Check out this massive belly! (Photo included)

What do you guys think about this photo? What am I looking at here?

The person isn't pregnant. Ultrasound looks totally fine.

Amanda Lee31 said:What do you all think about this photo? What could it be?

The patient isn't pregnant. The ultrasound looks fine.

When it comes to human health, we shouldn't be playing guessing games—it’s just not worth the risk.

If an ultrasound was actually performed, there really should be some sort of written report or findings to go along with it. Usually, before even getting to an ultrasound, a doctor would perform a standard physical exam involving palpation and auscultation.
It's also important to run at least a regular set of blood tests, and then potentially expand on those later depending on what they show.
Plus, an ultrasound should clearly indicate which organ, body cavity, or fluid source is causing that specific mass or area to show up on the scan.
And so on, and so forth...

Does the ultrasound report specify exactly what is occupying that abnormal space? Does it mention the density of the air-filled area? Is it just gas? Could it be fluid? Or perhaps actual tissue? What kind of densities are we looking at?
A rather unconventional topic for a discussion.

Dealing with androgen buildup and fat gain because of PCOS?😁(Lately, it feels like I’m seeing PCOS mentioned in every single conversation 😉) But yeah, you can definitely find people talking about it here.

How distasteful. 👎

Is this where we intend to deliver diagnoses, or what exactly? 😕

I’m asking the author to be more specific and provide more details—personally, I really want to know where she got this image from—otherwise, I'll have to delete the thread.

By the way, if you ask me, the picture looks doctored.

The photo isn't photoshopped or anything. I took it myself because I really wanted some objective input here.
It’s someone very close to me.
They've been dealing with bipolar disorder and have been on medication for about 10 years now.
(I can list the specific meds if that helps.)
Is it actually possible for this to be a side effect of that?

Look, I'm totally willing to provide more details,
but I wanted to see if anyone would even be interested in this topic first, or what your take on it might be.

I'll go ahead and check on the specifics from their ultrasound results.

I'd love to upload some more photos from a front-facing angle, but the site keeps telling me I've hit my limit.
So, does anyone know how I can paste another photo? Thanks.

just upload it to somewhere like www.imgur.com

Look, it would be helpful if you provided a straight-on photo of the abdomen, but even then, we wouldn't be able to give you a definitive answer. Abdominal swelling can stem from a massive variety of issues. Just looking at a picture, my first suspicion would be ascites—fluid buildup within the peritoneum. As for the underlying cause? It’s often linked to liver cirrhosis, but it could just as easily be congestive heart failure, nephrotic syndrome, metastatic cancer, or even tuberculous peritonitis. Like Betty Edwards22 pointed out, the first step is always a physical exam involving palpation and auscultation to get a baseline idea of what we're dealing with—whether there's a solid mass or just fluid accumulation. From there, you'd need imaging like an ultrasound or a CT scan. You also need blood work (specifically liver function tests) and potentially a diagnostic paracentesis if fluid is present. You can't say anything concrete without those results. Trying to diagnose this way is simply impossible.

Harold Booth68 said:just upload it to somewhere like Imgur.

That link isn't working for me at all.

My bad, I just realized that hosting site isn't working. Give this link a shot instead: http://www.pohrani.com/

Here’s a shot of my midsection.



fadedmarlin402, thanks for getting back to me. Turns out they haven't actually gone for a CIA scan yet,
mostly because both their GP and their psychiatrist are convinced this is just a side effect from those bipolar meds they're on.

Nancy Grant77 said:How tasteless. 👎

So what, we’re all just playing doctor here now???😕

What do you mean, "tasteless"??😕 The woman is asking for an opinion.😠 If I’m not totally mistaken, this forum exists specifically for exchanging views. Of course, provided she still has permission from the owner of her gut to post a photo...
.and as long as she hasn't posted a photo of her friend's feces... now *that* would be tasteless... 🤣

Your friend has every right to demand that a doctor take a closer look at her bloating if she suspects it's caused by something else—basically, if she doesn't buy the idea that it's just side effects from the meds her psychiatrist and primary care physician are insisting are the culprit.

She should head to her GP and say, "I want a second opinion," and by law, they must provide a referral with a preliminary diagnosis marked specifically for a "second opinion."
Been there, done it 👍
Sure, she might privately worry about being a nuisance, but... who actually cares about their opinion? It's her right.

I just don't get why she doesn't trust what they told her??🤷

Amanda Lee31 said:Here’s a shot of the abdomen.



fadedmarlin402, thanks for getting back to me. I'm finding out she actually hasn't had a
ultrasound done, mostly because both her GP and her psychiatrist told her that this is strictly a side effect of the meds she's taking for bipolar psychosis.

Aha, okay, that picture makes much more sense now. If we're looking at a clear case of abdominal fat, there's really no need for an ultrasound. I don't know specifically what her cocktail looks like, but the reality is that certain psychotropic drugs used to manage bipolar disorder—think lithium salts, antidepressants, and so on—are notorious for causing weight gain. So, the medical advice you received actually holds water. If the patient is on lithium-based medications, you also have to keep the thyroid in the equation; those types of drugs can trigger hypothyroidism, which leads directly to weight gain.

Yep, I'm on two different meds right now—one of them is lithium carbonate 300.

But if we're talking about bloating,
why does it only seem to pile up right around my gut and nowhere else?

Just for context, I actually measured my waistline. In the morning, I'm sitting at about 41 inches, but by the evening, I've ballooned up to 43.

I was just watching some news segment on TV... they featured a woman who noticed her abdomen was suddenly swelling, and she was convinced she had just put on weight. As it turned out, it was actually an abdominal tumor.

We could sit here and guess all day long, but honestly, it won't change anything ☕—regardless of what those psychotropic medications are supposed to be doing, my best advice is to go talk to a specialist. In this situation, you really want to see a gastroenterologist who can run a physical exam and an ultrasound (it’s a quick and easy process). It would be a huge help if you could show up already having your blood work done, specifically making sure those liver function tests are included.
Anything else besides that is just pure guesswork from charlatans. 👎

Yep, it’s all just guesswork at this point. If they don't buy it, they really ought to find a doctor to actually look into what's going on with their gut...
The only way to get a straight answer is through an in-person exam and actual diagnostic testing, whereas this stuff we're doing over the internet...👍
it's just a bunch of strangers—people who won't have to face any consequences for being wrong—speculating endlessly without any real substance.👎

I suspect it’s the beer...

I think it’s worth getting an FBI checkup and some bloodwork done. Just in case she's pregnant.