Husband has terrible wind and foul smelling bowel movements. I am not sure how much longer I can take it.

[Newnamemummy]

Husband of 30+ years developed a hernia years ago.
Has been refused an operation as he won't lose weight. He has now developed foul smelling poos and stinks out the whole house. He also farts throughout the night. He has been tested for bowel cancer and he tells me it was negative.
He is spotlessly clean but I no longer fancy certain types of sex if any. He has bed breath too.
My mother died of bowel cancer as did his father. He takes a stomach tablet. I feel we have lost our relationship and sex life. The smell makes me gag. I wasn't even good with nappies.
What do I do?

I feel like a username of @MonumentalLentil probably knows what they're talking about here!
It's really worth investigating with your doctor OP. Also worth looking up Tim Spector or Kimberly Wilson on Instagram. They're nutritionists with a great interest in gut health. Start eliminating things and see if something works. The good thing with dietary changes is that they adjust themselves very quickly. Good luck 🤞

has He been tested for stomach cancer. Sufferers have the foulest breath.

He shouldn't give up gluten unless coeliac disease (which can cause these symptoms) has been properly ruled out. It needs to be in your system to trigger the reaction for the test to detect it.

I agree with trying a probiotic. I've just ordered some Symprove myself after finishing a course of antibiotics and being left with a bloated, upset stomach. In the meantime, I'm taking some extra strength ones from Boots and they appear to be helping with my, ahem, issues!

@FairAcre he hasn't been tested for stomach cancer.

@Hopelesslydevotedtoshrews
I feel like a username of @MonumentalLentilprobably knows what they're talking about here!

I kind of do know what I am talking about, but not for the reason it appears to be 😄

A hiatus hernia does not cause all of this.

My DP and my mum both have HH and the take a proton pump inhibitor tablet daily. These drugs reduce the acid caused by the acid flowing out of the stomach (into the oesophagus). Th HH was found during endoscopy (camera down throat.) this is how it's diagnosed. Not pooing or wind.

A HH doesn't affect bowels.

A hernia in the abdomen (lower) may cause other lower bowel problems if it's stopping poo moving in the bowels properly.

OP he needs a full medical assessment.
At the very least he needs a colonoscopy and endoscopy and blood tests. He is at higher risk because of his ethnicity and family history.

If he's not seen a dr for 8 years on this, he has no idea what's wrong.

I know people are advising diet changes, but you have to rule out bowel cancer first. The you can tinker with food intolerance etc.

@Newnamemummy this is clearly not a hiatus hernia as it can't be seen and you would not know it had developed (unless a consultant has seen it.)

It's an abdominal hernia you mean, in his groin. A bulge?

Yes?

They repair those with a local now usually so no idea why he was refused surgery.

If he’s a healthy eater why is he so overweight he is being refused surgery for his hernia? Pay privately for hernia repair? Think it’s about 5 to 7 k can get finance if it’s that bad.

@DeliciouslyDecadent definitely a hiatus hernia. He was seen by a consultant and had a camera down his throat.
He was about another three stone heavier. He is now possibly overweight and not obsese. He has a huge frame, large feet, hands etc. If he didn't have such a swollen middle he wouldn't look overweight. Perhaps he is hiding something from me? I have been really ill and recently lost a close family member. He has some health cover through work. I will be talking to him tonight.

Try both pre and probiotic tablets. I’d say Yakut but at the suggestion of dairy intolerance, maybe not.

Honestly OP you - he- should consider coeliac disease. I am afraid to say I had a period of this sort of symptom being I was diagnosed- it was vile. Luckily I was living on my own!

Ah you should have said all of this before!

HH doesn't usually cause bowel issues.

It's easy to know if he is overweight - get weighed.

He needs to see a doctor again.

@Thankfulforthenewday A hiatus hernia is not as simple as an abdo hernia. Delicate op down the throat.
It's still possible that his stomach weight is the issue.

https://gutscharity.org.uk/advice-and-information/symptoms/bloating-and-wind/

If he has a 'swollen middle' then he definitely needs to see a dr asap!!
My mum had a swollen abdomen' it's turned out to be a large tumour unfortunately.

"Also should be going to the toilet to fart, not just spreading it around the house without a care."

Not everyone can control when they fart.

The snell of his wind travels to all three floors of the house. It must smell like a sewage. Oh my goodness

Mate, I've got IBD, and a stoma, and as we speak I'm on a bowel ward in hospital. Believe me I know! But, it sounds like he's doing absolutely nothing to try to mitigate the affect he's having on OP and the DC.

If his intention is to go to the loo even for farting, but he doesn't always make it, then it's at least not showing utter disregard for his family. And if he really can't hold it the even more reason to get medically checked out.

But I agree, I should have worded it differently, thanks for pointing it out

Mate, I've got IBD, and a stoma, and as we speak I'm on a bowel ward in hospital. Believe me I know! But, it sounds like he's doing absolutely nothing to try to mitigate the affect he's having on OP and the DC.

If his intention is to go to the loo even for farting, but he doesn't always make it, then it's at least not showing utter disregard for his family. And if he really can't hold it the even more reason to get medically checked out.

But I agree, I should have worded it differently, thanks for pointing it out

Has he been tested for H. Pylori, it can cause nearly every symptom you describe, smelly bowel movements, excess wind, bad breath, reflux issues etc. If he really refuses to go to the Dr for a test you can buy poo test kits for it on Amazon which are fairly accurate.

In our family, every toilet has a large box of matches and after any smells are created you have to strike a few matches together and then blow then out and flush them. Maybe it works like the charcoal but it is a good smell neutraliser. So, suggest he opens windows, lights matches, leaves toilet bowl spotless and shuts for immediately he exits. Any have nice snapping Yankee candle or reed diffuser in each toilet.

@Newnamemummy I completely get what you are saying. Although, I've seen you've mentioned you smell bad smells and left work ect due to this. Maybe you just have extra sensitive smell. Put yourself in his shoes, how would you feel him thinking about divorce if you was diagnosed with this?

Lactose intolerant here! The smell could fell a bull. Cut out lactose. Life changing!

I must say this thread is slightly baffling. I don't know anyone who has farts or poo that smell like flowers.

If your husband's poo and wind suddenly smells a lot worse than normal then he needs to keep a food diary to see if it is his eating habits (you say he eats well but then also say he pours cream on pudding, I rarely have pudding let alone pudding and cream) and go back to the GP. If his breath is now bad as well then it's probably something internal.

In the meanwhile, put air fresheners round your house, scented candles, and ask him to fart in another room then come back in. Your farts probably smell bad as well, nobody's smell particularly good.