How to Address Odor Issues with a Friend's Ostomy Bag?

I had a cousin who had surgery to lose weight. Can't remember what it was called, but I think they stapled part of the stomach. Every time he ate, it would straight throw him and he could not hold it back. It was the worst smell I have ever smelt, and it would go through the whole house before he even came out of the bathroom. Someone would say, "You can tell when (so and so) is in the house," and everyone would laugh, including him. As you said, nbspHenryM , she should not be offended. I am sure she knows it stinks just like my cousin did. Or maybe, as a commercial I saw said, she has become nose blind. When my cousin came to my house, I would spray after him. It helped some. Maybe her output is high, and she has to empty often and not just when her friend comes over. Ok, I will stop now.

Friendofanosto,

Just checking into this post because it's ummmm......"memorable". You've gotten over a page of responses, and I'm curious to hear YOUR response. Obviously you didn't give us enough information about your friend to prevent us from going in more than a few directions on this, and I'm curious what you think of our responses. I'm betting you'll clarify a few things that others alluded to, such as the exact type of "friendship" you have with this gal, and some more specifics about your friend's personality and her behavior. No one meant to offend you with their responses, so don't leave us hanging on this one..........it's an interesting topic, and something some of us might face as time goes on. So shout back and let us know what you're thinking.

Thanks,

Bob

Yes friend,

I hope you found the answer in these many posts. Something you can apply to your circumstances!

Hoping your problem has been resolved!

We are all superheroes to have gone through all the surgeries, cancer, UC or whatever brought us to an Ostomy. Your friend included! So, to have someone act like your friend does kinda makes us go bananas! We attack problems, not pretend they are not there!

Please keep us informed!
Puppyluv

When I was a kid, whenever me or a sibling made an extra stinky bowel movement, my mom would say "Smells like something crawled up your butt and died." That was the sentence that preceded

you need a 'physic' (sp) i.e. a laxative. Out came the Castoria or ExLax or whatever was in home at the moment. Fast forward to today, every time I empty or change it smells like something

crawled up my butt, with friends! And they all died!! I'm very self-conscious when visiting friends or using a public restroom. The solution at home because I have no bathroom fan is to use

Poo-Pourri in the bowl first, do as much of the change as possible with my back to the bathroom door, when done I back out of the bathroom and spray Febreeze Air. It helps a great deal to contain

the smell in the bathroom and effectively eliminates the stink (in fact, I call it Stink-Stop!) I carry it with me when visiting friends!

Good luck with this, your friend needs more help than you can practically provide, hope you've found some helpful answers here.

Hey Cuppatears,

I have heard that saying more than a few times in my life as well. Thank God my mother was not an advocate of those same remedies! Lol

Pup! 

Getting Support in the Ostomy Community with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

Puppy,

Being from NJ, I can relate to what Cuppa is talking about. You sort of got used to the taste of Castor Oil after a while. Ok, just kidding........you can never get used to the taste of Castor Oil. Over the years, people have asked me what it tasted like, and I couldn't answer them because there's really nothing else that tastes that bad. But having worked on lots of cars and things mechanical, I can now say the closest thing it tastes like is new, fresh motor oil. Except the motor oil tastes a little better. Maybe the Castor Oil was a Jersey thing. In hindsight, I sure hope it was.

I got to say (again) that I never realized odor was such a problem for some ostomates. Just never really considered it would be. Before I got my lovely ostomy, I used to stink up the bathroom pretty darn good. I've got a few good stories to tell related to that, but I'm trying hard to forget those specific events. But when Cuppa mentioned Poo-Pouri, I remember we used to call it Poop-Pouri in my bathroom. Let me think about this odor issue a bit. There's got to be a relatively simple way to deal with it. As a first suggestion..........have you folks tried taking Charco-Tabs? I'm thinking off the cuff that the best way to cure this odor problem would be internally, not externally. I remember my Gastro recommending Charo-Tabs when I told him I stunk. But don't remember if they worked or not.

Later,

Bob

Bob,

Work on that for us! Lol everything works a little bit, nothing works completely. I just spray a little of my homemade Poop-Pouri in the end of my pouch. Either bold cinnamon or nice lemongrass? Depending on the mood! It does mask the odor and does not linger. Because my husband has UC, we have explored all those other smell remedies! Wish he could spray a little in his "pouch"! Pffff! Lol
I never had the castor oil but I can only imagine. I was that lucky child that never got sick, so I had very few home remedies or medications. I am from the North but have been in the South since I was 12. Those old Northern remedies are something. So are the Southern ones! To this day, I never had any childhood diseases like chickenpox, measles, mumps, etc. I never even had a cold but finally got the flu for the first time when I was 57 or 58 years old. Thankfully, I have not gotten it again. Knock on wood! Never want that again. Ok, to touch on the part of working on odor from the inside? Believe it or not, I started eating Fruit Loops without milk. Surprisingly, it has helped the odor, and no, it does not smell fruity, haha. It has also helped to make the output solid. Who would have thought? You even get the pleasure of colorful poop! Who can beat that?!!! Hahaha

Hmmmmmm.......I had a girlfriend I called "Fruit Loops"......but not because she was colorful or masked my odor.......because she was nuts!!!

Ha-ha!

;O)

Bob

Hi, friendofanosto. I was just wondering if you have resolved your situation or just decided to put up with it.

Hey Pup, just a coincidence I guess but I bought a box of Multi Grain Toasted Oats and had a couple handfuls as a bedtime snack. I didn’t experience anything negative or positive and I don’t know why I’m even sharing this except that the Shop Rite brand was half the price of the Kellogg’s brand and they’re both sweet enough to omit the addition of sugar. I think it’s not really nuts to expect health benefits from them but probably less fun than Bob’s “Fruit Loops”.
Anyway, the M-9 drops together with Adapt lubricating deodorant seem to work very well.
Mike

Bob I remember the last time my grandmother tried to give me castor oil. She held me on her lap, made me open my mouth, and had a big tablespoon full of it. She would pour it in my mouth, and as the spoon came out, so did the castor oil. Strange the little things you remember. LOL

After she empties her bag, tell her, "Let's go outside and talk because it stinks in here." It could be that she can no longer smell very well because everyone who can smell with an ostomy knows that the smell is horrible without M9, which is a blessing for us with stinky stool.

What is the lubricant deodorant, and where do you put it? My mom is new with her bag, and I'm struggling with the smell issue. It does smell up the entire place and lingers a long time. I have candles, sprays, plug-ins, etc. I'm not sure exactly what she does in the bathroom, but why does it linger so long? I feel like I can never get that smell out of my nose.

M9. 3 drops into bag. Solves all odor.