Smell Differences with Ostomy Bags vs. Natural Bowel Movements

Is the smell when you empty your bag very strong? Is it different than when you pooped out of your butt? If so, did it take a while to get used to? I read that if you eat fish, it stays in the bag smelling for a long time. When you pass gas, can people hear it?

When we pass gas, sometimes people hear. Same as before, except it can't be controlled in the sense of keeping it inside. But we can manage with food, medicines, scheduling food, etc., to minimize.

I don't believe the smell is worse than normal. Other people don't poop perfume and flowers. I have an ileostomy; it is affected so much by what I eat. Yes, after coffee and seafood, the bag might smell like them.

If you're visiting someone or going out, you can keep a mini perfume bottle or anything similar and spray it after emptying the bag.

I highly recommend M9 drops between dumping and adding to new bags.

https://www.meetanostomate.org/discussion-forum/viewtopic.php?t=35962

To be honest, I've had a bag that long I can't remember what it smelled like going the old way, but I have family and friends that don't have bags. If I go to the toilet after some of them, I don't need to ask what they did in there; I can smell it, and it's far worse than my bag. Yes, fish and some other foods will smell more when emptying the bag. I like to think people can hear when I pass wind; most times it will only be me that notices. Most people would just think it's your stomach rumbling from being hungry. You won't do any rip-roaring ones as you did in the pre-stoma days.

My Ostomy Journey: Keyla | Hollister

You might like to take a look at these:

https://www.meetanostomate.org/discussion-forum/viewtopic.php?t=36646#294688

Or

https://www.meetanostomate.org/discussion-forum/viewtopic.php?t=35799

K8 x

In my case, yes. I have a colostomy, and the smell is very, very strong without the M9 or other ostomy deodorants. They all seem to work the same. It takes the smell down a couple of notches.

In the beginning, the wound care nurse and doctor stated it smells just like the poop when it comes out of your butt, and the reason it is stronger is because the stoma is in front. Not true for me; it smells like dead poop, and it seems to cling to my clothes and inside my nose after the second day of bag use. That is the reason M9 was invented. This deodorant has made my life easier when I empty at work, traveling, or a friend's house. Folks no longer run out of the bathroom coughing for fresh air after I use the bathroom.

Ileo here. 9 years. The output or emptying smell is worse. It got so bad, thinking I could get used to it, I decided to use M9 drops every dump... it comes in small bottles you can put in your pocket, carry around wherever you go. Very convenient.

Your nose will thank you for using it.

Sorry, AO.......I beg to differ. Us short gutters CAN poop perfume and flowers! Assuming we eat them to start......as our bowels are so short that nothing has time to ferment. So perfume and flowers in.........perfume and flowers out. Now where did I put those dandelions and my Stetson cologne?

;O)

Stetson black. 👍 Or nothing at all.

Strength of odor kind of depends on whether you have a colostomy or an ileostomy. The former is generally smellier because that pesky colon gets into the act. With an ileostomy, your output has not had the time to congregate with all its compatriot food bits and really get stinky. And you are more easily able to control odor by avoiding foods that like to announce the presence of their remnants, like raw onions, or fish. Cabbage can get odoriferous. I generally avoid such foods, so odor with my ileostomy is not really a problem. I also have gotten pretty righteous about keeping my toilet clean. :-)

As far as gassy noises go, yup. People can hear. But again, a lot of that is dependent on what you eat. I cannot speak to colostomy farts, but I have become quite well-versed in ileostomy ones. My belly companion tends to get quite noisy when I eat things like grapes. I think what happens is that the skins like to announce their arrival kind of like the opening of a balloon when you let the air escape slowly. But it can be somewhat controlled by diet. We all have to learn what works for us, as we are all different.

Life is a series of lessons. An ostomy provides another set of them. :-)

Daniel

Heh! In the early days when I would get that feeling like there was a gas buildup in my rectum, a couple of times I stupidly forgot it wasn't gas. Oops! 🤣

Daniel

Do you need to let the gas out of the bag?

G-Day Verginia,

You can let the gas out of your bag by burping it, mainly with an open-ended bag.

Lift the bag up at the end to let the contents fall back, and open the end carefully to let the gas out by gently pushing on the bag, but not too hard or you will make a mess.

Regards, IGGIE

Poo-Pourri is a simple spray for the toilet bowl pre-use. It's some kind of light oil scented with citrus (other scents are available) to form a barrier on the surface of the water, preventing scent from escaping after output goes in the bowl. We have the large spray bottle at home, and the small pocket size is with him for public bathrooms.

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Yes, this will work. I have used it, but there's something off-putting about walking into a bathroom and smelling citrus: the lingering effect.

M9 kills the odor in your bag. For me, it doesn't offer a lingering effect like this pouri does. Using M9, nobody smells any odor normal pooping people leave. Nada. Zip.

Just my 2 cents' worth, for the senses. 👃

Sometimes the contents of my bag smell. I think it depends on two things: one, what I've eaten, and two, how long I wait to empty my bag. If I am waiting for the contents to accumulate enough to empty, it can get smelly. Also, certain foods can cause smellier output. Keep a food journal if you are interested in seeing what foods cause you more issues. As for passing gas, it depends on how loudly your stoma does it. Sometimes my stoma does so really quietly. Other times it can be audible. I just laugh and say some sarcastic comment. People without a stoma fart. Theirs not only is noisy but smells. At least your farts in a bag are contained and don't smell. LOL

I use the aforementioned M9 drops. They work really well. Tough to get here in the UK.

Well, either hard to get or stupidly expensive.

I actually have a friend in Texas who buys the stuff there and posts it to me. Cheaper that way. How crazy is that?

Anyway, yes, your shit will smell, I'm afraid, but, as said, it depends on what you eat too.

Be safe and well.

Tony ☺️

Funny coincidence: Hubz had a Dr. appointment on the 30th, so right after I read of your dislike of citrus, we arrived at the Dr. office about an hour away, and I headed straight to the lobby bathroom with the door that opens directly into the back seating area. Yeah. You get the scene. On occasion, that seating area gets kind of off. Not too bad, as the ceiling fan works well!

I get in there, and there's the light citrus scent I know well. Maybe I'm used to it, but I was sure glad to smell that and NOTHING else.

I think it's that the oil seals off the surface area, making it work so well.

Gonna get the other scents now available and encourage folks to try this, even just for peace of mind.

It really works for all poo, from a bag or a butt!

Happy New Year!!🎉

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