Odor & Ostomy

I am in a bit of a conundrum, and I signed up on this site to come ask this question, wondering if maybe all of you on the site could have a suggestion.   I have a friend who has an ostomy and bag. I visit her often, as I am really only one of the friends she has. She got an infection from a bug bit and ended up losing a large part of her intestines as a result, and of course was given the ostomy. The ostomy, she only recently learned through a Dr that DIDN'T do her ostomy surgery, is irreversible; the Dr that did the surgery doesn'...

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 (as well as producing vast amount of wind!) I've tried so many deodorisers and mint drops eating less of these foods and even ...

Hey Ostomates 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 good without being too highly scented? I hsve tried so many different ones and even tried expensive body spray which  didn't work.....with Ileostomy, bathroom odor lingers for a long time after emptying which is quite often whether I eat or not and I always put the lid down on toilet and multiple flush. but it still lingers....this is my SOS call....PLEASE HELP. Ange    

not sure if this has been tried before but here is a simple and very cheap way to eliminate odour from pouch... buy a small bottle of eucalyptis 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 plesent smell all day long as well.why pay companies for expensive odour eliminator products when you can buy a bottle of this miracle stuff at any chemist ...

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.

Have an ileoostomy and curious I know that I should probably avoid certain foods having an ostomy would lessen odors, but I would appreciate any tips and tricks that people use to cover /mask odors in an ostomy. This includes certain tablets, herbs and the like. Thanx!

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 there or is it in my head? Sometimes I think I'm going nuts with this, but no one can answer unless they've been there. Any comments/suggestions are m...

What can be done about odors.

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 used a convex flange but even tried flat flange in efforts to solve this problem.  I really don't want to fa...

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 anything outside of the bag.  Have any of you had this issue after changing out your bag??  It just seems odd to me that I would have th...

I had a colostomy in 2014.   Our house is small, with two parents, two kids, two bathrooms. Within a week of the colostomy, the decision was made. My family did NOT want to share a bathroom with me.  Me, (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 (I'm allergic to almost ALL of those).  The window opens, but in the winter it's freezing and in the summer the bugs can na...

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 power fan at home so that works. Redrockhiker

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 from location is that whenever I go out there's a giant point in my shirt, and everyone stares at me. A thin build makes it especially noticeable....

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'll just have to live with as he grows older?  I can only imagine how it will be in school when he walks aro...

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 if they can smell it too

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 within minutes I have an odor coming from it! I have no poop in it.  I have tried everything that I can think of to eliminate it. I have a g...

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, 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 odor was mostly seeping from the seal between the bag and flange, from the juncture between the bag fabric and plastic ring, and from under ...

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 runs out of the one I get with my supplies, so 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 called M9 odor eliminator drops which destroys odors in ostomy pouches and WOW!! this is amazing stuff I put 8 drops inside pouch ater each empty and h...

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 experience of this? I have my ileostomy a year now and it is still all quite new to me. Thanks   

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 that normal? Or am I applying the bag wrong? I changed it while we were in the hospital. She wasn’t eating a lot but she had started ...

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?

since i got this iliostomy 6 mos ago i have this smell that won.t go away and i can.t figure out what it is. or if this something not to worry about anyone else have a strong ammonia coming from their ostomy ?  no one else can smell it but me no one close to me unless maybe its the barrier wipe i know that has a strong odor but it seems that this is something new if it was that i would have been smelling it all along instead of just now.

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.  

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

Has anyone used Reliamed odor eliminator drops?  I've used Hollister M9 and also Na 'Scent,  the latter of which I like, but have used mostly M9.  Just wondering about the Reliamed.   Thanks!

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

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

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 and the bag is not stinking. Wow. Let me know if any one tried this🙂

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 anyone knows of a homemade solution?

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, then seal. Works 100% of the time and is inexpensive. Parthenon sells a great tablet you chew or swallow and in conjunction with the above will r...

When it was important... for me it was when I dated... to not have any excrement and/or gas, I took charcoal tablets. They're available OTC in drug stores. Bought mine at a CVS. Not sure if they affect overall health when taken 24/7. They sure made a difference in my life; had NO anxiety when close to others. 

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 any deodorant in my bag on the previous occasion, I find I smell up the whole house. It is quite embarrassing if you have company...

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 have multiple surgeries with multiple complications.  Most of the surgeries were do to poorly placed stoma, to an inny that leaked and leaked. Butt finale when things seem to be going along ok, I began to experience am uncontrolled slow drip off green slime from my rectum. The slimmer was ...

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 good 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 lasts me a full week. Now, since taking Jigsaw Complete (I found a recommendation here for it), My bag and barrier SMELL.  It even smells...

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.

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 problem? Any serious suggestions please!

Today has been strange.  As title states my output has a new odor.  It has decreased thru the day at least.  No other problems, just put on new appliance this morn.  No new foods or beverages.  Called ET nurse and she has never encountered this.  I guess I am wondering if anyone has ever experienced this?