Bloating/Gas & upper right quadrant pain

Hi Hope - thank you for all your suggestions in helping to eliminate the bloat & gas - I do find that walking helps to relieve the trapped gas & I have been drinking loads of chamomile tea just for comfort because my poor stomach has  taken a beating. Never heard about cloves helping, but someone else suggested the activated charcoal to me as well.  Thank you for the suggestions.  Any clue now why this is happening now? Could this be menopause related? Thank you!

Hi Kate - Thank you for your response - Ugh! The wonderful things we get to endure - yes, this isn’t  a constant discomfort, it comes & goes, but always followed by tons of gas & bloating & sometimes a weird taste in my mouth.  I have not been plagued by constipation (thank god!) but did have a few loose stools (oh joy!).  I read on the 66 symptoms of menopause that this upper right quadrant pain  with gas & bloating is actually a symptom!!! Did not say if it was gallbladder related or not - Ugh! Are there foods/drinks that you think trigger this condition in you?  I think for me it might be stress - I have a requisition to get an ultrasound of my right upper quadrant, so as soon as I can get an appt I am going to check it out - thanks again for your help, it’s good to know you can have  aches from your gallbladder without full-blown attacks.  Thank you! Merry Christmas!

I’ll tell you what has helped food-wise: home made almond milk kefir and home made sauerkraut. Started making these as a way to put more good bacteria into my gut; and funnily enough any bloating I get now is definitely in my stomach and not my large intestines, which I imagine must have more good bacteria by now. I would really recommend both. Also, avoiding processed foods and eating as close to nature as possible, seems to help. Having said that I have just polished off half a box of chocolate biscuits, a huge lump of brie, three breadrolls and three vegetarian sausage rolls. In my defence, I did manage to turn down the packet of crisps. Surprisingly, I feel okay though I am flushing a bit (probably from the strain of trying to digest it all). Merry Christmas to you, and here’s to a speedy menopause! 

Hi Kate - Hah! A girl after my own heart...give me a wheel of Brie, freshly baked French bread Or a sleeve of cookies & I am a happy camper.  Ugh! I too eat very healthy, (when I am not eating cheese & cookies) I try to eliminate processed foods/refined sugar & only eat organic fruits and veggies.  Oddly enough, with these gas/bloating/pain discomfort incidents, I have reached for the kefir, sauerkraut, ginger tea, chamomile tea & Greek yogurt & sourdough bread & buttermilk - I certainly hope this is just a menopause affliction & not something more serious - more reason to be anxious - Ugh!

Hi Maria - Yes, oddly enough my home was in the path of the Thomas fire just recently in California, & I had to be evacuated twice - I noticed a definite correlation between the anxiety/stress of evacuating  & my stomach pain/bloat/has issues.  The pain is always in the same spot which is curious.  I did see on the 66 list of menopause symptoms that upper right quadrant pain with gas & bloating is listed as a symptom...very odd! I wonder what causes it & when I can expect it to go away - Ugh! Thank you! & Merry Christmas!

Hi Suzanne - Well that’s interesting...we’re you also experiencing the upper right quadrant pressure with the pain up your middle back between your shoulder blades? The pain is discomfort, but tons of gas & bloating go along with it...I also have had a lot of GERD issues which just came out of nowhere...I have been treating it naturally, but nothing seems to work & I have even lost my appetite for fear I’ll feel worse - well, this is actually listed on as a menopause symptom (list of 66) ok now, i’ve Experienced it, now go away!!! How long have you been battling with it? Was your gallbladder actually diseased or did they just think your gallbladder was causing these issues - thank you for your input - 

They did say my GB was diseased. Who knows? 

When I first started getting symptoms I thought it might be acid reflux, pains and trouble swallowing then lump in my throat, the pain in my left upper back by shoulder blade was bad, and trouble breathing as it felt like someone was sitting on my back. I would get awful palpitations, fast heart rate, all kinds of nasty stuff. I didn’t really have gas but still thought maybe silent reflux. The gastro doc said the pain in my back was GB, but after it was removed I still had that pain. 

So a year later I get that back pain only when I’m having a hot flash which are in my feet and legs. And I will also get pain in my abdomen. Sometimes a headache with it as well. And my frozen shoulder will also ache. It’s all related. 

Hi Suzanne - Wow! I feel so much better hearing this from you - When I went to  my GP & described my issues she said if it was my gallbladder I would be in horrific pain, I still have a ultrasound scheduled. I just read that decreases in hormones can create the intense gas & bloating.  Something else you just said spiked my curiosity....about 4 months ago, I had my first bout of very labored breathing, had a few bouts with it thinking it was panic disorder, but them went to the allergy dr & my breathing was compromised from asthma (I had it before about 20 years ago) dr told me that cortisol levels dropping can trigger it - & now I have these issues with the pain, gas & bloating Ugh! I am 5 years post menopause & am 60, when the heck is this going to end for me?  I don’t get why some women have no issues with menopause & some woman are just plagued by issues - Ugh! Thank you again!

I’ve read that women who have EBV have worse issues with peri, meno and post meno symptoms. 

EBV reactivated in me during all this. 

I think you should have your GB looked at, could be it’s whats wrong and it’s not meno related.