Ileostomy pouch collects a lot of gas: Any tips to help?

@dona46 and @susanf8

Re: clogged Coloplast filters. I have been using a 2-piece Coloplast appliance since almost when I began this journey. Found a post on another forum about the filters and the clogging. The poster's answer was to cut out the filters before you use them. What a difference that makes. I started doing it each time I received a new box and would never go back. Just be careful to cut only the filter plastic.

Thanks for the information. I really want to try this. Can you post or link to more information. I don’t understand exactly what to cut. Do you remove the carbon disc filter element? Do you cut with an exact or scaple type knife? Or scissors?

@piki there are different filter shapes for different lines. Mio has a circular filter, Sensura has, I think, a small semicircular one.

Are you removing the filter because you don't want it? There are bags with no filters in some sizes.

Which Coloplast product line do you use?

@dona46 is there any way to figure out if you are swallowing air when you sleep? I don't really know how you would do this. @colleenyoung, any thoughts? We've covered the common answers (gas producing foods, carbonated beverages).

@susanf8 Thanks for your answer, Susa. I use the Sensura Mio double-click 60 mm deep convex flange with its accompanying bag. The bag has the extra plastic encased filter which I deliberately cut out because it gets clogged as soon as the output hits it. I also have samples in the Sensura Mio double click flat flange in both the 50 mm and 60 mm size and both come with bags that have the filter thingy in them. I don't know about the bags with no extra filters in them.

I learned about cutting out the filters on the Canadian ostomy forum. In fact Coloplast had been approached by some Canadian clients to get rid of those filters and they had refused.

@piki Coloplast does make some bags with no filters. But they have such a wide selection of wafers and bags that it can be confusing. They color code the bags and wafers so that it's easier to know what is size compatible with what. I wear a Sensura drainable bag that comes with no filter in the red sizing. The Assura bags also fit my wafer, but have filters. So Assura, and Sensura wafers can use pouches of the other style.

Then there is the Sensura Mio, which has a different attachment system. I don't think they are interchangable with Assura or Sensura pouches. I don't think these have filterless bags.

If you called Coloplast customer service and talked with them, they might be able to send you samples in a system that is comparable to the Sensura Mio, and has a bag with no filter.

I'm very glad to know of the filter removal hack, because I hate the filters. I've not had to move into another product like, but you never know what can happen!

Coloplast, like other manufacturers are limited in what they can make by the number of factories they have. So, while they don't currently have a Mio bag with no filter, if they keep getting customer feedback for it, it could happen!

@susanf8
We are talking about removing filters because they are too restrictive (allow too much pressure to build up in the pouch). Removing the filter but keeping the vent allows the gas to escape much faster so pressure does not build up.
Pouches with no filter (and no vent) would be worse for gas build up.

@susanf8
Gas is a problem in the daytime also. I do not think I swallow air while asleep. I think the gas builds up during the day and the last of it is released shortly after laying down. It's all gone by midnight.

@piki
I really want to learn more about this pouch modification,
I also use Coloplast two part pouch system. The filter is a charcoal disc about the size of a quarter. It is fed gas from a semi-circular perforated collector inside the top of the
pouch. Gas enters at the rim of the quarter sized filter and exits out a hole in the center of the disc. The center hole has a small paper filter which is a barrier to keep liquid (or semi-liquid) matter from leaking out of the pouch. The carbon filter very slowly let gas pass through to the outside. With my wet gassy ileostomy output the filter quickly becomes so clogged it is useless.

I really hope you can tell me more about the modification you found useful.