Gas - flatulence

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Abdominal ultrasound

Intestinal gas

Flatulence (flatus)

• Eat more slowly.
• Chew your food thoroughly.
• Avoid gum chewing.
• Relax while you eat.
• Avoid beans, cabbage, and carbonated beverages.
• Try Beano, a product sold over-the-counter at most drugstores, if you eat a lot of beans, fruits, vegetables, and other high-fiber foods.
• Walk for 10 to 15 minutes after eating.
• Drink peppermint or chamomile tea after a meal.

Call your doctor if:

• Your have other symptoms in addition to gas, like abdominal or rectal pain, heartburn, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, or weight loss.
• You have oily, foul-smelling, or bloody stools.

Your doctor will perform a physical examination with special attention to your abdomen, and ask questions about your symptoms, such as:

• What is your diet like?
• Has it recently changed?
• What foods do you eat commonly?
• What foods have you eaten recently?
• Have you increased the fiber in your diet?
• How fast do you eat, chew, and swallow?
• Would you say that your gas is mild or severe?
• Does your gas seem to be related to eating milk products or other specific foods?
• What seems to make your gas better?
• What medications do you take?
• Do you have other symptoms like abdominal pain, diarrhea, early satiety (premature fullness after meals), bloating, or weight loss?

Diagnostic tests that may be performed include:

• Barium enema x-ray
• Barium swallow x-ray
• Blood studies such as CBC or blood differential
• Sigmoidoscopy
• Abdominal ultrasound  
• Abdominal CT scan
• Upper endoscopy (EGD)  

Review Date: 05/08/2006
Reviewed By: Jenifer K. Lehrer, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Frankford-Torresdale Hospital, Jefferson Health System, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.