I'm not pregnant - I've just had my dinner! Mystery condition makes size 10 woman balloon when she eats



Kerri has had the bizarre bloating condition for a decade



Kerri Dowdswell is a trim young woman who has no trouble fitting in to her size 10 jeans... until she eats her dinner.



The 23-year-old has a mystery condition which means minutes after she eats a meal her stomach becomes so bloated that strangers think she's about to give birth.



Within hours, her stomach has shrunk back to its normal size - but the problem has got so bad that Kerri now wears maternity trousers when she goes out for dinner.

Food babies: This is Kerri after she ate a small slice of cherry pie. She returns to her normal size 10 figure after a few hours

Kerri's condition - which she refers to as her 'food babies' - has baffled doctors, who have spent a decade trying to discover the cause.



Tests for food allergies and intolerances have all come back negative, and despite methodically cutting out different food groups from her diet, nothing has stopped Kerri's bloating episodes.



These shocking images of her huge stomach were taken just half an hour after she nibbled a small slice of cherry pie.

Kerri, from Cannock, Staffordshire, said: 'It's really embarrassing. I watch what I eat and exercise regularly, so I'm mortified when I end up looking like I'm about to pop.



'I've been asked several times when I'm due to give birth, and I usually have to explain that my "baby" is a roast dinner.



'If I go out for a meal, I always have to wear something loose, because I know I'll probably expand.



'In the end, I had to buy a pair of maternity jeans with an elasticated waistband, because they were the only thing I could be comfortable in.



Bizarre bloating: Kerri Dowdswell before and after eating. The problem is so severe that she wears maternity trousers when she goes out to dinner



'There seems to be no rhyme or reason behind what causes my stomach to expand. Sometimes it's when I eat a big meal, but other times I can just nibble a biscuit or a piece of fruit, and my trousers suddenly don't fit. '

She added : ' I've almost given up hope that I'll ever find a cure. It's not painful, just uncomfortable and embarrassing.



'I've learned to live with it, and I really have to see the funny side. My friends and family call it my 'food babies'.'

BLOATING CAUSES AND HOW TO RELIEVE IT

While Kerri's condition baffles doctors, many suffer from an uncomfortable distended stomach. Gas and bloating is a sign that food is not being ingested correctly by the body. Bloating has several causes, the most common being accumulation of liquids and intestinal gas.

Specific medical conditions like Crohn's Disease can also contribute to the amount of stomach bloating experienced. Too little or too much water will cause excessive stomach bloating. Another cause is fatty foods which cause a formation of fat cells to develop throughout the body and contribute to bloating as well.

Food intolerances like lactose or fructose, can contribute to bloating, as well as food allergies.

Other causes include irritable bowel syndrome, menstruation, ovary cysts, Celiac Disease and tumours.

Some natural remedies can help alleviate symptoms. Exercising and drinking herbal teas or extra virgin olive oil can encourage bowel activity.

Kerri first began suffering from extreme bloating when she hit puberty - but the problem has got worse as she has got older.



At first, doctors believed she might be suffering from a reaction to gluten - but despite cutting all wheat products out of her diet, she still continued to bloat.



She underwent further tests for irritable bowel syndrome - also known to cause bloating - but they came back negative.



Kerri added: 'I was convinced it was something that I was eating that caused it, so I cut loads of different food groups systematically out of my diet.



'I spent about a year living as a vegan, with no red meat, wheat or dairy - but it didn't stop my stomach from expanding, and I never got to enjoy my food.



'I decided as it wasn't actually causing me any pain, I might as well eat the foods I enjoy, so I eat what I like now and don't deprive myself.



'Doctors are just as puzzled by it as I am, but as it doesn't seem to be causing any real harm, they've just told me it's one of those things I have to live with.



'Sometimes it comes up instantly, within about 15 minutes of eating, but other times it takes a few hours, and always takes a few hours to go down.



'It doesn't happen every time I eat, but it's at least a few times a week.



'If my friends plan to go for a meal before going out for the night, I always have to skip the food, because I don't want to go out in my maternity wear.

