Smelly Gas

No one likes smelly gas, the person causing it, or the person. But after gastric bypass surgery, this can become an embarrassing problem.

This is a troublesome little side effect of obesity surgery that isn't discussed as much. When you undergo any type of gastric bypass surgery, they make your stomach much smaller, and literally bypass a portion of your small intestines.

This is significant, because most churning, and breaking up of the food happens in the stomach. So, if your stomach is the size of a walnut or golf ball, there isn't much room to allow the churning the food. Normally, the food also receives the benefit of all of the stomach enzymes to help the digestion process as soon as the food hits the stomach.

After your bariatric surgery, the larger, bypassed portion of your stomach still produces these enzymes, but they don't join the party until later on, where the doctor has re-attached your new pouch back to your intestines.

The regular digestion process, the food (combined with the stomach enzymes) travel through the entire small intestine (20 feet or 6 meters) before reaching the large intestine (5 feet or 1.5 meters). The small intestine is where most of the digestion and food absorption occurs. So, by making this detour, the large intestine is trying to take on the job of four men, just to paint the picture.

One of the regular causes of gas is undigested trying to be digested by the large intestine. So when this natural gas cause is multiplied and maximized, the result is smelly gas. There are some remedies that may help, like Bean-O or Gas-X. Also, to help mask the smelly gas, flat-d.com offers a wide range of products which can reduce the embarrassment.

Smelly gas can also come from a dairy intolerance. Lactose is a sugar found in things like milk, cheese and yogurt. A dairy intolerance is the absence the enzyme lactase, which breaks down the lactose. The symptoms can include nausea, cramps, bloating, gas, and diarrhea. It is also referred to as a lactose intolerance.

You don't have to be a gastric bypass patient to suffer with a flatulence problem. It may come from irritable bowl syndrome. Symptoms of IBS include gas and bloating, diarrhea and/or constipation, and abdominal cramping. Some people find gas relief for irritable bowl syndrome with over-the-counter drugs like Bean-O or Gas-X.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

If you suffer from smelly gas, you may have something more serious, like ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn's disease (CD). Both UC and CD are considered inflammatory bowel diseases, or (IBD).

If you have UC, the inflammation centers in the large intestine, or colon. The major symptoms include ulcers in the colon, and severe diarrhea, which may cause the smelly gas. If you have CD, the inflammation can effect the entire digestive system, from the mouth to the anus. The symptoms of Crohn's disease include abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and weight loss or weight gain. CD symptoms may also manifest outside of the digestive tract. They include arthritis, skin rashes, and inflammation of the eye. IBD is more serious than irritated bowel syndrom, and can require prescribed medication. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases should be diagnosed and treated by a gastroenterologist.

So if any of these symptoms fit you, please see your doctor to discuss this. They should be able to properly diagnose and treat your problem.

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