HYPERVENTILATION SYNDROME

I'm sorry to hear about your daughter, Cheryl. I'm wondering whether she's also suffering from aerophagia since all the tests came back normal. This is another manifestation of anxiety. Does she burp a lot, by any chance?

Aerophagia means swallowing excessive quantities of air. We all swallow a certain amount of air when eating or drinking, but aerophagia sufferers do it unconsciously all the time, whether associated with hyperventilation or not. I know this sounds bizarre, but it's far more common in French-speaking areas, so might not be diagnosed if you're in the UK/US! I'd never heard of it and never saw a single case in 10 years of working as a nurse in the UK, nor did a friend of mine who spent her entire nursing career as Practice Manager of a large joint GP surgery. However, after moving to a French-speaking area of the world more than 40 years ago, I came across multiple cases, including in English and American women who lived locally.

If it is aerophagia, this is more difficult to treat than hyperventilation alone, as the act of swallowing excessive air is less accessible to conscious control than hyperventilation is. It's normally treated by anti-anxiety medications.

The other possibility, of course, is that your daughter has IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). This can cause very severe abdominal pain with bloating and either constipation or diarrhoea. It's also associated with anxiety. I'm wondering whether you've explored this avenue.

Thank you lily for the reply, if i am understanding aerophagia correctly, i do not think it is this.  The bio feed back nurse asked my daughter lots of questions regarding diet etc who said she did not think Jades problems were diet/food related, she asked if she got tingley fingers and did she yarn alot to which she anwsered yes to both, the nurse asked Jade to lay on the bed, she put her hand on her tummy, and i could deffiently see what the nurse was showing me, Jade was not breathing in to her tummy only the upper chest. During this period Jade was very anxious, on citalopram and propranolol and still is, things have improved alot but the pain in the stomach always on right hand side pelvic pain and blothing,if pressure is put on this area it can reduce her to tears but not always. Jade has also been on the Fodmap diet for 8 weeks and other medication to help with IBS, but of couse didnt help. But as the pain is always in the same area, i dont think it is IBS.  Would very much appricate any comments/advise.