To wonder what the heck is going on with my body

[ACupOfTeaSolvesEverything]

My mum died a few weeks ago and I’ve barely been able to eat a thing. It seems to be making me bloated - why?? My tummy is just as big as it was before (I’m overweight) and often feels hard and uncomfortable. When I do manage to eat I get awful stomach pains. What’s going on?

To not drip feed. I’m about 4 stone overweight and nothing shifts it. My GP said it was due to stress and lack of sleep that I don’t lose weight easily (personal issues that are irrelevant here) and put me on orlistat which worked very very slowly. In 6 months I only lost 1 stone. I last took that in June.

It seems like if I eat I get pains. If I don’t eat I understandably get light headed. I feel constantly sick with grief so don’t feel like eating. Then to top it all off my belly is big and hard, especially after eating (doesn’t make any difference what I eat). What can I do to make it go away? I don’t need this on top of everything else

Stress and anxiety used to cause me similar symptoms. The doctor tried a few indigestion medications and nothing really worked long-term until my mental state had improved.
Sorry to hear about your mum

So sorry about you mum

Sounds like it could be metioroism, Where food ferments and creates gas. I would get it checked.

You're very stressed and sad, and your body is reacting. Try small amounts of things, and things with no body to them. A biscuit. Warm milk. A spoonful of scrambled egg.

Don't aim for proper meals until your tummy has relaxed a bit.

Alternatively, when it's safe to do so, have a strong g&t or similar. I find alcohol relaxes the muscles in my gut, and short circuits IBS flare ups.

Sorry for your loss :-(
I developed IBS after a stressful event and I now get a hard bloated stomach everyday no matter what I do or don’t eat. I’ve had every test you can possibly think of to rule out anything sinister.
Trying to keep calm (easier said than done when grieving), getting good sleep, avoiding too much sugar and alcohol, and taking buscopan tablets help me feel better.

Stress raises cortisol, which can make you become insulin resistant. This is oversimplified but if you want to find out more, there's plenty of info on YouTube.

I would start by eating very clean food: no sugar, no pasta or things with flour. Eat greens, fish, meat, dairy, yogurt without any sugar (like the Greek one), some nuts and fruit.

You've been under a lot of stress and your body is reacting. You need to look after yourself.

Take care

I’m not a big drinker and don’t have a sweet tooth so alcohol and sugar aren’t really on the menu anyway.
I’m managing to eat boiled eggs, homemade veg soup and little bits of cheese. And tea.