid or prevent fat buildup around your stomach, Koch recommends monitoring your diet and incorporating more physical activity. You will also want to identify stressors and find healthy ways of dealing with those, such as journaling, meditation, or yoga, she says.

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Workout : Cardio And Yoga

Last but not least, doing both cardio and yoga should help reduce abdominal bloat.Unlike the two workouts above that reduce bloating caused by abdominal bulging, cardio can reduce abdominal bloat caused by stomach gas. Usually, stomach gas needs to be relieved through dietary changes.

However, cardio can also help relieve some of those built-up stomach gases as well.Cardio helps expel excess gas built up in your stomach. As your heart rate rises, your breathing picks up, and your diaphragm expands. That expansion helps push some of that excess gas out of your system.

However, for cardio to be helpful, you must make sure that you breathe correctly. Generally, the best way to breathe during cardio is to inhale and exhale from both your nose and mouth together.Next, yoga can help reduce abdominal bloat caused by gas buildup and bulging abdominal muscles.

In terms of relieving gas buildup, yoga involves a lot of stretching of the core region. Different yoga stretches, particularly those that twist and bend the core, allow gas to move out of your digestive system. Once the gases move out, your belly bloat reduces.

In terms of relieving bulging abs, yoga helps restore strained muscles in your abs. With more relief, those strains heal up faster. Once the strains are relieved, then the swelling goes down, and the bloat disappears.

Women Showing Their Bloated Bellies To Prove Extreme Bloating Is Totally Normal

Extreme bloating is no joke. If youve ever looked in the mirror in the morning and then again at night and wondered how on earth your stomach could look so different, youre not alone. The truth is, we all deal with extreme bloating at some point. It happens to everyoneeven those bloggers you follow on Instagram, even you, and even me.

All of us create some gas depending on what we eat throughout the day, Kyle Staller, M.D., a gastroenterologist at Massachusetts General Hospital tells SELF. Certain foods create more gas than others. The foods that produce the most gas are called FODMAP, which stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols, according to Stanford Health Care.

FODMAPs are common carbohydrates that arent digested easily by the GI tract, says Dr. Staller. Some are more obviouslike dairy, cabbage, and broccolibut others are more surprising such as garlic, avocados, and cherries. These foods may become fermented in your GI tract and the byproduct is gas, explains Dr. Staller. While most people can handle these foods with no issues, if you have a sensitive stomach, they may trigger bloating after eating.

And a handful of social media users want to hammer that point home. More and more influencers are sharing bloating before and after photosfeaturing their bloated stomaches next to their not-so-bloated onesin an attempt to show fans and followers that bloating is a normal part of life.

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We Should Drink About 12 Litres Of Fluid Every Day To Stop Us Getting Dehydrated

Staying hydrated is often recommended to reduce menstrual bloating. Some people believe that one of the ways to reduce bloating is to drink lots of water, as it may improve kidney function. Start drinking water especially on the days leading up to your menstrual period. The amount of water to be taken daily varies from person to person as well as environment and personal health factors. The NHS recommends that in climates such as the UKs, we should drink about 1.2 litres of fluid every day to stop us getting dehydrated. Take a water bottle with you all the time

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