What are the CAUSES of the loud stomach noises?

Idk the cause but mine seems better when I take a probiotic after dinner.

You answered your own question. 

Also, accepting loud noises from the gut isn't defeatism. People with colons go through this too. It's normal.

I find the problem begins AFTER I eat something (not before with hunger pains).  Personally, I think it is gas... we don't have 9 miles of colon for gas to travel through and the gas hits your pouch like it's falling into a cave.  If you empty your pouch before a meeting, I think this might help.

If I eat too fast I can get some grumbling.

Pouchitis definitely plays a role for me. Since my pouchitis has been in remission, my gut has been pretty silent. Peppermint supplements helped with my churning gut when pouchitis was active.

For many people (even with a colon), stress and anxiety plays a role. IBS and IPS definitely have a nervous system relationship. 

I never found specific foods to make a difference, other than hot peppers giving me hiccups.

I presume it is all very individual.

Jan

If you take a capful of Pepto Bismol it will put the kabosh on abdominal noises. Total silence, and forget the noise, pretty quickly. If you are taking antibiotics or other meds you can’t take the PB within 2 hours before or after. However if you work into that schedule 3-4 PB doses a day, it’s gonna be total silence from your belly. Problem solved.

If something is still making noises in there after a couple days of PB treatment it’s likely alien in origin because bacteria of this Earth does not survive those toxins. In that case you may want to call NASA because Houston may have a problem.

NB- PB will change the color of your stool and thicken it. So don’t be alarmed.

CTBarrister: do you mean to take the pepto bismol only for a few days until the rumbling stops or to take it regularly?

I don't know if taking "PB only" is or should be a sustainable long term treatment plan and I did not mean that.  My point was that if you take PB 3-4 doses for a few days the rumblings are quite likely to stop.  I would actually think even one or two dosings might cause a cessation of symptoms.  In the past I have used PB liberally and successfully as a supplemental treatment when everything else was not working, and I was suffering symptoms including those you have described.  For any kind of "upset stomach", I have found immediate relief from this ages old bactericidal standby.

Pepto Bismol is like a relief pitcher in baseball- the best relief pitcher in the bullpen, who comes into the game when the starting pitcher or initial relievers cannot get anyone out.  I have exactly the same philosophy in using it.

So I took a dose of Pepto Bismol for two days and almost all of the noises stopped! Does that mean that the cause was bacterial overgrowth? How do I know the motility slowdown did not do the trick? And what's next now? Do I try to get on an antibiotic? 

It doesn’t mean it was bacterial overgrowth but the fact that PB put the kebash on it means it was likely a bacterial related issue. Antibiotics should only be used to treat bowel inflammation, not noise. If you have no known inflammation, there is nothing further to treat.

I see. So is the only way to know for sure to get a pouchoscopy? Or can they detect in other ways without going in?

If the only symptom is stomach noises and that symptom is now gone, I don’t see any need to be getting scoped or having unnecessary procedures or taking unnecessary medications.

I guess my concern is that this was temporary relief. I'll find out soon enough if the symptoms come back. But I don't want to be taking the pepto Bismol daily long term.

I get the stomach noises too! It is to the point that if I am in class or training for work, I don't eat lunch because it is loud and embarrassing. I don't care what others think, I just don't want to have to explain it. I have a stricture so I do have to be careful of what I eat. The more hydrated I stay the better off I am and the less noises I have going on. I also take VSL 3 Probiotics and they are great. The noises are definitely worse if I eat more carbs and sugar.

Who else had the j-pouch surgery for UC only to find out years later that they have Crohn's? I had my original surgery in 1996 and I have had complications on an off for years. Diagnosed in 2005 with Crohn's.

 Bowel disease can change over the course of time and the diagnosis of it is not really relevant any more since many of the treatments are the same. There are many people who had UC and later manifested either “Crohn’s” or Crohn’s like inflammation in areas where it didn’t previously exist. J Pouches change your anatomy and also don’t have an escape hatch as the colon did so the manifestation of inflammation north or above the j pouch is no longer a real surprise. Many people never have it, some get it over a decade after J Pouch surgery like me. In the end what you call it doesn’t matter, what matters is responsiveness to treatments that are largely the same. I was far sicker with UC in the 1970s and 1980s than I have been with Crohn’s since 2007 and I am very satisfied with my current status. It’s due to effectiveness of treatment.  No matter what you call IBD it’s either treatable or not so focus on that and not semi-arbitrary labels.

The amount of energy wasted over worrying about a diagnosis which is incapable of being certain beyond reasonable medical certainty is quite frankly astonishing to me. I understand insurance companies operate at a Neanderthal level of understanding and need diagnosis codes but most doctors actually understand this and play the game to get coverage for the patient based on their Hippocratic duties. So what they say doesn’t really have applicability to the reality of the situation beyond insurance coverage gaming.

Try an elimination diet.

I have found that by doing either the dissociated diet (separate your proteins and carbs into 2 different meals, eat your veggies with either group, your fruits in the morning on an empty stomach or up to 1/2hr prior to a meal and avoid dairy products) or the elimination diet (1-3 days of fruit and fruit juice fasting then slowly introduce foods (and food groups) one at a time. 

Keep a food diary going while you do this an include noises, liquids consumed with meals as well as meds.

That might give you a key to what works or doesn't work for your body.

Sharon 

Someone mentioned that dehydration causes the sounds? How does that work?

When you say stomach do you mean bowel? My bowels are very noisy post-surgery, down to trapped wind as I can't pass wind on its own without going to the toilet. It's something I've got used to and just laugh off.

Doctors always told me this was normal after someone has bowel surgery.  I found controlling the diarrhea with tincture of opium also slowed the bowels and reduced the sounds.  I do still have issues sometimes with bowel sounds so loud other people take notice.  When I have pouchitis, the bowel sounds are increased and more audible - one of the clues that’s what’s going on. Also, if I have to hold my bowels for a lengthy period of time, it becomes more noticeable so I try to use the restroom when I need to. I agree that gas can also be a part of this issue. I take Imodium also to help with sounds..  

If you’re into holistic stuff, peppermint is good for upset stomach.  Use it topically or with aromatherapy, even tea.  

I’m not going to say that you have to just accept it, but sometimes it’s still noticeable and embarrassing at times.  It helps motivate me to make sure I take my medicine.  Especially at lunch time because bowel sounds are worse after eating.  I pretty much plan a trip to the bathroom after eating.