Odor & Ostomy

Hey all, I know ileostomy poop smells bad normally and can be worse depending what you eat but why does it seem to smell worse after you wake up from a sleep? Is it the gas?  I live in apartments and I'm so self conscience that the neighbors can smell it. 

I have an ileostomy, so other people that have one will know exactly what I'm talking about when I say "that awful smell!" I'm not saying that people with colostomies don't get a stink, but I am yet to smell anything as bad as what comes out of bag! The main culprits of "The worst smelling output"-for me, are; fish, too many iron tablets, sausages, eggs, and other things like garlic and onions (...

Hey Ostomates, I hope you are all having a good day.

What kind of bathroom deodorizer do you all use? Is there a special one for us that works well without being too highly scented? I have tried so many different ones and even tried expensive body spray which didn't work... With an Ileostomy, bathroom odor lingers for a long time after emptying, which is quite often whether I eat or not, and I...

My mate is an ostomate. It's been about 6 months now. I change his flanges for him and really monitor his skin - and none of that bothers me. Right now we have one bathroom in a rented condo. I don't mind the initial smell. We turn on a fan and open the condo doors and it leaves in 20 minutes or so. He uses the drops in the bags, and uses air sprays. I don't complain, but he knows I have a sens...

Not sure if this has been tried before but here is a simple and very cheap way to eliminate odor from a pouch. Buy a small bottle of eucalyptus oil (it usually comes with a drop dispenser on the top). All you need to do is add around 5 or more drops into the bag after emptying. I find this to be very effective, and it also leaves a nice smell in the bathroom. Your pouch will also have a pleasan...

I recently had a colostomy bag (Nov 2012). I lost a lot of  weight (45 lbs). I'm now trying to put on some weight and have a huge appetite. I have a lot of out put in my bag which causes an oder. Any  suggestions on how to reduce the oder when i empty my bag? I'm using the one piece bag with the Velcro at the end. Thanks in advance for your responses.

What can be done about odors?

I am nearly 90 days into having this colostomy. I have an ostomy nurse who is fantastic. My husband and I have the care and maintenance down pretty well, I think. I'm currently using the Hollister 2-pc with filter. A lot of times I will be completely clean and I think I'm smelling the ostomy. When I ask my hubby, he says he doesn't smell anything. In your experience(s), are the smells really th...

Good morning everyone!

I am looking for a recipe for homemade deodorizing lubricant for my pouch if anyone has one they can share.

Thanks!

Hey guys, I have a curious question about odor.  It is my understanding that there shouldn't be any odor from the ileostomy bag unless there is a leak or if you are changing it or emptying it. However, after my normal change today I have noticed a lingering odor.  I checked everything and there are no leaks or holes anywhere in the apliance and none of the contents could have gotten on anythi...

I have noticed since i went from an ileo to a colostomy that by the 3rd day (only 2 nights wear) that the odor seems to seep thru the bag i use drops and i clean the tail everytime i empty it.  I don't see any thing around the stoma to say i have an infection or anything so don't know why it is smelling thru the bag they are suppose to be odor guards on it. Any ideas?

I'm only getting 24 hours or less wear time with my appliance.  My flange just doesn't seem to stick to my skin.  I've tried 10+ different flanges from all three companies with no success.  I also have a major problem with odour, and have tried putting breath mints in my pouch and also the Coloplast deodorant liquid with no help.  My stoma is retracted at 6 o'clock and therefore I've us...

Hi all.  My boy, Ryan (going on 3), has a permanent colostomy and wears a pouch with a filter (really helps with gas and ballooning!).  We have altered his pouch cover and put a piece of table cloth cover (cloth on 1 side, plastic on the other) inside the cover to help with keeping the odor enclosed.  The new addition helps, but doesn't fix the problem.  Is this odor leak something he'l...

I got an ostomy in April of this year due to rectal cancer.  I am still trying to figure out the tricks of the trade, so to speak.  I'm having problems with my bags smelling bad the day after I change it.  The lubrication/deordarizer I use just isn't cutting it.  I was wondering if anyone has any tips or ideas for this problem. Please help! I'm very self concious around people wondering...

I had a colostomy in 2014. Our house is small, with two parents, two kids, and two bathrooms.

Within a week of the colostomy, the decision was made. My family did NOT want to share a bathroom with me. I, (Mommy), was designated/assigned/banished to our mini-bathroom (shower stall, sink, toilet, about 6.5 feet x 8 feet) because I smelled so bad when I emptied my bags.

I was given scented candles...

Hey everyone, just joined tonight and looking for advice from you pros on basically all-things-ostomy. I'm about 2 weeks in from receiving my ileostomy, and I'm getting adjusted well enough, I think. It's been a lot to take in, but you guys get it! I'm sure I'll have lots of questions to post over time, but I'll start with some simple gear/product ones…

Question 1: any of you guys use a ‘s...

I am feeling desperate. I teach and I do my best not to use the bathroom and stink up the school. But of course I can only go so long. I fear going to friend's houses. I have tried Hollister M9 and find it does nothing. Has anyone figured this out? Although I have had my ostomy for 18 months I am still trying to figure things out. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I have installed a high...

Hello, at my first teaching session with the WOC nurse, she told me I could use Mentos for odor control. Do I just put it in the pouch, crush it, or liquify it? I'm a newbie to this. Thanks in advance! :-)

I had a sigmoid colostomy 2 weeks ago and am having constant problems with appearance and smell.

I have a small diaphragm so they were forced to place the stoma right next to the belly button. To offset the increased risk of hernia in this location they brought it out a full 1.5". Of course sex is impossible because the stoma would be in the way and I can't use my abs. But the main problem fro...

Hey everyone what's up? This is the first time that I have been on here in a long time. I have had numerous medical issues that took up all of my time the past year. It really has been nerve racking. The question that I have is how do you control the smell from the bag? What I mean is no matter what I seem to do the smell seems to come out around the wafer and bag. I can put on a new one and wi...

I've had an ileostomy since the first of the year (2023). My entire colon was removed, but I still have the rectum and am hoping for a reversal this fall. But, my question is not related to that. While reading posts on this site, one subject keeps coming up again and again and it is something I do not understand. That is ostomy bag odors and what to do about them. I really do not understand thi...

So I know there are a lot of tips out there regarding odor, and without going through a big long list, none of them worked for me. For the first few weeks, I tried adding all kinds of things to the bag to mask/neutralize the odor, but no success. Then I tried internal deodorizers-- still minimally effective and expensive as all...

By swiping my fingers around the appliance, I figured out the od...

I'm now regularly using liquid deodorant drops in my pouch. What a difference for bathroom smell! Has anyone discovered an inexpensive one? I sometimes run out of the one I get with my supplies, so I'm looking for suggestions.

I have had a permanent Ileostomy for 18 years and have very loose bowel movements..I empty often throughout the day and night and have always dreaded the putrid smell from contents which would literally stink up my bathroom for hours regardless of how many times I would flush toilet or use air fresheners.. a couple of months ago I Googled anything that may help and found a Hollister product cal...

After buying expensive ostomy odor control products for years, my light bulb went off.  You know those little Arm & Hammer boxes of baking soda?  People put them in the fridge to absorb odors.   That stuff is a perfect -- and cheap -- alternative.  Just a little bit in the pouch after emptying and voila... no odor.  

Hi

Sometimes I get a strange smell which I assume is from my stoma. There is no leak from my appliance I am sure and my husband can’t smell anything but I am so aware of it. I know it sounds strange but it’s like the smell is almost at the back of my nose / throat. This only happens every now and again and I can’t link it to any particular food I have eaten.

Does anyone else have any ex...

A little back story.... My Mom just got her colostomy after she went septic and had emergency surgery. I’ve had 23 days to come to terms with it but she’s been so out of it she just realized yesterday what exactly was coming out of her stomach.

 

We got home from the hospital Saturday and I was warned that the smell might be potent once opened but the smell is strong all the time. Is tha...

I have a problem with ostomy bag odor at all times not just when I empty it. I am really getting self conscious . Is anyone else having this problem?

Hi everyone,

My mom uses Coloplast Brava Lubricating Deodorant to help push the stool to the bottom of the bag. We have been using individual packets for awhile now and they work great. However, we got a free sample of the 250 ml big bottle from her medical supplier a couple months ago and I wanted to try it out. Does anyone know how many drops to use that is equivalent to the individual packe...

what do you people put inside your bag to stop oror? i used the fropd from ostomy store but it does nothing. ty for your help

Please help I have done a colostomy on the 13 of jan due to Recto vaginal fistula recently I am forced to change the bag almost everyday. Please help

Hello, ran out of the brand name and looking for alternative products I might have around the house.  Thank you

Hi Everyone

I live in the U.K and I've had an ileostomy for a few months now. I've gradually come to terms with the whole experience and am finding the benefits of wearing an ostomy bag to be beneficial compared to the bad old days of chronic crohn's disease.

My only problem is controlling the smell. Does anyone know of any effective products for sale in the U.K. I have heard, through a frien...

Hi,

 

I am new here and would like to ask anyone if they have problems with odour 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 ha experienced this I would love to hear from you and if there are any solutions

 

Thanks

 

John

One of my worst fears the other night...my daughter's bag leaked in our minivan on the carpet. We have scrubbed and sanitized and scrubbed some more, but there is still a lingering odor. Any tips from all of you veteran ostomates out there on products that will eliminate the odor?? We have a mist spray that works well for airborne smells but it's not touching this...

Here is a simple and inexpensive idea, an oldie, but still a goodie. I found a decent inexpensive cologne (I found a large bottle at Walmart in a spray). After empying, using a Coffee stir (wood like from Starbucks for longer, the shorter plastic is fine also), tear a square of toilet tissue in half, spray it once or twice, fold it, insert it into pouch and push it up inside with the stick, the...

Hello everyone it's me again. I just wanted to share with you all something I tried. Going into my 3rd my bag really stinks so as I'm going to change it the next day because the adhesive itches so bad I out of the clear blue took the febreeze and sprayed on the back and front and low and behold can you believe it pretty much killed the smell. Have any of you tried this? I'm sitting here now an...

Can minted mouthwash be used to eliminate odor inside an ostomy pouch?

Store-bought liquids are so expensive.

Just looking to save a few dollars.

Or does anyone know of a homemade solution?

I am wondering if there is anyone else but me that feels this way.  I find that it smells really bad when I empty my pouch in the bathroom.  Now I do use m9 or other products to help with the smell , but they do not last 3 months.  Medicare pays for 3 bottles every 3 months.  I have to purchase alot of othes on my own to help

with the smell.  If I go to the bathroom,, and I did not put an...

What kind of deodorants are you using? I have not found anything yet that makes it more pleasant when you empty. The amell is terrible and lingers inthebathroom.

Hello all,

I've had a permanent ileostomy for almost 3 years after FAP and rectal cancer. I use M9 in my bag, and it works pretty well for when I am emptying things at or away from home. I have never had a single issue with smell (except for a very rare leak or blowout) coming from outside of the bag, only what was being held inside the bag. A barrier and bag last me a full week.

Now, since takin...

I've had my ostomy with a 2x failed ileoanal pouch since 2007. The pouch never worked and left me in diapers for a summer in Phoenix... which just doesn't work. For whatever reason, they left the pouch in but discovered it. Throughout the years, I've had multiple surgeries with multiple complications. Most of the surgeries were due to poorly placed stoma, to an inny that leaked and leaked. But ...

Hi all,

One of our major concerns  for any colostomate is bag odour and gas/wind.
I have tried liquers, branded colostomy products, simethicone and charcoal, carbon pills, nothing works!
The only thing near, for bag odour, is a few drops of either eycaliptus or peppermint oil, but, sometimes, I was just changing the odour, not eliminating the odour! For gas, nothing has worked so far. Nervous ...