CPAP Machine Causing Ostomy Bag to Fill with Air Overnight

Hi does anyone else have the problem of ostomy bag filling with air at night. I use a Cpap machine for sleep apnea and every night my bag fills almost to bursting with air. I was wondering if anyone experiences this and if they have any tips to avoid it.

G-Day Tony, take a look at the food you're eating that may be causing gas. Also, if you chew gum, that also makes a lot of gas. Make sure you put your CPAP machine over your nose and not your bag. Regards, IGGIE

Hi Iggie, I have been watching what I eat, and I don't chew gum. Maybe I should put the CPAP over my nose. 🤣

Thanks for replying.

Pretty funny, Iggie... thanks for a teaspoon full of humor for my morning medicine!

Hi Tony... Ileostomy here, for 4 years now... still learning new things! Yes, I am a slow learner, and this ileostomy award wasn't one I wanted either. The problem is, sometimes the doctors don't even ask you if you want it or not. When it was done, I wanted to hit him over the head with that award!!!

I see this is only your second post, and you are having issues with air in your bag. Sometimes, I have this issue as well. For me, it is usually caused by my favorite hydration drink... namely - whole milk! Monitoring what we are eating after living many years with no need to do this is a pain in the... well, the formerly referred to as ass... but it is necessary to learn if you can still eat what you've always loved and whether it's worth it. Good luck in your quest to find the culprit(s). jb

Geez... that's tough. I hope someone here can help you.

Inducing oxygen while you sleep has to be related to your nighttime ballooning.

It doesn't balloon when you are up and about, correct?

 

Living with Your Ostomy | Hollister

Seems many ileostomy patients haven't been referred to a nutritionist to gain valuable knowledge about what and what not to consume with an ileostomy.

Also, look at getting bags with filters as they do help some with the gas.

I'll post my information here since it's not available online. Enjoy. 😊

 

[b]Signs of a clogged stoma.

[/b]

No output or only watery output under pressure for a few hours after eating could be caused by a covered stoma by improper application of an appliance, typically hole is cut too small or too much paste. Also could be caused by eating hard food. Seek treatment by an emergency room, remove appliance if necessary and wait. If clogged, severe pain will eventually appear which hopefully will clear itself. If not, a trip to surgery would be necessary. Unfortunately, very high and frequent output will ensue after clearing for quite some time which will likely make putting on a replacement appliance difficult. Use stool thickening tactics (below). If going to an ER, bring your own ostomy gear and a change of clothes as the hospital likely doesn't carry or doesn't know how.

 

[b]What is "pancaking?"[/b]

 

Pancaking occurs when a vacuum in the bag (likely due to a clogged filter) or super thick stool blocks stool from depositing to the bottom of the bag. This can force the bag off and cause leaks. Controlling what one eats and by mixing and consuming stool thickening and stool softening foods at the same time to get a balance.

 

 

[b]What is "ballooning?"

[/b]

Ballooning occurs when foods eaten produce too much gas and the filter gets clogged (likely due to laying down) and thus forces the bag off and causes leaks.

 

These two conditions can cause premature bag replacement and leaks which burn the skin. It's better to replace the appliance if there is any continuous stinging pain, don't just live with it. Keep an eye on your ostomy supply and have ample reserves.

 

I've found that caffeine, in coffee, tea, and even chocolate causes diarrhea and can assist in controlling flow so stool is more liquid. However, coffee makes output very acidic making burns worse. Dried Chinese Crispy Noodles, Cheerios, or applesauce (peeled apples) are the exact opposite, a stool thickening food. By mixing these with other foods one can manipulate their stool output and counter the issues above. Also, the severe thickening helps in cases where one has severe diarrhea and is unable to reattach a new bag due to high flow.

 

 

[b]Eating Guide

[/b]

 

Partially copied from my nutritionist's guide. Ileostomy Nutrition Therapy from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. (This handout may be duplicated for client education.)

 

My recommendation is to see a nutritionist for the full guide as not all can be pasted here.

 

I've added my own observations to further clarify.

 

Chew all foods well to the consistency of paste.

 

[b]Foods That May Cause Blockage (very bad avoid!)

[/b]

Apples, unpeeled (unpeeled and applesauce are excellent thickeners, don't eat the core, chew well)

Bean sprouts

Cabbage, raw

Casing on sausage (inside fine if no tough parts, avoid swallowing if a chunk is felt)

Celery (avoid)

Chinese vegetables (stir-fried crunchy, too hard, need soft veggies with no skins)

Coconut

Coleslaw

Corn (grits also, corn anything doesn't seem to dissolve in the stomach)

Cucumbers (skins bad, inside chewed up good seems okay, no seeds)

Dried fruit, raisins

Grapes

Green peppers (red, yellow also) pureed or very very small seems okay in small amounts

Mushrooms (doesn't dissolve in the stomach) pureed or very very small seems okay in small amounts

Nuts (totally avoid)

Peas (mushy interior okay, like pea soup, skins a problem)

Pickles (skins a problem, inside if chewed up good seems okay, seeds not)

Pineapple (liquid okay, mushy parts fine, hard parts not, tricky)

Popcorn (totally avoid)

Relishes and olives

Salad greens (diarrhea nightmare too)

Seeds and nuts (avoid)

Spinach (doesn't digest, pureed perhaps)

Tough, fibrous meats (for example, steak on grill, well done, tough parts especially)

Vegetable and fruit skins, (any avoid)

Whole grains (no grits, oatmeal seems to be okay, Cheerios is an excellent thickener)

 

 

 

 

[b]Foods That May Cause Gas or Odor

[/b]

Alcohol

Apples

Asparagus (stink)

Bananas

Beer

Broccoli (clog hazard)

Brussels sprouts (clog hazard)

Cabbage (clog hazard)

Carbonated beverages

Cauliflower

Cheese, some types

Corn (clog hazard)

Cucumber

Dairy products

Dried beans and peas (clog hazard)

Eggs (don't digest in the stomach)

Fatty foods

Fish (cooked salmon in small portions may not, nor stink)

Grapes

Green pepper (red and yellow also, clog hazard)

Melons

Onions (clog hazard)

Peanuts (clog hazard)

Prunes

Radishes

Turnips

Soda and sipping using straws, (drink from glass instead)

Seafood (oh God does it stink!)

 

If you're having pancaking issues, a small amount of something above (like having a soda during a meal) could introduce some air into your diet and thus into the bag. Also, by avoiding too much thickening foods by themselves which often contribute to pancaking.

 

 

[b]Foods That May Help Relieve Gas and Odor[/b]

 

Buttermilk

Cranberry juice

Parsley

Yogurt with active cultures (Greek yogurt)

 

 

[b]Foods That May Cause Diarrhea (looser or more frequent stool)

[/b]

Alcohol (including beer)

Apricots (and stone fruits)

Beans, baked or legumes

Bran

Broccoli

Brussels sprouts

Cabbage

Caffeinated drinks

(especially hot)

Chocolate

Corn (in my experience corn anything doesn't digest in the stomach, just passed through and out, kernels/popcorn will clog)

Fried meats, fish, poultry (KFC, supermarket rotisserie chicken very bad, anything soaked in brine)

Fruit juice: apple, grape, orange (small amount okay)

Fruit: fresh, canned, or dried (small amount okay)

Glucose-free foods containing mannitol or

sorbitol

Gum, sugar-free

High-fat foods

High-sugar foods

High salt foods (KFC, supermarket rotisserie chicken)

High seasoned foods (blackened)

Licorice

Milk and dairy foods (small amounts okay)

Nuts or seeds (bad, clog hazard)

Peaches (stone fruit, one rarely okay)

Peas

Plums (stone fruit)

Prune juice or prunes

Soup

Spicy foods

Sugar-free substitutes

Tomatoes

Turnip greens/green leafy

vegetables, raw

Wheat/whole grains

Wine

Rice (1/4 cup in mixed in food okay), refried beans (1/4 cup okay) pasta (one cup max).

Any foods soaked in brine or fried (rotisserie chicken, Kentucky fried chicken etc)

 

 

 

[b]Foods That May Cause Diarrhea (looser or more frequent stool)

[/b]

Alcohol (including beer)

Apricots (and stone fruits)

Beans, baked or legumes

Bran

Broccoli

Brussels sprouts

Cabbage

Caffeinated drinks

(especially hot)

Chocolate

Corn (clog hazard, even grits, doesn't digest)

Fried meats, fish, poultry

Fruit juice: apple, grape,

orange

Fruit: fresh, canned, or

dried

Glucose-free foods

containing mannitol or

sorbitol

Gum, sugar-free

High-fat foods

High-sugar foods

High salty foods

Licorice

Milk and dairy foods

Nuts or seeds

Peaches (stone fruit)

Peas

Plums (stone fruit)

Prune juice or prunes

Soup

Spicy foods

Sugar-free substitutes

Tomatoes

Turnip greens/green leafy

vegetables, raw

Wheat/whole grains

Wine

Soylent nutritional drink

 

 

[b]Foods That May Help Thicken Stool

[/b]

Applesauce (unpeeled apples, no cores)

Bananas

Barley (when OK to have

fiber)

Cheese (cheese food may be a clog problem, use real cheese)

Dried Chinese Crispy Noodles (severe thickening, mix with other food that causes diarrhea)

Marshmallows

Oatmeal (when OK to have

fiber)

Pasta (sauces may increase

symptoms) (in my experience more than a cup of pasta causes diarrhea)

Peanut butter, creamy only, nuts clog (makes skin oily)

Potatoes, no skin (skin clogs, more than a cup causes diarrhea)

Pretzels (salty may cause more flow water consumption)

Metamucil, mix or crackers (mix in cup of water and drink before it gels up)

 

I'm adding to this list based upon experience.

A CPAP pushes air into your body and naturally that will cause ballooning. I don't have any good advice for it not doing that except to get up frequently in the night to let the air out. I may be facing this very issue soon. I was found to have mild sleep apnea and may have to get a CPAP machine myself. If I do, I will be setting an alarm to wake me up and various intervals in the night to let out any air that collects in the bag. 

Yes, I agree. The air is causing his ballooning, not foods or filters.

Filters, by the way, have been deemed useless. Experience will tell you that. Once wet, they clog. Why do you think they give you those tiny stickers to cover the filter when showering?

Re: nutritionist? Finding one versed in ostomy patients is challenging.

The ones I have encountered say no to the question, "Are you familiar with stoma and dietary needs of a patient?"

Lists you find from textbooks are somewhat useful, but the person themselves has to see what works for them. Tried and true are the best logical approaches.

The poster is using forced air into his body. If he was normal without digestive issues, he'd probably be farting the gas out from his normal butthole.

Let's not make it too complicated to understand his situation.

They have other ways of fixing/helping with sleep apnea. There’s a mouthpiece you can get instead of using the machine. 

Hello TonyB.
I had the same problem at first. For me, it was definitely the CPAP machine. I found that a chin strap helped a lot because it stopped my mouth opening, which allowed air to be entering from two orifices. 
Best wishes

Bill 

You are right about that, filters are useless. They do nothing for letting air out. Mine have never worked for that. Once they get something on them, output, they just don't function. Useless...

I've been using a cpap for over 20 years. The machine pushes air into the airways and lungs. You'd need to be swallowing the air for it to come out the ileostomy.  I suppose you might be swallowing air when using your cpap but it would be a strange thing to do. If you have ruled out all dietary sources, then I'd talk to my sleep doctor.  Perhaps the pressure is set too high? 

Do you use the face mask or the nose pillows? That might make a difference.

I get inflation periodically, and it turns my bag into a beach ball. Have you considered your head sleeping position? What I mean by that is if you sleep on your back, your head is pushed slightly forward, closing the airway a little. My CPAP machine, under those conditions, will slightly increase the pressure, presumably increasing the amount of air I swallow. Also, I found that with the way the body is laid out, sleeping on your left puts the input point for the stomach to the top, giving more chance that any air can be expelled.

Hey my good MAO folks, I'm learning the human body is way more complex than I ever imagined.  Just the pathways from my nose and mouth to wherever are confusing.  There's a difference between inhaling and swallowing air.  I think we're supposed to inhale through our nose where the air is somewhat filtered.  I'm not sure if it matters whether we exhale through our noses or mouths.  My CPAP creates other problems; gas in the bag is not one of them.  Taking air in through my mouth creates more problems than the CPAP or the ostomy.  I'm still learning and if I find anything definite relative to this dilemma I'll share it immediately. 

My advice for those of us with both ostomies and CPAPs is patience and don't be afraid to experiment a little.

Respectfully,

Mike

Good to know, Mike. Thanks for sharing. 

While this machine is providing air to the lungs, do you not also swallow sometimes during sleep? Even once in a while, you're going to get air because you do swallow as you sleep. It happens and you aren't even aware of it.

Everyone is different. That's our mantra.

We all swallow air from time to time. Most people will not swallow more air using the machine than they would without the machine. Most... as you said, everyone is different. So we can't rule it out but I do think it is unlikely. 

Thanks for all your feedback, everyone. I have been talking to my doctors, and they seem to think I just have to put up with it.

Air is pushed in at pressure, so you swallow more. Before the ileostomy, I guess it just passed through the old system, and I never noticed. (Maybe the wife did.) So, it looks like getting up in the night is going to become the norm.🙁

Afraid so. Getting up a few times during the night is our norm. (ileos peeps I mean)

Hi Tony. I too use a CPAP machine, and I use nose pillows. Not sure what you use, maybe a full mask is different with swallowing air?

Not sure why you have to get up to burp the bag, I just burp it in bed and fall back to sleep. But I still have to get up usually once and sometimes twice a night to empty my pouch.

Hope this helps.

You are in bed burping yur bag? While laying flat?

Guess u didn't read the other two members doing that with epic failure?.

I would never consider doing that, man. But then instead of warrior, I'd be named dark cloud!😁

Why would anyone want to smell their gas while in bed? That's just plain gross and lazy. 🤷‍♂️

Justbreathe, I totally agree!!

Tried to delete this duplicate but no option to do so. Sorry for the clutter.

If, while the CPAP is on, enough air is being swallowed to cause the extreme ballooning, then my bet is that the CPAP apparatus or settings need to be adjusted. The air under pressure is meant to inflate the lungs and, if it's inflating the digestive tract instead, that's not just a case of "we're all different," it's a case of the machine not doing its job. Are you having daytime symptoms of apnea like you had before using the CPAP? 

That said, Tony, I think you'll hear that many of us, myself included, have the same issue with nighttime ballooning and do not use a CPAP machine. It's not an unusual problem but it is maddening! And it takes extreme patience, diligent record keeping, and repeated experimentation to nail down a cause so that it can be addressed. Wishing you the best in your efforts! Do come by and keep us posted. We learn a lot from each other about what's working and what's not. 

I looked it up because as a nurse it didn't really make sense since with cpap O2 should be going into your lungs. I found this.

Yes, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines can indeed cause gas in some people, a condition commonly referred to as “aerophagia.” This occurs when the air pressure from the CPAP machine causes a person to swallow air during sleep. The swallowed air then accumulates in the stomach and intestines, leading to discomfort, bloating, burping, or flatulence.

😂😂😂 Thanks for the laugh. 😅

Not sure about CPAP…

But I would be careful not to drink liquids or eat food that contains high fructose corn syrup. Unfortunately, it's in just about everything. Try this for a week or two and see if there is any improvement. Welcome and good luck!

Used one for years, before surgery. You swallow air as you swallow mucus, burp! Gas to pouch, not colon.