Hey guys, this is Eric.
Today I want to talk to you about a problem that pretty much annoys every ostomate out
there, and that is: Pouch ballooning.
Now what exactly is "pouch ballooning"? Well, as the name would suggest, it's when your
ostomy pouch balloons, and it's often caused by just gas simply being trapped inside your
pouch.
And it's actually pretty common, although, a lot of people really want to find a solution
to this problem.
Now, I want to start off by saying that gas is pretty normal. A lot of us go a lot of
the time, and we just don't think anything of it.
The problem is, when it's trapped inside a very small bag, you kind of notice that; especially
when it's being trapped in there with nowhere to go.
Now, what are some things that cause gas? For the most part it's what we're eating.
What tends to happen is that we have bacteria in our gut, and as we ingest food that bacteria
goes to work and it helps to break down some of those little bits that our body hasn't
processed.
And they often release a byproduct, and that byproduct unfortunately cause gas and odor.
Now, here are some foods that you might want to avoid if gas is a really big problem. But
before you do that, I would recommend taking a food diary and then that way you can start
to mark down which things are problematic and which things aren't.
Personally, I don't avoid too many healthy foods, even if they are gas-causing.
Now, another thing that causes gas, and this is something that we can really take control
over, is exactly how we eat.
For example, if you're chewing and you're not really paying attention to what you're
doing and you're swallowing air, that's going to cause gas.
If you're a bubble gum chewer, that can also cause air to be swallowed and cause gas.
If you smoke - again - air goes down and has nowhere to go, so it usually comes back up
in the form of a burp or out of your stoma in the form of gas.
So, you want to really want to pay attention to how you're eating and some of your other
habits. And that will really help to minimize some of the ingested air.
If you like to drink out of a straw, or you like carbonated beverages, those are also
things that you need to keep an eye out for.
Now, another problem that we don't necessarily have too much control over are other digestive
disorders. For example, Celiac Disease or other food intolerances (whether we know we
have them or not), can be a challenge and they can often lead to gas if we eat the wrong
foods.
For the most part, if you have Celiac then simply avoiding gluten will eliminate this
problem. But if you have something like IBS or a food intolerance, that might be a little
tricky to troubleshoot. So you might want to keep a food diary, or talk to a medical
professional and have them get you tested to see if there are any specific foods that
you should be eliminating because of an intolerance or allergy.
Another common reason for gas is the use of probiotics or antibiotics. Remember, the bacteria
that we have in our gut has a big influence over the amount of gas that we put out, the
type of odor that comes out, and you really don't want to be disrupting that often.
So if you're taking an antibiotic, it's always suggested that we follow up with a probiotic,
just so that we can keep things in balance and keep the peace down there.
Now, I also find that certain probiotics, while they may be healthy for many people,
tend to cause gas for me. So if that's an issue for you, and you can avoid those probiotics,
then certainly do so.
If you've been prescribed a probiotic, for example, there's a product called VSL#3 (and
I know that a lot of GI's will recommend this product), if that's causing an upset stomach
or gas issues, then you might want to talk to your doctor about that.
Sometimes you can change the way you're taking that; either with food or without food, or
at certain times of the day, and that may help, but it may still contribute to gas and
again, if you can avoid those things, then I would suggest you do so. Or you can even
try a different product, perhaps with a different strain of bacteria or quantity of bacteria.
I should also point out that if you are taking probiotics, especially if you're just starting
to take them, or you've switched from your previous brand or type of probiotic, then
it's important to make sure that your body settles into it.
So, once you're introducing new probiotics, things can get a little mixed up down there,
but after a few weeks things generally level out and become more balanced, and you shouldn't
have those issues ongoing.
Now if the problem you have stems from beans, and I know we all joke about it, but it can
happen, a couple of things you can do is to either soak your beans before you actually
cook them.
Another option is to use canned beans, which is what I do. Other option is to take a digestive
enzyme; there are a couple of digestive enzymes out there, and they go by various names.
I do want to point out that some of them are not vegan because they have a few animal ingredients
in there, but there are a few that are vegan.
So look for those products, and try them if that's a problem that's occurring with certain
foods specifically and perhaps that will help.
Ok, so food is great, probiotics are great, but how do we solve the problem of pouch ballooning.
Ideally, you do want to have a filter on your pouch that works, and that can be a challenge.
I know that there are many brands that have their own style of filter. Some work pretty
well, but some don't work at all.
I know that in my experience, especially because I have an ileostomy, a lot of filters tend
to clog very quickly. So, after 24 hours, that's when pouch ballooning starts for me,
and that can get pretty annoying.
So if that's a problem that you've been having, I would suggest you look for a different brand,
or look for a different type of filter (maybe within the brand that you're using).
I think you'll have more success if you go that route first.
Another option that might help to mitigate the downfalls of a filter that isn't working
properly (or to replace it altogether), is the use of vents on your pouches.
Now, I know there are a couple of brands that have their own vents built into their pouch,
but there is also another product called the Osto EZ-Vent, and that's something that you
would install onto your pouch.
It basically gives you a tiny vent that you can open and close (and it will stay shut
pretty well), but that allows you to release gas whenever it starts to get full.
Now, I want you to keep in mind, though, that venting products don't typically deodorize
gas like a pouch filter would. So you'll want to use them when you aren't around people
or when you're in a bathroom.
Keep in mind that if you're using a vent product, it relies on you to remember to use them.
So it's not going to help you when you're sleeping or forgetful, so you have to keep
on top of that.
That's why my first preference is to go with a filter that actually works.
Now, there are some "anti-gas" products out there. I don't tend to go with those because
to be honest, I don't like to add pills and other things to my routine.
But there are products out there that have certain ingredients in there to help reduce
the chances of gas, and that might be something that you'll want to look into, but I'd suggest
speaking with your doctor or pharmacist to see if they are the right products for you.
Now, there are a couple of products that I do want to mention, but I want to mention
them because I want you to avoid them.
A couple of these products I've actually done research on, and there's no evidence whatsoever,
or there's evidence against the products themselves, which would suggest that they don't help to
eliminate gas or odor for that matter.
And that is: activated charcoal (yes, I've taken that), homeopathic remedies (Yes, I've
taken that, too), and there are a few other products out there like chlorophyll tablets
where it's really sketchy whether or not they're actually doing some.
So I would really avoid those altogether, save your time and money, and focus on some
of the more valuable tips.
So I hope this video has helped. If you have any tips that you'd like to share on how you
control your pouch ballooning or gas, then please leave it in the comments below.
Please like this video, subscribe if you haven't, and if you think that someone else might be
able to benefit from this information, please pass it along.
Thanks for watching, guys. I'll see you in the next video. Take care!