I’m 6 years post a mini gastric bypass and still haven’t found a solution to my very very embarrassing problem. I suffer from foul smelling stools that can be runny sometimes. It causes me a great deal of embarrassment and distress.. I can’t use toilets anywhere outside my own toilet in my house.. and no one can use the toilet after me because the smell is very foul and lingers for a very long time.. I also suffer from a lot of smelly farts that usually start around evening time (hardly anything in the morning) ... no matter what I eat or what I eliminate from my diet it doesn’t cause a difference.. Does anyone seem to have a solution for this or managed to understand why? Please don’t tell me it’s my diet because I’ve tried changing it an eliminating so many things and nothing works.

May I add, that I’ve had a friend recommending and insisting on enema and especially coffee enema.. this friend has never had a bariatric surgery so I’m sure she’s unaware of the exact causes of my problem. I have been hesitant on trying it but a quick google search doesn’t make it sound like a good idea.. but yet if this works I’m ready to give it a go. Anything to ease my problem

49 minutes ago, mmy said:

Does anyone seem to have a solution for this or managed to understand why? Please don’t tell me it’s my diet because I’ve tried changing it an eliminating so many things and nothing works.

What did you eliminate? And what do you typically eat?

@summerset

I completely omitted lactose and sugar (including artificial sweeteners), I tried cutting out gluten and vegetables/ legumes that cause gas like cabbage, onions etc. my diet mainly consisted of meats (chicken, red meat, fish), rice (in moderation) and vegetables, fruit is my dessert. For beverages I drink Water or red/green tea. Yes I do treat myself to foods I like like ice creams and cakes and chocolate but it’s only once in a while.. my weight is healthy and stable ..

On 04/12/2020 at 21:56, summerset said:

What did you eliminate? And what do you typically eat?

I completely omitted lactose and sugar (including artificial sweeteners), I tried cutting out gluten and vegetables/ legumes that cause gas like cabbage, onions etc. my diet mainly consisted of meats (chicken, red meat, fish), rice (in moderation) and vegetables, fruit is my dessert. For beverages I drink Water or red/green tea. Yes I do treat myself to foods I like like ice creams and cakes and chocolate but it’s only once in a while.. my weight is healthy and stable ..

Did you cut out dairy completely or did you eat lactose free dairy? What about the meats you eat and fats?

04/12/2020 11:10 PM, summerset said:

Did you cut out dairy completely or did you eat lactose free dairy? What about the meats you eat and fats?

I tried both.. because even lactose free milk will cause me to have diarrhea.. we mainly eat fish, goat and chicken.. those 3 types of meat don’t usually have much fat in them

I forgot to add .. the only type of dairy I have is Greek yogurt and not on daily bases.. it’s usually added to salad (like in tzaziki) .. maybe once a week 

Weird. Do any of these foods make it worse? Or did the omitting of certain foods change anything at all?

On 04/12/2020 at 22:22, summerset said:

Weird. Do any of these foods make it worse? Or did the omitting of certain foods change anything at all?

Nope.. nothing at all.. nothing made a change .. and it’s been 6 years now.. It’s not easy to see a doctor and talk about this yet I’ve seen 4 GP’s so far and they keep asking me to change my diet and refuse to refer me to a specialist.. it’s very Embarrassing and depressing .. I sometimes consider trying to reverse my surgery..

I think maybe the smell did get better when i was on antibiotics (only the foul smell and not the runny stools) but I’ve only taken a course few times and not enough to say that it did make a difference for sure.. yet even if it did I don’t think the solution is to be on antibiotics for the rest of my life..

Was bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) ever taken into consideration? Just asking because you said it was better after one course of antibiotics.

On 04/12/2020 at 22:41, summerset said:

Was bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) ever taken into consideration? Just asking because you said it was better after one course of antibiotics.

Nope never... as I said I only got to see 4 GP’s who seem clueless of Bariatric surgery a dismissed my issue as being a natural side effect of my surgery that requires diet adjustments only.. they never bothered to refer me to a specialist or run further tests

Can you see a gastroenterologist or bariatric surgeon about this? It's just a guess but it might explain your problems.

On 04/12/2020 at 22:48, summerset said:

Can you see a gastroenterologist or bariatric surgeon about this? It's just a guess but it might explain your problems.

The thing is where I live I can’t just chose to see a specialist.. I have to be referred to one through my GP.. I’ll give it another try with my GP but I don’t think anything will change.. anyways I can’t see one now, not until the quarantine is over

I have had the same issue, although not as severely as you describe. I think to a certain extent it's one of the side effects we have to live with after surgery--and I'm okay with that to be as healthy as I am. However, I have found that limiting carbs as much as possible really reduces the smells.

Following as I have the same issue, though I haven't changed my diet. I do notice that any sugar/carbs cause me severe loud gas!

I don't know about mini-GB, but that's not a common side effect of regular gastric bypass - constipation is much more common. I was also going to suggest SIBO - or maybe some kind of IBD (inflammatory bowel disease). I hope someone can change their mind and refer you to a specialist as he/she may be able to figure out what's going on. That must be miserable!