I hate to admit it, but many years ago before I was wearing a one-piece, closed pouch with a filter, I often got a buildup of gas in my bag. One time while in an elevator in Las Vegas with my husband, I let the gas out between floors. Of course, the elevator stopped on the very next floor and in walked several people. Within seconds, they commented loudly, "It smells like a dead animal in here, let's get off on the next floor!" I stood there mortally embarrassed while my husband laughed it off.
In my book, I'd Like to Buy a Bowel Please! I have a story about Paul and Sue Norby. With all the new changes to her body after a colostomy, Sue self-consciously asked Paul if he could tell she was wearing a pouch under her clothing. Paul responded, "Gee, Sue, it's not like you have a sign around your neck saying you have an ostomy. No one can tell. Relax about it!"
Two years later while at the United Ostomy Association's conference in Anaheim, California, they both had to laugh when they realized Sue was wearing a big name tag that said "SUE NORBY, MN, COLOSTOMY."
I was never one of those women with a flat tummy, so the adjustment to having an ostomy was not as tough for me. Luckily, our thinking about pouches has changed over the years, and many of us have a couple kinds of pouches. One time while between flights, I suddenly had diarrhea. I had three closed pouches with me, and so I changed the pouch right away. Then it happened two more times, and I panicked as I sat on the plane having used my last pouch. I decided right then and there to always carry one open bottom pouch when I travel in case of sudden diarrhea. I haven't used it in four years, but it gives me some security to know if I run out of my preferred closed pouches, I have a backup.
I have been super happy with closed pouches because they are so quiet, filter the gas well, and feel soft without making noise when I move. More and more people with ileostomies wear closed pouches too. It depends on their insurance and how many pouches they cover monthly, but many people (especially those who irrigate) prefer to take off the closed pouch, throw it away, and put on a new one. My friend Patty prefers a closed pouch for intimate times or when she goes swimming or camping. If you are still using a drainable pouch with a clamp, you might try a closed pouch because no clamp is needed. Consider using both a one-piece closed pouch or a two-piece pouching system, depending on the occasion or what best fits your lifestyle.
It's good to know we have choices available to us, and I urge you to try something different. Besides, when you wear a closed pouch with a filter, you never have to worry about unpleasant odors in an elevator. Strangers will be happy.
