Bloating and reflux that feels like water

Hi all, I've been having some GI issues lately and would love to get the input of folks here. My main complaint is that I’ve been having reflux and bloating to the point where I wake up in the middle of the night having to clear my throat. It feels like there’s water sitting just below my Adam’s apple — not a burning feeling like stomach acid, but like a plain liquid is coming up my throat. However today I’ve had bad throat pain and it feels like there’s a lump at the back of my throat. The bloating feels like it’s centered just below my right ribcage and seems to get worse with fatty foods, though I’ve also had it on an empty stomach. I suppose my tl;dr questions are:

- Does it mean anything that my reflux feels like water, not heartburn?
- Why would I be having bloating mainly in my upper right abdomen?

A few pieces of information that might help:

- Several years ago I had sudden weight loss (~20 lbs, putting me at 120 lbs - pretty low for a 5’9” male) and onset of constipation. Have been battling both since then.
- In the last year I’ve been treated for candida (with Nystatin) and SIBO (with rifaximin, flagyl, and erythromycin). My bowel movements improved dramatically, but once I reintroduced carbs and Sugar (to regain weight) I started having the bloating and reflux again.
- I often have oily, light-colored stools which makes me wonder about how well my liver and gallbladder are functioning. Last year I had elevated liver enzymes (ALT: 107, AST: 65) which gradually trended back to normal.
- I take probiotics, fish oil, vitamin D, methylfolate, B12, selenium, iodine, butyric acid, grapefruit seed extract. Betaine seems to make the reflux more acidic.

Thanks in advance — I’m grateful for any thoughts, insights or remedies! Tweet