Question:
Weird Noises???????

Okay, I'm not "weird" but am having strange noises coming from my belly. What happens is, right after I eat, on the left side, just below my rib cage, there is a grumbling, monster sound that comes out. Sometimes, it gets pretty loud. It does not sound like "hunger growling", totally different. There is also NO PAIN with it. Just these "noises". I feel like that man on alien that had the critter pop out of him. <smile> Anyone else had this, or having this? Any help would be appreciated. My Stats: Open RNY 2/19/02; Start weighing-286, to date weight: 214; Total loss: 72 pounds. (16 weeks post-op) *smile* Love Ya All. Tammy    — Tammy B. (posted on June 15, 2002)

June 15, 2002
I don't know what it is but I have it too and I'm two years post-op. If it helps any, I get it when I've eaten a little too much.
   — C. G.

June 15, 2002
This is going to be a "ME TOO"!!!! I am 10 mos post op and I do believe I have an entire family of aliens hanging out in my tummy...The noises that come out of there are just flat out wierd....But I make those noises everytime that I eat.....Small price to pay for the success with this surgery...10 mos post op and down #136....YIPPEE!!!! OH p.s. the hair loss was even worth it too....I would have shed my skin like a snake to lose weight...(ha ha ha)
   — Joi G.

June 16, 2002
LOL I know exactly what you mean. i am only 2 weeks post-op and attributed to being so newly out, but guess it could last a while. My family laughs at me when it happens, it is pretty funny, b.c it doesn/t hurt, but it is very loud! COngrats to your weight loss!
   — Lezlie Y.

June 16, 2002
LMAO can we make this our word for the day? It's called "borborygmus". A funny word for a funny thing. I haven't noticed my tummy making noises, but those intestines writhe around like snakes!
   — NicoleG

June 16, 2002
I'm one year out and have the same problems. I attribute it to being full and the food is trying to digest. It seems to work for me! The noise doesn't last long, but it is funny while it's happening!
   — dolphins94

June 16, 2002
I'm just over 2 months post op & I am very familiar with those noises, too. Sometimes my family looks at me like the Alien HAS popped out! It can get pretty funny. Mine seems to be worse when I eat something a little "worse"...maybe fried or fatty or even (gasp!) sugary...than when I stick more closely to my optimum diet.
   — Kathy W.

June 16, 2002
Based on Nicole's answer and naming this phenomenom, I thought I'd share the definition with ya all (if you're interested). Borborygmus (plural borborygmi) is the rumbling sound made by gas and fluids moving through the intestines. The word was originally coined by the Ancient Greeks in an attempt to imitate the sounds their bellies made when they were hungry (making words that sound like what they describe is called onomatopoeia, of which borborygmus is an example). The reason we experience borborygmi when we are hungry is that our bodies respond to the desire for food by a reflex (like a doctor hitting your knee with a hammer) which prepares the stomach for food by moving the stuff in the intestines out of the way, i.e. down to the rectum. This increased activity in the intestines causes small pockets of water and gas to be squeezed through the intestines, making bubbling and gurgling noises as it goes. Some people experience borborygmus after meals, since the same reflex is for digestion.
   — [Deactivated Member]

June 17, 2002
I am Lap RNY, out 19 weeks and this "noise" has been occuring since surgery. It only happens at times (isn't particular to what time) and can be very loud. It is not painful at all but the noise and rumbling can run through from my throat on down. My husband, or whoever, can hear the noise when being close to me. We have even had to turn up the TV once!!
   — dianehanson