Latest news with #flatulence
WebMD
09-07-2025
- Health
- WebMD
When Passing Gas Is a Struggle in MS
At first, I thought it was just an isolated incident. I even thought I was making it up. But then, it happened again. I couldn't burp. The walls of my esophagus were stuck together. I figured, this ain't normal. Now what is this? I always knew that MS had affected my 'tubes' because I feel things inside that other people don't. Hypersensitivity isn't just on the surface of my skin but also internally. I noticed it first when I got pregnant with my second baby, when I still didn't know I had multiple sclerosis. But that's a story for another day. Of course, when I mentioned this to my doctor, he didn't validate what I was saying. He gave me that look again, like I had six heads. Ugh, it's so irritating! Then I remembered that I'm the one living with MS, not him. What does he know? I can't even associate this with a particular food or anything else that could possibly cause this bizarre symptom. It's not a constant issue, but it's definitely real. I know that it's as if my esophagus is contracted or something, and I have to force the burp. I have to pretend that I'm burping for my esophagus to react, and then I burp for real. Now, burping is not the only problem I have with passing gas. I also struggle with flatulence. I know, I'm a mess! It's simply impossible for me to 'break wind' without some help. What do I mean by that? Well, here's where it gets funny as hell. I need to manually crank it to 'let it out.' Hilarious! Oh, I can't stop laughing! I should've included this in my three-part blog series about weird symptoms of MS. At least I know I'm not alone on this one because I saw a video of another MSer that struggles to break wind as well. So chill, I'm not that weird. LOL! Spasticity and weakness in the pelvic floor muscles are associated with problems passing gas. This causes what is known as trapped gas. The anal sphincter, in charge of opening and closing the anus, is included in the pelvic floor muscles group. MS can also affect our lower gut, as changes in the nervous system impact the gastrointestinal functions. During the process of digestion, the muscles in the esophagus, stomach, intestines, and rectum need to contract and relax. These involuntary contractions are called GI motility. Because MS interrupts the transmission of signals from our brain through our spinal cord to our digestive system, it slows down these movements and causes bowel dysfunction. Ever since these issues started I've been having very loud, almost vocal, intestinal movements. You could hear it from a mile away. It's loud, prolonged, and comical. Frankly, it is quite amusing and entertaining. Oh, we all laugh so hard when it happens! I almost forgot to mention my also loud voicebox or larynx. Oh my, this is ridiculous! Out of nowhere, this noise comes out of my throat inadvertently. Turns out that weak throat muscles involved in problems swallowing, or dysphagia, are related to these throat gurgles. I would've never imagined, not in a million years, that I would be living through these things one day. What happened to me? How did I get to this point? It's super funny, but also super embarrassing. All these physiological changes MS has put me through were completely unexpected. I wasn't prepared for any of this. I've been learning as I go. The reason why I share these experiences in my blog is because I'm sure there's someone out there just as puzzled as me, going through the same things. In the real world, among the 'healthy ones,' this would be considered super weird. Our symptomatology is so different from others that we tend to not bring it up in any conversation out of fear of being embarrassed. But unfortunately, these are part of those invisible symptoms we have with multiple sclerosis that people have no idea we are dealing with. Then, the non-validation or so-called gaslighting we sometimes get from our own medical providers — just because they can't connect the dots or because they read about it in a book but they have no idea what it feels like — adds to the frustration. These dysfunctions are well explained in the literature, but they could present themselves in various odd ways and still have the same source. But if you haven't felt it in your own flesh and bones, you'll be clueless. I never thought I could be so blunt. Opening up about this kind of thing gives me the validation my doctors won't. It also, in a way, makes me feel empowered. Why? Because I know now that there's so much more to multiple sclerosis than what any book or study can say. And that is something only I as a patient can testify to.
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Brad Pitt Once Cleared Out a Film Set With His 'Diabolical' Fart
Brad Pitt Once Cleared Out a Film Set With His 'Diabolical' Fart originally appeared on Parade. Brad Pitt's flatulence once cleared out a film set — and it was nothing short of "diabolical." While chatting on the New Heights podcast with Travis and Jason Kelce on Wednesday, July 2, the 61-year-old recalled a hilarious, and kind of gross, moment from the early days of his career. Pitt recalled how he was filming an independent movie in a small café filled with around 60 crew members. Pitt's character, which had "not eaten for days," ordered a large plate of beans. 'I was like, 'I'm gonna' do this right,'' the actor recalled. 'I just power down this plate of beans. Take two, do the same thing. Take three, I do the same thing. I do the same thing. … Something hit me.' Though he was stuck on set during the scene, the effects of the beans were undeniable. Pitt called the smell 'diabolical," and revealed that "the entire crew fled the café," after he broke wind. "Ever since then, I've paced myself,' Pitt quipped. The conversation all started to a recurring theme in Pitt's career — his penchant for eating on screen. It all started with his role as Rusty Ryan in Ocean's Eleven, where he constantly snacked as the "consigliere" of the group. Pitt explained, 'He's got to eat on the run. That's where this came from. There was thought behind it.' 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬Also in Wednesday's episode, the F1 actor recalled another humbling time he was left starstruck. 'When I first met Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon, I was. [startstuck],' he admitted. 'I got over it quickly, though.' The trio appeared in the 1991 film Thelma & Louise together, which also happened to be Pitt's breakout role. Pitt's new movie, F1: The Movie, is currently playing in theaters. Brad Pitt Once Cleared Out a Film Set With His 'Diabolical' Fart first appeared on Parade on Jul 3, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
Medical News Today
29-05-2025
- General
- Medical News Today
Why do beans make people so gassy?
Beans can cause people to fart due to the carbohydrates they contain. In particular, beans contain oligosaccharides, which are non-digestible, fermentable fibers that can cause excessive gas in some people. The body cannot easily digest oligosaccharides. Therefore, these undigested carbohydrates reach the large intestine, where bacteria help to break them down. This results in the production of gas as a by-product of this digestive process. Certain oligosaccharides that are present in beans are responsible for producing more gas than other carbohydrates. For example, beans are rich in raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs) , which include carbs such as raffinose and stachyose. The body does not naturally contain an enzyme known as α-galactosidase, which is responsible for breaking these carbs down. Instead, these carbs travel to the large intestine where they undergo microbial fermentation by colonic bacteria. This results in the production of gases such as hydrogen, methane, and carbon dioxide, which causes flatulence. Producing excessive gas can result in the following symptoms: farting abdominal rumblings abdominal discomfort cramps diarrhea nausea If a person believes they are experiencing these symptoms due to eating beans, it is advisable to keep a food journal. This will allow them to record what they have eaten and when they experience flatulence.
Times
25-05-2025
- General
- Times
The luxury of an alert child
My children and I find flatulence funny. (Which in itself is a luxury. As the meme says: if you choose not to, you're choosing a life with less joy and exactly the same amount of flatulence.) My mother, on the other hand, not so much. So, as we unpacked our shopping from the wonderful North American paper grocery bags on the first day in our rented holiday cottage in Canada and my daughter asked, 'What's that smell?' I ignored her. In fact, I ignored her the first three times she asked, certain it was a set-up to a joke to which my mother would respond with pursed lips. I carried on folding the bags, stacking them neatly near the hob while I looked around for the recycling. The fourth 'What's that smell?' coincided with the fire alarms going off and smoke emerging from the pile of paper bags. I grabbed them as they burst (surprisingly quickly) into flames, threw them into the sink and turned on the taps. Disaster averted, I turned off the offending hob and looked around to see where everyone was. It's hard to find words to express the velocity with which my son had left the building at the first peep of the smoke alarm. A nine-year-old health and safety enthusiast, he moved with the impetus of a bolt leaving the world's most powerful crossbow. In the manner of Road Runner, with legs moving so fast they were invisible to the naked eye, he'd got practically halfway home across the Atlantic before coming to rest at a place he deemed sufficiently safe (on the gravel, as he figured that it couldn't catch fire). Whereas his twin sister had gone upstairs to rescue her cuddly toys. The rest of the holiday passed without incident. Surrounded by happy, cool Canadian cousins, there was no pretentious 'forest bathing', we simply swam in the lake surrounded by wild woods. There was no 'wellness meditation', just sitting on the dock in a wet swimsuit listening to the crickets, the wind in the trees, the water lapping the shore and the call of the loons (large, ducklike birds), which sound like homesick owls. Excitement bookended our trip, however. On our last day a truly biblical downpour lasted a full 12 hours. It was the sort of rain you see on news bulletins; you wouldn't have raised an eyebrow if you'd seen a weatherman being blown horizontally past the kitchen window. The only thing for it was to take off our clothes and cavort outside, dancing naked in the rain. My mother, unsurprisingly, recused herself. She captured the happy moment on film and the video shows my daughter leaping, graceful and free, while her brother and I gingerly tiptoe around for fear of stubbing our toes. Win some, lose some.
