Help with gas, foam, and sour smell in ileo discharge

Hello everyone... I'm a newbie ostomate with some awkward questions about food and the aftermath. I'm a Crohn's patient of 20+ years who finally had my first surgery at the end of September, leaving me with a "temporary ileostomy." I've appreciated reading the forums as it let me know I'm not alone... and you've given me some great lines for when people ask where I've been!

Anyway, the question... I know that we have to be careful with food, and chew, chew, chew... And I also know that we are all a little different. I've searched the forum and only found one similar topic...

Lately, I've been having a lot of gas (always at night!!!), a lot of foam (always at night and early morning), and a very sour/fermenting smell to my discharge. I have played around with what I am eating and I can't seem to nail down what might be causing it. I've tried adding/deleting yogurts, probiotics, milk products, sugars, and veggies... Can't seem to nail it down.

Any help would be greatly appreciated as it wakes me up about every 1-2 hours with a "football bag," and is a little disconcerting.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts and solutions...

Katman

Your ileostomy is fairly new, it may just need a bit of time for the "foam" to settle down.

I used to get the "froth" and gas in the beginning, particularly after any type of dairy products, and always overnight and never during the day. Sometimes, it felt like the stoma was creating its own milkshakes in there!

But I haven't experienced that for ages (and I still eat dairy regularly now).

Sorry, not much help, but I'm sure other ileos can offer some advice.

Hi and welcome!

I have an ileo and also still get the football overnight, tends to be just when I am lying down.

I have also on occasion had the froth too - but don't really know what causes it - but suspect it is actually just gas/wind in the bag mixing with the output? Maybe with your 'chew, chew, chew' you are also swallowing a lot of air? May be worth trying something you do not have to chew to see if there is a difference? Have to say I am not very careful about chewing - just tend to eat normally - sometimes my output is quite 'chunky'!

Mine is often very sour smelling too, particularly I would say when I have had cheese.

Hope it all settles down for you soon,

Take care, Rach xxxx

Hi Katman - I have a colostomy but sometimes have the "football" problem.

I use a lot of Beano product. It works to prevent gas. Chew or swallow 2-3 tablets prior to eating what you think might be giving you gas.

For a while I had to use lactose-free milk and ice cream. Yogurt has no lactose.

Also, as the ladies here said...things will calm down greatly after the first few months! You'll see...and then you'll be giving away all your secret methods on this site.

Hi Katman
I would have to agree with the other posts that it is probably the dairy products. Try backing off on them for a little and see if that makes a difference. The Beano works as well. I have had my ileostomy for 24 years and the gas and foam are no longer a problem. I believe it is just because you are a newbie. Don't let it worry you. As long as you are passing stool and have no pain related to it, you should be good to go. (Just a little pun). Gas is something that all people have, so that should not worry you. I noticed that green beans will give you gas and foam, so you might want to eat small amounts of them. Don't let this get you down, you're doing just fine.
Dennis

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

Thanks everyone for your prompt replies... It is comforting to know that I'm normal? At least as far as us modified people are.

I have been doing a lot of experimenting with food... trying to see what works and what doesn't. I only get frustrated when I remember that I did all this just to deal with the Crohn's. Now someone's changed all the rules.

It is good to know that there is a supportive group you can turn to when you get lost on your own. Again, thanks.

Katman

Hey Katman, I found that when I add a lot of meat to my diet, it reduces the output and also the gas.

I also get bubbles mainly at night.

Hey Pundy, thanks! I'm a carnivore anyway, so any excuse to eat more meat is welcome news! Perhaps that is one of the few blessings of having an ileo... the Dr. told me to eat lots of bacon. Yum.

Kat

With my ileo (Dec 09), I find that I get gas during the late evening and then at night (have to burp/empty every 3 hours for sure). Froth too -- I think Rach is right ... it's the gas and liquids mixing up. Maybe even our posture contributes? Reclining on the couch and then flat in bed?

I don't consume much dairy and limit/avoid other major gas-causing foods, so I think this will be the norm for me.

I have an ileo and have had it for 5 months. I found marshmallows work, and digestive enzymes.
My problems are at night too, so I make sure that I eat rice with my meals. Still looking for
the right combo, would give anything to be able to eat a salad? Any ideas? Butterfly 61

Oh butterfly! I'm with you on the salad! And stir-fried veggies, and hearty veggie soup, and veggies that are in any state except cooked to within an inch of their lives. Can you tell I miss my veggies? Right now, only well-cooked carrots go down perfectly. And canned peas are okay in small amounts.

Hi! I am confused about the reason for not eating vegetables. I eat salads pretty much every day. I also eat a lot of fruit and vegetables. I find meat more difficult to digest. Not to gross you out, but salad just comes out kind of the same way it goes in. I'm not sure just how much nutrition I'm getting out of it, but I seem to be very healthy. I also haven't had issues with gas except if I drink soda, so I stay away from carbonated drinks. I hope you are able to enjoy the foods that you like again soon. I stayed away from popcorn for years, then one day decided to eat some. I didn't have any issues and have added that back into my diet again. I guess we need to find out for ourselves how we will react to foods. I'd experiment with small quantities and see. Good luck!!! Dani

Besides Beano and the digestive enzymes in probiotics (yogurt too), I also found the digestive enzyme in pineapple to be helpful. Since pineapple is criminal when it comes to blockages, you can try the pill form of pineapple enzyme made by Trader Joe's.

Simethicone works well too for gas and froth. Phazyme is the brand name, but it is expensive, so I just buy whatever generic form a particular store may have.

I'm finding I can eat more and more veggies now, and salad (same experience as you, Dani, so I avoided it for a long time).

I keep hoping things will change for me. Shows how different we all are -- even with the same parts removed!

And I guess how the small intestine operates (and its health) is different as well. When I try to eat veggies, they don't move through well at all. There is some cramping and just an overall feeling of being clogged. And yes, they come out virtually how they went in. I think it's just too harsh/hard for my intestine, which isn't in great shape.

One of my major blockages was attributed to food/vegetables ... had to have a nasogastric tube for a couple of days. Once you've had that, you don't want to repeat it.

So I live vicariously through people like you who are able to enjoy their veggies.

All the best, Beatrice

Cream crackers with just a little butter with my cup of tea at bedtime helped a lot for me. As you say, we are all different.

Good luck!

I get "bubbles" from time to time, I always make sure I double rinse all my crockery and cutlery, so there's no trace of washing up liquid drying on utensils. Seeing how some people have washing up foam about a foot in height above the bowl and not rinse makes me wonder about their insides. If anyone comes here and does my crocks, I'm afraid I have them all back in the bowl doing them again after the visitors have gone. Also, someone mentioned marshmallows being good to thicken bag contents. Well, jelly babies are too. All these little gems of advice and tips - very helpful!

Maybe it's my strange sense of humor, but I thought I'd wandered onto a housekeeping forum when I read that!

I don't think the "bubbles/froth/foam" comes from ingested dishwashing liquid!    

Still chuckling over that, you haven't got your bowels and your bowls mixed up, I hope!

Darn my surgeon, she is under the misapprehension that the bubbles that I used to get in my bag were as a result of the types of food I ingested, but little did she know that it was actually Lux-induced.

Why do I pay her so much money? Review time, I think.

Be sure to watch the soda pop intake. All the fizz turns into football bag at night. I just drink non-fizzy stuff several hours prior to bed, and I don't eat for several hours before bed, so nothing should be processing through my system. It works well for me, but everyone is different.

I've used over-the-counter gas control, Gas-X, for some time and get panic attacks if I think I've run out. I take one before breakfast and one before bedtime (no football bag). It also controls the gas output during the day when no one else needs to hear the hissing and burping. Hope this helps. This Gas-X comes in generic forms and in strips, small green pills. Oh, I find eggs and cheese cause froth and gas. Good luck!

You can use Beano, that's something I'll try - thanks.