Abdominal gas

I would not recommend not eating vegetables, we still need veggies for nutrients.

I take maalox, pantoprazole, and zofran for my gas.

Well i love vegetables but Dr told me to stay on the low fiber diet for now and avoid anything that would cause more bowel movements.  The only one I can eat right now  is unseasoned green beans and also can eat applesauce.

@Nancydiane posted:

Well i love vegetables but Dr told me to stay on the low fiber diet for now and avoid anything that would cause more bowel movements.  The only one I can eat right now  is unseasoned green beans and also can eat applesauce.

Good, glad your eating some vegetables

Have you tried using digestive enzymes? They have helped me with gas when eating vegetables and other gassy creating foods. I take Emzymedia.

I often experience trapped gas even after I had a BM in the bathroom.

For me the best way to get rid of gas is to let it leave upward, and that means rolling on my back with the knees above the head. Lying on one side is also safer than trying to pass gas while standing or sitting. Unfortunately you can hardly do such things if you are out of house.

Meds to physically dissolve gas like gas-X are often reported to be little helpful here.

Some people have success with digestive enzymes.

My last try was Carmentin. Those capsules hold a good portion of peppermint and kummel oil to help digestion. But I didn't feel a difference.

Yeah when I had my colon and I had ulcerative colitis and I would get the gas I used to be able to do what you're suggesting to get it to move but I find it doesn't really work for me now and I don't really get any relief with gas X I have an appointment tomorrow with gastro I'm hoping they have some other suggestions cuz it's quite uncomfortable  no I have not tried the digestive enzyme you are suggesting always a little bit concerned about how it's going to affect my bowels as I am still taking six Imodium a day to keep it within a 6 to 10 movements a day range

Agree, for me gasx only reduces the intensity of the farts; it does not eliminate them,

I can pass gas lying down, but typically not standing up. If I need to pass gas when I’m not in bed, then I have to go sit and have a BM as well,

This is just one of the many ways I have to manage my pouch life.

Don't even get me started when I am having my semi annual bout with SIBO

Imodium (loperamide) can also have a bloating effect. Have you tried to reduce your intake and replace it with psyllium husk (applied with little water it has a regulatory effect against diarrhea)?

No I have not tried that as the surgeons instructions were to avoid it because it would just make my bathroom trips worse but I will bring it up to the gastro doctor and see what her opinion is on it today I don't really feel bloated per se I will just get pain in the lower left quadrant that you can feel movement and according to the surgeon it's nothing for me to be worrying about and then when I do pass gas it goes away so it may just be something I have to deal with until things settle down more I'm only 5 months past takedown and I've been told it's probably going to take at least a year I know everyone's different for that scale but right after take down I was going to the bathroom 20 times a day when they finally left me take the Imodium that came down to maybe 15 so he added lomotil which I really don't use much of unless it starts getting bad which usually only happens if I chocolate even small amounts another vegetable other than the unseasoned green beans I guess it's a learning experience and I'll figure it out eventually I'm anxious to see what the gastro doctor will have to say surgeon tells me it'll probably take 3 years before I can basically eat whatever and not have an issue as it takes that long for my small intestine to take over the role of the large I don't know as this is completely new to me I could tell you most anything about UC as I had it for 40 years but I'm definitely learning this new system

Bowel surgery can interfere with the body's ability to produce the enzymes to digest food. I have noticed that digestive enzyme supplements really help me with digestive issues like gas, unprocessed food, low energy levels, etc.  There are a lot of them and it takes experimentation to know which ones work.  If you eat beans and cruciferous veggies then the generic "Beano" can help. Also, if I had to do it all over again, I would use organic powdered psyllium husk during my healing from the bowel surgery.  It can thicken the stools and coat the inside of the intestines, making passage of waste easier and more pleasant.  Just make sure, if you do take the psyllium, to take a lot of water with it.  Powdered is the easiest on the gut.  Organic tastes cleaner.

One further advantage of psyllium husk is, that it binds bile acids which can irritate the bowel's mucosa. Bile acids are recycled at the end of the small intestine and after pouch construction a piece of that is 'lost'.

@Nancydiane posted:

Yeah when I had my colon and I had ulcerative colitis and I would get the gas I used to be able to do what you're suggesting to get it to move but I find it doesn't really work for me now and I don't really get any relief with gas X I have an appointment tomorrow with gastro I'm hoping they have some other suggestions cuz it's quite uncomfortable  no I have not tried the digestive enzyme you are suggesting always a little bit concerned about how it's going to affect my bowels as I am still taking six Imodium a day to keep it within a 6 to 10 movements a day range

You can take it up to 4x a day

Nancydiane I'm glad your touching base with your gastro for some ideas for relief. It could be SIBO, which diet and meds can help. Praying  you see relief soon.

Thanks she is prescribing a medication to help with gas told me to not do psyllium too soon and.to use lomotil instead of Imodium. 

It can take a year or more for your gut to adapt to the lack of a colon. Most gas is produced by bacterial action on undigested carbohydrates. Much of this is fiber. Some people find that probiotics are helpful. Others get relief with short courses of antibiotics. Avoiding foods that are most gas producing is another tactic. The main thing is that it is an evolving process, and the fact the it is always changing can be quite frustrating.

I found that my function improved over several years. So there is no magic time frame where you can expect everything to fall into place.

Jan

I have to add that after 10 yrs now I still get a lot of gas.  Not sure if it will ever go away.  I do the things that all the comments suggested.  They help and make it better.  I have tried one new digestive relief called Iberogast.  My GI dr. just suggested it. I think it's helping. My go twos are Lactaid because I am also Lactaid intolerant and Gluten sensitive I eat mostly gluten free.  I don't eat vegetables except carrots and squash and sometimes green beans then I take beano or gas x.   I do take supplements. What helps slow down the process is Lomotil, psyllium husk and hyoscyamine sulf. It is a process and we all tailor our regimen to our needs and what works.  Best of Luck.   

Hi!  I'm curious about the effects of the Iberogast.  Can you describe how you think it helps?  Some people complain that it contains wheat, but I don't see that on the ingredient list.

Hi, I just started taking this about 2 weeks now. I looked it up and no wheat.  I feel like it helps so far but the gas is still there not as much.  I will see.  I do feel a bit of abdominal discomfort but it goes away.  I'll give anything a try for awhile.   

I am the same with the self-experimentation. I'll be curious to know what you determine after more time with it.  It is interesting to know what people's experiences are, even if they won't work for me.  All our guts seem to be unique.  They say the microbiome is like a fingerprint, but that doesn't mean that we are completely different. I mean, we're all the same species, right?

I'll let ya know.

Merry Christmas 🎁

@Sara Marie posted:

I am the same with the self-experimentation. I'll be curious to know what you determine after more time with it.  It is interesting to know what people's experiences are, even if they won't work for me.  All our guts seem to be unique.  They say the microbiome is like a fingerprint, but that doesn't mean that we are completely different. I mean, we're all the same species, right?

AMEN!

@Mary2017 posted:

AMEN!

Testifying complete! (Coz I got my AMEN!)

@Sara Marie posted:

Testifying complete! (Coz I got my AMEN!)

You know its complete when you get an AMEN, it literally means "so be it" lol.

I also have a lot of gas and it’s very embarrassing

when your in someone else’s home

any ideas on how to fix it

I’m 8 years out and it’s a pain. I get rumbling during the day and when I’m in meetings with students (I work at a college), it’s pretty embarrassing. The evening after I go to bed is the worst. My husband has actually woken me up to tell me my stomach is making noises and I might need to use the bathroom.

It wakes me up almost every night around 3am (I go to bed around 11, so I only get around 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep, if I’m lucky). Then I’m up almost every hour until morning. I go a lot- I’m up to 10-15X per day. I take 3 Imodium and 2 colestipol. Just made an appt with a new GI at the end of Jan to see what we can do (if anything) bc the lack of sleep is becoming a real issue.

Idk what to tell ya, I’ve tried gas ex, low residue diet, no eating after dinner, etc. Nothing seems to work. So if anyone has suggestions, please let me know!

@mega posted:

I also have a lot of gas and it’s very embarrassing

when your in someone else’s home

any ideas on how to fix it

Maybe play music on your smartphone when your in the bathroom. I heard that idea from a video

@Bubbapup posted:

I’m 8 years out and it’s a pain. I get rumbling during the day and when I’m in meetings with students (I work at a college), it’s pretty embarrassing. The evening after I go to bed is the worst. My husband has actually woken me up to tell me my stomach is making noises and I might need to use the bathroom.

It wakes me up almost every night around 3am (I go to bed around 11, so I only get around 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep, if I’m lucky). Then I’m up almost every hour until morning. I go a lot- I’m up to 10-15X per day. I take 3 Imodium and 2 colestipol. Just made an appt with a new GI at the end of Jan to see what we can do (if anything) bc the lack of sleep is becoming a real issue.

Idk what to tell ya, I’ve tried gas ex, low residue diet, no eating after dinner, etc. Nothing seems to work. So if anyone has suggestions, please let me know!

Do you take naps during the day when you can?

@mega & @Bubbapup Have y'all tried digestive enzymes?  Gas-X (a reactive approach) didn't help me at all but digestive enzymes (a proactive approach) have helped a ton.  I have tried "Super Enzymes" by "Now" and something like "Digest Gold" (forgot who makes it), which contain a small amount of a lot of different enzymes.  Those help some people a lot, but they didn't do anything for me.

The ones that increase energy and decrease gas/bloating for me are:

• Now brand "Plant Enzymes" from any coop or natural product grocery store or internet
• Generic "Beano" from my grocery store or drug store
• "DAOHist" from my fancy drug store or from the internet
• "FODZYME" from the internet.

The first two reduced gas and increased energy for eating things like beans, fat, grains, and cruciferous veggies.  The 3rd helps deal with foods high in histamines like tomatoes, processed meat, bananas, cheese and fermented foods (I can even have beer and wine every once in a while with this).  The 4th helps with gas from onions/garlic (foods containing fructans), and dairy.  Gut surgery and age are both major contributors to decreases in the body's ability to make digestive enzymes on its own.  The effect of these digestive enzymes has been VERY noticeable to me! 

If you notice your bloating is more severe with certain foods, you could try the digestive enzyme that targets that type of food.  I have bad responses to so many foods, but now I can eat much more variety and absorb more nutrients from my food. I still get up once in the night, usually, for peeing/pooping since I started the enzymes, but I don't generally have nearly as much digestive upset/discomfort as I used to and when I do, I get over it more quickly.  (Knock on wood that this keeps working-I have noticed that the gut issues are a moving target!)

Digestive enzymes are not my only gut management product, but they really help a lot!