Question:
Smelling an odor after gastric bypass

I completed the Gastric Bypass on 6/16/11. Since that time, I am noticing an odor, strong at times, when I breathe. It is annoying and tends to linger in what seems like my clothes and on my body. My husband does not smell it, only I do. Has anyone else experienced this? Help    — cdbrewster2 (posted on June 29, 2011)

June 29, 2011
Yes. I am 9 months out and I thought I was the only one. It kinda smells like Bile, doesn't it? I am not sure what it is. I lost my sense of smell over a year and a half ago from a sinus infection... but for some weird reason I can smell this Bile smell, but no one else can. Makes no sense.
   — Dana M.

June 29, 2011
It is normal I was told, too funny, I remember when I first went back to school and one of my students made such an awful face when I talked to him because my breath was so bad. They told me it was ketosis, I do not know, but it is normal and it goes a way.
   — FSUMom

June 29, 2011
The odor comes from our body not processing food the way it did before. You will often find the odor even worse if you have more carbs. I remember when I first had the surgery (5 yrs ago), I was horrified. When I had gas, the smell would not go away. I would have to take off my night clothes and wash them (or whatever I was wearing) because the odor clung to the fabric. I did a LOT of research about this because I knew I could not go the rest of my life smelling so offensive. There is a product called Devrom (an internal deodorant). They have a web site. I tried it and have been taking it ever since. The smell from gas is not as offensive, it is more normal like before surgery and the smell does not cling and stick around. The dose on the bottle says 1-2 capsules up to 4 times a day. When I started I took 3 caps 2 times a day (morning and night). Now as long as I am being more careful about my carbs, I find if I take three caps in the morning, I'm fine. Sorry for the long note but I hope it helps.
   — Ladysmilesmuch

June 29, 2011
When I was going to Curves (before surgery) & was on their diet, she told us that it was normal (actually, she said it was a good thing) & called it ketosis. I looked it up & here's a portion of what I found - "If the diet is changed from a highly glycemic diet to a diet that does not provide sufficient carbohydrate to replenish glycogen stores, the body goes through a set of stages to enter ketosis. During the initial stages of this process, blood glucose levels are maintained through gluconeogenesis, and the adult brain does not burn ketones; however, the brain makes immediate use of ketones for lipid synthesis in the brain. After about 48 hours of this process, the brain starts burning ketones in order to more directly use the energy from the fat stores that are being depended upon, and to reserve the glucose only for its absolute needs, thus avoiding the depletion of the body's protein store in the muscles."
   — Tickie

July 1, 2011
Thank you all for these answers. This was not my question, but I benefitted greatly from the answers. I have already ordered two bottles of Devrom.
   — pshock