# RANCID & FOUL gas (embarassing! help!!)



## 18528 (Dec 29, 2005)

I'm new to this site. I've been on Zelnorm for about 2 weeks now; it seemed to be working until 2 days ago.At any rate, I have had TERRIBLE, RANCID, FOUL-SMELLING GAS for like a year now! It is SO embarassing! I will hold it in around others, until I cramp up so bad I need to go home and be alone. IT SMELLS THAT BAD. I will fill my 1600 square foot home with the smell of death!! It is bad!! It doesn't seem to matter what I eat, either (I'm still experimenting). Almost anything I put in my mouth causes gas, bloating, and cramping.And, of course I have IBS-C, so I try and get fiber to help things along. Actually, if I eat higher fiber or no fiber I STILL GET NASTY GAS. ANY SUGGESTIONS?? Gas-X and Beano DON'T EVEN PHASE MY BODY...they don't work for me at all :-(The longer I hold in gas the more sickened I feel. The cramps are bad, but the smell will knock anyone off their feet...embarassing!!Thanks for any suggestions!


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## Cartoon Creature (Jul 12, 2002)

Hi Ibsblues.I have exactley the same problem (except my gas doesnt smell). But I do have REALLY loud ones so I have to do the same, I try and hold it in until I get cramped up so bad and its so painful I have to excuse myself and hide somewhere to fart. But no sooner do I release the gas than 10 seconds later its all built back up again.I have IBS C too. I have tried gas-x, charcoal tablets etc too and they do absolutley nothing for me too.I used to have smelly gas a few years ago. I got onto acidopholis around the same time the smell stopped, maybe there is a connection... maybe that might help you.I wish I had some great advice, I just wanted to say I know how you feel and your not alone.All the best, im sure someone on here will have some great advice.Poo Pea


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## 18528 (Dec 29, 2005)

Thanks, Poo Pea...I will try your suggestion of acidophillus (pill form?)I can't believe SO MANY OTHER PEOPLE go through what I do everyday, too!! I thought I was crazy or something. IBS-C is starting to totally dictate my life at times. I feel terrible (Zelnorm is helping) and can't enjoy things I used to (like eating without worrying how cramped I'll feel, and bloated). Stress seems to really affect my IBS-C, too. BIG TIME!!This is no way to live....I just want to be "normal" again. I don't even remember what it's like to be normal! My bowels haven't functioned properly for a few years, but I didn't go see a doctor until a few weeks ago. It's just been a gradual downhill slide...I'll try and keep my chin up! It's comforting to have some support from others with IBS-C. I can totally relate to alot of things I read here!


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## 20897 (Jan 5, 2006)

You might want to try an elimination diet. Eat only the blandest and most easily digested stuff you can get your hands on for two weeks. Eliminate foods like dairy products, red meat, maybe even wheat products (some people are allergic). Then slowly re-introduce food groups and see how your body reacts. It's a good way to find out what your trigger foods are for IBS as well as determine if your gas is caused by certain foods. On a personal note, I found my gas was attributed to fruit skins and dairy products. I used to love cheese, ice cream, and skinned fruits like apples, pears, etc. Now I don't eat any dairy at all and I skin all my fruits before eating them (as well as potatos). I found that helped a lot. It took a long time of experimenting and embarrassement though for me to figure all this out. Chewing slowly (actually force yourself to count your chews and try to get to 50 before swallowing) can help reduce the amount of air you swallow (another possible source of gas). Some people have adverse reactions to sugar substitues like sorbital so that might be something else to look into. Good luck.


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## 18528 (Dec 29, 2005)

Thanks, SDGundamX,I think I am going to have to do the elimination thing. I just started a food diary yesterday and my gas was fairly minimal...same with this morning so far. Two "for certain" foods that do me in are dried apricots and cottage cheese! I love them, but they produce terrible gas for me.I am starting to think I'm lactose intolerant. I've been drinking soymilk for about a month now, instead, and trying not to eat cheeses. A few days ago I splurged (BIG MISTAKE!!) and ate a bit of pizza and a bowl of ice cream later. I was totally backed up, gassy, bloated and cramped...I WON'T BE doing that again!! No way! It's not worth it...The one other thing I have discovered, over time, is I think I digest apples better if I peel them, too. Does meat bother you at all? Do you notice a difference if you eat red meat vs. poultry?Thanks!


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## 20897 (Jan 5, 2006)

Yeah, I gave up red meat too. Chicken, turkey, fish, and pork are fine, but beef tends to be a problem. I read somewhere a while back that the intestinal bacteria that help digest red meat produce a lot of gas in the process, so that's one reason I stopped eating it. The other was the high fat content compared to other meats.I can't eat dried fruits either. I believe it is because of the sulfur compound they use to preserve them. I can tolerate raisins in small amounts, and dried pineapple seems to be okay for me, but other fruits give me problems. Have you talked to a doctor or nutritionist about creating a diet specifically for IBS? These days I don't eat anything high fat except for the occasional cookie. I gave up pizza and ice cream years ago (although I sneak a spoonful of ice cream in the summer occassionally). Also, are you talking any fiber supplements? I know when I first started fiber supplements, they produced a lot of gas until my body adjusted to them. Now it isn't a problem.


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## 18528 (Dec 29, 2005)

I feel like it's harder for my system to digest red meat, too. I am a fairly "health-conscious" person...I work out 4-5 times a week (cardio and weight training), have low cholesterol, lower than normal body fat percentage, and try and eat mainly poultry (white meat), veggies and whole grains/some fruit. A splurge for me, eating-wise, is a slice of pizza and a bowl of ice cream. I usually stay away from greasy stuff and sweets (I have the occasional Hershey's kiss or something). What's frustrating is that if I eat "healthy" (poultry, veggies, whole grains, low fat, fruit) I am gassy. At the same time, if I eat higher fat/sweets, I am gassy. It's almost a no-win situation! Frustrating...I guess at least eating "healthier" keeps my body fat and cholesterol down, plus richer in vitamins, nutrients, etc.I am taking Heather's Acacia Powder (a soluble fiber supplement) and eat Metamucil wafers. The acacia powder doesn't seem to give me alot of gas unless I over-do it on the dose at one time (I split it up between morning and evening) and I carry Metamucil wafers with me in case the powder isn't convenient.Perhaps I should speak with my doctor/find a nutritionist anyways? My doctor thought the gas would go down after I've been on Zelnorm 4-6 weeks or so (it's only been 2-2 1/2 weeks). Whichever, it won't be soon enough!!


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## 17461 (Nov 15, 2005)

My husband gets horribly stinky gas too. He doen't have IBS (at least not diagnosed IBS) - just incredibly stinky gas. He doesn't hold it in either - he says it makes him sick. I'm not going to argue with that!!After much trial and error I have determined that he only gets the worst gas after eating dairy products - ice cream in particular or if he eats nuts of any kind.Unfortunately, the gas doesn't bother him at all ... it bothers me a whole lot! I seriously think his nose doesn't work.So, I do my best to keep him away from nuts and ice cream.So, like you are discovering, it can be a problem with particular foods. I'd try some high quality probotics too - it sure has cut down on my gas production!Good luck...


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## 23709 (Dec 8, 2005)

it really does help to know that other people are going through the same thing is as me. Today it was really bad, cause I had been so blocked up for a while, and now things are starting to move through along with putrid/rancid gas. It's shameful. I do fairly well with diet, but I have a mild eating disorder and sometimes can't control my eating. It's usually not so much about what I eat, but if I overeat, forget it. Right now I am uncomfortably bloated, but I will try to do better with my eating and I guess take it a day a time as they say. I recenlty addedd the magnesium to my routine and after 4 days it finally started to work a little, but I think really it's cause I took some chinese herbs last night that help me go. The herbs don't have any "laxative" type herbs in it like senna, or cascara sagragada, it is a formula with rhubarb root as the main component which helps unitl my body gets too used it, so I don't know whether to keep trying the magnesium along with the herbs to see if my body can get used it(magnesium), cause I read here that it can take a while for the magnesium to kick in. God, it's so frustrating. Thanks evveryone for their experience, strength, and hope with this IBS-C


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## 19435 (Apr 7, 2005)

I also have extremely embarrassing gas. I have to leave the room a lot or walk behind people or not get on elevators because of it. It's really sick!The only thing I can think of that helps me are herbal teas like Triple Leaf Teas-Natural Laxative Tea or Detox Teas with Ginger.I have also been taking Primal Defense Probiotocs and regular Colon Cleanses that help.I have also had Colonics that help too. I definitely think eating slow and eating small portions of a IBS diet help.


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## 18528 (Dec 29, 2005)

Happy Tummy,I am seriously considering some good quality probiotics. It's embarassing!! I have an appointment with my GI doctor today (follow-up from colonoscopy and new to Zelnorm)....we'll see what he has to say, too.It makes me feel better to know others go through the same things I do...at least I don't feel so alone!! Or crazy!!


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Unfortunately one of the things that can reduce smell tends to be constipating. There was a small trial of Pepto Bismol for gas odor and it did work. Now they were taking 8 pills a day, but I can get away with 1 (when I take lots of iron which I need to do it can get smelly). There may be a low dose that doesn't increase your constipation but would reduce some of the odor.Odor-wise the biggest culprits food wise are protiens. They contain the sulfur that the bacteria use to make the smell (people's colon bacteria ecologically tend to be either methane-producing predominate or hydrogen sulfide-producing predominate with some people not producing either. If you have a lot of one the other can't grow so well, but I have no info about how anyone could make the switch, and these are not bacteria found in probiotics).Probiotics help with volume, which can make an odor problem less because the number of times you need to fart goes down.I've used chlorophyll and I think it helps (it is used in some nursing homes for this sort of thing) but you may need to take a lot of it (in nursing homes often they give enough to turn the stool quite green) I don't know if there is any real evidence it works, but a lot of thought that it should.K.


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## hmeems (Dec 12, 2004)

I agree with you Kathleen. I am almost to the point of not eating meat at all. About the only meat that does not give me excessive rancid smelling gas is pork. Chicken, turkey and steak are the worst offenders!!







Debi


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## Oscar Mayer (Jan 17, 2006)

This happens to me sometimes as well. Way back in the good old days, I was staying at this rooming house in SF called "Baker Acres". You got meals with the room, but they gave me gas so bad that the upholstery on the little hard-backed desk chair in the room started to stink. I think they had to throw it out after I left.Anyone have one particular food that brings out the worst? For me it's dried unsulphurated nectarines. I love them, but after eating them what comes out of my backside could inflate the Hindenburg and clear out a good size football stadium.


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