Breaking Bad (Wind): Flatulence in Midlife
Oh, the indignities of midlife. If sagging skin, a flat ass and dried out lady parts aren’t enough, there’s also flatulence to contend with.
I could heat the house
I produce so much methane
tooting my own horn.
I know, I know…talking about farts (or fahts, as we say here in Maine) is kind of cringe-worthy. But let’s be real: everybody toots. In fact, the human body produces between one and four pints of gas a day, which we release through the mouth (through burps) or our nether region about 14 times a day. It’s normal.
But it also increases with age. Why? Essentially, because our digestion slows as we get older. As a result, our intestinal bacteria have more time to turn what we eat into gases such as methane and hydrogen, which tend to build up in the lower colon before bursting on the scene.
Plus, if you haven’t been keeping up with your kegel exercises, your anal sphincter muscle loses the ability to clench and hold in flatulence. So out it comes, often at the most inopportune times.
Like in yoga class. Hell, anyone who’s taken a class knows about yoga farts, especially during certain poses (the knee-to-chest position is even known as wind-relieving pose). But it’s really annoying when the urge to cut one strikes during savasana (corpse pose) – so much for total relaxation when you’re clenching your butt cheeks trying to hold it in. Same goes for when you’re in the midst of a massage.
Then there’s when you’re out shopping. If you see me sprinting from one aisle to another at the grocery store, I’m probably trying to outrun a toot. And if I take an inordinate amount of time in the dressing room at TJ Maxx, trust me – it’s for your own good as I wait for an olfactory-offending emission to dissipate.
My husband jokes (at least I hope he’s joking) that he might not have married me if he’d known about my propensity for flatulence. A few years ago – after I abruptly adopted a vegan diet when I was diagnosed with coronary artery disease – things really did get pretty bad. All that fiber, all at once – well, let’s just say that my nicknames became Sister Flatulencia and Senorita Fartita. And I really did joke that if I could figure out a way to harness what I was producing, maybe I could heat the house. Given Maine winters, you get a sense of just how prolific I was.
But my body eventually adjusted and, since it turned out I didn’t have major coronary issues after all, I relaxed my plant-based diet somewhat, too. These days, I do avoid certain foods before social engagements (and yoga class). I practice kegels. I also try to eat more slowly and drink more fluids. And it’s helped.
Bottom line – you should pardon the expression – I’m grateful that my digestive system works the way it’s supposed to. An occasional toot isn’t a bad thing. As Benjamin Franklin once said, “Fart proudly.”
OK, fess up – what are some situations in which you’ve involuntarily let one rip?
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Bio
Roxanne Jones blogs at www.boomerhaiku.com, a mostly light-hearted, often irreverent look at life as a baby boomer, 17 syllables at a time. When she’s not tapping out haikus, she’s a freelance medical copywriter, enjoys chardonnay and contemplates plastic surgery to get rid of the wattle on her neck.
As a woman with no colon…I have the opposite problem… I think Im just gonna explode when Im 60! But in a strange way you don’t even want to know… the choir I tell ya… your preaching to the choir.
Yikes, Ivy! That IS a whole other side to the story. I appreciate you chiming in, so to speak.
You know that a fart will always escape when you are in a job interview, in a church service, at a graveside service. Farts have no manners. Sometimes it helps to break the ice when you break wind. Just my (personal) opinion. Haha
Yeah, those buggers do have a way of slipping out at the most inopportune times, don’t they? I suppose that IS one way to get a conversation started…! Thanks for commenting, Pattie!
I’ve often joked that nobody warned me fart incontinence was a part of aging, because when you’ve just unintentionally crop dusted an entire room there isn’t much you can do but apologize and try to laugh about it.
Love the terms “crop dusting” and “fart incontinence!” And yes, you’ve just gotta laugh (which can sometimes trigger another outburst)!
Roxanne, that was a hoot!! (not toot, hoot!) Now my life makes so much more sense . . . Thanks for the breath of fresh air in clearing up that midlife issue!
Kimberly
http://FiftyJewels.com
Thanks, Kimberly! Toots can be a hoot, can’t they?
It INCREASES with age?! I’m 37 and have been gassy my whole life. It’s a joke among family and friends, and it’s cool, I’m okay with it. But it GETS WORSE??
Well, it can. But maybe no one will notice since you’ve already established a certain, um, benchmark? Your comment made me chuckle, Shay — thanks for sharing here!