# FBO - Years working through this condition - Where I'm at!



## Common Response (Dec 26, 2009)

After years in the widerness, putting up with health professionals with limited vision, I've narrowed things down to this.

Background:

Symptoms:

Constant Fecal Odor eminating from anus.

Bad breath

Thankfully (no pain or bloating).

Diagnosed:

Intolerance to Fructose & Lactose (gas tests performed).

Probably other issues but these go undiagnosed.

Current management:

Low FODMAP diet.

Regular Exercise

Meditation.

No smoking or drugs.

Very infrequent alcohol intake (Vodka with low fodmap mixers).

Result:

Symtoms are reduced but still intolerable.

Huge mental stress due from interpersonal contact both professionally & socially.

Most react quite unfavorably to dealing with someone who smells like a toilet.

Limit exposure socially, but professionally, it's either walk out on your job and go live in a cave, or continue to experience ego destroying responses.

Current Theory:

The severity of FBO relates to whats in my diet, coupled with quality of bowel elimination.

Hygiene has no impact as the odor is constant.

I currently work in a blue collar environment where the toilets are quite ordinary after a few of the employers have gone.

From this I deduce that most or many peoples stools can be quite offensive.

But none of these people suffer from constant FBO.

Many may also break wind (dance floor quickly cleared when a colleagues let rip at the Christmas party), but again, after this cleared, no lingering or constant FBO from him.

I'm convinced that the issue is due to spincter control.

I suspect my sphincter is constantly partly open.

This can be due to a number of causes which might include.


Stool quality (result of intolerance) resulting in incomplete evacuation.
Remaining stools in rectum nudge on sphincter causing it to dilate.
Also, physically my sphincter resting position may be not fully closed.
This might also vary due to anxiety.

Living this way is no longer a life.

Where to from here?

I'm always interested in others experiences and or what they may have been able to do about it.


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## tummyrumbles (Aug 14, 2005)

Yes, doctors aren't much help. We don't digest carbs properly and this produces a lot of gas. Gas is painful to hold in so this might be more a reason than a weak sphincter. The other aspect is incompete evacuation. A low FODMAP diet helps a lot (so thanks for your much earlier posts recommending this diet. I'm a late convert.) but it's hard to keep to. If I'm working I have wholemeal toast for lunch as this produces the less gas, even though wheat is a starch/high FODMAP food. So you just have to experiment rather than religiously follow any diet. Toast produces less gas than say, a low FODMAP salad for me.

I think starches might be a worse problem than high FODMAPs for a lot of us, which is why the non-gluten breads can be even worse for some people. I'm guessing the underlying problem is bacterial imbalance of some sort, maybe SIBO or maybe colon-based. I know I produce a lot of gas that family members don't when we eat the same food.

I stopped eating white foods like white bread, white rice, pasta etc as these are constipating. I'm not sure whether there is something inherently constipating in these foods (e.g. opioid peptides) or whether it's simply that low FODMAP veges are more easily evacuated but I used to have to spend 3 or 4 hours evacuating when I ate these foods. Unfortunately it still takes a while, up to 2 hours, but this is better than it used to be.

Leaky Gas (or FBO) is caused by constipation mainly. If I completely evacuate I don't get any gas at all until I eat again, which is why working full time is difficult for me. I get away with a few hours at work until I have to eat again.

I am back on welfare again after years of stressing about LG at work. I still work part-time, but thankfully in a job where I'm largely on my own, and usually only work a few hours at a time so I'm managing things well at the moment.

The long gaps between bowel movements seems to be related to pockets of gas but this mightn't be true for everyone. Evacuation is helped not over-eating, eating dinner as early as possible to give the MMC time to work, not eating foods that cause excess gas (baked beans etc) and not eating foods that just don't empty efficiently - bread, rice etc, and getting enough sleep.

I still rely on complete evacuation and having to sit for quite a while, but I'm so used to it it's just normal life for me. It's just me and the kids so there's no embarrassment for me. If you have a spouse it might be different.

All the old LGers have left the forums sadly. I'm glad you've come back. I hope some of my methods help you. I don't think there's a way to reduce the bacteria. People here have tried elemental diets etc which I would have thought might fix things but the bacteria returns. It's hard sticking to a completely healthy diet as well.

Have a nice Christmas and cheer up. There are answers but it's hard work to maintain sometimes. My basic diet (when I stick to it) is:

porridge oats for breakfast

4 wholemeal toast for lunch (always) toast doesn't produce the same gas that bread does - maybe because of starch degradation

dinner: meat or fish with low FODMAP veges

dessert: banana & yoghurt


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## Common Response (Dec 26, 2009)

tummyrumbles said:


> Yes, doctors aren't much help. We don't digest carbs properly and this produces a lot of gas. Gas is painful to hold in so this might be more a reason than a weak sphincter. The other aspect is incompete evacuation. A low FODMAP diet helps a lot (so thanks for your much earlier posts recommending this diet. I'm a late convert.) but it's hard to keep to. If I'm working I have wholemeal toast for lunch as this produces the less gas, even though wheat is a starch/high FODMAP food. So you just have to experiment rather than religiously follow any diet. Toast produces less gas than say, a low FODMAP salad for me.
> 
> I think starches might be a worse problem than high FODMAPs for a lot of us, which is why the non-gluten breads can be even worse for some people. I'm guessing the underlying problem is bacterial imbalance of some sort, maybe SIBO or maybe colon-based. I know I produce a lot of gas that family members don't when we eat the same food.
> 
> ...


Thanks TR.

It's not good to know that you also suffer from similar issues, but encouraging for me to read your post.

There is a special bond between people who understand each other through personal experience.

Something many doctors don't understand.

Apart from infrequent cheating I gave up flour/wheat products completely.

My diet is very similar to yours with the exception of bread.

I also have porridge for breakfast with a splash of rice milk and blueberries, pepitas & sunflour seeds.

For variety, I replace the porridge with a natural rice bubble product (wholegrain, no added sugar etc).

Fish or chicken with steamed vegetables is also a regular.

A major replacement carb for me is rice.

Most rice if rinsed in water leaves quite a bit of cloudy starch.

I've been eating a high quality low starch variety of Thai Jasmine rice (no cloudiness if rinsed).

Reading your advice, I'll try replacing jasmine rice with a wild or wholegrain variety to experiment.

My problem with diet is that any further tightening will lead to further weight loss.

I'm currently 64 kgs (141Ibs), but would ideally like to be 69 kgs.

I totally agree with you regarding the bacterial imbalance.

Largely undigested carbs are traveling through the duodenum, small & large intestines, and is feeding bacteria which produces problem waste.

I think in normal digestive systems, most of the carb/sugar has been digested and absorbed, leaving less food for any bacteria to feed on further down the system.

Your complete evacuation conclusion is very much on the money.

I attempt to eat early in the evening, and often restrict eating to two main sittings (breakfast, and late afternoon) with the hope that most of the waste is ready to be eliminated early in the morning.

Alas it doesn'r work that way, leaving me with incomplete evacuation and need of a further sit in the afternoon.

When I travel, I fast for 2 - 3 days, leaving me with an empty gut.

This eliminates anxiety when confined in an aircraft for 10 hours.

It's quite liberating to be realtively free of symptoms for a short time, but you do get hungry. 

You have a wonderful time at Christmas.

I also hope something comes along soon to change our lives.

Best wishes


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## unknown (Oct 9, 2014)

Bacterial-Overgrowth (SIBO) and sphincter weakness are most likely my problem here.

I had it for more than a year and a half, the first year when I happened it was only when I eat high-carb food then by the end of that year it happend after I eat anything. needless to mention that it happens in certain situations (high stress or anxiety or generally not comfortable in the place I'm).

I went to some doctors, tried a lot of meds but nothing worked, finally I did an EMG test on the internal sphincter muscle, turns out there is a slight weakness that allows flatulence to come out throw involuntarily.

My doctor prescribed Minirin 120mg desmopressin tablets, unfortuantly it didn't work, but what seems to work for me is the anal sphincter excersice, I'm not 100% sure it works for me but I went out couple of times and as long as I'm squeezing it in I don't smell anything, also sometimes while I'm holding it, I feel like the gas is trapped in and trying to get out.

It is a little hard to hold the muscle for long periods but if you did it a couple of times you will get used to it.

also some people say that herbal tea works pretty well for them but I didn't get a chance to try it myself, however I will buy some very soon.


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