gas and bloating in public?
#140263 - 01/20/05 06:03 AM
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AllisonL
Reged: 01/19/05
Posts: 54
Loc: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
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I was wondering what everyone does about daily life/being at school or work and having to let out gas? If I dont let it out, I know I will be really bloated for the rest of the day at least cause it gets trapped inside. I find myself really avoiding people, staying home from school a lot to avoid this. I mean, you can't run to the bathroom just to let out gas!
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When I'm at home, I let it out. I just light lots of incense.  My BF laughs but he's a guy and they find that kind of thing funny?!
At work I also let it out but in a quiet area, or as I'm waking somewhere with nobody around (hallway). Or if that's not possible, I do it at my desk and nobody has ever mentionned it. And the man who sits closest to me has a HUGE mouth so he either can't smell or is kind enough to ignore it.
They just HAVE TO BE SILENT or else nobody will ignore them!
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Look at this. . Personally I have always made sure to have jobs where passing gas is safe. I worked with horses for 10 years and now I read meters. It helps my tummy to stay active and being able to pass gas wherever I want is great. Yet I know that is not possible for most. Good luck. 
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IBS-A for 20 years with terrible bloating and gas. On the diet since April 2004. Remember this from Heather's information pages:
"You absolutely must eat insoluble fiber foods, and as much as safely possible, but within the IBS dietary guidelines. Treat insoluble fiber foods with suitable caution, and you'll be able to enjoy a wide variety of them, in very healthy quantities, without problem." Please eat IF foods!
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This can be difficult and embarrasing! At home, I let'em rip!   when my now hubby and I were dating, I explained to him about my tummy and told him I fart, a LOT, and needed to know he was ok with that! Sure, he teases me a little now that we have been together 6 years (married for 5) but its in good, stinky, fun!! We do go through a LOT of incense at home!! 
Work can be harder. Luckily, I work alone alot but I also have to deal with patients (I'm an optician) I try to let the gas out when no one is around but if I REALLY need to break wind when I'm with someone and think it may be really stinky, I will excuss myself to the back room! I will try to make an excuse like, I need to check on something or whatever.
Lighting a match right after you fart will take the stink out if you are worried about smell! Something about the sulfur in the match, not really sure but it does work!
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Taking it one day at a time.....
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I suffer with bad gas and bloating and work in an office, in fact, it makes me a bit nervous when the guy who sits behind me is in and this can sometimes make it worse! But...it really is better out than in! I have to let it out otherwise it just builds up and gets worse. Today I'm very bloated, think it was because of the 3 ginger nuts I had with my soya choc pudding! And I've been eating quickly.....but I think be honest about your wind, be it loud and proud or silent but violent!!
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Hi,
I just place an order for the "InnerMint". It was either 19.95 for a two month supply if you order one time or 14.95 for a two month supply on the autoship plan. My gas problems are mainly from my Crohns...but it is an issue. It is embarrasing if "they" are loud or stinky. You want to crawl under the desk and not come back out. I had a few co-workers who were very vocal about such things.
I will let you all know how it works!
Anxiously waiting for my shipment.....
Karen
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OMG Allison, welcome to my world!! At the moment I have the worst gas, and it is really on the nose, urrghhh its so embarrassing! Luckily my boyfriend stinks as much as I do, so he can't tease me too much, but its just horrible.
I usually don't have really bad smelling gas so can get away with silent ones in my office. But sometimes what you think are going to be silent actually come out loud! So I usually leave my desk and go to the loo if I have really bad gas. Luckily for me, night time is when my gas is worst, so I just let it out. I'm so thankful that my work day goes by without too many dramas.
I take charcoal tablets and De-gas (which is simithecone) and sometimes they work sometimes they don't. Which is why I try to avoid really gassy veggies - cucumber, onion, cabbage and cauliflower.
Do you try charcoal, Gas-x or fennel tea? You poor thing not being able to go to school for fear of your gas! How are your BMs? I know when my BMs are a bit iffy I'll have extra gas that smells very unpleasant.
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~ Live life, don't let life live you ~
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Quote:
I mean, you can't run to the bathroom just to let out gas!
Want to bet? It's one of the things I have to do sometimes because of natural reflexes.
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Why'd you have to go and make me so constipated?
--'Weird' Al Yankovic, "A Complicated Song"
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Ha, you must spend a lot of time getting up and down going to the bathroom.
Yeah, I usually try to let them go quietly at school. At home with my husband I jsut let them go too. He is used to it and he burps so much that I think were even.
A big problem was when we were staying at his parents' house for a few days over xmas. I was a little nervous/not completely myself just from not being at home, worrying about what I was eating, etc. Then had to hold em in. I let out a couple really terrible smelling ones but Billy (my husband) always takes the blame!
Thanks for the fruit salsa recipe!
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hi - im 15 and i have just been diagnosed with IBS - i feel terrible a lot and i have my GCSEs coming up. MY friends like meeting up with me lots at weekends, it is too embarrising to say i have IBS with terrible diarhea so i say i cant make it - i think they are annoyed! What do you eat because i want to handle this right away because i start college soon, i am taking languages and so will be going abroad. Please reply. I get bloating and gassy too.
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please help me
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I am so sorry to hear you are feeling so badly. I totally understand about bailing on your friends, especially when it involves staying in the same hotel room or going on a road trip. What was that abbreviation you used that you said you're getting ready for? What is that?
I always end up with huge bloating and stomach cramps when I've been hanging out with people for a couple of hours. I have told all my friends about my IBS, just not all the details though. So they sort of understand when I can't do stuff. And they know I dont eat dairy, pork, or fatty foods. So, I dont have to explain it when we go out to eat or whatever. I am sure your friends will understand. It is a disease, just like IBD (Chrons and UC). So dont be embarrassed to tell them. Still, having gas around people is my biggest battle, because no one really would understand that, I dont really disclose that much about that.
I studied in France and ate tons of cheese and chocolate and drank wine, but my IBS came on the year after that, luckily. I was in Mexico over the summer staying with a family and ended up not eating much at all though cause they just didnt understand that I couldnt eat dairy! Plus, being in a strange environment makes me nervous. And stress and being uncomfortable is my biggest trigger. I didnt go to the bathroom the whole time I was there (10 days), then had diarrhea on coming home. I lost like 10 lbs and looked pretty bad and was getting married 2 mos later, so had to eat a lot of chocolate and ice cream for a while. Ok, so when I really need to be safe, I eat a lot of oatmeal, corn and rice chex, bananas, rice - either brown or white, hot rice cereal, baked tofu, butternut squash. Avoid carbonation and alcohol. Since you are D predominant, you might be more careful with insoluble fiber and fats. Coffee too will prob cause excess bms! My advice for study abroad though is to live it up and dont deny yourself a great cultural experience. I would try eating everything that you want to. Just put down in your application or profile before going that you have IBS and need special food consideration. It will work.
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Hi Allison,
I know exactly how you feel about letting out gas in public. Sometimes I feel like I can't wait to get home just so I can pass gas in private & not have to worry about it. As for what I actually do, well I do go to the bathroom, alot & I mean alot. At this point, I don't really care what my co-workers think, I just know if I don't pass it, I'll feel terrible. I'm lucky in that I'm in my own office & I always make sure to have a lot of air freshners around.
sorry I couldn't have been more help but at least you know you're not alone.
Meryl
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Well, I'm 19 and a freshman in college, and here's my take. Talk to your friends. When I was diagnosed recently, I told my friends that I would be limited in when and where I could go and what I can eat. Most of them were pretty receptive and understanding. I know it seems awkward at first, but you'd be surprised how well people react to this kind of news. And I'm sure your friends would like to know that it's a medical issue that you can't meet up with them as opposed to just blowing them off.
Also, with regards to exams, in most cases a doctor's note with an official IBS diagnoses qualifies you for exam accomodations, such as extended time or stopped time if you have to leave in the middle. I woould reccomend you check your school's policies in the matter.
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Why'd you have to go and make me so constipated?
--'Weird' Al Yankovic, "A Complicated Song"
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Boy did you ever hit on the right subject! Like everyone else, when I am at home I let it rip. My room maybe stinky, but tummy feels much better.
At work it is very difficult because even though I am in my own office, I am constantly in meetings and have had to make a run to the bathroom on many occasions.
I take Mylanta Gas and most of the time it works, but I have days when I pass gas all day long; that's a nightmare!
I was racing down the hall one day and I just could not hold it in any longer so as I was scurrying by two ladies were standing there talking. As soon as I passed them, I heard one saw "what is that awful smell, it reminds me of something that has been dead for months". I was very hurt, but I was on a mission and was not going to stop to explain.
I work in a large hospital and have never seen the two ladies again. I have been thinking about the pads as well. They look very bulky and uncomfortable but if they can stop my gas from smelling, I can endure them.
Sorry I was not much help, but I think the majority of IBSers suffer with bloating and gas. If we could figure out an answer to this problem, we would feel a lot better about having IBS.
I don't know about you, but sticking to my diet and cooking vegetables until they are safe enough to eat still gives me gas sometimes.
Everyone in my office knows that I have IBS. Some are sympathetic others are cruel and unfeeling. I could care less personally. I have IBS and they are very fortunate not to have it. We have a lot of idiots in this world.
I have to admit that my gas is much much better than before I began the diet, but it still blows in every once in a while.
Lene 
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God never promised life would be easy, but he did promise to provide a way out!
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you are lucky cause you are a guy. My guy friends let out the worst farts ever and laugh about it. I dont know how theyd feel if they knew the ones that have been blamed on my husband were actually mine. Doubt they'd care, but im not admitting it! That is good to know about the test situation, I have had to take exams with severe pain before, but didnt want to have to tell anyone what was going on, so just persisted through it.
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Re: allison
#140777 - 01/21/05 02:23 PM
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michele
Reged: 06/02/03
Posts: 6886
Loc: southeastern michigan
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Too funny about your hubby taking the blame!!! I had the same problem around my husbands parents. We typically stay there for a few days at a time, a couple times a year. The first few years we were together, I'd try and hold them in and be miserable and the few times that I did let one slip out, my hubby would also take the blame! Now that we have been together for 5 years and visit frequently with his parents, I finally explained to them last christmas because I had the stinkest gas ever and there just wasn't any hiding it or holding it in! His parents are pretty down to earth people and don't have a problem at all now. I still don't exactly let'em rip there but at least I know that if I have to, I can and just excuse myself!
This christmas, my mother-in-law and I drove an hour to go shopping and we needed to stop for lunch. She wanted to do fast-food and I told her that she wouldn't like having to rise with me in a closed car for an hour after I ate something like that! She laughed and we ended up getting Chinesse!!
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Taking it one day at a time.....
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Allison,
Welcome to the board, if I haven't said so already!
First, I once read that if you hold gas in, it gets reabsorbed into the body and doesn't make things worse. Having said that, I only hold it in in social situations, like weddings, funerals, and dinner with new friends. Otherwise, too bad.
My mother-in-law is the Queen of Farts! She is so elegant and chic and genteel, but she has these silent but deadly ones, like break out the gas masks! She simply refuses to acknowledge them. She goes right on with whatever she's doing without batting an eye. I like to think that's how the Queen of England would handle it too!
I think sometimes we think too much about what other people think about us. It's almost a distorted sense of self to think that other people even think about us at all. They're all wrapped up in their own problems, thinking about their own farts, and most of the time don't even notice ours!
Having said all that, I have two positive suggestions. The first is to practice saying, I'm sorry I have IBS and my stomach is upset, I hope that wasn't too bad. You would not only be easing your own embarrassment you'd also be doing all the rest of us a favor by educating the people around you about IBS. The more we explain IBS to other people, the more understanding and sympathetic they'll be and the easier it will be for all of us. So do it for me and everyone else here, okay?!
The second suggestion is that my gas decreased to almost none once I'd been on Heather's diet for a while (by diet I mean all her suggestions, like SFS, probiotics, etc). So i would suggest that you try all the suggestions people have made here for eliminating the problem before it starts:
Gas-X (simthicone) - I take two every morning and have for the past year.
Fennel tea
Avoid gas producing foods
Yoga positions for eliminating gas
etc
Do a search of Heather's site (not the boards) for bloating and you'll find her writeup.
Good luck!!
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Laura
Keep it simple!
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Hi, lydsia!
Welcome to the forum. That's too bad that you have IBS, but I'm glad you got it diagnosed so early. I agree with Mr. Computer that telling your friends you have IBS is the best thing to do. Honesty avoids hurt feelings and misunderstandings. You don't have to tell them all the icky details, just that you have a stomach problem called IBS and sometimes you get sick and have to stay home. No need to even mention the D word!
To start getting your D under control go to this page and read about Heather's super approach to breaking the cycle:
Breaking The Cycle
Hope this helps and hope you keep coming back to the board. The people here are great!
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Laura
Keep it simple!
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I have suffered with gas, bloating and cramps for many years. I am blessed to have two great friends that totally understand. They make it easy to be with. They both have gas issues, we laugh awfully hard about it.
One time we went out to eat Mexican Food, of course, I was not eating anything safe. I thought I had my gassiness under control that day........  . We were sitting there talking, the lunch crowd had poured in and every table was packed. There was a table directly behind me with men and women. All of a sudden, I let out three loud farts, just like bam-bam-bam. My friend sitting across the table from me had the most shocked look on her face, I said, I hope you are finished because we are leaving now. I was so, so embarassed. I did not turn my head and look in any direction. Those poor people got farted on !!! hehehe
I don't understand how it happened, I had no warning that there was any idea of gas in my body. It just erupted. I had no chance to stop it or try to control it. OMGOSH!!!!
We got to the car and died laughing, what else were we going to do. Now I take an anti-spasmodic every day, yes, it does sometimes make me draggy, but at least I don't have farts loud enough to make massive evacuations from the people around me.
Hope this terrible incident helped someone feel better!
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Hi Laura,
Thanks for the advise. I will go ahead and try the gas x daily. I have definitely been looking into the yoga. I go to Pilates classes a lot, and doing pilates at home always helps to expel trapped gas. Never have gotten as much into yoga, but I think if I can do it at home to get the gas moving, etc, it will be good. I use Benefiber several times a day and Citrucel about once a day so I have the SFS covered. Have tried acidophilus capsules briefly, but will go ahead and try it again too. Maybe if I do everything at once, it will work. I didnt mean to sound negative before, I just have been very frustrated the last month or so. I generally dont care if the gas smells and other ppl smell it, its just when i am not sure if they'll be silent that I worry. Let one go (made a little noise) during a patient interview at the hospital today and no one even noticed!
BTW, you look much younger in your pic than the profile says!
Thanks again.
Allison
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That is hilarious, it definitely made me laugh. I think a Mexican restaurant is the best place to do it, most people would get gas from that kind of food. I think I will go ahead and let them go around my good friends. They all know about the IBS, I just have always been sort of a proper, quiet type of person, people are shocked when I belch in front of them!
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Thank you for the compliment, Allison! It seems to run in our family. My sister is 49 and could pass for 35 easily.
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Laura
Keep it simple!
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HI, I WAS TOLD TO TAKE BEANO, BEFORE EACH MEAL OR FIRST BIT, AND IT HAS HELPED A BIT, BUT I STILL HAVE SOME PAIN, DOES THE GAS-X TAKE THE PAIN AS WELL AS THE GAS AND BLOAT. WILL APPRECIATE YOUR FEEDBACK. THANKS
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Yeah, I decided to look into accomodations when, during one of my finals last semester, I had to be escorted to the bathroom by a professor to make sure I didn't talk to anyone or something, which made things REALLY awkward. Not to mention how much it ate into my time.
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Why'd you have to go and make me so constipated?
--'Weird' Al Yankovic, "A Complicated Song"
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Dear Alison,
I noted that you said you used Benefiber. Now I know not everyone is the same, but I tried Benefiber after taking Citrucel capsules. I wanted something without all the fillers, but I noticed it brought back my symptoms of gassiness and bloating. So I went back to Citrucel, and now I have the Acacia. I haven't noticed any problem with gas from it, plus it makes me feel "healthy". I don't know how to explain it but it calms my cravings even. Another note, is that I recently became vegan (3 weeks now), and eat a lot more veg. and fruits. Now at first I thought that if I took my SFS then went straight to eating a salad, I would be okay. NOT TRUE. I have realized that even when taking SFS, I need to order my meals with a soluble fiber FOOD first too, then go on to the veg. etc. This lessens my gas considerably. Also if you try to limit dairy, don't get suckered into using only Soy replacements, there are many rice alternatives that don't contribute to gas as soy does. (Though I still eat soy, I just try to vary it all with rice products too). As far as being in public, I just started to warn people at work "Just step away-there is nothing to smell here"...I still have them all as friends, and they appreciate you saving them from it. 
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Take Care Now,
Rooster
(Becca)
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allisonl. gas is the worse thing to worry about around people. i get very nervous when it happens to me. to bad they dont make a pill what gets rid of smelly gas. hope your feeling better soon. jasper
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ive had ibs for 8 years now. im learning alot on this web board. thanks again everyone
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Thank you everyone for all your help - i told my friends and they dont seem to care, just tell the other bunch tommorow. My GCSEs are general certificate of secondary education. I am english you see, as everyone else here seems to be a different nationality. Oh well! yes so i go onto college next. Most of my gas is belchy i dont have any trouble down below, although i have bad nausea if i eat lots of sweets the night before i sleep. Ix dont like not being able to eat as much sweets and chocolate bcos everyone, well most people at 15 do!its hard but my face is completely clear now. Ok thanks everyone! I like my fruit teas now and i am on an amazing diet! you only eat carbohydrates and veg or veg and protein, dont mix carbs and protein it is great! if you want to eat carbs u wait 3 hours after protein and 2 hours if it is the other way round. I can eat dairy but u have that 30 min after everythin else
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That's interesting what you said about benefiber. I too was taking citrucel, tried benefiber and got horrible cramps and yucky feeling. I tried it for the same reason you did, didn't want fillers. So now I am back to citrucel. I am afraid to try acacia because it is a gum just like benefiber, so I thought my respons to it would be the same.
After reading your post, maybe I should order the acacia since you didn't have the same response as you did with the benefiber.
Thanks for sharing your experience.
When you eat your fruits, do you eat them fresh and do you still peel them? Or do you eat them unpeeled? Assuming you are IBS-C?
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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Hi,
Thanks for the advice. I have been using Citracel in cold drinks and Benefiber in hot, the citrucel is sooo thick that i cant stomach it but once a day I dont think. I ordered the Acacia to try out. You have definitely got me pegged when you talk about being vegan or close to it, eating a lot of vegetables and a lot of soy. I have really been trying to be careful about having bread or sweet potatoes or something with the vegetables. I havent had broccoli, asparagus, cauliflouer, cucumbers, onions for a long time now either. I used to have a bit of an eating disorder (about a year ago), that I think stemmed from having to be so obsessive about food and my body and how I felt. So, I used to eat just fruits and vegetables a lot. But I am now running a lot, and training for a marathon (that is this weekend, yay!) so have to eat a lot more. I also know I have to have a lot of soluble fiber carbs for my stomach, so that is much better and healthier now. Oh, I also stopped using Splenda (which I lived on before. Not sure what to do since I love my tea sweet. Well, we'll see how I handle the Acacia. 
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I was rolling on the floor reading this....I have experienced all sorts of gas filled moments.
My friends have, for years, called me Gasman. My gas is known far and wide. Really. And its been far and wide too.
Seriously though, even though I've been on Heather's diet for several weeks now, my gas is been reduced somewhat, but I notice that if I don't get enough sleep (say under 4 hours), that my gas attacks are much much worse. But once I can get enough sleep (either through a nap or a full 6 hours of sleep) then my gas isn't a bad.
Anyone have this issue?
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i use Cherry flavored Gas x it helps me most the time to rid my body of the gass
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