Audibly Upset

May 28, 2018 7:49 AM

I work in an office with lots of quiet, clicking and computers. The silence is often broken by my very audible, un-extractable (?) bowel/tummy gas. What are your strategies for getting rid of (or minimizing the sound of) gas that sounds like a whale-song? The gas does not want to go out... it just wants to move around (it seems).

Things I've tried:

Gas-X (Simethicone) - Doesn't work

Taking a walk and crop-dusting the halls - rarely can release gas this way - it's mostly just *moving* around, not going anywhere.

Fennel tea - sometimes works, but more often does not work

Eating yogurt for probiotics

Not eating yogurt after the probiotic yogurt made my gas worse

Beano - Alpha-galactosidase (made gas worse!)

I would like just one day - ONE DAY - where my abdomen doesn't interrupt workflow with gassy music. Are there foods I should try? Avoid? Teas? Movement? Am I clenching my butt too tight?

posted by Dressed to Kill to Health & Fitness (18 answers total)

For sound minimizing, maybe do some brainstorming about what kinds of noisy things you could have at your desk without rocking the boat too much. Fans are usually acceptable and make a nice blanket of white noise that can help muffle other sounds.
posted by nebulawindphone at 7:54 AM on May 28, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Have you tried any of these consistently for a solid week or more?

It takes time for your body to adjust, and changing the game too often can end up... backfiring.

Kombucha and kefir are probiotics not on your list, and they have different stuff than yogurt.
posted by SaltySalticid at 7:57 AM on May 28, 2018 [2 favorites]

There are several yoga poses for relieving gas - maybe try these in the mornings before work or in a discreet conference room if available.

Also agree with SaltySalticid - try one thing for a while before writing it off as ineffective.
posted by bunderful at 8:03 AM on May 28, 2018

Best answer: Could you be developing lactose intolerance? Sometimes it doesn't appear till later in life, then it comes and goes. Also, could you be eating foods with a lot of whey protein in them? Whey protein appears as a filler in energy bars and other snack foods that are supposed to fill you up.

Some foods have a lot of fiber in them but not the humorous reputation that, say, beans possess, so you may not know that you are eating too much fiber for your personal fiber readiness state. Look into what you've been trying lately --
posted by Countess Elena at 8:11 AM on May 28, 2018 [4 favorites]

So - the gas isn't trying to escape, most likely it's borborygmi where air and fluid is moving into and out of your small intestine while your stomach processes food. It's generally a sign of a healthy gut which is probably why most of those things you're trying aren't helping - you're digesting and processing fine so amplifying those things isn't necessarily a solution.

However, if you want to reduce the likelihood of loud noises, try eating slower and avoid talking while eating - I found that a lot of my own gurgling was related to swallowing a ton of air while I ate quickly. Chew a lot. Take a walk after meals (even a short 5-10 minute one.) Also avoid artificial sweeteners and carbonated beverages too - they exacerbate issues. These combinations reduced my own gas movement significantly.

Finally - I had this problem for a long while and I asked close friends if they noticed. Most said they noticed once or twice but unless we were right next to one another, it's generally not that loud. You may have coworkers around you who are worried you're noticing their noises because it's very common. It may sound loud to you because you're hearing it both outside and inside your body, but the sound does not travel as far as you may think.
posted by notorious medium at 8:12 AM on May 28, 2018 [9 favorites]

Best answer: Lactose intolerance? My husband developed it in his 30s. He went through the same "probiotic yogurt made it worse" phase. He takes lactiad now before he eats any dairy and it's a miracle.
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 8:13 AM on May 28, 2018 [2 favorites]

One more thing, just for you to consider for yourself: have you been anxious since around the time this started happening? I know that sounds like a super-crunchy thing to say, but anxiety levels really do influence gut motility.
posted by Countess Elena at 8:19 AM on May 28, 2018 [1 favorite]

Seconding the question about whether this is gas, or just digesting.

I take a probiotic capsule in the mornings. It took about a month before I noticed that I no longer became bloated and gassy after eating a decent amount of produce (I didn’t eat a lot of vegetables as a kid but now I do). If it could be lactose intolerance, and also could be assisted by a probiotic, consider just taking a pill or a gummy. I bought mine from Costco and while it suggests refrigerating to extend the shelf life, it doesn’t have to be, and as noted it is still effective.
posted by Autumnheart at 8:20 AM on May 28, 2018

Best answer: I developed lactose intolerance. If I eat dairy, I have gas. In addition, dairy seems to contribute to auto-immune inflammation, for me. YMMV, but it's not that hard to give up dairy for 2 weeks to test. There's dairy in lots of stuff, so it requires vigilance.

Even mild constipation causes gas and rumbling. On initially increasing soluble and insoluble fiber, you may have more gas until your system adapts. Oatmeal, bran, fruit, veg. are excellent sources of fiber and generally nutritious.

Otherwise, white noise machine. You can get white noise .mp3 files.
posted by theora55 at 8:21 AM on May 28, 2018

Someone on a similar Ask swore by peppermint leaf capsules. (I tried them, and, meh, but YMMV)

For me, cutting down on restaurant food (and especially drinking while eating restaurant food) and adding more nuts and berries and raw veggies seems to help.

But is the gas physically uncomfortable or just noisy? If the latter, then your office is just too darn quiet, and you need to set up a loud fan or something.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 8:22 AM on May 28, 2018

Do you have a friendly co-worker who sits close who you could hit up in the break room and say straight up, "hey, this is kind of embarrassing, but: can you hear it when my stomach rumbles?"

I'd lay odds it's quieter than you think, and even if they hear it, it just passes by as random noise.
posted by seanmpuckett at 8:22 AM on May 28, 2018 [3 favorites]

You might try a different probiotic (look in a refrigerated case at an organic grocer, or look elsewhere for specific recommendations). There are different strains of bacteria that digest different things.

Have you already heard about low FODMAP diet?
posted by amtho at 8:48 AM on May 28, 2018 [3 favorites]

I was having gas problems at work, and I suddenly realized that all the sparkling water I was sucking down all day was probably not helping. Sure enough, I switched back to still water and problem solved. (I know that’s like “duh” but it took me a couple months to figure out.)
posted by greermahoney at 8:58 AM on May 28, 2018 [1 favorite]

Seconding those who are suggesting it's not as loud as you think.

In my 20s, I lost my hearing. The sounds that emanate from my abdomen due to digestion are not any less noticeable. There are all kinds of things that were loud back in the day that I know now are loud due to it happening directly in my body.
posted by Fukiyama at 8:59 AM on May 28, 2018 [2 favorites]

Sometimes I just put on headphones, let it go, and pretend I don't hear it.

For me, a combination of identifying and avoiding food sensitivities, water kefir, an SSRI, and probiotics helped.
posted by batter_my_heart at 9:24 AM on May 28, 2018 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks guys! At first I thought, "But I don't eat anything before the troubles begin!" but I *DO* start my day with an XL Coffee with Milk! So it could be Lactose intolerance!

I will forgo the milk for a couple of weeks and see if it does the trick! Thanks for letting me see the obvious! <3
posted by Dressed to Kill at 9:47 AM on May 28, 2018 [1 favorite]

When I take these with meals, my tummy is very calm afterwards.
posted by conrad53 at 10:58 PM on May 28, 2018

I had a similar thing happen when I was in college and I cut out all dairy for three weeks because I assumed it must be diet-related. The rumbling was so loud during lecture classes that I had a professor ask me if I was okay once. I finally went to my doctor, who listened carefully, poked at my abdomen a little, and gave me three weeks' worth of samples of omeprazole (Priolsec). I thought he was nuts, because I didn't have any indigestion or acid reflux or heartburn, but within four days of the pills it was remarkably better, and by the end of the three weeks my body was quiet again.
posted by SeedStitch at 6:40 AM on May 29, 2018