Gas troubles - Seeking advice on diet and irrigation

Hi again...

As I said in my first post to this site, I want to reach out to members now with some general and some specific questions in follow-up posts.

To start with, I have some questions/comments of a fairly general nature. (With my next post, probably a much longer one, I have a bunch of questions re: the subject of irrigation). And so, like...

Topic: Gas!

Yeah, I never, EVER thought that I would on some message board post some note about my having "gas", how much, what others think and do about it, etc.!!! Geez! Ah, such is life now I guess...

Well, I have been wearing a two-piece Hollister New Image setup for around 8 months since after my surgery. It has a built-in filter which is supposed to let the gas out. I dunno, but it sure doesn't seem to work all that well. The bag fills up with gas a lot and then quite often when you expel it, the bag just fills up all over again.

Now I know, many of you reading this might want to quickly point out to me that "it's the diet" - that if I just make some adjustments in my diet that the level of gas output might go way down. The problem really is I don't want to! I think I have a reasonably good diet (but lots of things that are known to cause excess gas such as veggies, grains, legumes, etc.), i.e. I like what I eat and think that making dietary changes would be just changing one problem for another, assuming that my nutrition choices are reasonably good ones.

So my first questions are: 1) Do any of you follow a similar diet and do NOT have a major problem with gas output? and 2) If so, do you just have a better metabolism or did you find some product or other changes that made things better for you?

Also, as I have started looking into irrigation, has anyone found that switching to irrigating helped if they had prior issues with gas output? (I think I may have read from someone on here that they found gas output to be less of an issue after starting irrigating - I just don't see why that would be the case, but then what do I know if I haven't tried it).

Sorry to go on about this, but it is fairly annoying. Ok, so I have been mostly staying home much of the past year because of Covid, but hopefully soon I will be looking to have more people around me again - and I really don't want such a big issue with the gas.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated...

All balloon'd up here!

Rob

Hi Rob,

There's been a lot of discussion about gas on here, so you might want to give the old 'search' a try. That being said, I don't have issues with gas. I don't have enough intestine for anything to ferment and make gas... so no issue here. But thinking about it simplistically... you either can find a product that can deal with the gas... or you modify what's causing it. I could be wrong, but I don't think there's an easy answer with the bag/filter/vent thing... if I'm wrong others will tell you what the magic products are... but if there's nothing that can really solve your problem you will have to address the source. Diet modification seems to go hand in hand with ostomates. It doesn't mean you can't eat what you like, but sometimes it's the combination of things eaten, or the timing that can make a difference. If you haven't talked to a dietician that specializes in gastro-related ailments... you probably should. They would know the least inconvenient way to eliminate the gas from forming in the first place. That's where I'd start... just a thought!

Regards,

Bob

Gas and filter. If you are standing, your filter will last longer. Sitting will push stuff up and block the filter. Laying down, and the filter will block up in the night. I have enough supplies, so I can change once ballooning starts. I have tried some DIY solutions with limited success. The easiest is to just change the bag. If you really have excessive gas, try Beano or some other product like that.

When I have a gas attack, I do not even excuse myself anymore. I have no control. Just laugh like little kids when they fart.

I have a lot of gas but since I don't work or go out a lot, I can just go to the bathroom and burp my bag. You may already know this, but here is something I found online. I do chew gum all the time.

Swallowed air can result in gas production through a stoma. Common causes of swallowed air include:
chewing gum or sucking on candies,
sucking on drinks through a straw,
talking while eating,
eating and drinking quickly ("gulping"), and
smoking.

While these foods may contribute to gas formation, do not eliminate them from your diet. Simply be aware that eating these items may result in gas production. You can choose when to include these items in your diet based on social circumstances and personal preferences.
dried beans,
cucumbers,
vegetables from the cabbage family (onions, sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower),
spinach,
corn, and
radishes. Best wishes and stay safe.

Hello Rob.

I am pleased to see that you have already had a few sensible replies with regard to your questions. This means I do not need to repeat the same answers. However, I would like to comment upon irrigation and  reasons why I would highly recomend it (if you are a suitable candidate).

Like you, I have a plentiful supply of 'gas' - which used to cause me problems when it got caught in the 'bags' and transformed them into balloons. 

Irrigation did not stop the gas forming but, because I no longer have output during the day, I can now wear stoma plugs instead of bags. The stoma plugs are made of a semi-porous material that lets the gas pass through freely without noise or smell.(So, neither I, nor others notice that there is gas there at all!)

At nights, I just leave the irrigation sleeve on and fold it up to make a bag that is large enough to hold any residual output and /or gas. 

For those of us that are suitable cadidates, the advantages of irrigation are numerous and life-changing (for the better), so the sooner you look into this the better off you are likely to be. 

I hope this is helpful

Best wishes

Bill

Staying Hydrated with an Ostomy with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

Hi there, Bob,

Thanks for all your great thoughts! I'm sure I will need to look at this from a number of different angles. And I will see what I can find here on the site via some searching. Thanks again.

Rob

Irrigation will help with your gas problem, plus it will make your life easier because you can plan activities when you are "clear".
The diet question comes up often, and the answer is quite simple...if you eat breads, grains, cereal, etc.... you are going to have gas.
There are diets that will greatly reduce gas plus limit your "output", I would hope you would at least give irrigation and a low residue, low fiber diet a try....you can always switch back if you desire. Good luck

Rob,

If you are a candidate for irrigation, check with your doctor. It will change your life for the better. You may want to watch the YouTube videos on ostomy irrigation. I know you are not a social media guy, but the videos are very helpful. LOL at several different ones and view them more than once. Sometimes, your stoma nurse prefers you irrigate the first time in her presence. That could be helpful. I did not have that luxury and just learned from YouTube and my buddy Mmsh on how to do it. I have a lot of laughable stories from the first month or so of irrigating. Oh, the messes I made! LOL Once you have been cleared to irrigate from a medical standpoint and viewed the videos, you will need to order your supplies, and then you will be ready. For any questions you do not find the answers to in the videos, we will be glad to jump in there to give you our experiences and procedures, and you can choose what works best for you. We do give details. LOL Where else can you go to talk about gas and poop! So for the gas, I am one of those that refuses to change my diet to prevent output and/or gas. I just live with it. I have tried the Gas X and Beano, and it does help! I eat a banana every morning per my doctor for potassium, and they are big gas creators! I use a filtered pouch, and with irrigation, it probably lasts longer than without just due to less poo there. When the filter fails, I just burp like Lovely days. When I get tired of burping, I change the pouch.
Good luck,

Puppyluv

Hey all you guys, a HUGE shoutout-thank you to all who've already shared a lot of super ideas. Really appreciate it!
Now I hope nobody feels shortchanged here but I am just going to post a reply to the group of you... (spec. thx to all of you, Bob, xnine, lovely, Bill, MMSH, and Puppyluv56)...

1. Diet etc.: For sure this is probably the crux of things. I expect that there is going to be a mini-month-long trial and error exercise on this. In other words, possibly giving up some things and/or at least changing when I eat things and combine different things will be possibly the better part of the solution.
2. Good points about posture (sitting and lying down when stuff's coming out), and filters then getting clogged up. I had kinda thought this was probably a problem.
3. Changes irrigation might have with dealing with the gas: some good thoughts, thank you! And stoma plugs!?! (see my next post)

I could make some more comments here but I think I will switch over and post something on another forum re: irrigation as maybe there might be some others that wouldn't see this thread and that might want to share their two cents worth from their experiences with irrigating.
I actually was writing a long post last night on this subject and got too tired and didn't get it submitted. So I will do that shortly now.
(And sorry in advance if this post that I'm going to submit asks things you may already have answered or commented on).
Thx again to you all!
Rob

That is the way to do it, Rob. There are many here that irrigate, and lots of them will pipe up! There are so many posts on probably all the topics you can think of and some you would have never thought of! Lol Loads of great information. Catch up and then ask away! We will see all your posts!
Pup

Bob, you are an air swallower. Realize this and it might change the air quantity in your bag. A friend in my Yoga class said this to me and I do swallow air. Being aware helped me but friend says I need hypnosis. I wake up once or twice a night and burp my bag. Never have to get up at night anymore. Good luck! 

Hi dg,

You know, I never thought of that. I wouldn't really know if I do that or not. Anyways, thanks for your comment.

Swallowing air is something we all tend to do. Chewing gum causes a lot of air, as does using a straw.
Two easy cures to cut those out. Not going to completely get rid of it, but all little things help!
Pup