Odor

The improved pouches available today hardly ever emit odors. When odors exist, they are identical to the odor of gas and feces of those who have an intact colon.

There are steps you can take to be very certain that odors will not become a problem:

Use deodorant tablets or liquids in the bottom of the pouch, as recommended by the manufacturer.

Clean and dry reusable pouches carefully.

Pretest pouches that contain charcoal filters to be sure they work as advertised.

Ask a sensitive, helpful, honest person if he or she notices any odors.

Eat yogurt, parsley, and other foods known to ameliorate odors in the gastrointestinal tract.

Avoid foods such as cabbage that increase gas if you'll be with people who object to tummy rumbles and possibly an aroma.

Ensure that the skin attachment fits well and is firmly attached. Most people don't have the ideal flat tummy that allows no gas to escape; firm attachment can remedy this.

If your pouch has a "burp" valve, engage it in the bathroom or use a room deodorizer.

This pouch user offers some advice:

I've never had a problem with gas in my bag when on an airplane, as some ostomates report. It depends more on what you eat first: you'll only have gas in your bag if you've eaten something that causes gas to form... and you can take care of releasing it from the bag in the bathroom.

Noises

Passage of waste material and gas through the stoma can create wheezes, sighs, rumbles, or gas-like noises. Do try to be gentle with yourself when assessing these: are they really any worse than the stomach noises your body made when you had an intact colon?

But suppose one of the "healthy unaware" notices and is rude enough to comment? You might explain that it's just your intestine, that your digestive tract has been noisy all your life, which is a true statement for many of us. As Miss Manners says, those who ask nosy questions deserve to be lied to.

If your stoma regularly makes noise as gas passes, you may be able to anticipate it. If the setting is less than ideal for such noise, you can suppress it temporarily by subtly moving your forearm over the stoma and holding it there.

Taken in part from the Net - nconurse.com