Hello everyone,
I have an ostomy, and I have to say I'm getting so frustrated with the noise coming from it. Especially with my boyfriend, being intimate and just having dinner can be annoying.
I feel like I have the noisiest stoma ever. Does anyone have any advice or products that help muffle the noise?
I'm in the UK, so anything from the US delivery is quite expensive.
I limit acidic food and drink already.
Avoid cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, and Brussels sprouts. Bran. Dairy products containing lactose. Fructose, which is found in some fruits and used as a sweetener in soft drinks and other products, and carbonated drinks like soda and beer.
Also, don't drink through straws.
It's also possible you naturally swallow a lot of air. I'm not sure what you can do about that. Maybe someone else will know.
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Those stomas can be loud, alright! Noise is usually due to gas being expelled, so eliminating gas-causing foods should help. Beans, cruciferous vegetables, eggs, and dairy are a few. There are products you can take that are supposed to help reduce gas, like GasX, but they are meant to work in the colon, so it's not likely they would help someone with an ileostomy. Although I've seen people with ileos on this site say they work for them, so maybe it's worth a try?
Terry
I'm not sure if you chew gum, but I do, as it stops my mouth from drying out when I teach my fitness classes. They say it can cause more gas and a noisier stoma, although that's not necessarily the case for me. If your stoma is tooting, it's another thing to eliminate from your diet.
Keep a food diary, go from there, and work out which foods give you more wind. Don't drink at the same time as eating. If you're a heavy snorer, that can cause wind. Most importantly, laugh with your boyfriend when your stoma is being noisy and say you would have to pipe up now! When my ex, who didn't have a bag, let one rip at intermittent moments, I used to slap her booty and say, "Bad girl," and we would laugh our heads off.
Welcome Ashallow543
I eat everything and have no noise issue whatsoever... Except coffee; it makes a lot of noise at the stoma and goes through me like spit through a bugle.
That is one area that ostomy manufacturers have not addressed: a muffler that works for a noisy stoma.
Hello ashallow543.
Thank you for your very pertinent question.
The noise from stoma -farts is much like the noise emitted from the air being released from the exit point of a rubber balloon. It makes the walls at the exit vibrate, which is what creates the noise.
There used to be a product called a 'stoma plug' that was brilliant at preventing this happening but, for some unknown reason it was taken off the market. (There is a photo of a stoma plug on my profile)
Basically is was like a tampon attached to an adhesive wafer which kept it in position.
I have experimented with other (similar but DIY) devices and some of them were successful with the issue you describe. However, they had their own problems so I stopped using them and have reverted to having to put up with the 'noise'. However, if I am going somewhere where I don't want the noise, I will don a home-made device just for that occasion.
It should be said that not everyone will take the 'risks' associated with inserting something in their stoma just to alleviate noise and the more confident we are with whatever the stoma throws at us, the less adverse the effects are of these drawbacks and we just learn to live with them.
My wife has a habit of saying something like " Gordon Bennett! - is that your stoma?" and I reply with one of several pre-prepared quips such as: "Yep - there's no shutting it up." or Yep - it's a real conversation killer!" or "STOMA - what stoma?" or " I thought that noise was a motorbike outside". Or some other retort that I thought of on the spur of the moment.
Perhaps we should start a special post on potential things we could say when our stomas are embarrassing.
Best wishes
Bill
Stoma noise explanations… Good idea, at least for a few laughs on this site. However, just like a normal fart, I can't imagine anything that would eliminate the embarrassment.
When my son was about 4 years old and he farted one day, he looked at us all and said, “Sorry, I burped in my pants.”
Hmmm, I wonder if I could pull that off… “Excuse me, I burped in my bag” … loses something in the translation… jb
Some of these replies are reminding me of my return home after my first surgery. I remember sitting down for dinner - my sister had been staying with me in the hospital and at my house and had prepared a nice dinner for my first night home. My husband, son, she, and I were enjoying it when, all of a sudden, my stoma decided to put on a performance. I became the dinner entertainment. Everyone thought it was hilarious (we applaud farts in my family), and I was a little loopy from the meds, so I laughed along. It was a good way to introduce my son to my new plumbing situation and helped to blow off a lot of anxiety that everyone had been feeling for so long. As far as that noise during intimacy, a shallow, maybe turn up the volume on some music - not your stoma but actual music. 🎶
Hi all, an empty stomach also produces gas, so maybe snack on something between meals, and at least you won't stink up the room as it's contained in the pouch.
Ear plugs work for me!
Wait a sec. Hm?? I'm deaf. - (nobody ever catches that).
Let it rip!😆
Turn it around, make wind something to look forward to! Turn it into a game, make a bet with your partner. Both of you pick a time for how many minutes it will be before the little monkey lets rip..... You say something like 2 minutes, they say 5, and each choose something pleasurable to do for the one who is closest to the time..... Turn every negative into a positive, and laugh lots; it's the best medicine!
Not sure if someone already suggested it, but have you tried GasX? It might help alleviate some of the gas. Also, hot lemon water and avoiding certain foods before you plan to be intimate or go out to dinner.
I've also had success slowing my breathing when air is passing, or putting light pressure over the stoma helps muffle it. (I hope someone is able to help you with a solution that works for you).
Take an anti-gas medication like Gas-X or Beano, or something like that. Also, consider what you are eating. Also, I am wondering how long ago your surgery was. Sometimes the little fellow is loud at first but gets quieter later down the road. Just laugh and make it into a joke if nothing else. Maybe your stoma just likes to talk and make its presence known.
It will become normal after you start doing your normal things. One day at a time.
It's a big change, and it will be tough until you learn how to manage your ostomy. Start by putting on some of your favorite clothes and see how it works with your ostomy. This is a very helpful group; ask any questions.
I discretely apply light pressure over the stoma, too. Most people don't notice, and if they do? Oh well.
You start by accepting that the stoma is your new normal. No one sees it unless you choose to show them.
Then get dressed and get out of the house. Take a walk, go shopping, or just drive around. Choose what seems easiest to you.
Gradually increase activity, etc., until you are living a normal life again.
Yep, I totally understand your feelings…. This website helped me a great deal when I read others' stories and dilemmas … eventually I came to the conclusion to attempt to set my head straight… this bag hanging from my belly, which I hate, is my life and either I manage it or it will manage me….jb
Well, fake it till you make it. That's a good way to get past your fear. Start by not calling it a disgusting stoma bag. If you keep doing that, you won't get past it. And know that accepting it is a process. Disgusting today, life-giving another day. Many of us have been where you are and have gotten past it to thrive. You can get there, too.
Time, that's what you need, and support and encouragement from family and friends, and tough love at times, just as all of us need. Ileo is just bowel; some people have one inside, others outside. One you learn to live with; it won't stop you from doing anything. Then, hopefully further on, you will learn to accept and love your stoma. Bags no bigger than your hand; don't let the little thing rule your life.
Well, Alex seems to be MIA, so I will attempt to sit in for him. Your situation is permanent, so you have the rest of your life to decide how to deal with that. You can waste time with a defeatist attitude and exist in a depressed state, deciding that your life is essentially over, or you can choose to live instead. You can use all the tools available to you, i.e., your medical professionals, the members of this site who are willing to help with information and advice, and other forms of information via the Net, etc., and you can learn to adjust. But, first and foremost, you need to adjust your attitude. I'm not suggesting it's easy, but it is possible. I think most of us hated our stomas at one time or another, and some still do (I personally love mine), but we make the best of it and learn to live a new normal that is good. I think your stoma saved your life, didn't it? Would you really rather be dead? You are young and have so much potential to have a fulfilling life if you choose. We will all be here rooting for you on your journey.
Terry
Ahh.. very good as a sit-in.. you're hired!.
You forgot the famous "it's on you" phrase. (waves to Alex)🖐... rightly so.!!
BTW, @Mindy- can I get a burger with that wine? 😁
This thread is going sideways from a noise prevention point.
It's quite normal to feel all the negativity sporting a bag.
I honestly hate mine. But life goes on. After 8 years, I just ignore the alien spud. Spend a little time on it at bag change, then life goes on. I keep reminding myself "what bag?"
Great attempt, but Alex would have said it in 3-5 words. The closest I could come to his brevity is
You need to go get your life... it isn't coming to you.
Brevity was never my strong suit.
Hee hee 3 to 5 nailed it.
"It's on you!"
I hope his ears are ringing. Where is that boy?