Bloating after Appendectomy

I am a 39 year old mother of two children (ages 8 and 6). In April 2006, I had an emergency lapriscopic appendectomy. My appendix was posterior to my intestines, and when the surgeon finally located it, it was gangrenous and ruptured as it was being removed.

I spent 9 days in the hospital on 3 antibiotics (it took 4 hours for each antibiotic to flow through my IV, once one finished, they started another one.)

I noticed a tremendous amount of bloating in the hospital. The surgeon told me that because of the location of my appendix, she had to use 3 times as much gas to inflate my abdomen as she normally would, and that it would take some time for my body to reabsorb the gas.

Three months after my surgery, I suffered a tremendous amount of hair loss...The dermatologist said it was Telegenic Effuvium due to the trauma from the surgery and infection. My hair is now coming back in, but I was quite bald for some time.

Now, 9 months later, much of the surgical bloating is gone, but I have discovered that I become very bloated and gassy after eating. (Most of this bloat is confined to my upper abdomen..above my belly button.) The gas is TERRIBLE.

I still have regular bowel movements, usually twice a day, so constipation is not the problem, but this bloating and puffiness is awful. I can literally be a size larger tomorrow than I am today...or a size smaller. There's that much fluxuation.

Please help! My thyroid tests as fine, I don't have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, and have no other health problems, but my weight won't go down.