Hey bubba,

As part of my routine, I take a generic gasx (simethicone 125mg) pill after every meal and before bedtime.

it does not get rid of all gas but does a pretty good job of eliminating most of it. YMMV.

Of course on the days where my SIBO acts up, it like I have a gas factory going down there.

Yea I have some pills, maybe I should add it to my routine. I take Imodium and cholystramine, and then flagyl for ongoing pouchitis but it’s under control now. It’s like saying "Feed me Seymour”

why do we have so much extra gas. I don’t get it? Can anyone else pass gas? I cannot pass any. This eludes me.

You’re passing gas right?  If you can’t pass the gas very well then you should get scoped, there’s probably a stricture somewhere.

But yeah- I feel ya with the gas!  Worst for me was when I had to share a room with a coworker (my company was really cheap 15 years ago).  I used the bathroom, small explosions as usual, and walked out to find him staring at me aghast.  “What exactly is wrong with your farts?” he asked me, cracking up at the same time.  

If there is trouble with the stomach especially at night it may also be worth a try to change the sleeping place. I had an experience at a rehab years ago where I could find hardly any sleep at night. My stomach started grumbling when I went to bed and it didn't stop bothering me even after I was in the bathroom.

It was very different from my sleep at home, so after two exhausting nights I pulled out the mattress from the bed (the bed was fixed to the wall, so I couldn't move it) and lay it on the floor at some distance. From then on I could sleep as usual again. I was in doubt myself if it wasn't just a coincidence, so I tried to sleep in the bed again some days later. But for hardly an hour and I changed the place again.

I never experienced such obvious sleeping problems at any other place, but it reminded me to check several locations for my bed at home when I moved to another town.

Have you ever tried using Pepto Bismol to shut down these symptoms?

I used to use Pepto before my colitis diagnosis but my doc said to not use it- never asked recently. I actually can’t pass gas at all and have never been able to since i had my takedown since 2017. I just thought it was normal. My doc did a scope last year and didn’t see any strictures.

I’m going to take a gas ex at dinner and one before bed tonight and see if that helps.

Interesting story Steve- maybe the different way you were laying helped things?

I always have explosive D so that’s how it must get out lol!

Bubba, when you say you can't pass gas at all then you mean in a standing or sitting position, right? If you can pass stool then you can pass gas on the toilet.

Have you tried passing gas when laying down on the side or in an inverted postion? If the stool is too liquid then the gas escapes upward, that's why an inverted position can help. I also do that regularly after a BM because I can't pass all of the gas on the toilet.

Oh I can pass gas on the toilet alright. I just can pass it when standing or sitting. Sometimes in a very rare- like once or twice a year, I’ll pass it when laying down. My husband looks at my like what was that. I’m like Idk, I should go check to make sure I didn’t have an accident.

Last night I woke up again bc my stomach was so lousy. I took a gas ex at dinner and before bed like you all suggested. In the morning, around 5am, my stomach woke me up as per usual. I think it’s just regular peristalsis? Could it just be THAT loud? It sounds like little growling every 30 seconds or so.

It could be normal for you.

question: when is your last meal of the day?

I tend to stop eating no later than 600pm.

with my 6 to 7 hour digestion time, I like my last BM yo be by midnight or so. But my insides do gurgle sometimes in the middle of the night.

I know that growling of the intestines. My 'favorite' time was during the meditation of a yoga session. It is the regular peristalsis, perhaps intensified by some irritable bowels syndrome.

I have hardly any such issues since I use antibiotics for my chronic pouchitis regularly. If I don't, there is also too much water being flushed into the bowel at night, even if I don't eat for 6 hours before sleep. I don't drink at night, it's a 'normal' diarrhoea reaction of the bowel because of some bacteria I think.

With little antibiotics at late evening (Cipro & Flagyl) and a loperamide before sleep I can often have a quiet night and a rest of 13+ hours till the next BM at afternoon. With untreated pouchitis I had to go to the bathroom 2 or 3 times at night.

As it seems, I also need a capsule of budesonide with supper to prevent me from getting that burning feeling that comes with cuffitis.

Omg that sounds amazing - 13+ hours. I’m on flagyl. I take 250 mg with dinner for chronic pouchitis too, but the doc gave me the option of taking 2 per day. Maybe I need to up it. I feel like something might just be going on lately. I just love my snack after dinner watching TV - it’s a lot to ask but I hate to give it up. I guess - is it worth it right?

You need to compare and find out yourself if it's worth it.

Regarding antibiotics, perhaps you can try a combination with Cipro if Flagyl alone lost efficiency. Or another antibiotics, or a rotation of several, whatever serves you best.

I also found Scott F's way of taking antibiotics at late evening - some hours after the last meal - to be perhaps more effective for reducing bacteria.

Actually I increased my flagyl the past two days and wow what a difference! I rally think that was it. I can’t be on cipro bc I sometimes have to go on prednisone and cipro in combination with pred can cause an drastic increase for possible muscle rips or some random side effect like that. So flagyl just works better for me. But thanks for the suggestions everyone!

Good to hear you are better now. Perhaps you have to adjust the dosage of Flagyl from time to time to find the best compromise.

Do you take probiotics, too? I have an inexpensive one in the morning, not because I would see much difference in pouchitis activity, but to add some harmless bacteria and keep the noxious ones from spreading too much. At least that's the idea.

Oh yea, I do take one. I did some research and take one with 10 million + strains blah blah. I can’t afford the vasl since it’s not covered by insurance. But this one works for me. I take it with dinner.