This topic is about a person who has had an ileostomy for a year and is experiencing an occasional strange smell, even though there is no visible leak from their ostomy pouch. The smell seems to linger at the back of their nose or throat, but no one else, including their husband, can detect it. It happens randomly and doesn't seem to be related to any specific food.

Here are some helpful insights and advice:

1. The issue persists across different boxes of pouches, indicating it might not be a problem with just one batch.
2. The person is using Salts Confidence BE Drainable Convex pouches, which have an integrated filter but do not come with small stickers to cover the filter.
3. They suspect the odor might be escaping through the filter and plan to contact Salts Healthcare for advice.

Advice and insights for dealing with this issue:

1. If you suspect a production issue with your pouches, contact the manufacturer. They have replaced defective batches in the past.
2. Check the junction between the wafer and the "O"-ring carefully, as even a tiny gap can trap output, leading to odor.
3. Try flushing the pouch while it's still attached by draining it, adding water, swishing it around, and draining again to remove any residue that might cause a smell.
4. Be aware that heat or hot weather can intensify appliance odors.
5. Integrated charcoal filters can fail quickly, and many users find that filtered or vented pouches allow odor after a short time.
- You can test this by covering the filter with non-porous tape or a shower/swim sticker. If the odor stops, the filter might be the issue.
- Switching to non-vented (non-filtered) pouches can eliminate this specific problem for some users.
6. The small stickers that come with some filtered pouches are meant to protect the filter during showering or swimming. They can also be left on permanently if the filter becomes contaminated and starts to smell.