Does my bag smell?

I'm sitting at my dining room table and I smell poo. It's my two-piece Hollister bag. I smell it at work too. But my wife smells nothing, she says. Am I prone to smelling it because it's just right there? Tell me it's not me. My edit: I was checking my bag and a few seconds later bam i got the real smell! Stephanie instantly smells it and runs!!! It burped a little nasty lol

An appliance that is applied correctly does not emit odors. If you have a filter, it may briefly emit scents from time to time that perhaps only you get a whiff of. You can certainly check your appliance after you remove it to see if any effluent seeped under the barrier. Also, if you have a drainable pouch, be sure to clean the closing completely.

What a traveler said. There's only one reason for an odor; there's some sort of leak. I don't have issues very often, but I notice it immediately when I do. Otherwise, I never notice an odor issue.

G-Day Boston,

I totally agree with Traveler. If you have a drainable pouch and you don't clean the opening 100%, you will sometimes get a slight smell.

Regards, IGGIE

My Ostomy Journey: Keyla | Hollister

I used to have the same problem. I'd smell something, either poo, or because I vomit a lot, I smell vomit on myself, while other people tell me it is my imagination.
I do not think that is the case. Your nose is much closer to your stoma than other people.
And I also am very embarrassed if I have to empty my ileostomy bag if I am visiting someone, i.e., my sister's home..... As it happens to be a fact that ileostomies do smell more - and my hubby often teases me after I've emptied my bag that I have polluted our home....


When my stoma nurse first introduced me to Brava's lubricating deodorant - it made quite a lot of difference for me. Although it does not take the smell away entirely, I no longer experience so frequently when I think I can smell my output than before I started using it.

Some bags or pouches do start to smell more the longer I have worn them, and my hubby would usually give me a heads up that I needed to replace my bag.

But these days this problem is gone. Except if one of my cats has accidentally put a small hole in my bag....

"Does my bag smell?"

That phrase is as popular as

"Can you hear me now?" 😉.

Both Alex and A Traveler nailed it. 🔨🔨🔨.

I use a Hollister 2-piece. Haven't had any issues with smells. Only if I burp the bag. My wife can detect it an hour later. Gotta have air freshener ready. I 100% thoroughly clean the plastic flanges when I empty the bag.

I have a sigmoid colostomy. 2 years post-op.

Yep... if you smell it, eventually everyone else will smell it too.

Women know best! If your wife says it doesn't smell, I agree with her. I know better than to get on the wrong side of women, lol. Probably just your mind playing tricks on you. Part of the grieving process is coming to terms with your stoma. Give yourself a good spray of deodorant to take your mind off it.

Yep, if it's on properly, no smell.

However, I can recall believing I could smell it in the early days, but it was all in my imagination, and that is common.

As others have said, a properly applied appliance will not smell. Many ostomates use deodorizing drops in their appliances to eliminate any smell. I have never done that for two reasons. One, I'm not bothered by the smell, which is only there when I'm emptying, and two, if there is a problem, a break in the seal, or a leak beginning, I want to know about it right away! The smell might just be the tip-off that prevents an embarrassing situation from happening, i.e., if I was out in public, or even preventing a messy situation by catching it early. It's most likely that I would be the one aware of the smell first anyway, before anyone else might be.

Terry

Very well put, Terry. Regards, IGGIE

Thanks, Iggie. I'm usually quiet when people on this site talk about dealing with the smell. It seems to bother some a lot. I've often wondered why more ostomates don't see the smell as a good thing, i.e., an early warning signal!

Terry