What’s up with my noisy stomach

What's up with my noisy stomach?

Been bothered by borborygmi lately?

Unless you're a crossword-puzzle savant, you probably don't know that word, but it's a common condition: Noisy stomach.

"Some people think they hear tingling sounds, they hear whooshing sounds rarely, but grumble is the classic," said Joseph P. Cobb, MD, a gastroenterologist based at the Falmouth Hospital Medical Office Building. "What you're hearing is fluid moving through your intestinal tract."

"I always use this analogy: I grew up in a house that was built in 1920, and you could hear the water going through the radiators. Usually when you hear it in your stomach, your body is functioning normally."

When to be Concerned

If you hear grumbling, rumbling and growling coming from your midsection, that's usually not cause for alarm, but there are some situations where you may need treatment, he said. These include food intolerances or allergies, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), gastrointestinal infections and bowel obstruction.

• Food intolerances or allergies: Lactose intolerances and food allergies may stir up bowel activity, which can cause gas, bloating, abdominal pain or diarrhea.
• IBS and IBD: IBS may cause bloating, abdominal discomfort, and changes in bowel habits, as well as louder abdominal sounds. IBD can cause cramping, diarrhea and stomach noises.
• Gastrointestinal infections: Food poisoning and stomach flu trigger abdominal sounds along with diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and/or stomach pain.
• Bowel obstruction: A blocked bowel may cause loud, high-pitched noises.

"Part of knowing if you should be concerned is the length of time you've heard the sounds," said Dr. Cobb. "Has the nature of it changed?
Everyone has noise coming from their gastrointestinal tract to some degree, he added, but if it's associated with other things, like you're nauseated and vomiting, that's a sign that you could be obstructed somewhere, be it from inflammatory bowel disease or a blockage somewhere in your intestinal tract.

If you're to the point where you're vomiting and you're worried about being dehydrated, that's when you should go to the ER or an urgent care center, he said.

Healthy Practices

Dr. Cobb shared a few tips on good gut health practices.

"I recommend eating as clean as possible - eating a mixed diet with plenty of fiber and limiting concentrated sweets. Drink plenty of water and limit foods high in fat," he said.

He stressed that if a noisy stomach is linked to an ailment, you will have other symptoms. "You'll be losing weight. You'll be nauseated to the point where you probably have some vomiting. You maybe have altered bowel habits. You may have cramps or abdominal pain." In those cases, your primary care doctor or a gastroenterologist may order bloodwork, imaging or endoscopic tests, he said.

"If you do not have any of those other symptoms, if you just have a grumble from time to time, your stomach's telling you it's hungry."