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

Hey Bostonmahk,

You're definitely in the right place to get plenty of support from our large community here. We've all been through similar experiences, and you're not alone in this.

About the smell, it's pretty common to be more aware of it yourself since it's so close to you. Sometimes, it might be a small leak or the filter not working properly. Make sure the seal is tight and consider trying a different brand or type of bag if it keeps happening. Also, using deodorizing drops can help a lot. It's great that your wife usually doesn't notice it, so it might not be as noticeable to others as you think.

Congrats on being part of this community! You'll find tons of support, information, and some really cool people who can share their tips and experiences with you. We're all here to help each other out!

I've been there! 😂

Fortunately, my wife is gracious enough to take a whiff and often confirms what I can smell.

This reason is why I'm migrating to a one-piece system. I've only tried the Coloplast Senura Mio maxi star shape wafer. The first one I tried lasted a week until I accidentally ripped it. The second one I tried only lasted a day due to being so active the night before, which broke the seal. But it was the first time ever that I did not smell anything for the whole week!

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

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I 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.

I just listened to this episode, and she talks about this issue just a little bit but also on a lot of things I've seen in these forms. She's great; take a listen from The Beautiful Bag podcast:

https://pca.st/episode/312ebb23-e9a6-4e49-af1e-cb0e12a41b9b

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