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Hi, I have had my j-pouch for 2.5 years and thankfully have had no major issues. However, I have noticed that my BMs are way more smelly than normal and I tend to only be able to pass gas at night while laying in bed, it reeks!

What has worked for you in alleviating these symptoms? Probiotics? I have tried Kombucha and that has had mixed results. A few months ago I had a pouchoscopy and I think since then the odor has gotten worse.

Please help, especially for my wife’s sake!!!

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Hey klwombat, I always pass gas lying on my right side.   You could try relaxing somewhere private for a while before bedtime.  I find I sleep better if I finish eating for the day quite early, so most everything is gone before I get in bed.  If I'm quite hungry I'll have a small snack of something that digests slowly, like peanut butter. This may require changing mealtime habits.

Hi klwombat, I found that things gradually got better on their own. I think getting the pouchoscopy disrupted things a bit. I took some over-the-counter probiotics and that seemed to help a little bit, but it took a few days of taking them consistently to see some results. Things are doing better now, but I notice that certain foods (spicy and stuff really high in fiber) still make me more gassy/pungent. Hope this helps!

I suggest taking a diary of what your typical meals for the day are.  Take notice if the smells are better or worse.  Use metucil or bulking agent, which soaks up much of the liquid and reduces gas.  It helps reduce butt burn on the way out too, and reduces the number of bms.  All poop stinks no matter whether one has a colon or not.

I find that certain foods cause do produce more gas and odor than others.

I found that highly processed foods and sugary foods smell worse than Fresh whole foods, so i would  recommend finding foods that cause you less gas.

Good luck.

Last edited by Frustrated
@Frustrated posted:

  All poop stinks no matter whether one has a colon or not.

Yes and I don't like when someone has the attitude that their shit doesn't (or shouldn't) stink.😜

Anyway, in these situations Glade Air Freshener is your friend. I like the Apples and Cinnamon scented spray, but the Hawaiian Breeze scent is also good.

https://www.target.com/p/glade...0EAQYASAAEgJJ8fD_BwE

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Last edited by CTBarrister
@CTBarrister posted:

Yes and I don't like when someone has the attitude that their shit doesn't (or shouldn't) stink.😜

Anyway, in these situations Glade Air Freshener is your friend. I like the Apples and Cinnamon scented spray, but the Hawaiian Breeze scent is also good.

https://www.target.com/p/glade...0EAQYASAAEgJJ8fD_BwE

I laughed at that one... Lol.

Now I don't have a pouch any longer.

Ya. They stink. Ileo's do too. As for gas. I don't worry about it anymore.  As for the bathrooms toilet I use Just A Drop.

Sometimes it takes a couple drops.  But it works

And everyone's poop stinks. Ours is just more "fragrant".

Lol.

I don't worry about it.

Glade is cheap. Put em in every bathroom.

When I worked the bathroom was in the same room as the breakroom. There was a door of course. But I'll tell you what. Sometimes you'd be chased out of the breakroom because it was a colon'ed person who stunk up the whole place. And he came out of the bathroom smiling

Thing is. If it's workin. And all the worry is about smell.

Why worry... Stink it up!

Richard.

+1 for Devrom and Metamucil. Devrom helps with odors, and Metamucil bulks and softens the stool so it's more formed and passes with less effort.

Also get a bidet. It's life changing, and you won't know how you ever lived without one.  Really helps to eliminate the irritation from frequent wiping. The non-electric bidets have the best pressure and can act.like an enema to clean you out when you are having issues moving things along. The Alpha One V2 Bidet Seat is what I use. It's under $100 and has great pressure. But that's just my opinion, get whatever works for you.

Last edited by roadshow

Lol.  I used to get embarrassed on the noise and smell, but now I don't care, i let it out and it feels good.  I can say that metamucil is a game changer for sure.   Gax X is also combined with immodium and metamucil it is a lot less noisy and smelly.   I wish the best for all my fellow pouch buddies, and those without.  It doesnt have to feel like a life sentence of discomfort.  Find out what works and go forward.

I find I don't need any additional substance breakdown in my system. I need the opposite! Which is why the Imodium and husk slow things down, otherwise they would follow right through.

I'm now 4.5 months from my pouch connection. I'm taking 2 Imodium every 6 hours (this is the max recommended dosage). I'm consuming 3 tsp of the orange-flavored stevia psyllium husk 3x/day (note that the dosage with sugar is much higher, like tablespoons vs teaspoons). This is getting me like 22g of soluble fiber daily, plus whatever else I get in food like whole wheat bagels. I'm still passing 8-10 bms daily, but it's better than 20. Best of all, my urgency is like normal. I am just starting to feel comfortable that I can hold it well enough that I don't have to carry clean-up gear with me for every errand and walk.

Hope this is helpful for my fellow pouchers.

I should have done a better job explaining how it works.

It doesn't make things pass faster. It breaks down the fats so they're more digested when you go. Fats that aren't fully processed will pass with an oily liquid consistency. That makes it harder for to pass formed stool.

I'd estimate that it cuts down bathroom visits by one third. During Covid my pharmacy was out of it for almost a month. There was a  noticeable difference.

Incorporating all of the techniques discussed on this thread allow me to pass solid formed stool most of the time. Not every time, but more than not.  Previously, that never happened for me. So, I'm not sure if every med or supplement I'm taking makes the difference, but it's working for now. Adding the sugar free generic Cholestyramine to all of the other magic tricks has made a difference in my case.

Anyone got any tips on how to prevent the burning and havoc caused by taking Iron supplements? I'm anemic, so I have to take it 3x a week.

Last edited by roadshow

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