Managing Gas in Ostomy Pouches: Seeking Solutions for Ballooning and Leaks

Pretty sure you've all talked about this before I joined, but I don't find the topic anywhere. I'm having a witch of a time with pouch ballooning and haven't been able to relate it to specific foods. Nothing I've tried has helped. I use Sensura Mio Convex (1-piece drainable) and find that the circular filter is useless. Coloplast sent me a filter that is added to the bag, and it leaks output. I tried the Osto EZ Vent, and it blew output along with the air. Daytime is manageable with "burping," although I've come close to going airborne in public when I had to delay the release. Waking up with a bag o' gas has me stymied, as well as being very uncomfortable and worrisome for blowing a gasket. Anyone have ideas?

Things I have found out about gas and have helped me.

• Items that can cause gas include: alcoholic drinks, carbonated (fizzy) drinks, baked beans, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumbers, onions, milk and dairy products, nuts, radish, soy, sprouts, apples, asparagus, drinking straws & chewing gum (you'll swallow more air), melons, mushrooms, corn, broccoli, spinach, cheese, root vegetables.

• Foods that are difficult to chew into small pieces allow more air to be swallowed, which increases gas production. Peppermint tea is a good home remedy and preventative measure for gas. A cup of peppermint tea can disperse the gas without it coming out through the ostomy pouch. Peppermint capsules can be just as effective.

• We hardly realize the amount of air we swallow while we eat. The goal is to minimize the amount of air we swallow while eating food. The quantity of air bubbles ingested considerably increases if you talk while eating food. Habits such as smoking, sucking on candies, sipping drinks through a straw, chewing gum, and gulping drinks increase the amount of gas entering the ostomy pouch.

..Got gas? Bottle that stuff up, sell it as a side hustle🤔.

You are in Maine? Gas prices here for regular are $3.60 a gallon.

I know, off topic. Duh. Can you imagine recycling your stink?😂. Just a "passing" (gas) thought. 😉 on a rainy Sunday.

I have the same problem, and it's primarily at night. I do not eat any gassy foods, nor do I drink carbonated beverages. I eat before 6 p.m. Funny, I wasn't this gassy before the colostomy! I take a Gas-X pill a couple of hours before bed, and that helps some. I'm also up every 1-2 hours every night letting the air out.

Kas, I am the same with my ileo, and I literally do not drink or eat anything at all that causes gas. I eat very bland on account I have a stubborn stoma, and I also have upper stomach problems that prevent me from eating much else. But same, always at night I fill up with gas. I am the same too; I stop eating and drink water before a certain time. I set alarms, but some nights I sleep through them and wake up to a bag that looks ready to pop.

Thanks for your detailed response. Since I had gastric bypass surgery over 20 years ago, I have learned (sometimes the hard way) to avoid bad habits while eating and to chew foods thoroughly. The only thing in your list that I haven't tried is the peppermint tea, and I'll give that a try as a nightcap.

Good to know I'm not alone! It's crazy, but sometimes I'll have a couple of bites of the forbidden but beloved foods out of sheer frustration with the limitations (when I know I'm staying home and can deal with the consequences). The thing is, the puffy pouch is no worse than when I go without. I'll have to figure out how to schedule nighttime burping without waking my husband. Maybe a vibrating alarm...

I set an alarm, but there's no husband anymore, and my dogs don't seem to care 🤪

Actually, the peppermint oil capsules have the most research behind them; peppermint tea is more anecdotal.

• The research to this point has focused on peppermint oil capsules, not on peppermint leaves like you find in tea. The oil comes from the stems, leaves, and flowers of the plant. There's no harm in drinking peppermint tea, but only the capsules have been shown to be effective via research studies. Plus, with capsules, you know how much peppermint oil you're getting with each dose.

• Make sure to look for enteric-coated capsules. The coating keeps your stomach juices from breaking down the capsules. That way, they won't dissolve until they get to your intestines. Capsules without the coating are more likely to cause heartburn.

• Recently, a new peppermint oil formulation (IBgard, IM HealthScience, LLC) was developed, which consists of a capsule containing sustained-release microspheres of ultra-purified peppermint oil.

I have heard that many sustained-release medications do not work well for ileostomies due to the short time they may remain in the small intestine. I can't vouch for this since I have a colostomy and have no problem with sustained-release medications.

To be effective, IBgard must be taken on a regular schedule — not on an as-needed basis. The usual caveat for this site holds: everyone is different, and what works for one may not work for another. Even more importantly, what works for a colostomy may not work for an ileostomy.

Ileostomies are renowned for their nighttime gas balloons. The filters on pouches are relatively useless after a day or so. I think the biggest culprit of night wind is the fact that you aren't eating when you sleep. It's a damned if you do or damned if you don't situation. Either you eat a bunch before sleep and then get up a couple of times in the night to empty your bag, or you do not eat before sleep and get up a couple of times to let out the gas. Personally, I just do the latter. At my age, I am up a couple of times in the night regardless of any ostomy anyhow. And releasing gas is easier and quicker than doing a dump. It's just part of my new life. A new life that I would not have were it not for the ostomy.

Daniel

Thanks for the ileostomy insight, Daniel. I was worried at one time that I would not be able to take slow-release medications. Even though I have a colostomy, some of my small intestine has also been removed. Blessed that not enough was removed to prevent me from taking slow-release medications. Having a colostomy, I need a certain amount of gas in my pouch to prevent pancaking — whenever I burp my pouch, I am careful not to let all the gas out.

Oh, Mr. Mose! We have the same life-threatening chapter with C. diff, but your post-op complications are a mean twist. I have a long way to go to reach the attitude you express in your last two sentences, but I sincerely appreciate your detailed response. If I could get a day's worth of use from a filter, I'd be delighted. I measure in hours, not days 🤪

Man, if only I could run my Subaru cross-country! As it is, I am propelling us all into the height of climate change. Cows got nothin' on me!

Most of the studies were with IBS patients. I haven't seen any that speak to the issue of gas after ostomy surgery. Ginger is also said to help with gas, and I love it but don't notice any effect to reduce gas.

IBGard is marketed as a peppermint oil supplement that contains an anti-spasmodic, which can relax the smooth muscles in the intestinal tract, and acts premeal in order to prevent cramping, gas, and bloating in relation to eating. These conditions also have an impact on digestive conditions like inflammatory bowel disease. Whereas gas causes a pouch to fill up with air in ostomies, it causes pain in IBD sufferers. Researchers have performed many studies to determine if the reduction in gastrointestinal spasms caused by peppermint oil can alleviate the pain of cramping, gas, and bloating in IBD patients.

Although IBGard has been found useful in normal patients, ostomy patients, and IBD patients, since it is a timed-release medication, it may have limited use for those with ileostomies. But all ostomies are not the same — it may work for some and not others. As Daniel and others have so plainly stated, waking up during the night and burping the pouches may be inevitable. 😖😔

It is probably 100% to do with what you eat. But one tip is if you burp the bag, don't have a cigarette in your mouth as the gas is methane. BOOM.

I am just adding this. I have already paid for my funeral so no one has a cost when I go, but if I have a full bag when they cremate me, I reckon everyone will get a little piece of me as a keepsake. Regards, IGGIE

I'll remember that come our Independence Day celebration!

The only thing that puts gas in my bag is dairy. But not all dairy products. So now I eat less at a time. No big bowls of yogurt or ice cream. I eat in smaller portions during the day. I need to gain at least 30 lbs. My 3 ostomy surgeries and having a thyroid problem have left me skeletal. I've always been thin in a healthy way. So I need to eat 3000-4000 calories a day to gain weight. The Kate Farms products have been my savior!