# Why Does My Belly Swell After Eating?



## bunnyrabbit

I don't remember reading anything like this so my question is- why does my belly swell after eating? I was given Radioactive Iodine in 2002 and still believe that it was the wrong decision. I have since gained over 30 pounds which I cannot lose regardless of diet or exercise. I go for yearly blood tests and my Dr claims everything is fine. My last meal was five hours ago ( a turkey and cheese sandwich) I now look to be six months pregnant and I am still full. I went thru a phase where I never felt full regardless of how much I ate. I hope that someone has advise for me. Thyroid problems suck. I asked my Doctor about my belly and he had the nerve to tell me to wear a foundation garment. Hope you can help.


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## Steal_My_Skin

Does this happen every time you eat, regardless of what you consume? My first suggestion would be to look at sodium content of the food, and to consider gluten too. Sodium will make you retain water and get bloated. Gluten is inflammatory to many people, and even if you have no gluten sensitivity, wheaty foods might give you that puffy feeling.

Gluten sensitivity goes hand in hand with many auto-immune diseases. I've read some crazy statistics about the percentage of Graves' patients who also have celiac or other gluten sensitivity. Maybe you should look into a gluten allergy test? They can check your blood to determine this. Gluten allergy isn't like a peanut allergy where you eat it and break into hives (at least it isn't that way for most people). It's an allergy with much less obvious symptoms that compound and get worse over time.


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## Andros

bunnyrabbit said:


> I don't remember reading anything like this so my question is- why does my belly swell after eating? I was given Radioactive Iodine in 2002 and still believe that it was the wrong decision. I have since gained over 30 pounds which I cannot lose regardless of diet or exercise. I go for yearly blood tests and my Dr claims everything is fine. My last meal was five hours ago ( a turkey and cheese sandwich) I now look to be six months pregnant and I am still full. I went thru a phase where I never felt full regardless of how much I ate. I hope that someone has advise for me. Thyroid problems suck. I asked my Doctor about my belly and he had the nerve to tell me to wear a foundation garment. Hope you can help.


Hi there bunnyrabbit and welcome to the board!









My first suspicion is insulin resistance. Have you had your glucose checked? If high in the range close to the top like 90 or more, I would suspect that.

My second would be gluten intolerance. Maybe both of these things. Add to this list of possibles Dysbiosis (yeast in the gut.)

Could we see your most recent labs for thyroid with the ranges? 
We must have the ranges as different labs use different ranges.

What thyroxine replacement are you taking and how much?

You may need a new doctor; that might be a strong consideration.


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## bunnyrabbit

Thank you everyone for responding to my questions. My glucose results at my last blood test was 73. My TSH Ultrasens was 5.40. I am currently taking 75 mcg of levothyroxin. I do agree that belly swelling usually will be worse after eating anything with yeast. I also have not had any soda for years now. I am going to the library to get a book on gluten free cooking and see how much of a difference it makes. Thanks again for all your help. I will keep you posted.


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## Andros

bunnyrabbit said:


> Thank you everyone for responding to my questions. My glucose results at my last blood test was 73. My TSH Ultrasens was 5.40. I am currently taking 75 mcg of levothyroxin. I do agree that belly swelling usually will be worse after eating anything with yeast. I also have not had any soda for years now. I am going to the library to get a book on gluten free cooking and see how much of a difference it makes. Thanks again for all your help. I will keep you posted.


Do the 30 day challenge. I have been gluten free for so many years, I don't remember. We don't do any complicated cooking. We eat lots of veggies, rice, fruits, we do make home made cornbread and use lots of corn flour for breading chicken and fish and other things.

I am excited about this so please keep us in the loop.

Your glucose is good. That TSH is a bit on the hypo side but you know that, I am sure. Most of us feel best with TSH @ 1.0 or less.

They make such wonderful yogurts now; try eating one single serving size container per day to restore the gut flora. Make sure your choice has live cultures. Or buttermilk or sour cream make sure they are gluten free. They put gluten in the above as a thickening agent; the dirty rats. I know for sure my Yoplait is gluten free and I think Dannon but read the labels.


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## Steal_My_Skin

I attempted 30 days gluten free and I quit. I didn't feel right, but with all the adjustments my body has been making, who knows why that was. A nutritionist told me that eliminating gluten is not always an effective way to determine if you have a sensitivity. She said that since many foods have trace amounts of gluten, you will often consume it unknowingly. And even a crumb is enough to cause problems in those with celiac. Further, gluten may have been damaging your body for years, and it will take time to rebuild your gut and start absorbing the nutrients you've been missing. Sometimes 30 days is not enough for this... meaning you may get through your 30 days and feel no different, then assume it wasn't gluten causing your problems. For these reasons, I will pass on her recommendation and suggest the blood test. But it's up to you! I think if you educate yourself about gluten you can successfully avoid it. Keep us posted!


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