What is flatulence?

Flatulence or bloating is a medical term for gas. In fact, it’s normal for people to pass gas several times a day. The gas inside your digestive tract is made of air and other gases. It typically leaves your digestive tract through your mouth when you belch or through your anus when you fart.

Certain types of cancer and cancer treatment can also cause flatulence.

How bad is my flatulence?

Mild: The symptoms are smelly fart and rumblings in the lower abdomen. Most of the times you can manage mild flatulence at home (visit the section below).

Moderate: You may have frequent constipation or diarrhea (loose stools), abnormal weight loss and abdominal discomfort. It requires medical treatment under your doctor’s supervision.

Severe: It involves pain, cramps, or a knotted feeling in abdomen; a feeling of fullness or pressure in abdomen (bloating); an observable increase in the size of the abdomen (distention). Visit your doctor if you have frequent stomach ache, bloating, vomiting or you have had blood in stool for 2-3 weeks.

How to manage mild flatulence?

Keep track of your symptoms using Ankr (myAnkr web portal or the Ankr app). It will help you describe the discomfort to your doctor or nurse.

Everybody has gas from time to time. However, if you have gas on a regular basis, there are some things you can do to prevent it, such as avoiding certain foods and eating slowly.

• Once you know what foods trigger gas for you, eat small amounts of those foods or avoid them all together.
• Eat slowly. This will decrease the amount of air you swallow.
• Chew your food completely.
• Avoid using a straw. Straws make you swallow more air.
• Eat smaller, more frequent meals.
• Stop smoking.
• Take a walk 10-15 minutes after you eat. This will help your body digest your food properly and reduce the chance of getting gas.
• You can take over-the-counter medications to help you feel better. Some medicines need to be taken before you eat, while others can be taken afterward. Talk with your doctor about which medicines are best for you.
• If your gas is more serious or related to a medical condition, your doctor may prescribe medicine.

How to manage moderate and severe flatulence?

If flatulence is persistent and painful or associated with vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, abnormal weight loss, or blood in the stool you should consult your doctor as it may indicate a serious medical problem.

What causes flatulence?

People get gas for different reasons. But there are several main causes for gas.

When you eat, you swallow a small amount of air. This air travels to your stomach and intestines during the digestion process. If it stays in your intestines, it can cause gas. There are certain times you swallow more air than usual. They include when you:

• Suck on hard candies or chew gum
• Drink soda or other carbonated beverages
• Eating too fast

You can also get gas because of what you eat. Sometimes, your stomach and small intestine don’t break down all the foods you eat, especially the fibers, sugars, and starches. These pass from your stomach and small intestine into your large intestine. There, bacteria that live in your large intestine break them down. This process creates gas. Some foods are known to cause gas. They include:

• apples
• asparagus
• beans
• bread
• broccoli and cauliflower
• cereal
• cheese
• milk
• whole wheat products

Medical conditions. You may be more likely to have gas if you have certain medical conditions. Some of them include:

• Celiac disease, an immune disorder.
• Pancreatic cancer
• Stomach cancer
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (also known as GERD).
• Irritable bowel syndrome (also known as IBS).
• Trouble digesting milk products (also known as lactose intolerance).
• An overgrowth of bacteria in your small intestine.

Additionally, some antibiotic medicines can cause gas.