Extremely bloated stomach
Dear medical team, I am at my wit's end, as are a whole army of doctors. For several years, I have been experiencing an increasingly frequent problem. My stomach seems to bloat out of nowhere, without any apparent cause. The term "bloating" is actually quite mild, it really feels as if high-pressure compressed air is being shot into my stomach. Within seconds, my stomach is tight, breathing becomes difficult, and I look (not particularly attractive as a man) like I am pregnant. Taking gas-relieving drops barely brings any success or very slowly. I have already undergone so-called parenteral nutrition. For one week, I consumed nothing but water without carbonation. However, these spontaneous bloating episodes still occurred. Then, I ate only rice for a week, followed by only potatoes: Nothing changed. I have been tested for all imaginable intolerances: fructose, lactose, gluten, histamine, sugar, allergy tests: without results. Colonoscopy: without results. Gastroscopy: without results. Stool samples: without results.
Blood tests: Completely normal. No stress in my life, neither professionally nor privately, with psyche almost excluded. There is only one trend that I have observed and would like to investigate - it's just unfortunate that most doctors either do not know about it or do not want to know. Every time these severe bloating episodes occur, my body stiffens. My neck becomes tense, as if a pole has been shoved through my spine. I initially thought that this full-body tension was a psychological consequence of the bloating - but now I have noticed that it is actually the other way around: for example, when I walk uphill, my neck quickly tenses up - and shortly after, my stomach bloats.
So, it always happens in positions where I am not standing straight. I read on the internet that the atlas vertebra can cause a lot of issues here, due to the vagus nerve which is apparently also responsible for the function of the stomach and intestines. Is it possible that physical symptoms arise from potential problems in the neck or with the vertebra (whose misalignment apparently cannot be seen on MRI or X-ray) that are not necessarily associated with the neck? And is the atlas vertebra a topic for conventional medicine or just internet nonsense? Which doctor should I see to address this issue? We live in a rather rural area, and the doctors here are overwhelmed with such issues.
I hope for your response and thank you in advance.
