Does the stoma make a noise?
A. Yes it can do but usually only if passing gas and not even most of the time then. When gas passes through it can make a noise (much like a stomach gurgle). With an ileostomy, you cannot control when and how much output is expelled. I find that 99.9% of the time my stoma is quiet. I have also found out (unfortunately) that my stoma tends to be at it’s loudest when I am very nervous or in a quiet room, eg at a meeting! The best way I have found to combat this (apart from not drinking soft drinks) is to place my hand over my stoma. This can muffle the sound quite a bit. However, I sometimes wonder whether we ostomates are too sensitive to the sounds our stomas make. When I think Harriet is so loud that everyone in the room must have heard it (and if I’m with friends I will ask) but usually no one but me is aware of the noise. Besides, people with bowels intact make noises too!
