Stinky Gas post DS

I just wanted to tell you my experience....

My gas only smells when I have eaten things that are high in carbs...like rice, pasta, etc.  It is about diet and what you are putting in your mouth.  If you are eating low carb  you will not have "stinky gas".  However, this discussionalways makes me laugh because I do not know anyone pre-op or post-op who has beautifully smelling gas.  Mine actually smells less now that I am post-op and eating low carb. 

I currently do not take probiotics, but when I start to notice a problem I will start taking them again.  Right now I am dating too and I spend the night at a man's house and I have no problems even pooping there.  So, the moral of the story is.....do not let the stories of the gas and poop smells scare you away.  It is just not the reality.  There is no gas or poop that smells good pre-op and it will conitnue to stink post-op.  Eat low carb and you should have no issues with the white flour.  When you are at goal and are adding some of those things in your diet tthen you can see how the smell changes.  Just do not let it worry you now.

Jennifer

okay

Here is a list of products that you may want to try for smelly issues:

Body Fantasies, Vanilla or cotton candy (can be bought at Wal-mart, fragrance section). Spray the air. (works well enough)

Just a Drop-order online.(to be put into toilet before you go)

Poo-Pouri-order online or local store (check locations, spray into toilet beforehand.). This works well, but  have to remember to use it before you go.

Ozium, (bought at car dealerships, spray into air.). I have used this and it works very well.

As others have said Probiotics. Primal Defense is a good one, I think Garden of Life makes it, not sure, have not ordered any yet.

And Flagyl, which is an antibiotic and it will kill the bad bacteria in your gut. Can be ordered by a doctor or gotten on line, sold as FishZole.

Then again, you may be like some and have no smelly issues. Gosh, I hope I have no isses, but we will see.  Best to you.
Karen

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Thanks for the list. I will add this to my other helpful hints I have been gathering.

Ya know what I think is HILARIOUS about the smell of my gas now?  Yes, I said HILARIOUS!  It's that is doesn't smell like normal peoples gas....doesn't smell like gas at all - it's foul just the same but "normal" people don't realize someone farted because it doesn't smell like a "typical" fart.  Perfect example....(I am gonna tell on myself now)

I was in the Ross dressing room waiting for my daughter to try on some bathing suits and I had been eating WAY too many carbs for my own good and I knew I had to fart.  So I walked to a different area of the dressing room and let it go.  After lingering for just a minute (you KNOW how it lingers - even follows you!) I walked back to the area where my daughter was changing.  A woman walked out of a neighboring room with clothes in hand and as she was exiting the dressing area, I saw her cover her mouth and nose with her hand.  I almost started laughing out loud because I knew she was thinking to herself "What is that smell?"  but I knew she would never think it was a fart - so she would assume it was bad "dressing room smell".  I was laughing SO HARD on the inside....I almost busted up laughing - thank goodness she kept walking to get away from the "fog"....

See I can find the positive in ANYTHING!!!  Think how great that is that no one can pin it on you!

:-)

Dana

Now that's the most bizarre fart story I have ever heard.  LMAO  

LMAO i've done that...hehehe
and what gets me giggling hysterically is when i do it in the bedroom...sometimes. i do truly try not to.
but some days i get some sugar free ice cream and well.....
anyway, my husband STILL goes "Gasp! CHoke!! Is that the DOG? OMG what IS that??" then he looks at me, and i'm trying my hardest EVER to keep my face plain and to be just as curious about the smell but then he points at me and screams "IT"S YOU!!!" and starts choking MORE and screaming and running out of the room and turning on the fans, and treatening to take the dog downstairs so she can breathe and i laugh and laugh AND LAUGH!!! *lol*

I don't take any probiotics or flagyl and I don't have any gas issues unless I eat a really large amount of carbs and sugar. And I have to really go out of my way to get to the level of really bad gas. I don't actively watch what I eat as long as I have my protein and water in.

However, at one year out, I had a bout of really bad constant bloating gas. I tried everything but it wouldn't go away. It was really uncomfortable. I started taking flagyl and continued for probably longer than I should have (about 3mo). After my prescription ran out, I didn't refill and haven't had any problems since.

I think the gas and poop info you find on the net is grossly exaggerated as a scare tactic by RNY surgeons to steer people away from the DS. It's nowhere near as bad as some of these websites make it out to be.

the only time i've ever had a problem with gas was when i ate sugar alcohols (such as fake sugars like xylotol, malitol etc. ..could be spelling them wrong *lol*)
never had any problems from anything else!

The best recommendation is figuring out what NOT to take

Gas as a rule is pretty controllable by what we eat.  The three biggest causes of gas are:

1) Simple carbs (breads, sugars, pastas, etc)
2) Artificial Sweeteners
3) Lactose Intolerances (may include whey protein, and may not include all lactose products)

And of course, people react differently to different things.

You can try eliminating these one at a time or all at once and see if you notice a difference after a couple of days.  Then reintroduce one at a time and see what gives you a reaction to pinpoint the culprit.

Now, if none of that works, you may have an overgrowth of bacteria in the small bowel.  You can try adding probiotics if you don't already (I find a daily cup of yogurt works wonders for me).  The last step is seeing your doc for a course or two of antibiotics, which you will follow with probiotics.  Flagyl seems to be the antibiotic of choice.  I used it about a year and a half out myself.  .