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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Hi Mike and all. I am not sure how panoramic my perspective really is as my peripheral vision shrinks with each passing year. I can tell you that when I came to this website six years ago I was truly ;impressed by the positive attitudes of so many members, especially the younger folks who refused to let their ostomies define who they were or what they would become. I also came to appreciate that having an ostomy is not the same thing as having a disease. Pardon ;my pun now, but ostomies and cancer don't belong in the same bag. One is a solution, the other is a problem. Celebrating National Ostomy Day ;is also well outside my comfort zone. That's like celebrating National Wheel Chair Day. Come on!
I think there is a ;need for improved ;public awareness of ostomies, but I am not sure how that's best done. There ;remains ;some social stigma attached to our situation, and it's acutely felt among our young. We need to get out of the dark ages on this issue, but not by going 'in your face' to everyone else. I think Bill and NDY are 'spot-on' when it comes to telegraphing the right message to friends and family. People will know how to react when they ;see ;how we accept the cards we were dealt. I also appreciate the contribution some people here are making to this effort through their publications.
On a personal note, my son has been suffering from ulcerative colitis for years just like I did. I am very concerned because people with UC are at a higher risk for colon cancer. Years ago my GI told me to get annual colonoscopies to be on the safe side. I am glad I did because he eventually found pre-cancerous cells which led to several surgeries and my becoming an ostomate. Since then I have always ;conveyed a positive attitude to ;my son about wearing a bag because it has kept me alive to enjoy many more years with my loved ones. I think he got the message. We both go to the same gastroenterologist in NYC and get scoped on the same day. Father and Son moments!
Someone once wrote that our children are the letters we write to the future.
PB
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.
