Stoma noises

My stoma makes the most embarrassing loud noises. It's quiet most of the time, but when it's active - usually for a couple of hours in the evening - it makes bubbling noises, hissing noises, gurgling noises, and fart noises. :blush:

The rest of the time it might make the odd noise but is mostly silent. But as I get better and am around more people and in more formal situations - is there anything you can do to stop the noise, or at least turn the volume down a little?

I've had the stoma nearly six weeks now (doesn't seem that long! I was so sick in the hospital all the days have blurred together). I still get pain every time anything comes out of the stoma, including just gas, so I think it's still swollen and in the process of healing. Will it quieten down when it's fully healed?

(I still love having a stoma though and would take the embarrassing noises over what I had to live with pre-surgery any day. And for some reason my dog finds them interesting and stares at my ileostomy every time she hears it make a noise, so it's at least providing her with some entertainment. )

There are products that muffle stoma noises. I haven't tried them, but they do add bulk to your appliance.

My stoma has been exceptionally loud these past few weeks. I'm not too worried about it.

I've had my stoma almost 4 years now and it hasn't quieted down at all. I sound like a lumberjack most of the time. I find that if I put my hand over it when I'm in a situation that I don't want him to be heard, that will stifle the sound quite well, and throw a cough in too and that usually does the trick. For the most part, I don't worry about it, it amuses me to no end.....lol

From evetything I read you can't do anything to stop the noises outright. Avoiding gassy foods will help to lower the amount of gas which could make noise and try to avoid swallowing too much air while eating as that creates bubbles.

You can use your arm over the stoma if it makes noise or buy a product that muffles.

Yep , and why is it always noisy right when you're in a quiet room, a meeting, waiting in a queue or my worst, a lift!!!!!! It's like it knows, I have tried the sneaky arm or hand cover, the well timed cough or rattle of the keys with added foot shuffle. I must look like a Tourette's sufferer practising the river dance. I don't think any of it really works either, like so many others I don't really care any more, I'm almost a year since my op and although I hate this thing, I would rather it this way than if I hadn't had the surgery. I'm tempted to try and fit one of those duck call thingies to my stoma, would love to see the reactions of people when I start quacking lol!

nogutsnoglory said:

From evetything I read you can't do anything to stop the noises outright. Avoiding gassy foods will help to lower the amount of gas which could make noise and try to avoid swallowing too much air while eating as that creates bubbles.

You can use your arm over the stoma if it makes noise or buy a product that muffles.

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It's strange but the foods typically classified as gassy don't seem to have that effect on me, and they didn't before the surgery either. I haven't had much in the ways of gas-producing vegetables, beans, etc. since the surgery, as they also seem to be the ones likely to cause blockages, but I tried some well cooked sprouts and cauliflower recently and no gas - no blockages either. And I've been drinking very fizzy coke with no increase in gas from that either (and again that's something I drank pre-surgery with no problems). The noises just happen when the stoma's active, regardless of what I've eaten or had to drink.

An arm over it doesn't come close to muffling the really loud noises. Looks like I'll just have to try and keep a sense of humour about it. :lol: (Although part of me is wondering if I'd be more upset by this if I'd had the surgery when I was still at uni and sitting in quiet lecture theatres. )

The arm doesn't help me eliminate the noise either but it's possibly a little muffled. There is a product called Stoma Stifler but I'm not sure how good it is. Stealth Belt also can be purchased with mufflers. I guess more layers and a possible product may help.

You could try this, if you are really concerned.

http://www.stomastifler.com/index.php

Like Nyx, I put my hand over it when it gets loud out in public. When I'm at home, or with friends, it just becomes entertainment for everyone. On days that I have classes after lunch, I eat what I consider a "safe" lunch for me--something that doesn't create a lot of output or noise. You just have to play around with food, how much to eat and what time of the day to eat particular foods, and you'll start to see your own pattern of noisy versus not too bad. Most of the time it is just funny, though.

2thFairy said:

You could try this, if you are really concerned.

http://www.stomastifler.com/index.php

Like Nyx, I put my hand over it when it gets loud out in public. When I'm at home, or with friends, it just becomes entertainment for everyone. On days that I have classes after lunch, I eat what I consider a "safe" lunch for me--something that doesn't create a lot of output or noise. You just have to play around with food, how much to eat and what time of the day to eat particular foods, and you'll start to see your own pattern of noisy versus not too bad. Most of the time it is just funny, though.

Click to expand...

I'm not too worried. Whatever I eat, the noise is the same, and whenever I eat it only produces output - which is when it's noisy - in the evening. I expect that will change at some point, but for now, at least it's predictable.