This all began back in mid July. I basically woke one morning and my abdomen was so bloated and distended, I looked like I was pregnant and couldn’t breath. No big deal for most people, as everyone gets bloated from time to time, but when you have severely compromised lung function, it’s a whole nuther story.
Not just a nuisance, when you have chronic lung disease such as asthma, abdominal bloating and distention caused by gas in the GI track, can inhibit the movement of the diaphragm making it difficult to breath. If ones asthma is simultaneous flaring or one is experiencing air trapping, this can amplify the sensation of breathlessness, which then can lead to cycle of anxiety and even more respiratory distress. On August 22nd, I was admitted to the hospital for the 144th time for this very reason, a severe asthma flare complicated by abdominal bloating.
The trigger for the asthma was probably environmental allergies, hot temps and high humidity. But what really threw me over the edge was the GI bloating, which had been plaquing me on and off for several months. Up until this point I had blamed the symptoms on steroids, my cholesterol meds, inadequate hydration and improper diet. I figured it was just part of growing older and that it would get better in due time. Well it didn’t.
The day prior to ending up in the hospital, my abdomen became so distended I literally could not move my diaphragm to take a breath in, and with my asthma already flaring, I could barely force a breath out. Talk about hell, it was so difficult to breath I felt like I was going to suffocate. I had to lay flat on my back to breath, which is usually the opposite of the way you position your body when your asthma is out of control. This led to a cycle of dyspnea and anxiety that I just couldn’t shake.
Once in the hospital my asthma turned around fairly quickly. I spent 2 very intense days in the ICU battling it and thankfully got through the attack without needing to be intubated. With my asthma under better control and after complaining that I believed the bloating contributed to the severity of my flare, they took xrays of my abdomen ( what they call a KUB flat plate), but didn’t see any obvious bowel obstruction or anything grossly out of whack. The GI doc who I had seen earlier in the week in clinic also stopped by and assure me that the bloating would subside after completing the course of antibiotics that she had put me on. Well, again it didn’t.
So what’s with all this bloating? Am I swallowing too much air? Am I eating the wrong foods? Am I not drinking enough water?(that’s a given). Are my intestines not moving things along fast enough? And why did this come on so sudden?
Ive been through so much year with my health issues, its really hard to pin point the culprit. Ive been in and out of the hospital a lot for my breathing problems and part of that involves the use of a of narcotics….lots of them. Yes, opiates medications are used often and in high doses when managing patients with lung disease on ventilators. They’re also used in treating the symptoms of air hunger. And while they help relieve breathlessness, over the long term they’re notorious for slowing down the GI tract and causing constipation. This has never been a big problem for me, but I can see how it might be contributing to my bloating issues.
Because I tend to get bloated after eating only small portions of food, they did a Gastric Emptying study to see if I had Gastroparesis. The test came back totally normal. In fact, 95% of my stomach contents ( the radioactive scrambled eggs you eat for the test) passed out of my stomach in 3 hours. They also tested for Gluten sensitivity and H pylor, which also came back negative. So it appears there’s nothing mechanically wrong with my upper GI, but how about the lower GI? Well, Ill probably never know, because both of my GI doctors refuse to to do invasive tests on me, like colonoscopy or endoscopy, for fear that my lungs might act weird during the procedure and I would end up a ventilator. In my Gastroenterologists blunt words.. “It’s far more likely you’ll die from your lung disease long before you’d die from colon cancer“. Hey, Im no fan of colonoscopies, but I can’t help think that they are placing too much attention on my lungs when Im sure I would tolerate these other procedures just fine. It just seems like every time a new medical issue or problem pops up, it always takes a backseat to my asthma and lung problems. I understand the concern of some of my doctors, but I’ve managed to live a long time despite my lung issue, and I would hate to die prematurely from another condition that could have been prevented or cured with early intervention. Just saying……
Having ruled out just about everything else out, the possibility exists that because I’ve been intubated so many times for my asthma, and because they always insert an Naso-Gastric tube ( a feeding tube) into your stomach when they intubate you, that some foreign bacteria might have made its way into my lower gut, throwing everything out of balance, which can excessive gas build up. They call the condition SIBO or “Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth”. The treatment for SIBO involves killing all the of gut bacteria with an antibiotic called Rifaximen and then to re establish a environment for good bacteria to re-grow by taking probiotics afterwards. I completed the first round of Rifaximen 6 weeks ago, and may do another round in a couple months if my symptoms continue.
So where do we go from here? Well, the good news is that while I still get easily bloated and distended, it’s been a little more manageable and a little more tolerable lately. Some of that is probably from a change in eating patterns and diet changes. I think some of it is also from behavior modification in not letting the resulting anxiety make things worse. But the key in keeping the bloating in check in my opinion, is by keeping my asthma in check. When my breathing is bad, it makes the bloating feel worse. It’s the perfect storm if you will. Of course finding ways in keeping asthma flares at bay is going to be a challenge, as my triggers are many and pretty much unpredictable.
Related Posts:
I know how you feel. I have asthma and almost always get stomach bloating and extension after eating. All my tests show negative so if I just stop eating I think I will be ok.
I know how you feel I have asthma but no allergies. I have trigger points but never know when one is going to hit because I don’t know what they are. I did my nebulizer a while ago and I’m so bloated I can barely breath
Same issue for months, getting worse and worse. I’m going to have to stop working. Every doctor, every specialist and test done reveals nothing. I’m only 35 and in great shape but things are on the decline.
Im sorry to hear that you’re going through this. They checked me for everything under the sun, but nothing definitive. Bloating is very common in people with lung disease and often becomes a real problem because some people tend to be more sensitive to the sensation or “feeling” of bloating. In my case, I tend to associate the sensation with breathlessness. So, if Im aleady short of breath and then I get bloated on top of it, the resulting anxiety just amplifies the discomfort.
What helped me a lot was talking to a therapist about other issues I was ( am) dealing with. It’s amazing how much anxiety and stress can play a role in GI related issues. Cutting back on sugar, gluten and drinking more liquids helped as well, as did taking Prilosec or other antacids.
Now instead of feeling bloated and unable to breath 7 nights a week, its maybe 1-2 days a month.
I hope you get some relief. Hang in there
I have same issue. Seems everything makes me bloat then get short of breath. Tried everything. Tums gas x don’t drink with meals. Can only eat small amounts. Also symbicort seems to make it worse. Sick of it
Sounds familiar. Any of you been checked for possible hiatal hernia or silent GERD? Done some looking & it sounds like sometimes you can get the “fumes” of digestive gas up into the wind pipe. The lungs react to the pH as if it was actual stomach acid & enflame to help minimize aspiration. I’m just starting this journey and have been looking for anything that hits the nail on the head. This is as close to my situation as I’ve found, doctors seem to like to go the “usual” routes so it’s kind of a struggle.
Thank you for writing. Silent GERD is actually very common trigger for asthma. Many people dont know they have it until they’re tested. My condition is a little different. My Ph test was negative, as were all the other GI tests. The bloating I was experiencing was probably diet related. Having even the smallest amount abdominal bloating can feel 10 times worse when you have severe lung disease. I seem to be doing better now, hope you are too.
I know exactly how you feel. I was diagnosed with asthma 25 years ago, but do not tolerate the steroids used for treatment. My only medication is my rescue inhaler, and it never works, when my belly is fully distended. I have been to the ER on several occations, and every time they tell me that they do not think I have asthma. But they do not know what is wrong with me.
A couple of years ago, I asked my doctor for an f-elastase test, and the result was positive – my pancreas does not deliver enough digestive enzymes. And that is causing severe bloating AND breathing problems. I am now treated with digestive enzymes instead, and it helps a lot but I still need my rescue inhaler occasionally.
Hello, Im happy to hear that you found out what was causing your bloating. It’s very difficult to tell sometimes what is causing the shortness of breath, the lung problems or the GI problems or both.
I had a million tests done with my stomach and everything was normal. Through experimentation, I found that by eating less gluten and high carb foods, that I had less problems with bloating. I still get it occasionally, but not as severe as before.
Thank you for writing
Xx Steve
I just came across your page while searching for the connection between bloating and asthma. I too have been struggling these past few days with asthma flares and a terribly bloated stomach. I haven’t had any tests, but I’ve had chronic constipation all my life. But these past few days have been like nothing before. The rescue inhaler was having no effect. I was starting to have a panic attack but calmed myself down. I feel a little better now, but stomach is still bloated, and I feel afraid to eat now. I am also switching to a low carb diet and see if that has any effect. I am a 52 year old female, so hormones may also be playing a part.
Have things improved for you since you wrote this?
Hello Eva, Thank you for reading my stuff. Abdominal bloating seems to be very common in people with chronic lung disease. I underwent just about every diagnostic test there is for GI probs, but nothing conclusive. In the end , modifying my diet worked the best, especially cutting back on sugars. I still experience bloating now and then, but not as often and not as severe. The “feeling” of being bloated seems to be more a result of my asthma and air trapping, than my gut, but the effect gets amplified if I have any abdominal bloating. Good luck to you.
I am at present severely bloated upper abdomen.I went to my drs yesterday and told him I feel like I’m suffocating constantly .I feel my abdomen is pushing up into my chest and I feel restricted from abdomen to chest .
The feeling of suffocation is terrifying me.
I have suffered IBS for years but never been this bad .I do have an hiatus hernia also diagnosed about 14 years ago .I’m taking buscopan . Peppermint oil capsules which usually helps but nothing is helping.I also recently been diagnosed with COPD after years of being an asthmatic.Im at my Witt’s end I feel so depressed with it.I suffer Severe anxiety also which doesn’t help when you feel your suffocating . Awaiting my Dr to get back to me .