# Does your poop smell different when flaring?



## nogutsnoglory (Jul 24, 2014)

My family insists they know when my disease is very active by how much I stink up the house. I wonder if there is something to it because whenever I get close to being due for an infusion it smells really bad.


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## 2thFairy (Jul 24, 2014)

Mine always did.  The first sign of a flare coming on for me was particularly stinky gas.  About 2 days later the diarrhea and bleeding showed up.  STIIIIINNNNKY!!!!!


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## mish2575 (Jul 24, 2014)

My poop has all different smells.  I can tell by the feeling before and during what the smell will be like.   

Sometimes, it smells like stinky BO sweat.  Other smells:  burnt rubber, blood/iron smell.


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## Cat-a-Tonic (Jul 24, 2014)

Mine seems to smell a bit like rotting, I guess.  My theory is that since I'm not absorbing or breaking down my food very well, maybe it's just kind of rotting as it goes through me.  That would explain the undigested food in my stool as well as the smell when I'm in a flare.


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## If* (Jul 24, 2014)

undigested food smells worse strong foul gagging etc. - transit time and un-absorbed food can be affected by inflammation. Pointing to increased symptoms like stinky poo.


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## lbligh (Jul 24, 2014)

I have read that steatorrhoea is often?usually? the cause of the bad smell. It means there is a high level of fat in the feces, and goes along with general malabsorption.


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## shamrock15 (Jul 24, 2014)

I find there is a very distinctive smell to it. I even had a flash back to 30 years ago and an actual smell during what was most likely my first flare when I was 6 years old. Amazing that the smell (and its memory) can be that strong.


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## lbligh (Jul 25, 2014)

When the smell changes (at least according to your family) is that a matter of days before a flare, or weeks?


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## nogutsnoglory (Jul 25, 2014)

Ive never not been flaring since my diagnosis years ago but I have better and worse periods of time. Stinky when worse.


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## Funkwecker (Jul 25, 2014)

I started having troubles with stinky poop about 4 years after I had a bowel resection of my iliocecal valve and about 20 cm of my small bowel. At first the doctors thought I was just being funny when I tried to explain how bad it smelled. Then I had to stay in the hospital for a few days during a flare-up. My room had its own bathroom and I had things pretty funky in there. On the second day, my doctor came to see me right after I had gone to the bathroom and said that was the worst she had ever smelled. She had the lab test stool samples and they figured out that the smell was coming from bile salts. Normally, bile salts are excreted into your small intestine just below your stomach to help break down dietary fats. More fats = more bile salts. These bile salts are normally reabsorbed into the small intestine and most don't enter the colon. Since I no longer have an iliocecal valve and since the area of my small intestine that usually reabsorbs these bile salts isn't working well due to my Crohn's flare-up, I get a lot of these bile salts that go into my colon. They act as an irritant to the colon causing diarrhea and a strong smell when I go to the bathroom. Once I knew that, I drastically reduced the amount of fats in my diet and it helped a lot. I started reintroducing certain types of fat into my diet to see which ones caused a bad reaction. for just $29.99 I can tell you which fats I have to avoid (just kidding). I have to stay away from pretty much all deep fried foods, any pork (because it has sooo much hidden fat that can't be trimmed), and I have to trim the fat from most other meats I eat. Another issue that made things worse, that I found out about 4 years ago, is that I have a fructose intolerance. Eating too much fructose (from most types of fruit), causes huge amounts of flatulence. I decreased the amount of fruit that I was eating and that improved tremendously. Bile salts plus flatulence equals the ability to clear out an entire train car at rush hour (nobody wants to sit in a train car that smells like a skunk blew up or like an old fish tank). Dealing with these two problems also had the side effect of me not being bloated all of the time and me thinking more positively about spending time in public. Maybe these things can help some of you.

P.S. I haven't ever been able to reintroduce fats into my diet, not even when I am not going through a flare-up. That is probably due to the normal amount of bile salts in the intestine just getting passed into my colon, instead of being held up by my iliocecal valve.


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## canary (Jul 25, 2014)

ha!  when i smell rotting pumpkin i know i have to make a GI appointment.

Funkwecker!  I had my ileocecal valve removed too, and I never figured out why I smelled worse afterwards - thanks for making it all make sense!  I take microcolestipol and that helps with the bile salts, but I've never thought about the fat component.  I'm sensitive to fructose too but there's nothing that can keep me away from rainier cherries this time of year.


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## Essieluv (Jul 25, 2014)

My poo smells rancid when I am feeling unwell. I think it has to do with what I am/aren't absorbing and digesting. Just a theory, really. But yeah, my family knows I am unwell if the bathroom smells like something died in the toilet.


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## Gram214 (Jul 26, 2014)

Oh my goodness..the reality of it all. Yes yes and yes definitely I can tell when things are not "right" inside. I even had this problem for years and years before being diagnosed. Almost died of embarrassment several times. My question is ...is there anything out there to lessen the smell in the bathroom ? I've tried everything under the sun so far. Drops..sprays...candles..you name it. It must be so hard to live with me...!!


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## nogutsnoglory (Jul 26, 2014)

Eucalyptus essential oil is helpful and blowing out a match.


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## JMC (Jul 26, 2014)

nogutsnoglory said:


> ... and blowing out a match.


What, with your a$$? Might explode :ylol2:


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## PsychoJane (Jul 26, 2014)

I also have a different smell when I flare. That smells is really lessen even cancelled when I get the antibiotics prescribed. I can't really distinguish when my digestive system is ok or not with the stoma but the days when I'm not feeling top are usually coupled with a fool smelling poop. It is totally linkable to the smell it had when I had my first terrible flare so I am guessing something either bacterial or inflammatory related is affecting the smell overall.


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## JMC (Jul 27, 2014)

My stools smell different when I am having a flare, but so does my body odour in general.  It takes on an unpleasant (hard to describe) tone that I personally find quite repulsive (god help everyone else!)  This is exactly the sort of observation that I have never seen discussed by the medical profession.


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## lbligh (Jul 27, 2014)

This is all very interesting and potentially helpful. Recently I was reading about service dogs who can perceive when a diabetic human is having a problem. Perhaps odor could be a helpful alert for IBD as well.


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## Gram214 (Jul 27, 2014)

At times when I was on an antibiotic... Flaygyl It actually did take the worst of the smell away. Should we all be on a continous low dose antibiotic possibly ? Would it help or caues more harm ? Funny doc.s can't think of these lower cost methods of possibly quelling our disease rather than pushing for million dollar biologics and their like . Think those are doing us any long lasting good ? Hmmmmm ....food for thought .


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## rose petal (Jul 27, 2014)

Gram214 said:


> Oh my goodness..the reality of it all. Yes yes and yes definitely I can tell when things are not "right" inside. I even had this problem for years and years before being diagnosed. Almost died of embarrassment several times. My question is ...is there anything out there to lessen the smell in the bathroom ? I've tried everything under the sun so far. Drops..sprays...candles..you name it. It must be so hard to live with me...!!


There is a spray glen 20 that I use after going to the bathroom and it eliminates the smell.


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## LindaS (Jul 28, 2014)

I mentioned that to my doctor once, that my poop smells disgusting when I'm flaring, and he discounted it saying that smell had more to do with what you eat.  However, I know, as does my husband, that when I'm flaring, it smells so gross it almost gags me.

Before I was diagnosed, I'll never forget this, I was in college living in the dormitories.  I stunk up the whole floor, but I was so embarrassed that I left and hid at the student center.  Later, my roommate told me that had searched the bathroom to see if something had died in the pipes!


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## nogutsnoglory (Jul 28, 2014)

LindaS said:


> I mentioned that to my doctor once, that my poop smells disgusting when I'm flaring, and he discounted it saying that smell had more to do with what you eat.  However, I know, as does my husband, that when I'm flaring, it smells so gross it almost gags me.
> 
> Before I was diagnosed, I'll never forget this, I was in college living in the dormitories.  I stunk up the whole floor, but I was so embarrassed that I left and hid at the student center.  Later, my roommate told me that had searched the bathroom to see if something had died in the pipes!


Yeah, I  eat the same bland diet so if it suddenly smells that doesn't add up for me.


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## BigBoss (Aug 22, 2015)

I know this is an old thread, but I have bad smelling movements as well as gas.  For me however its extrememly rare to be able to pass gas without making a trip to the throne.  If i can pass gas without sitting or having a movement it usually is actually not so bad, but when having a movement, its absolutely putrid.  I am not necessarily flaring, however itbis not under control.  I weigh 110lbs, and i have been dealing with this since 02-2011,  last december i was doing a small photo shoot at a sound stage in Vegas, i had some really bad b.m.s and after one of them, when i came back to the stage after being outside, soneone had brought in onenof those massive fans thats like 4ft in diameter to help vent the entire stage out cuz it had literally cleared out the stage where everyone was working.  Now that was fucking embarrassing to no end.  I also travel on the road for a living and have to pull over routinely to use a special 5 gal bucket my mom got me for emergencies.  I have an enclosed car trailer, so i just lock myself in the trailer, but the smell can be god awful, and I get people asking me if theres like some kind of weird fuel that the car runs or is it burning oil or something, cuz theres a undistinct smell.  So embarrassing, but let me tell you, the alternative to not using my bucket is far more embarrassing and disgusting.  Not to mention much more of a cleanup involved than the plastic bag of my bucket.  But i have had this smelly condition ever since my flare vegan in 2011, and nothing seems to be working, so i am ip for surgery, and hopefully that will allow me tononce again be able to maintain proper nutrition intake which in turn may allow me to gain some weight.  Otherwise i dont kkow what im going to do.  Feel like im dying of malnourishment at this point.  Thx for reading, i ramble alot.


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## jaybird (Aug 25, 2015)

Can y'all describe this smell?  mine is odd and other-smelling.  Almost chemical or medicinal.  It's disturbing.   It is not at all like sulfur (the traditional bad-fart smell).  

What are your experiences?


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## BigBoss (Aug 25, 2015)

jaybird said:


> Can y'all describe this smell?  mine is odd and other-smelling.  Almost chemical or medicinal.  It's disturbing.   It is not at all like sulfur (the traditional bad-fart smell).
> 
> What are your experiences?


This is an old thread, so i dont know how many people will respond, but for me, its just extremely potent or strong, it can linger for quite some time and in terms of smell itself, well it def smells like someone defocated,i guess almost like theres some kind of chemical, cuz i have had prople tell me they thought there was a odd smelling kind of fuel or some kind of smell in my trailer after using the trailer as a makeshift bathroom.


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## MaryK (Dec 3, 2015)

Gram214 said:


> At times when I was on an antibiotic... Flaygyl It actually did take the worst of the smell away. Should we all be on a continous low dose antibiotic possibly ? Would it help or caues more harm ? Funny doc.s can't think of these lower cost methods of possibly quelling our disease rather than pushing for million dollar biologics and their like . Think those are doing us any long lasting good ? Hmmmmm ....food for thought .


 actually, it's thought that too many antibiotics kill off the beneficial bacteria in our gut, as well as the harmful stuff, and that contributes to IBD. plus, your body can become immune to antibiotics just like it can any other medication.


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## ronroush7 (Dec 3, 2015)

I have been told when on antibiotic to double up on probiotic.


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## BigBoss (Dec 4, 2015)

Even after my resection, being able to actually pass gass for the first time in 5+yrs, the smell is not wuite rite, and i slhave to be ultra careful for if i push the gas out, like the days of old, i could very easily shit my pants.  Which might i add sux loke a motherfucker.  I try most of my life not to take things for granted, but I can say, that I honestly took eating, digestion, and normality of using the restroom for granted in a very large way, and i miss how life was before all this came surfacing.


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## JMC (Dec 4, 2015)

BigBoss said:


> Even after my resection, being able to actually pass gass for the first time in 5+yrs, the smell is not wuite rite, and i slhave to be ultra careful for if i push the gas out, like the days of old, i could very easily shit my pants.  Which might i add sux loke a motherfucker.  I try most of my life not to take things for granted, but I can say, that I honestly took eating, digestion, and normality of using the restroom for granted in a very large way, and i miss how life was before all this came surfacing.


Perfect description of what most of us think, most of the time!


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## ronroush7 (Dec 4, 2015)

JMC said:


> Perfect description of what most of us think, most of the time!


Me too.


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## Grumpy (Dec 4, 2015)

I remember some years ago (pre-Calprotectin), there was research in analysing the 'headspace above faeces', as yer scientist would call it, as a diagnostic test for activity.  In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if the development of the calprotectin test came out of that (a specific protein test rather than the smell of a specific protein).

On a personal level, when I was first diagnosed I was at a college with a sanatorium with on site nurse.  I spent 6 months awaiting a diagnosis with Crohns from the medical profession and as soon as they had given me it, the onsite (experienced) nurse said 'I knew it the minute I smelt your poo - when you've smelt it once, there's no mistaking it.':stinks:


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## Proud2beabrit (Jul 3, 2018)

Actually probiotics are amazing. I have had Crohn's for 37 years, since i was 17, and i know the smell can hang around for hours. I find the bacterial overgrowth causes 99% of odor, and probiotics help. Correct antibiotics are far better. I was given Cipro, or Xifaxin for over 30 years, and suffered through 3 month courses, 2 x a year, for 30 years. New gastro last year told me these 2 antibiotics only treat 3% of bacteria. Flagyl treats the other 97%. One 20 day course has cured my odor probs for over a year. No more stink at all. So for me the bacterial overgrowth, inadequately treated, caused over 30 years of noxiousness. Yuk i stank really bad (yes i know that is really hideous english). Idiot docs. 30 years of mind numbing stench, cured, at least temporarily by one couse of Flagyl. So probiotics and lots of research myself in future, is the ticket! Woo hoo.


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## Proud2beabrit (Jul 3, 2018)

jmc said:


> what, with your a$$? Might explode :ylol2:


lol


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## Proud2beabrit (Jul 3, 2018)

Essieluv said:


> My poo smells rancid when I am feeling unwell. I think it has to do with what I am/aren't absorbing and digesting. Just a theory, really. But yeah, my family knows I am unwell if the bathroom smells like something died in the toilet.


I say bacterial overgrowth x 34 years of experience with exactly that.  Probiotics, and antibiotics are godsends for me.


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## Proud2beabrit (Jul 3, 2018)

JMC said:


> My stools smell different when I am having a flare, but so does my body odour in general.  It takes on an unpleasant (hard to describe) tone that I personally find quite repulsive (god help everyone else!)  This is exactly the sort of observation that I have never seen discussed by the medical profession.


OMG i just tried to address this last week. I have a stoma, and took my used dressings in to my doc in a baggie, and said i cannot walk around smelling like this, so please take a wiff and give me a clue. My doc looked repulsed and did not want to take a sniff at all. But i did not give him much choice, however it was not comfortable at all. I smell like a ripe beach with dead fish on it in the baking sun. I can smell it waft out of my stoma sometimes, and it is the mucus in my dressing. When i change the dressing, the odor is completely gone. So the smell does not actually come from the stoma, but from the mucus discharge. Unbelievable i have been agonizing about this for a number of years now, and i finally plucked up the courage to force my doc to sniff last week, much to his obvious dismay. I am thinking of switching docs now, as that was totally uncool of him as he is a gastro, and i did not appreciate my doc making me feel like crap for trying to find something embarrassing out. Shame on him for that.
Anyway thanks ever so much for addressing this, many appreciative thanks from me. I am glad no judgement here. Stench stinks!!! LOL 
Yes medical professionals do just look at you like you are from another planet when trying to address the unusual. I have adopted the habit of telling them what i think my diagnosis is, and why, and if they think i am wrong they have to do some in depth explaining. I am tired of inadequate attention to most aspects of disease, so yes weird and embarrassing body odors should be addressed when dealing with digestive disease as it is so socially akward, and really diffucult to cope with for that reason. It is awful enough when expected, but i walk around smelling musky and weird sometimes. Yuk!! I kind of can't stand myself either actually. Hahaha


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