Well, there are many possible causes for abdominal bloating. I do have some questions to ask you.

Have you recently been on antibiotics, birth control pills, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs? The reason I ask is because one thing I do know that can cause abdominal bloating is systemic candida, or yeast, and the overgrowth of yeast in the gastrointestinal system can start up after taking any of these over time. What is your diet like? Do you eat a lot of sweet foods, or refined carbohydrates, or dairy products? These can make the problem worse, if it is yeast.

Also could there be a possibility of intestinal parasites? How is the quality of your drinking water? Some types of parasites can cause bloating and edema. You may want to ask your doctor if your stool could be tested for this.

Also, have you had any recent injuries? It could be possible that there is a problem of some sort with gastric motility...in other words, things aren't moving downward through your GI tract as they should. If the vagus nerve or spine is injured, sometimes a problem such as this could develop, and can make a person quite ill. Another possibility is an irritable bowel syndrome. The exact cause of this is not known, but there are some ideas about things that make it worse, and how it can be treated, so the situation can be helped if this is what is wrong.

You say that the only medication you take is thyroxine. Are you certain that your thyroid hormone levels are checked, and in the therapeutic range? Hormonal imbalances can also cause problems in the gastrointestinal tract.

If this problem persists, you would probably be wise to see a gastroenterologist, someone who specializes in problems of the GI tract. Something you could try in the meantime would be to add some probiotics to your diet. These can be obtained at a local health food store. They help to combat any yeast overgrowth. One thing I can tell you is that yeast overgrowth, or candida, can make you feel quite miserable. However, when treated, it's sometimes unbelievable how much better you can feel. I know this from personal experience.

Don't just assume that this is the problem, however....it's always important to have a professional person check you out to see that nothing else is wrong.

Hello, Shany! There are many types of probiotics. One that does not contain any dairy is DDS Probiotic, which you can buy online...it costs around $25 for 100 capsules. The nice thing about this probiotic is that, if you find yourself sensitive to dairy foods, this one won't bother you...and I don't think it has to be refrigerated, either. I've seen this one on Amazon.com and other websites. I do see a chiropractor/natural health care practitioner who prescribes it and it's been very helpful to me.

There are also other kinds...a popular one is PB-8, but this one does contain dairy, I believe, but does not require refrigeration. Some probiotics do.

If you do have candida or parasites, you will probably need more treatment than probiotics. Tough as it may be at first, you may need to make some dietary changes. The best way to do this is to begin by seeing a practitioner and getting an accurate diagnosis of what's going on. A good preventive medicine doctor can test you for the parasites and there are also some that do test for candida....they can test the blood for that to see if it is systemic. With both candida and parasites, dairy products are usually not eaten as they generally can make both conditions worse. The candida diet consists mainly of non-starchy vegetables, lean protein (chicken, fish, beef), not more than one piece of fruit a day, and whole grains such as brown rice, buckwheat, rye, etc...if you are intolerant of wheat...and if not, then include wheat. Often, along with candida goes food allergies, so you may have some of those, too. It's good to keep a diary and see what makes your bloating worse and what doesn't seem to bother it....then create a diet around this that works for you. But remember that both dairy and starches and sugars feed candida...they love it.

If your doctor does find that you have candida, he may want to prescribe medication. There are many different treatments. Some docs prescribe Nystatin, which can be rough on your stomach. There are gentler ways, like Aqua Flora, a homeopathic remedy, and Pau D'Arco, a herbal remedy. Aloe juice can also be used.

For parasites, there are many different types of treatments as well. Herbal ones that are sometimes used are Black Walnut Hull and Cloves.

But do be careful to not try and self-diagnose. Sometimes we get very frustrated with our medical treatment if we feel it is not working, but even so, be persistent in trying to find a practitioner who can accurately assess your problems, even if the first round of tests all come back negative. If you're sick, you're sick...no matter what those tests say, and sometimes you must simply be persistent to accurately find the causes, and then treat them. Nothing ever happens without a reason.

You may feel awful right now, but I'd bet that with the right treatments, you can get better, and soon. Best of luck to you, and feel free to write me anytime! I hope I can help.