BALLOONING/PANCAKING

Many questions arise concerning ballooning and pancaking with Colostomies and Ileostomies. I too struggle with ballooning at times. It doesn’t matter how long you had your Ostomy. Ballooning occurs when your pouch accumulates gas from the digestive tract, which causes the pouch to blow up like a balloon.

Ballooning can cause the pouch to lift away from the body. There are multiple reasons this can happen, for instance a pouch with a filter can be blocked by the output from the stoma. Also consuming certain foods and drinks can cause an excessive amount of gas.

 A Few Tips To Reduce Gas In The Pouch That May Help with Ballooning

Food Intake

Changing your diet and eating habits can help decrease gas. Knowing and decreasing the intake of foods that may cause excessive gas build up. Eating slow and completely chewing your food, can limit the build up of air into your digestive track.

Fluid Intake

Consuming certain fluids such as carbonated drinks, can also contribute to gas accumulation in the pouch.

Vents/Burping

1-pc Pouches with no filter can be burped from the bottom of the pouch, where you empty your output. For those who are not comfortable with opening the pouch, a vent can also be used, that has a small tab that opens to release the gas.

Those with 2-pc Pouches can release the gas from the connected wafer or the bottom of the pouch.

Releasing gas from your pouch can produce strong odor’s. Opening the pouch in private places and using deodorant lubricants can help with odor concerns.

Pouches with Filters

Pouches with Filters are sometimes suggested for excessive gas build up. It not only helps with eliminating gas but also helps with odor’s when gas is released. Be sure that filters remain unclogged and avoid getting them wet by placing a sticker cover over the Filter.

These solutions can help reduce gas filled pouches. It does not eliminate gas all together, as gas is part of the digestive process.

PANCAKING

When dealing with Pancaking it often presents as the ostomy pouch sticking together, causing the stool to stay at the top of pouch. This can prevent the output from reaching the bottom of the pouch. When this occurs, the stool can block filtered pouches or force the pouch away from the body. This can also cause your skin to become sensitive and sore.

Preventing pancaking is the opposite to ballooning. With a filtered pouch, use a “filter cover” in order to prevent air from escaping.

A Few More Tips Below

 1. In the case of pancaking, place some wet balled up tissue in the bottom of the pouch. This will prevent the pouch from sticking together.

 2. Greasing or using Ostomy Lubricators will help the stool move down the pouch.

Certain food intake can also contribute to pancaking. Drinking fluids a half an hour before and after your meal can help move the food through the digestive tract successfully

Information on Ostomy nutrition can be found in the link below.

https://www.ostomy.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Food_Reference_Chart_2022-02.pdf

Modifying your diet and applying some of these tips suggested, may help with ballooning and pancaking.