Tips for Reducing Stoma Noise in Public Settings

hi all

does any one have any tips on cuting down noise from your stoma?,mine plays up sometimes and during meetings etc i find this extremely embarassing,i did talk to my stoma nurse about this and she suggested charcoal tabs but it had no effect,any advice will be welcome

isabella

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Hi there





ask your stoma nurse if you are a candidate for irrigation...this solved my problem in many ways...............as well if you can do it will set you free completely...I take plane..eat in restaurants..anything I want and well if the doctor or nurse says you can do it  well you wil be freee from all hassles of having a stoma......no more bowel movements ...only when you want through irrigation..... hollister and other companies have the kit.................

ask your stoma nurse first or your doctor......



what I have found out is most  Doctors do not knowof this procedure........



Good luck and inquire first..



WAB

well that is a ticklesh subject. as suggested irrigation will decrease "noise" out put as will avoiding certian foods before social situations{you will have to find which ones by trial and error} if all else fail and you have an "incident" just look at the fellow next to you and say "hey, do you mind...we are having a meeting here" LOL!!!

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That goofy nurse .... charcoal might help with stinky poo but not noisy poo  heheee  

This is actually a problem many of us have.  So many factors can come into play here, everything from diet to stress to how much air we swallow.  Watch the bubbly sodas too.   Embarassing?  OH YEAH!!  LOL.      As for me, I have tried everything and still get the unexpected occasional embarassing noises too ...dang thing!  You're definitely not in this alone hun.

A few days ago I was having dinner at my parents home, the dining room was full of friends and family...I thought to myself,   oh jeeeezzzz, this thing better not make a sound while I'm at the table or I'm gonna DIE   ...every time I felt my belly churn a little inside I put my hand  over the stoma, casually, hoping to smother the little jerk if he started to talk but nothing happened.........however.........three others in the room blew us all away with their own little non-ostomy noises, including my poor, deeply embarassed father who made a trumpet with his every step after he left the table.  I'm surprised he didn't approach us with the  "Here! Pull my finger!"  joke  hehee.  So, you see.....even though we have probs with our stoma noise, we shouldn't forget, we are not the only ones who do that.  

Stomas can be little jerks.  We can tape a bag over their head to smother them but they'll still give us crap!

~ WD

Porridge for breakfast sometimes helps (but not always).  I don't understand why it lets loose only in a quiet room!, like what the?  Sometimes a hand/arm over it can muffle it when you feel one coming on (mine are preceded by a slight tummy rumble so I can sense the impending sonic boom!).  I honestly don't think others notice as much as we do ourselves, also have never understood why it's also more acceptable for blokes to fart (in fact considered hilarious) but if a girl lets one rip its shock, horror!  I wouldn't worry about it, no-one will notice more than yourself!

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Living with Your Ostomy | Hollister

Hello to all, Ive been on the sideline as far as responding to postings, but this one i wanted to make a comment iv been told and tried marshmallows and that seems to work for me.

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Marshmallows!!  What a great idea!  ...yum!...  Thanks for sharing Ty!

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It took me a year of constant varations to get the gas to a minimum.



Here are some ideas.



No pastry or bread, whole wheat and dark breads are the worst.



When you drink any liquid, tilt your head down and tuck you chin in towards your chest, this will help prevent swollowing air.



Veggies are out period.



Find a good probiotic that will work for you.  I use Align



When you swollow don't swollow air, this is a very common problem that people don't realize they are doing.



Drink lots of water.



The idea is to get your gut bacteria equal.



I found there is no short cut.  If you want to cut down the gas it takes a lot of effort.



Remember if you have an ileostomy that means your colon is not being used or is gone.

The colon other than remove excess fluid from the waste and storage also reabsorbs most intestinal gases except sulfer and methane.  The colon also lets the veggies and grains digest.  They will not digest much in the small intestine.



Rick.....

Sorry I foregot. Activated charcoal does work for both gas and smell.  The problem is to get it to work you have to take 10 times the recommended dosage.

I was buying it in bulk as a power. Its super messy to use, hard to mix, the black gets all over everything and you will have the blackest stool this side of the Mississippi!

I did try the pills at first but soon discovered I was eating a bottle per day, to get the stuff to work.

The experts say Charcoal is body negative.  That is to say it will not effect you, becuase the body does not asbsorb Charcoal.



So although I did benfit from Charcoal, it was to big a "pain in the arse".



Rick.....

hi all

thanks for all your tips i think i'll forget about the charcoal but i sure will try the pribiotics and the marshmallows

thanks for helping

isabella

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hi isabella, i recommend what WAB suggested. i find with the irrigation method, i can eat & drink what i want and the gas only occurs if i choose to irrigate later in the day than normal. so, if you do it regular as clockwork, you may find you have little or no problem with this. i personally find that using this method also quietens these unwelcome outbursts considerably, almost to the point of silence. hope this helps, niff.

Sombody told me to carry a bunch of change in my pocket  It does work but not all the time

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I just remembered something else that helps gas for a lot of people ... my Dr. once told me to pick up Oil of Peppermint!  (a liquid with eyedropper)   His instructions were to use 10 drops in 2 oz of water, 3 times a day .... when I was cleaning out my purse today, I found his note from my last doctors visit....glad I did.   Went out and bought some.....



....along with two sacks of marshmallows!!  lol

Hey Wounded Doe,



I've been meaning to tell you how much I enjoy reading your comments. I love your spirit!  



And for goodness sakes, I happen to have peppermint oil in my pantry!  Might have to give it a try.....I may just pass on the marshmellows, unless they're on a stick being roasted around a campfire.

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Isabella, great topic...glad you brought it up!



Sharon

marshmallows!



Also I find drinking after not during meals as the gulping  can cause excess wind, hot drinks also seem to encourage more noise for me.  I have also found not eating creates more noise  ditto hot food, alas I tend to eat a boring sandwich for lunch and have little problem



If in the UK Tunnocks Tea Cakes are OK and have milk chocolate on them

We are going on a cruise and boy does this stoma like to be noticed, it lets out a lot of noises, but seems more like when I am eating..just trying to find something to help while on my cruise, wonder if beano would help??will ask my surgeon tomorrow when I see him.

hmmm I can try marshmellow, but I am sure that will put some pounds on??? but worth a try.

If I'm going to be out and about during the day I don't eat at least until mid day (noon). Just morning coffee. A small marshmallow and beano also helps. That's what works for me

They do sell something called a stoma stifler....they have a web site...........................is to suppress noise.........I never heard of anyone using it.....However..maybe you should check it out.........................