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Horrible malodorous flatulence smell, even if I'm not farting?!

This problem is ruining my life. My fart stinks like omg, and when I am not farting, I release gases involuntarily which smells like fart/poop/sewage.

I am a student, male, 16, who discovered this problem about half a year ago. I fart many times a day and very often. Worse, I smell like I continously release sewage gas from my anus, even though I do not have any feeling of farting. The smell is really horrible and since I am not able to sense that I'm farting (during the period of involuntary flatus leakage/discharge/emission), I really do question whether the smell came from my rectum or not. Contracting my anal muscles to keep the gas from coming out do not really help, and often makes it worse.

Personally, I find the smell hard to bear with. And if that is the case for me, I am sure it will be worse for others. Those around me even use their fingers to cover their noses, and they often breathe in and exhale deeply and uncomfortably which makes me really guilty that I'm causing them to suffer. Many people cough when they sit with me as well. I do feel apologetic deep in my heart, but I can only pretend as if nothing has happened, although my peers have already identified me as the stink bomb.

The problem started half a year ago, and it went away for about 2-3 months. It resurfaced once again this few weeks. I have been unable to identify the exact cause of the problem, but having researched on flatulence issues, it could be one of the following:

- Diet (include excessive sulfur-containing food intake, food intolerance, food allergies)
- Bacterial imbalance
- Physically damaged anus which causes gas discharge

Observations:
- The problem is worst when I am at school
- My feces stink as well

I worry much more about the foul smell of my flatus than its quantity, since the horrible smell caused much inconvenience and annoyance to others. I really want to get rid of the problem and know the reason why it is occurring. When I'm out, I cannot concentrate on the things I am doing. People are avoiding me, and I am also avoiding them to prevent them from suffering. I don't know what to do and I am emotionally depressed because I think that my problem is worse than a disability, in that it affects others with my malodorous flatuence and involuntary discharge.

I have read several posts on the site related to my problem and there are a few people who have the same problem as me. I hope that I will soon find a cure for my problem so that I can have a social life again. Best of luck to those with the same problem as me too.
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Avatar universal
Hey, so the cause of flatulance smelling may be because of dietary reasons. Mine smell terrible after consuming something with dairy in it. But I had the problem of my farts sort of leaking without me having any control. This happened during Sophomore year when I was 16. So after that year I went to nontraditional school where people meet up at 1 of 3 classrooms and use the computers to do schooling there. There are way less people in there than regular school, which is what I needed. So I hardly ever have this problem anymore. I believe stress and anxiousness about me accidently farting amd other people noticing was a giant factor as to why it happened. Also, this school has more freedom in letting people use the bathroom and I do believe holding it in for too long will cause you to leak flatulance. I have also been doing kegel excerices to strengthen my anus, which I believe also helped. But I highly recommend going to a less traditional school to figure things out and relieve yourself of this cruel mystery. But please hang on in there <3
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Avatar universal
For those of you who are feeling a little confused by your symptoms, here is a very nicely written article which breaks it all down very well.
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https://www.healthline.com/health/smelly-farts
Avatar universal
Hi Specialmom,  Its an interesting question and thank you for asking.  The diet changes I have made has given me the freedom to live without any symptoms at all. I can work out and enjoy good energy levels and life in general. But then the very frustrating thing is that, even after being symptom free for many months, if I eat a problem food,  the problem returns very soon after.  So it seems as though these pathogens are evading our immune system and are there waiting in the background.  Im guessing that the gas is a sign that they are proliferating and gaining  more of a foothold after being  fed. So this is why i place a lot of importance on avoiding problem foods. Doctors, family, friends and society in general tend to treat gas as a trivial matter but if the bacteria are the cause, as they seem to be, of an autoimmune condition, then it must be taken very seriously indeed. Fiber, both soluble and insoluble, seems to be an issue for me. Interestingly, sufferers of SIBO are reporting on forums that they are getting relief by restricting fiber. The foods which I can eat without getting hydrogen sulfide gas all happen to be low in fiber. Studies on gut microbiomes varying by nationality have found that African populations, with diets high in fiber, happen to have more of the sulphate reducing anaerobes than western populations which eat more refined carbs.  Have you had any success with dietary changes?  
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Very interesting, for sure!  So, is this similar to when someone speaks of having gluten sensitivity?  Not the issue of celiac disease where they can not digest it but more that they react to it?  
Yes it could well be that. That they get gas but dont want to go into the detail.  Do you have a problem with all foods containing gluten?  Ive always wondered whether all the additives in bread might have something to do with it.
Yes it could well be that. That they get gas but dont want to go into the detail.  Do you have a problem with all foods containing gluten?  Ive always wondered whether all the additives in bread might have something to do with it.
Gluten sensitivity is one of those things that people usually figure out they have by eliminating things one by one to see if it affects things or monitoring what they had preceding an episode to correlate it.  Additives are funky.  I get headaches from artificial sweeteners.  I can't tolerate them.  So, I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that additives contribute!
Just thought I would mention that I tried a new experiment the other day and the results were surprising. For the experiment I wanted to see what would happen if I eliminated wheat. I had never done this before since eating wheat alone was never a problem. So while I was wheat free,  I started to try all the foods which were previously problematic. I couldnt believe it, there was no reaction. So I have been eating bananas avocados and other fruits and no issues so far. So it seems as though I can tolerate the wheat if it is not combined with fiber and sugars but If I ditch the wheat then I can pretty much eat a normal diet. I think this is very interesting indeed. Have you tried going gluten free? If you have tried this and not had any releif, then It could be interesting to see if a low starch diet helps.   By cutting out wheat, I have automatically reduced my starch consumption by quite a lot, so the question remains, were my issues caused by gluten or starch?  I have bought some gluten free spaghetti, high in starch, which I am going to now eat on a regular basis.  If  the issues come back, the culprit will be starch.
Avatar universal
Hi everyone,

I wrote a post on here in 2016 about Turmeric and received a few emails about it. Sadly I didnt notice the messages until now. This was my reply which I thought should post on here.  Turmeric did work, but only temporarily. After a couple of weeks the problem returned. Probably something to do with the high thiol content. Like Sulphur, Thiol is a problem for sufferers of this condition. So I would avoid it. Despite all the years of searching for a solution to this issue I have not yet found anything which can be taken to alleviate the symptoms. If your gas smells like sulphur then it is most likely caused by an abundance of pathogenic sulfate reducing bacteria. These bacteria are anaerobic and cant be detected with stool tests provided by regular doctors, which happen to only test for aerobic bacteria.. I guess, until we find a cure, our only choice is to manage it as best we can. My method of management is to avoid certain foods. I avoid high fiber foods. I can tolerate some white breads, pasta and potatoes.  Meats and fish are ok. Zuchinni and eggplant and tomatoes I can tolerate too. Everything else seems to cause issues, particularly dairy, as a previous poster mentioned. Avoid resistant starch. Pastas, rice and poatoes which have been cooked and then cooled convert to resistant starch which only feeds the bacteria in our colon and not us.  Previous posters also mentioned autoimmune disease and to that, I would like to add that certain types of anaerobic bacteria seem to have the ability to trick our immune system into attacking itself.  My doctor tested me for HIV because I had all the symptoms of a classic autoimmune disease. If any of you are suffering from weight loss then I would suggest avoiding high fiber foods. It seems that  some pathogenic sulphate reducing bacteria also have this tendancy to lock up all of the glucose which we derive from our food as glycogen in our livers . So they are effectively starving us. It is an infection. Hydrogen sulohide gas, that smell, is toxic and carcinogenic. People who take antibiotics only have temporary relief as the bacteria hides in a biofilm  which it makes. The antibiotics can only reach areas of our body where there is a blood supply. The blood carrying the antibiotics doesnt reach the biofilm where these nasty creatures are hiding. This whole problem started for me after making a terrible mistake one day. I read an article about raw horseradish as a natural antibiotic and decided to give it a go. Well thats when it all started. So definately avoid horseradish.  I hope someone is going to find a solution and post it on here one day.  For those who feel like giving up on life, I know how you feel. Simplify your diet and remove anything which triggers gas. I dont eat for pleasure anymore. I eat a very basic diet. Mostly boiled potatoes, some white bread, almonds, zuchinni, low fat minced meat from time to time. No spices, no sugar and no fat or oils other than what is naturally found in those foods. Its boring I know but at least I dont have smelly gas and that is worth a lot to me. So dont let it get you down. Just manage it until someone figures something out and comes back on here to to let us know.
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Thanks for your thorough update. All this time and still having the issue.  Ugh.  Do you find diet is able to help you? (the diet changes you describe?)
Avatar universal
I have seen progress with this probiotic called vsl#3. Stay away from sulfur forming foods. Take peppermint and lavender tea in to morning. Good luck.
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Avatar universal
Guys I have made major progress in this calamity of a problem. I have been taking homeopathic medication from a homeopathic doctor and my condition has improved. According to her, this is caused by a certain bacteria. Go get with a good homeopathic doctor also before you go out take peppermint and lavender tea together. It really helps.
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2 Comments
OMG!!! I'm not the only one on this planet with this problem?? I can't believe it!! Somebody, please help!! I don't have money to see alternative docs and to pay for remedies not covered by my insurance and I'm going stir crazy!!! I have severe social anxiety and am in group therapy and individual therapy, attempting to work through my anxiety (and other issues). I'm too ashamed to admit this issue to my therapist, so I'm extremely self-conscious when I sit in group and in individual therapy (think about rooms with no windows). God, it's a nightmare!!! I've chalked it up to IBS, and I know that IBS gets triggered by anxiety (and refined sugar definitely doesn't help, but it's all I want when I'm anxious), so I just walked around "grinning and bearing it," all the while dying inside. People told me that it's all in my head and that I don't smell, but lately I've been feeling like people are inhaling/exhaling uncomfortably around me, and now I've confirmed that it's no olfactory hallucination. I wonder, was anyone else diagnosed with IBS-constipation & do laxatives seem to help at all? Please help!! I can't keep living like this! I'm at my wits' end.
start by trying lavender tea and peppermint tea together. double the bags if need be. also try cutting out meat and dairy completely. don't worry bud. you are not in this alone
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