Why Does My Ileostomy Smell Worse After Sleeping?

Hey all, I know ileostomy poop smells bad normally and can be worse depending on what you eat, but why does it seem to smell worse after you wake up from a sleep? Is it the gas? I live in apartments and I'm so self-conscious that the neighbors can smell it.

It's all in your head. Turn the fan on, empty your bag, squirt some air freshener if you choose and be done.

Lol, I never worried about it before but we have this new neighbor upstairs. She complains to her landlord about bad smells in the building. No one ever complained before until she came. She really makes me feel uncomfortable.

Did you ever meet Karen? (One of my favorite ostomy nurses at Cleveland Clinic-main campus). She told me what came out of stoma was effluence, I believe. I don't care if she just used a different word to make me feel better. She said it was different than normal poop because it doesn't go through the colon, because my colon is gone. Karen worked hard to get me into a different mindset with everything and this guy ostomy nurse almost ruined all her work with me one day. She was mad at him and they never gave me to him as a patient again. The smell when you empty is just like a smell if someone else poops in your bathroom. Sounds like the problem is your new neighbor upstairs. I have this spray, everyone in my house uses it now. It has no scent- Zorb X- a friend's mom who is a nurse introduced me to it. I get it from Lowe's even though Amazon and other places have it too. Don't get it because of your neighbor though- just try it if it's something that might be helpful for you.

If you can, flush the toilet as you're emptying. Saw this tip on this site and it works. Of course, having a spray can close by can't hurt either!

My Ostomy Journey: Jearlean | Hollister

Yes, I've had Karen a few times. But there are 2 Karens. If it's the one I'm thinking of, she came off a little too rough to me at first meeting and we didn't hit it off too well. Saw her again and she made amends and we got along then. Saw her again a few years later and same thing. Rude and mean. I think she just needs to learn how to talk to people. She can be sarcastic and rude at times. I'm sure she is smart and knows what she is doing but she did screw up my prescription last time I saw her. She is the one who turned me onto the corsinol Ostomy wraps that I still buy and use to this day. My favorite there is Terri. She's so down to earth and I just love her! Brigid is good too. The head of the nurses was wonderful too, can't remember her name but I think she has a stoma. I really do like most. I do miss some of the older ones who are not there any longer though.
I had xorb x at one time. I think that is the one that is mostly alcohol, isn't it? I was even using it to mop my floors with. Not bad stuff.
That kind of makes sense what you say Karen told you about ileo poop though. As for this neighbor... she's from the abyss lol! She's causing issues all through here with people in the building. Maybe I should purposely not use my deodorant to get her back lol! But no, I would not do that to the rest of my neighbors. Haha

Thanks, I have been flushing several times in a row and then I spray bleach spray in there and scrub it. She's right above me though. When I use the bathroom, she starts slamming stuff around and spraying Lysol outside the door. Lol

Hmmm, that doesn't sound like 'my' Karen. The one I'm thinking of is technically retired but keeps getting called in because they are short-staffed. She had an ostomy herself for a year or 2 after a bad car accident. She was phenomenal with me - and I don't give out compliments to just anyone. She talked me through a lot. She was there when I was having a meltdown over a leaky dysfunctional bag. So I don't know if it was the same one or not, and I know different personalities work better with some than others. One of my favorites - can't remember her name - first saw her after my first surgery, and I couldn't remember meeting her, but it sounded like I was still on the coming out of surgery meds. Pretty much if I was on pain meds, my short-term memory sucks. I don't do any banking, and I'm not allowed to online shop anymore.

Maybe your upstairs neighbor needs Lysol sprayed around her door? Oooo, an anonymous gift basket filled with Lysol and other products like that?

🔒 Login to see image

This stuff works really great. It doesn't cover up odor; it gets rid of it with only two sprays. Works awesome.

Yeah, I remember the one who had the ostomy. I think I've met them all at one time or another. I've been there so much for different problems and then I have to go every six months to get a new prescription due to insurance and that I need a prior authorization for my pouches. Then at the hospital too. I've had 3 big surgeries and then got stuck in main campus for 30 days from that ileus I had. They are all pretty much the greatest! We are very fortunate to have that place so close to us.
Yeah, I think the neighbor might be OCD. She has been complaining about people since she moved in. It just makes me feel self-conscious, I guess. I never felt this way with my ostomy before, and I've had it several years now. I've always been quite confident about the smells and such. It's just a very unsettling feeling in my own home.

I will have to try that. I did not even know they made that.

Checked the ingredients of the Zorb-x. Water, alcohol, odor killer. So mystery 3rd ingredient ‍

I was using it about a year ago due to bringing home smells from work as I do caretaking. If you read the history of it, it's pretty cool. It's women that came up with it. The thing that caught my eye about it is it's fragrance-free so not covering up odors. It's pretty good stuff. As I was saying before, I was mixing some with water, mopping my floors, and just cleaning everything with it. I should buy it again. It's been a while since I've used that. As for using as a spray to deodorize, what I like is alcohol is quick-drying so you don't have to worry about wetness on the floor after it falls.

For when I got my sickest, I lived in the best place to be treated. My husband is from around here. I never wanted to live here. I can look back now with a little more gratitude.
All right, you cannot let this woman, who you're probably never going to share a holiday with, get your confidence down. Get it back, girl! Don't let her take it from you! I'll deliver the gift basket to her if you make one.

If you're worried about the smell in the bathroom when emptying your bag and residual smells, I worked in the oil field years ago and lived in a mobile house sharing a bathroom with 4 guys on a high protein diet of Mexican food mixed with beer after work. This was pre-ileostomy days. They had matches to light in the bathroom but one guy bought a 2oz bottle of Poo-Pourri Before-You-Go Toilet Spray. You spray in the toilet water normally one pump of the spray. Makes the entire bathroom smell better and it lasts. You can find it in stores and Amazon but it is pricey.

Target and Walmart both carry Poo-Pourri stuff ‍

Punch her in the mouth and it'll give her something else to complain about.

I like the gift basket idea better.

I'm not originally from here either. I grew up in St. Louis, Missouri area. Been here for about 40 years now since I was 18. My ex was from here. Not my favorite place but living here, you know you can keep your health in good check. We are so fortunate to have so many hospital systems here. CCF is my absolute fav. All my doctors are there except for my allergist who works for UH. I'm a believer in God so the way I see it is I was planted here for a reason. My hernia surgeon told me after my hernia surgery not to ever let anyone operate on me ever again unless it's CCF because of the extent of work they had to do and the method. I was in some study with that one. So it looks like I'm stuck here till the end lol!!
With the neighbor ..... yea I know everyone including my husband keeps saying the same thing. It just makes it hard when you go in and out and run into her and she's giving you dirty looks and slamming doors and then shoots a big spray of Lysol out her door into the hall.

Thanks! I will try that too!

I'm telling you, Lysol gift basket

Lol! I've already had a verbal confrontation with her for blaming me to her landlord about the hallway smells. I'm one of the cleanest people you'd ever meet mind you. I went full loaded at her one day. I just blew up. Like could it be that one guy leaves his stinky work boots in hall outside his door? Or that another lady leaves garbage outside her door for days at a time cuz she has a bad knee? Or another tenant locks their cat out in the hall for hours? ;Ya know? She needs a punch in her face!

See, I knew it.

It's like every time she hears me in my bathroom flushing and what not she starts stomping around, slamming doors. Then you go into the hall and she's sprayed the hell out of with Lysol. It really sucks that she lives right above me.

I didn't either until just recently. I will order stuff from Medical Monks when I need to, and I was just looking at different stuff and boom there it was!! Lol

Thank you so much! I just got off the phone with the Coloplast rep and she's sending me a sample. Says it comes in unscented and fresh linen. She says you only need to spray 2 sprays into the room and that's it. I can't wait to get it and try it out! I've been so self-conscious about this since that lady upstairs and I have 5 others in the same building.

Hibiscus, your neighbor sounds like a real whacko!

Whoever smelt it dealt it PMSL....don't lose any sleep over it.

I have friends that are bag free and the smell that comes from their ass 'well I'm guessing that's where it comes from as I've never been in the bathroom at the same time as them' LOL. One in particular, I dread going in after them, like to leave it for 1 hour if I can. LOL

Spray first and then empty.. Then go back to whatever you were doing beforehand. Your neighbor sounds crazy..