# Very smelly flatulence



## Little Hedgehog (Dec 2, 2008)

So my farts have been smelling really foul these past days.As far as I know, I haven't eaten anything out of the ordinary... what could be causing this? Is it sign of an infection in my gut or can it happen "just like that"?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Flatulence from normal healthy people can be extremely smelly, so it isn't an indication of an infection.Usually has to do with how much sulfur you happen to be feeding the bacteria in the colon and how many sulfur reducing bacteria you have in there right now.


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## Jen37 (Nov 10, 2011)

I have really smelly gas at times too. My husband has it too, and he is healthy as a horse, so I think it can be normal..


Little Hedgehog said:


> So my farts have been smelling really foul these past days.As far as I know, I haven't eaten anything out of the ordinary... what could be causing this? Is it sign of an infection in my gut or can it happen "just like that"?


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## Little Hedgehog (Dec 2, 2008)

Thanks for the replies.I got another question: what about sticky stools? You know, the kind of stools that need you to waste half a roll of toilet paper to wipe yourself clean. It's a bit more "messy" too. It's not really diahrea, but it's defenitely a little looser and stickier.What could be causing this? I do have to say i'm having a lot of gas lately. Could the gas be causing this? The doc says that gas trapped in the gut can have consequences on the consistency of your stools.PS the stools are not black. And I've had a colonoscopy a few months ago anyway and nothing was found.


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## Jen37 (Nov 10, 2011)

I also find that when my stools are softer I usa a lot of toilet paper too. I have to be very anal about staying clean as I am prone to urniary infections. It really is a pain in the you know what. But yes, I too get the sticky poops. I also get reeally painful gas. They are like sharp stabbing pains and sometimes it feels like a charlie horse cramp inside my intestines. This whole thing sucks, I wish they had a cure for it. I have not even been officially diagnosed. I mean my gastro doc did tell me he was sure I have IBS, but I have not went through a colonoscopy or anything. He thought given my other health issues that he did not want to put me through it if he didn't have to. But I may end up doing it as I am so worried this is something else. I have pain 24/7, no matter what I eat. What it weird is that I had two months of feeling fine, it just went away like that. Then all of a sudden, it is back and I am in GI hell again.. I just cannot believe IBS can cause this much pain and misery. All the people I know with IBS are not having all the pain I have and not usually 24/7.


Little Hedgehog said:


> Thanks for the replies.I got another question: what about sticky stools? You know, the kind of stools that need you to waste half a roll of toilet paper to wipe yourself clean. It's a bit more "messy" too. It's not really diahrea, but it's defenitely a little looser and stickier.What could be causing this? I do have to say i'm having a lot of gas lately. Could the gas be causing this? The doc says that gas trapped in the gut can have consequences on the consistency of your stools.PS the stools are not black. And I've had a colonoscopy a few months ago anyway and nothing was found.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

It is a relatively minor stool consistency issue, and IIRC you've had some GI illnesses recently and it just takes time for things to get back to completely normal even if you heal up completely.When the stool is a tad on the soft side, which is not a huge medical worry, it is a bit messier.


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## Little Hedgehog (Dec 2, 2008)

Kathleen M. said:


> It is a relatively minor stool consistency issue, and IIRC you've had some GI illnesses recently and it just takes time for things to get back to completely normal even if you heal up completely.When the stool is a tad on the soft side, which is not a huge medical worry, it is a bit messier.


Yeah I have indeed been through a couple of infections... C-Diff twice (one initial, one relapse) and Campylobacter twice (also one initial and one relapse)But it's been 9 months the C-Diff is gone and about 5 months since Campylobacter's gone... can the gut really take that much time to recover fully?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

IBS is usually diagnosed if symptoms continue after 6 months from the initial infection. Post-infectious IBS usually takes 2-5 years to resolve (when it does) after the initial infection.So, yeah, it can take that long. Worrying at it won't make it heal up faster.


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## Little Hedgehog (Dec 2, 2008)

Kathleen M. said:


> IBS is usually diagnosed if symptoms continue after 6 months from the initial infection. Post-infectious IBS usually takes 2-5 years to resolve (when it does) after the initial infection.So, yeah, it can take that long. Worrying at it won't make it heal up faster.


Well, the good news is that I have a lot of good days. Days where my BM's are perfectly fine. And sometimes, less good days where my BM's are not really plain diahrea, but still looser and more "messy"Gas... is something I have always had, still have now and still will have in the future. I can live with it. But my BM's really alternate between lots of good days, less good but still okay days and sometimes a couple of really bad days.I heard that having good days is usually an indication that the gut is recovering from PI-IBS.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

One sign my IBS was getting better was when I finally started having good days. I had nearly a year with not a single good day at all.


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## Mo pi-ibs (Jun 27, 2016)

Hi kathleen 
I have had similar syptoms as you used to have and wondering if you had taken antidepressent alongside with probiotics?
And how you bet your anxiety and depression?


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