Bag odor driving me mad - any solutions?

Hi,

I am new here and would like to ask anyone if they have problems with odor from the bag.

I have and it is driving me mad, I seem to be able to smell it all the time. Could it be the seal?

If anyone has experienced this I would love to hear from you and if there are any solutions.

Thanks

John

John,

Welcome to the site. There could be a number of reasons why you smell odor. Depends on the odor and other factors. We did a post a couple of months ago on smells. It may depend on some of the following:

Do you use a one piece or two?
Do you take omega 3 pills or eat lots of asparagus?
What is the brand of pouch do you use?
What type of ostomy do you have?
Does the pouch have a gas filter?

One piece is completely watertight without a gas filter. I avoid using these as the filter works for shit and can get clogged easily. Better to burp the bag. Other opinions may vary.

If it smells like shit or urine, it could be the seal or filter if that's what you're using, or a leak. Taking omega 3 pills will permeate the pouch and you will smell a fishy metallic smell.

Some brands have better construction than others. Nuff said.

Since I don't know what type of ostomy you have, I can't tell what smell you're dealing with.

Filters suck. Period.

Hope this points you in the right direction.

Bain

Just based on my experience over the years, the problem is most often the seal. Pressure due to gas build-up or excessive liquid or sleeping on it, among other factors, are common causes for a leak to appear.

X_

Hi John,

Welcome to MAO. Odor is always an issue for us. It seems that most of us can sense a smell, but usually no one else does. That's a good thing, but yes, it can make you kind of nuts.

Have you tried rinsing your pouch out between changes? What about the deodorant that you can get from the company you receive your pouches from, like M9 or Brava lubricating deodorant?

I have read all kinds of interesting ideas here for helping with odor, like rinsing the pouch with a 50/50 water and mouthwash solution, tic tac candy in the pouch between rinses, to name a few. You could always ask the manufacturer where you get your supplies from as well; most are very good at sending free samples.

Let us know what you find that works!

Hey John, if you answer Bain's questions I might be able to provide some help.

Mike

Odor is a huge problem. I have an ostomy and change my bag every day, Medicare allows this. The more your bag is changed, the less it will smell. I also

tie a grocery store produce bag over my colostomy bag, it really keeps the smell down, and you will have a disposal bag to put your colostomy bag in. :-)

Hi Cas.  I'm curious as to the manufacturer of your pouches.  I had an experience where a slight change in the processing procedure resulted in almost no odor containment.

Compliments on your ingenuity.

Mike

Hello, I have always used ConvaTec; Sur-Fit Natura wafers and Natura

drainable pouches. And as I mentioned before, the plastic grocery store bag

really helps isolate the smell. The pouches emit a smell through the enclosed

bag the longer they are worn. Yes, they really don't contain the smell, the

produce bag really helps and is an easy solution.

Good luck, the best to you. Craig

Hi Craig. I use the same stuff. I called Convatec and they were very eager to help. They were rather forthcoming in explaining some problems they had with the chemistry of the pouches. They suggested I try a different pouch (51416418) and it’s been all good since. If you share your experience with the Convatec folks you might help them and other folks at the same time.

Thanks,

Mike