A couple of months after my surgery in May, my stomach was slowly getting back to its normal, temperamental self. Too slowly, because one morning I looked down the toilet and found a pool of blood. Not a very nice way to start the day. The same thing happened the next day, and the next, stopped, and then started again. After a week of this, I went to see a GP. She had a quick look and said, "Too much codeine (pain killer)." She prescribed an ointment, told me to sit in a bucket of warm salty water twice a day, and drink a kind of fibre drink. I followed her advice and in a couple of days the pool of blood was no more. I was very happy. I wanted to tell all my friends the benefit of this fibre drink. I drank it religiously, twice a day, everyday. I even gained a few kilos, something that hadn't happen for almost a decade. Then I noticed that I also passed gas more often, but I didn't relate it to the fibre drink. I thought it was because of the unhealthy garbage that I normally ate. Anyway, it wasn't that bad...well, until it got really..ehm.. bad.
I went to a record store with a friend. I was a few meters away from her. Safe distance, I thought. Unfortunately, the wind was blowing in the wrong direction. It hit us both, hard. My friend didn't say anything, but I was really embarassed. I still didn't relate it to the fibre drink. So I continued drinking, and passing wind.
During my trip to Canberra, we went to a nursery. Just before getting back into the car, I felt the wind struggling to come out. I thought if I let it out before getting in, it would stay out. I was wrong again. The evil smelling gas followed me into the car. We had to open the windows. It was horrible.
When we got back, I went to the computer and Googled 'flatulence'. And there it was, the answer to my embarassing condition. When a person suddenly consumes a high quantity of fibre, the stomach goes to hyperdrive, and the side effect is gas, lots of gas. Fibre is supposed to be intruduced slowly, and gradually. Great! Somebody forgot to write that on the back of the package.
So I cut down on the drink, and the stink bombs was reduced significantly. I haven't gassed any of my friends since.