# Leaky gas - my experience



## brudzinski (Jun 30, 2018)

Hello everyone, it came to me as a surprise that the problem I 've been facing some 10 years now, is something not as rare as I thought, from what I see here between your posts (phew! I thought I was going nuts)

So here it goes, it was 10y before that I had the first "accident" inside a packed college classroom, suddenly a disgusting odor came - not the typical smell of flatulence let's say- Since I was having some sense of bloating that morning, and a feeling that I wanted to poop, I started asking myself whether the smell was coming from me. But, if I passed gas I would know, i thought.. I also felt my anus wet as I remember. And that was one of the most embarassing moments of my life.

All this time from then, I had many other similar accidents unfortunately.. It happens to me once in 2-3 months. Some times more frenquently others less. But there are some days rarely, that i smell a persistent leaking during the day. Prebiotics and kegels helped me but didn't really solve the problem. Worst thing is it comes at times that I don't expect.. I can't really tell when it will happen. I think caffeine plays some role and it acts instantly. Fatigue too.

So, I had a GI appointment, he said he thinks that this happens as a result of my IBS condition (I have mixed diarrhea/constipation episodes that come and go), because of the airiness of my intestines he said, that is intestines full of gas caused by a disturbance in my gut flora which leads to sphincter muscles relaxing involuntarily to help relieve intestinal distention, and thus passing gas.. So he prescribed me some prebiotics in order to balance my gut flora.

Some time after that, I had an appointment with a mental health professional, to help me manage some anxiety issues (and IBS is strongly linked to stress as he said). When I shared my problem with him considering leaking gas, he told me it is possible that anxiety is causing all this. So first I thought that he doesn't really know what it is and that he attributes this to anxiety just to give an answer to me - but then I started searching what anxiety can cause and I found something interesting: Anxiety amongst others, can cause urinary retention. Conversion disorder -as I read from wiki- is a form of anxiety that causes physical symptoms. And, I am not a medical professional to tell, but I wonder whether managing anxiety finally solves this problem.


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## MedStudSuf (Mar 21, 2016)

conversion disorder..endless stupitidy..more rational to believe it is caused by bad spirits
if you really suffer this terrible disease and you have the money find colorectal surgeon..


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## brudzinski (Jun 30, 2018)

So what type of colorectal surgery would your endless brilliance consider to be of help on an otherwise healthy sphincter leaking intermittently?


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## Mariano (May 19, 2018)

Many of the most experienced and learned sufferers agree that this problem, yours sound like ours, is some kind of pelvic dysfunction (include anus sphincters, related brain areas, nerves, etc. in that). We theorize that we unconsciously hamper the automatic system that regulates continence, some of us we might even had/have an unconscious pushing that makes us smell extremely worse than people with frank incontinence. Think it, we were normal then one day out of nothing we started feeling and smelling bad, some of us with spotting, fart incontinence, etc. WITHOUT HAVING any physical trauma, damage. Why? Anxiety? Years of pushing because of constipation? Who knows.

Those of us that solved the problem (partially or totally) we did it through a variety of physical and mental exercises, in my case i had to implant an SNS stimulator, problem over. Check here in case you didn´t. https://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/topic/325394-leaky-gas-knocked-out-my-whole-story/page-1

Others reported improvements thanks to mental medications, that makes sense if the pelvic dysfunction is caused by anxiety and all that. Remember that we can lost control of sphincters if we are scared enough.

And please, *DON´T DO A COLOSTOMY!, some users here made that BIG MISTAKE*, they did a colostomy without even trying the exercises, electrical stimulation, etc. Some even removed their anus (no kidding).

As we talked here through some years most cases of this problem can be solved through re training, relaxation, etc.


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## MedStudSuf (Mar 21, 2016)

first of all your post seems fake because is not possible to have leaky gas every three months.better to consider olfactory reference syndrome.

secondly..how do you know your sphincter is healthy?

conversion disorder could be an answer if the smell was normal fart and not continuus..the only reason to pass continuus fecal odor is fecal material entraped in upper part of sphincter..in conversion disorder there is no bad smell when clenching sphincter like many patients in these forum..in conversion disorder one loses the ability to sense material passing through anus like a hysterical loses vision..but if you think rationally even if anal sensation is dissociated due to hysteria there is no way to produce such a fecal odor when clenching sphincter.this fact suggests anatomic defect..


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## PokerFace (Jan 13, 2017)

The thing is,
Anxiety + some tenmporary anal distress can cause physical defect, and that defect doesn't self fix due to anxiety


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## MedStudSuf (Mar 21, 2016)

if it was just anxiety the cure would be just anxiolytics..unfortunately this is not the case...

anxiety can alter gi motility and reduce absorption of nutrients by small intestine..in that way more material moves to large intestine causing excessive gas..this is possibly one of the many causes of irritable bowel syndrome.
but this is not the actual problem in most cases of leaky gas..
do not forget that leaky gas is not a disease in medical terms due to the fact that nobody knows the exact underlying pathophysiology..in addition, leaky gas is not just one medical entity but an umbrella term used in this forum to describe similar symptoms..

in my case after evaluating mri defecography , endoanal sonography and anorectal manometry the only possible treatment at present is thd sphinkeeper without known prognosis..


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## MedStudSuf (Mar 21, 2016)

if it was just anxiety the cure would be just anxiolytics..unfortunately this is not the case...

anxiety can alter gi motility and reduce absorption of nutrients by small intestine..in that way more material moves to large intestine causing excessive gas..this is possibly one of the many causes of irritable bowel syndrome.
but this is not the actual problem in most cases of leaky gas..
do not forget that leaky gas is not a disease in medical terms due to the fact that nobody knows the exact underlying pathophysiology..in addition, leaky gas is not just one medical entity but an umbrella term used in this forum to describe similar symptoms..

in my case after evaluating mri defecography , endoanal sonography and anorectal manometry the only possible treatment at present is thd sphinkeeper without known prognosis..


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## oceanblue141 (Apr 14, 2012)

It is purely related to stress and anxiety, the root cause for LG.

I used Escitalopram oxalate(Antiedepressant) & Levosulpiride (Antipsychotic & Prokinetic) for 1.5 years and I was completely free of LG. It relaxed me, so no gastritis, no Pelvic floor tension, no LG. I stopped using them and it came back. Finding other ways to cure but I am loosing.


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## MedStudSuf (Mar 21, 2016)

hello oceanblue..do you really smell it in your own??

my bad smell occurs even if I use antipsychotics or antidepressants..it seems that psychiatric drugs has to do nothing with leaky gas in my situation..but these would be helpfull in olfactory reference syndrome..

psych drugs may lower contractility of internal anal sphincter which is a major factor in lg


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## oceanblue141 (Apr 14, 2012)

MedStudSuf said:


> hello oceanblue..do you really smell it in your own??
> 
> my bad smell occurs even if I use antipsychotics or antidepressants..it seems that psychiatric drugs has to do nothing with leaky gas in my situation..but these would be helpfull in olfactory reference syndrome..
> 
> psych drugs may lower contractility of internal anal sphincter which is a major factor in lg


I can feel passing the gas, the warmness, the smell also. Mine is 100% Leaky gas from anus.

Which ones did you use and for how long?


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## MedStudSuf (Mar 21, 2016)

olanzapine(zyprexa) for 40 days and paroxetine(seroxat) and sertraline(zoloft) for months..real leaky gas has nothing to do drugs..on the other hand ibs in some cases can be treated by psychotropics


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