My Starting Point-Dealing With the Smell
One of the first things I noticed as I was just getting started with my new assignments were that this was unlike anything I had ever experienced before.
When you use the bathroom you were sitting and dropping old number 2 into the pot, but now it is presented entirely differently to you and the world around you.
Without soundly either crude or disgusting to others this is a serious topic that needs to be discussed. But keeping with my personality let’s talk about it frankly but in a more lighthearted way.
If I offend please accept my apologies now.
So Where Was I?
This is a serious problem that you will need to take care of. I live only with my wife now. But I used to live with two daughters and a son as well.
This would be a bit more difficult with the whole family than with just the two of us. So what I do is, I use the half bathroom in the downstairs a lot when my wife is home. That way the odor is not present around her and the whole upstairs living section of our home.
I have found that the smell of emptying your appliance of body waste seems to be a bit more odoriferous than I remember going number 2 used to be. Maybe it is, but maybe it isn’t. Table of Contents
So assuming it is I have worked out ways to try to eliminate the smells the best I can do.
Everyone Is Different
To start with what works for me may not work for you. I have found that even with tampering with my diet (the foods I eat), that I still get a lot of gas, that I am constantly dealing with.
At first when I got home from my surgery, I was told to take Gas-X or Mylanta Extra Strength, Mytab Gas, or Phazyme Suspension. I tried some of these but they did not take care of my gas problems. I get enough gas in my pouch sometimes to drive a car somewhere HaHa!
But seriously I often vent my pouch but it releases a large fart type smell throughout the bathroom and beyond. Often lasting a while before it dissipates.
So I decided this isn’t good, so I need to find solutions.
My Solutions to the Smells of Having an Ostomy
Here some things that work for me. To start with I have a supply of canned aerosol air fresheners in the bathrooms and areas in both upstairs and downstairs bathrooms. As for me, I use the air fresheners from Glade. The smells I like are the Red Honeysuckle Nectar, the Hawaiian Breeze, and the Apple Cinnamon fragrances.
I also have also used the Citrus Magic air fresheners which bring their fruit scents
of orange and fresh lime and pink grapefruit to forefront. I have found that the citrus scents seem to cut the odor and help it dissipate quicker.
Get A Smelly Room Aired Out
Some other ideas are to use a good quality candle. Candles like Yankee Candles, where the wicks are long lasting are most helpful.
They burn longer and cleaner. The smell, the lovely scent of the candle helps control the smells in a whole area of the home.
Also a Candle Warmer used in conjunction with a candle will work well as well. You use a beverage candle warmer to warm a fresh candle on.
The wax gets heated up and the wonderful scents available then fill up the room and some of the rooms near. A wonderful way to create a pleasing aroma in the bathroom area of your house.
I sometimes also will run the ceiling outtake fan in the Bathroom to help get the odor out.
In Summary Good Luck
These situations seem to be a day in and day out thing that may need to be learned about and dealt with. I would encourage you to work on setting up your own procedures and always remember that not only do you have to change and live with new things and new patterns but your spouse, or your roommates etc, or family they all are learning along with you.
They will come up beside you and walk with you. So allow them the opportunity. Don’t shut them out. They loved and respected you before and nothing changed except for how dramatically all you are now dealing with.
Let them help out. Ask for their advice and still include them in your life.
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