Persistent Stomach Bloating: Causes, Symptoms & When to See a Doctor

Question
my fiance has been experiencing severe and constant stomach bloating for about 3 weeks. Even when he has not eaten anything, he still suffers from this. His stomach is very hard, and has hardly any give when pushed on. He has normal bowel movements everyday. he is 52 years old. He has been to his family doctor but was only told to take Metamusal twice a day.

Answer
At this age there can be many "bad things" causing this.  At this point, he has to get in again to see his doctor for a good evaluation.

It could be simple... gastritis if he is taking a lot of motrin/advil.  Having normal BM's leads me to suspect that metamucil isn't going to help.  bloating/pain has to be evaluated... if his primary doc won't, get him referred to a GI specialist.......  In the meantime, add in an acid reducer such as Prilosec 20 mg daily on an empty stomach or Zantac 150 twice a day