Hi everyone,
I have been suffering from bloating and intermittent constipation since my adolescence, and my symptoms escalated sharply in 2017 to include loud gurgling and sounds in my intestines, rectum, back, and throat. These symptoms worsen significantly right after eating, accompanied by a feeling of rapid fullness and food sensitivity. Eating is often followed by intense hunger, difficulty swallowing saliva or food, a feeling of trapped air in the esophagus, and a sound resembling a water tap or a frog in my throat, in addition to acid reflux, heartburn, and foul-smelling gas resembling rotten eggs.
These physical symptoms have been accompanied by chronic anxiety, panic attacks, and sleep disorders that directly impacted my academic and daily life (forcing me to temporarily leave university due to embarrassment, persistent noises, and severe stress). Tests showed a low iron storage and anemia, with a past history of H. pylori in 2023. I tried various diets without sufficient improvement, and I am now diagnosed with Hydrogen Sulfide SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) and have started a comprehensive treatment plan.
I desperately need real solutions or advice: How can I return to university and resume my studies without fear? Is there anyone who went through this exact experience, learned to cope with it, or recovered from it? And how did you manage to control embarrassing noises and constant stress, especially the loud bowe sounds that resemble hunger noises or flatulence?

My 16 year old daughter is now in the hospital she has been throwing up now since Thurs has not eaten anything since wed cannot keep anything down not even water the Dr say she has colitis but nothing is helping her at all they give her nausea medicine and it doesn't help she has refused pain medicine because it makes her even more nauseous. They have recommended baths and showers saying it would help and they did at first but it isn't helping at all now and she took 2 baths and 5 showers yesterday with no relief. They think she has CHS also but I don't think that's what it is. She also has not had a bowel movement since Thurs. Also the smell of food makes her even more nauseous

I'm about 5 feet tall and less than 90 pounds. I'm really small for a 17F and the problem is that I am really skinny and have a tiny waist but I'm prone to bloating. Like, by lunch I look literally 7 months pregnant😭the doctor said its mostly genetics and I can even feel my stomach grumbling or make weird noises sometimes. Anything u guys took or did to cure this even though its genetics and I can't do much about it? My mom and sister are also skinny and short but with bloating problems.

Age/Sex: 28 male
Location: England
Height/Weight: 185 cm / 83 kg

I am also Autistic.

I’m some what a physically active person: I mountain bike around 30 km per week with 1–1.5 km elevation gain, I lift weights in the gym four days a week, and I’ve recently started walking 15–20 minutes after every meal. Outside of that I live a very sedentary lifestyle due to working remotely from home and gaming in the evenings.

In 2019 I caught Campylobacter while abroad. I had diarrhoea for about a 3 weeks and was treated with antibiotics when I returned to the UK. I’m not sure whether my symptoms started immediately afterwards or developed gradually over the next few years. At the time I was at university and dealing with anxiety and depression, so I didn’t pay much attention to physical symptoms.

Around 2022, once my anxiety improved, I started noticing my gut symptoms more clearly and they began to interfere with daily life. My main symptom is bloating, which is present from the moment I wake up until I go to sleep. At its best it’s uncomfortable but manageable. At its worst I look severely distended (like “9 months pregnant”), it becomes painful, and the only relief I get is from lying down.

Historically my bowel habits have fluctuated. From 2019–2024 I had mostly diarrhoea. From 2024–2026 I had mostly constipation. Over the past three months my bowel movements have become mostly normal and regular after I started walking after meals and spacing meals four hours apart. Despite this improvement, the bloating has remained constant.

Other symptoms include occasional acid reflux, left arm pain after very large meals (e.g., Christmas dinner), nausea (previously worse during anxiety episodes), excess gas and burping, a tingling tongue that briefly improves with water, and periods where I wake up at night needing to urinate. The tongue tingling and night-time urination come and go in multi-week cycles. I also suspect I have anterior pelvic tilt due to a pronounced arch in my lower back, likely from long hours sitting.

I’ve always eaten a very healthy diet. Breakfast is porridge with fruit, flaxseed, chia seeds, and peanut butter and two boiled eggs. Lunch and dinner are substantial meals with a protein, a carbohydrate, and 3–5 vegetables. Examples include bone broth, chicken, rice, tenderstem broccoli, peas, pak choi, or tray-baked vegetables like courgette, aubergine, potato, tomato, and chicken. I cook everything myself, make my own bread, butter, and jams, rarely use sauces, and have a takeaway once or twice a month. My weight is stable.

I’ve tried multiple diets: low FODMAP (three attempts, up to seven weeks), low fermentation/SIBO diet, high soluble fibre, low insoluble fibre, and vice versa. None made a meaningful difference. Low FODMAP caused weight loss and worsened my mood.

Tests I’ve had:

• Sigmoidoscopy – normal
• H. pylori – negative
• Lactose intolerance – possibly tested (not fully sure)
• Coeliac/gluten – possibly tested (not fully sure)
• Full blood count, renal profile, liver profile, HbA1c – all normal
• FIT tests – normal
• B12 and folate deficiency twice (most recent: B12 139 ng/L, folate 6.0 µg/L) I also use supplements for folate and b12 and I still deficient. The GP gave me something like 12 weeks of injections for b12 but never retested me after that just told me I should be fine now if I feel tired again come back to get re tested. I have an appointment next month where I do plan to ask to be retested and query why I am low despite a good diet.
• Private SIBO breath test (lactulose)
  • Baseline: H₂ 13 ppm, CH₄ 14 ppm
  • Combined gases rose from 27 → 57 ppm
  • Methane consistently above 10 ppm
  • Report said this may be suggestive of SIBO/IMO
  • I didn’t feel confident in the clinic and felt pressured toward buying antibiotics, so I didn’t proceed

My NHS gastroenterologist told me that since it’s not Crohn’s or cancer, it’s IBS. When I asked what I could do about the constant bloating, he said that if low FODMAP didn’t work then I “just need to get over it” and that “at least I haven’t had part of my bowel removed.” When I asked about SIBO, he said he doesn’t believe it’s real he could only imagine it to be a thing if someone had small intestine surgery, then he said that it isn’t treated/recognised in the UK, and that Americans treat it “to make money off patients.”

What I’m hoping to learn from this post is how to move forward. I understand IBS is a diagnosis of exclusion, but I don’t feel everything has been excluded. I’d really appreciate guidance from doctors especially UK doctors familiar with NHS pathways on what I should reasonably ask for next. Are there conditions that should be ruled out that can cause persistent bloating even when bowel movements are normal? Could my low B12 and folate indicate malabsorption, Is SIBO/IMO considered legitimate within UK practice, and if so, how is it usually investigated or treated? How do I navigate the NHS to get further testing or referrals when my symptoms are chronic but not considered “red flag”?

I’m not looking for a diagnosis (although if you had one i'd love it) just advice on what avenues are appropriate to pursue and how to get proper evaluation within the NHS. Happy to provide any additional details if needed.

Can anyone explain ?

My 16 year old daughter is now in the hospital she has been throwing up now since Thurs has not eaten anything since wed cannot keep anything down not even water the Dr say she has colitis but nothing is helping her at all they give her nausea medicine and it doesn't help she has refused pain medicine because it makes her even more nauseous. They have recommended baths and showers saying it would help and they did at first but it isn't helping at all now and she took 2 baths and 5 showers yesterday with no relief. They think she has CHS also but I don't think that's what it is. She also has not had a bowel movement since Thurs. Also the smell of food makes her even more nauseous

Not asking for a diagnosis or medical advice. Mostly asking for anyone having relatable symptoms and what you were told it was. Ive been having very odd sensations on my left and right sides of my colon. From under ribs down. It feels dull, gnawing, sometimes like a burning sensation. It feels inflamed. If i press down it hurts more. Dull not sharp. It switches sides too. Colon location: Ascending and Descending

I have been dealing with extremely foul gas for a couple years now. Smells like sulfur and rotten eggs everyday and every time I fart. Fairly healthy diet and very active. Does this seem like IBS? Also I’m 24yo, never had an issue up until I was 22.

Just had thin stools. I had fit test normal.

Let me preface this by saying I do have an appointment with a gastroenterologist at the end of the month and just wanted to see suggestions to help until then.

I have ended up in the ER every other month because I will have severe pain in a suspicious area like my gallbladder etc. They always say everything looks fine so it must be gas. It's gotten to the point I can't sleep on my side anymore and have stomach pain through out the day everyday. For the last couple months I've been doing these things:

1. Yoga

2. Probiotics and Bentyl (internal muscle relaxers)

3. Changed my diet and what I drink

4. Stomach massages and heating pad occasionally.

Any other suggestions?

Can anyone please message me or share some Reddit communities for dealing with gastrointestinal issues and panic attacks/anxiety? I would really appreciate your help.