embarassing question, but i really need help!

Hey, 

I've been having a problem and I'm not sure what to do and could use some fab advice. Recently I've been having awful gas, it happens all the time, is uncontrollable, and smells incredibly foul, almost chemical-like or something in nature. Not normal. Sorry, I'm really not trying to be gross here, but I need to explain my symptoms. Also, sometimes I accidentally 'go' (as in poop) on myself when I feel this gassy-ness. This happens in class, at work, while I'm sleeping, etc. I really dont know what to do and these problems are now lasting off and on about all day. I feel like I almost always need to go to the bathroom and feel like if I could just sort of flush out my system (no pun intended) things would be better (as in I feel kind of backed up all the time). 

Does anyone have any idea of what could be causing this/what to do?

Thanks.

What are you eating and drinking?

I eat healthy, but I do use artificial sweeteners and often high-sodium products (but I'm young and my bp is still low). Generally I have eggs and fruit for breakfast (or sometimes cereal and soy milk), sandwich/salad with protein and chips for lunch, dinner really depends (often something like Panera). For snacks I do frozen yogurt, smoothies, nuts, chips, luna bars, etc. It differs day to day though.

Don't be embarassed. I had almost the same thing 2 days ago for like a couple of days. But mine was diarreah because I accidentally ate too many prunes :S Omgosh you eat so healthy! Maybe it's just a little thing but you should still go to your doctor's soon, just to make sure its a minor thing.

What kind of chips are you eating?  Do they have lots of Olestra?  Eating too much of that artificial fat is known to cause loose stools.

For a general idea of what might be going on, you could use the 'symptom checker' on www.webmd.com.  Then get yourself to a doc if this persists more than a week or so.

*Personally, I recommend not using the sypmtom checker if you tend to be a hypochondriac.  It can bring back some pretty scary possibilities.

Excess gas sounds like you're reacting badly to something you're eating.   One solution you could try is to reduce your dietary choices down to some very simple ingredients.  Too much fruit can cause digestion problems so cut out all the smoothies and fruit for a while.  Also any chips, luna bars etc.   Breakfast, for example... simple oatmeal.  Lunch... a sandwich and salad.  Supper... some vegetable broth, a bread roll.   For snacks, choose things like toast or crackers... nothing too rich. 

same problem...it's the soy milk...I drink it after every workout too.  it's on and off...i get it when I eat lots of garlic/beans, or soy milk.

Having experienced this myself; it's very, very likely to be the artificial sweetners. I think you may be using too many for your body to handle.

I had the same thing happen to me. It was the fiber one bars that was causing it. I dont know what was it. But I would try and take away one food you are eating daily , that you did not eat before the gas began and see if it stops. I had never had fiber one  bars before. Once I stopped eating them the horrible nasty gas stopped.When i say foul I mean foul...am sure you know what I mean from what your post said. Give that a try and see what happens. I use sweet&low all the time and it does not give me gas.

Cut out the artificial sweeteners right now and see if it makes a difference - they can have a laxative effect, which could be causing all your problems, or you might be extra-sensitive to them. Another possible culprit that's easy to eliminate is lactose. Lactose-intolerance really messes with your digestion and it won't hurt you at all to go without dairy for a few days to see if it makes a difference. (I know you say you use soy milk, but lactose can lurk in prepared foods too...)

Are you drinking a lot of water?  Sometimes a similar thing happens to me because I eat a ton of fiber, and if I don't drink enough water I get very gassy and bloated and it is a lot like what you described.  Also sounds like you might be a bit constipated?  Water will help with that too.  You probably do need to empty yourself (I know the feeling), and water should help with that.  And try not to drink soda (if you do drink it) because that seems to make the problem worse, at least for me.  Hope you feel better!!

Original Post by gi-jane:

Excess gas sounds like you're reacting badly to something you're eating.   One solution you could try is to reduce your dietary choices down to some very simple ingredients.  Too much fruit can cause digestion problems so cut out all the smoothies and fruit for a while.  Also any chips, luna bars etc.   Breakfast, for example... simple oatmeal.  Lunch... a sandwich and salad.  Supper... some vegetable broth, a bread roll.   For snacks, choose things like toast or crackers... nothing too rich. 

 I'm going to have to agree with gi-jane and most of the other pp's...it could be any number of things, so the best way to narrow it down would be to simplify your diet for a week or two, then gradually start adding back your 'regular' foods until the symptoms show up again. That is a standard protocol for identifying food allergies, and can help when any sort of digestive issues are occuring.  Taking a probiotic suppliment or eating yougurt can help too...

I also agree it could be what you are eating and a bland diet for a couple of weeks then reintroducing foods will certainly tell you if it is related to your diet.  I have a friend who has the same reaction to soy milk.  I happen to be fine with soy milk, but if I have regular milk I am running to the bathroom with bad gas.  The best gas medicine I have ever used are the GasX Chewables... or Immodium Anti-Diarrheal and Anti-Gas.  I hope you get better.  It's not only embarrassing but painful too!!

Okay. I'd like to say this: do not remove anything from your diet unless your doctor tells you to first. Go to your doctor, tell them what is going on and ask about an elimination diet. This is when you cut out one type of food, one at a time, for a period of time and see if your symptoms allieviate.

If you do cut anything out, then the sweeteners might be a good idea. But given that I know about your ED history and also because I do not think it is a good idea for ANYONE to perform an elimination diet on their own - partially because that is in part how my ED began, and because certain food intolerance and allergy tests require the reactionary food or ingredient to be within the diet before the test - do not take anything out without speaking to someone first!

I had serious problems with this before I made some changes. I even went to see my doctor. I would suggest you do the same. But for the other stuff, the doc. said drink a TON of water because that is your bodies way of "flushing" your system. Also, I cut back on artificial stuff. I use a little still but I was drinking crystal light mixers with sucrose all the time and they were killing my digestive system.

Also, if you take fiber vitamins you have to double water intake. I didnt know this but if you get too much fiber (wheat stuff, vitamins, etc.) in your system without enough water you get backed up.

I hope this helped, I really know where you are coming from..

Original Post by texaspeach:

I had the same thing happen to me. It was the fiber one bars that was causing it. I dont know what was it. But I would try and take away one food you are eating daily , that you did not eat before the gas began and see if it stops. I had never had fiber one  bars before. Once I stopped eating them the horrible nasty gas stopped.When i say foul I mean foul...am sure you know what I mean from what your post said. Give that a try and see what happens. I use sweet&low all the time and it does not give me gas.

 Glad I am not the only one.  I switched to Kashi TLC bars, the peanut butter kind, haven't had a problem since.  They are also healthier and same calories at Fiber One bars.  A little more expensive but I would rather spend an extra buck than to make my poor loving fiance suffer, hahaha.

Good luck!

Thanks for all the advice. After reading everyone's (very helpful!) posts I've decided it's either because I a) having been eating something with milk in it (I'm lactose intolerant), b)use too much artificial sweeteners (I also chew Orbit gum), or c)have some other odd food allergy yet to be discovered. I'm going to cut back on the sweetners for a few days and double check milk content and see how things work out. But, lala, I will be careful about cutting out foods considering I was anorexic for a while. Luckily, I haven't restricted a meal since June (minus a few morning wakeups where I was too hungover to eat :) ).

Orbit gum is sweetened with Xylitol and Sorbitol, which are called "sugar alcohols", and are known to cause gas, bloating, and diarrhea.

I used to be an obsessive gum chewer, too, until I found out my pack-a-day habit was causing rancid flatulence, bloating, and gas.  Even more fun, if I joggle my belly a bit, it sloshes like a water balloon due to the sugar alcohols.  Not pleasant.

I'm thinking mayhap your beloved gum is what's causing your discomfort.  Hope that helped. ^^

Are you eating onions? I was having really bad gas, to the point of pain, & I determined it to be from the onions in my cucumber salad. The eggs you're eating could also do it.
Beano!