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ileostomy pouch collects a lot of gas
I have to vent my ileostomy pouch several times a day. Bedtime is especially troublesome. I empty my pouch before bed, but I have to set an alarm to wake me in 30-40 minutes, just to get up and vent gas. Then I have to reset the alarm at least one more time. I am sometimes up three times before midnight.
During the day I also get gas but that is often accompanied by liquid or semi-liquid waste. Sometimes there is little or no gas with the waste.
Used EZ-vents for a while. They helped but after having several come loose and allow leakage I gave up on them.
I would like to know if others have had similar gas issues and any suggestions for improving the situation.
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@dona46 I found that the amount of gas I had decreased as time went on. Do you notice that the gas is associated with any foods? For example, when I have broccoli (well cooked) I will get more gas. If I have milk products, I will have gas because I am lactose intolerant (sometimes ice cream is worth it). Other things that can increase your gas are chewing gum, sucking hard candies, and drinking carbonated beverages. If you swallow air, you wind up with gas.
Although they don't seem to last very long, I have found that ostomy pouches with built-in filters do let gas out to a certain extent. Have you tried those?
Thanks for your reply and suggestions.
I'm 80 years old and had my ileostomy about 18 months ago. The gas issue seems to be worse now than ever. So, I'll be surprised if it gets better unless I change something.
I had a doctor tell me years ago I must be swallowing air. That was way before the ileostomy and even then I had more gas than most folks. I have tried to catch myself swallowing air, but if I do, I am not aware of it and don't know what to change. I am a very slow eater and chew my food much more than normal.
I have not been able to associate my gas to with any particular food except beans. I'll try to pay attention to broccoli and ice cream as both are very frequent in my normal diet. I'll try eliminating them one at a time. Thanks for mentioning them.
I now use Coloplast pouches with filters, and I tried filtered Hollister pouches earlier. The Hollister filters never seemed to work at all. The Coloplast filters work a little at first, but by day two I think the filter is clogged
@dona46 I had a similar experience with the Coloplast filters. They get clogged. If you are using a 2 piece appliance you could change the bag, but not the wafer, after the filter gets clogged.
Some other foods on the "gas producing" list are:
Alcohol, Beans, Broccoli, Brussel sprouts, Cabbage, Carbonated beverages, Cauliflower, Chewing gum, Cucumber, Dairy products, Eggs, Onions, Peas.
I'm not sure how you can identify when you swallow air, either. Particularly if you do it in your sleep.
Have you tried anything like Gas-X or Beano?
@susanf8 Thanks for the expanded list of gassy foods. Gezzz I eat a lot of those. If I eliminated all of them I think I would have trouble maintaining my weight. That’s another issue I have even without avoiding all those. I’ll have to try cutting them out one at a time.
I have not tried gas-x. I think I’ll try that first.
@dona46 a lot of those foods are part of a healthy diet, and I also like eating them. One idea is to perhaps cook the cruciferae (broccoli, cauliflower, etc) a little more; that helps make them less gassy.
Keeping a food diary and seeing how much gas you have and if it relates to what you are eating might help narrow it down.