My friend and farting

[Mstxxx]

Sorry if any of this is crude but not sure how else to put it! My friend's farts are literally horrendous and I don't know what to do or how to approach it!

For context we have been friends for a VERY long time. She's never had the best bowels as I've noticed whilst on holidays etc together (to be honest neither do I, we both have sensitive stomachs) but farting wasn't really an issue in the past. Recently she has been staying at my house every other weekend as she works close to my house, so it is easier for her to get to - she lives about an hour away. The first time I noticed it was after eating a takeaway, the farting was horrendous. As in it literally was making me gag and it lingers in the air and isn't one of those that go away after a few mins. The worst part is when we go to sleep, we sleep in my bed as the spare room is full of bathroom tiles and work equipment at the moment. She seems to fart constantly in her sleep and my bedsheets absolutely stink and need to go in the wash and I have to air out the room all day. It is so bad that the last few times she has stayed over, the smell wakes me up and I have to sleep on the sofa.

I'm not sure what to say or how to even approach it, even if I said something what can she realistically do about it? I have tried cutting out the takeaway part of the night to see if that is what is upsetting her stomach. It definitely seems to help as it isn't so bad, but the farting is still there in the night. It even got to the point I was trying to make excuses for why she can't stay (going out with my partner, going out with friends etc) but obviously this doesn't work every single other weekend to be doing something or going out. I'm particularly concerned because we go on a cruise next week and there's no bloody window in the room that opens.

She seems to fart constantly in her sleep and my bedsheets absolutely stink and need to go in the wash and I have to air out the room all day. It is so bad that the last few times she has stayed over, the smell wakes me up and I have to sleep on the sofa

Is this actually a thing?

This makes me feel I have led a sheltered life. I have never come across anyone like this, it sounds horrendous.

How can one person produce so much noxious odour though? It doesn't make sense to me.

In fact what even makes farts smell to begin with? Why does air in the gut suddenly become odourised? Is it from bile or stomach acid or something? And then do some folks have the wrong ph or something so are more unpleasant/ downright horrifying?

I have never wondered this before and clearly I have too little to think about today

Be careful it can be sensitive if an individual has a medical condition. I know someone who has a colostomy bag and it makes a farting noise. She is so embarrassed by it that she doesn't go out and never joins in group discussions /sits in a group in case anyone hears it. Men at her work comment on it and say 'what was that noise'. She has withdrawn socially at a time when she needs support.

Lactose intolerance causes horrifying farts. If I have lactose I fart loads more than usual and it smells appalling. Luckily I work from home and sleep alone and only offend myself.
I think you need to broach it with her as it may well be diet-related and therefore entirely avoidable.

It’s shit. It’s tiny shit particles that make it smell.

OP, suggest your friend goes on the FODMAP diet. Also suggest those fart pants! Who knew?!

Same here. I fart like a bastard sadly

Quote fail. That was to @BumblingAlonggg

Oh, me too. I never used to understand how someone couldn't control it, but now it's horrific. I'll definitely never be sharing a bedroom with anyone else - I'm lucky my husband has little sense of smell!

Even without the farting, I wouldn't commit to sharing my house/bed with someone every weekend to make their life easier. Sounds annoying.

I have ulcerative colitis and before diagnosed my farts were noxious 🤢

It’s shit. It’s tiny shit particles that make it smell.

Ok did not know this.

So does somebody like OP's friend have more tiny poo particles per fart then? Hence more smell?

Well that's unpleasant. But also I have sympathy for them because that doesn't sound like all is entirely well in the gut.

And obviously I am very sympathetic to the people who already know they have ibs or colitis or something that must be really hard and distressing at times.

I think she might need some antibiotics - they helped the males in our family who smell much better now!! Google SIBO.

Next time serve her a food with no dairy- I bet she is lactose intolerant. My husband is and if he eats lactose it reeks

Can’t you sort your spare room out? At least pile stuff in one corner? I hate sharing a bed so if I was putting someone up it would be sofa or nothing.

😂

This thread is fucking hilarious

I think you can't say anything without offering a solution.

Personally, if I had a really good friend, I'd wait until she farted and say "oh my goodness Hayley, that stinks! Can I suggest you get on the yakult and charcoal biscuits" then offer both, having bought them before hand, and say something like "they've really helped my stomach".

My son has sever gastric reflux and his farts are absolutely disgusting - a week of activated charcoal and a yakult a day has really, really helped him.

Another remedy is treacle- black treacle, the one in the Lyle's red tin. A large spoonful each morning sorted my guts out!

I voted YABU because, if you're as good friends as you say you are, you should be able to talk to her about anything.

If she’s got a bowel problem too it could be Bile Acid Malabsorption rather than IBS, controllable with bile acid sequestrants. I have it and if I don’t take my meds my farts can be like depth charges. They are revolting and just seem to stay in one place like a toxic cloud. It can cause a sort of liquid leakage too if the sheets are smelling after she has slept in your bed? I’m sure she would be pleased that there is something she can do so have a chat with her!

I’d dig into my savings and upgrade to a cabin with a window that opens (or a balcony if possible). If not it will be a very long cruise…..

I can’t believe she stays at your house every other weekend and you share a bed 😳😳😳 I’m an introvert and that terrifies me more than the farting to be honest!

Honestly, this could have been me. I'd started a new job and my tummy just went mental. Most days I had terrible gas and nothing helped. So much so that I had a real reputation at work and people talked about it a lot. It eventually stopped and now I'm really fine. I can only think it was stress or anxiety knocking my stomach off, and I still feel terrible about it because I know people will still think of me like that. It wasn't deliberate though. And I'm still a human being.

Sounds like she could have an intolerance to something? Maybe kindly suggest she sees her gp before your cruise!

She who smelt it dealt it.

Guys that lift weights actually call them 'protein farts' you get them when you are eating a lot of protein including the shakes... They can smell horrendous.