Horribly smelly gas after meals (very embarassing!)

Does anyone have any advice or information on what to do if you develop horribly smelly, burning gas after meals? (this is not a joke) I would do anything to get rid of it. I used to think it was from eating dairy/lactose, but now I seem to get it from almost everything I eat, especially in the evening. It's beyond horrible! Help!!!

[Wilson]

What are you eating?

[nadia]

You should try charcoal capsules available in drugstores and healthfood stores.

[itsme2]

I have the same thing that you do! I never was a big milk drinker until I had been in college for a while, I started drinking it several times a week for a few months. After a couple months of this, I began having some problems (I didn't realize it was related to my milk intake until about a year or more later).

If I drink milk, then a few hours later I'll often get the smelly and often burning gas. And if I drink enough milk often enough (ie. 1 glass/day for more than 1 day in a row), then about a day or so later (day 3) I start to have to make frequent bowel movements in which very little comes out at a time, and after 5 or 6 of these little movements, it begins to burn horribly on the way out. There's usually lots of gas involved with this too. That delay of a day or so from the drinking of milk to the nasty burning bowel movements made it tricky to realize that milk was the cause.

Another thing that gives me smelly gas is eating raw onion and/or garlic in my italian food. Eating that and drinking milk too close together makes for an explosive combination (sorry for the pun).

I finally eliminated this problem in that I no longer drink milk. Plus I eat far less onion & garlic in my italian food now, and I cook them. I do occasionally eat ice cream or milkshakes and generally have little or no problems.

I would highly suggest cutting out all dairy products for a few days. If you eat certain raw vegatables, stay away from them too. You should feel alot better within 2 days, but give it up to a week if the problem remains. If the problem goes away, then obviously stay away from milk and if raw vegatables is a factor, then either cook them or accompany them with beano. You can get beano at the grocery store, it usually comes in a very small white bottle. It'll supply your body with what it needs to more properly digest the raw vegatables so as not to result in excessive gas. Unfortunately the beano didn't help me with the milk, but it does help for those raw vegatables.

I still do sometimes eat certain dairy products, but I've learned several times the hard way to completely eliminate straight milk. In place of milk, I drink vanilla flavored soy milk (Silk brand, they also have chocolate flavored and plain). It tastes great and unlike cow's milk, it's actually good for you. (Cow's milk is not good for you despite the American myth). Soy milk has no or virtually no fat/colesterol, plus it's high in calcium and protein. It's great to drink by itself, it works great in cerial, mac&cheese, just about anything requiring milk.

I know how bothersome this ailment is, so I hope this really helps!

[ricklaser1]

A related discussion, Same Here was started.

[Pinkhelps]

A related discussion, Have you tried Pepto bismol? was started.