Hi there, I had a loop colostomy 4 weeks ago due to fighting colitis for 15 years. I'm managing fairly well but having terrible trouble with unwelcome and unannounced very noisy wind. I knew wind was a thing but didn't think it'd be so noisy - and very embarrassing when in public. I've tried changing my diet, i.e., cutting out foods and fizzy drinks.
Has anyone else had this problem? Will it subside, or does anyone have any tips to combat it?
You could try Gas-X tablets, also known as simethicone. Other than that, I try coughing loudly. Sometimes, when all else fails, I just say it's my abdominal stoma and hopefully they don't ask questions. If they do, you can just say it's from a surgery I had to have. It's much easier when it's friends who already know about my ostomy. It's definitely a struggle.
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I just finished reading the Ostomy Tips Book under COLLECTIONS at the top of the page. I did not realize how much information was there. It covers a lot
of things that people have questions about. Hope this may answer some things for people. Best wishes and stay safe
Noisy wind is probably caused by the walls of the stoma vibrating when the wind is exiting (think of a whoopy cushion or balloon when the exit is stretched).
I found that stoma plugs completely cured this problem. However, I understand that they have now been withdrawn from the market, which isn't very helpful.
There are various DIY devices that I have tried in the past, which imitate the stoma plugs and keep the passage open for the wind to pass through.
The best of these involved adapting a Vicks nasal spray so that the screw-on the outside section can be cut and act as a nut to hold a washer/wafer so that the device doesn't disappear into the stoma. The second essential is to fill the tube with cotton wool (or something similar) so that the walls of the stoma don't migrate into the open hole in the end of the device., yet it still lets the wind out.
Of course. I should have said at the outset, that this will probably only work if one is irrigating, otherwise output will probably push the device out quite quickly.
I do hope you manage to find a solution to your problem and I still have one or two Coloplast stoma plugs spare if you wanted to try that method just to see if it works for you. If so, just message me with your address and I'll send you a couple.
Best wishes
Bill
Thanks, I'll look into them!
Yeah, I'm not embarrassed about telling people I have a stoma. It's just the fact that it likes to happen in the most quiet and intimate situations 😆 and quite often with no warning. Hopefully, it subsides 🤞🏻
You can also try peppermint tea and/or IBgard to reduce the amount of gas. You may not realize the amount of air you swallow while eating. The goal is to minimize the amount of air you 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.
