I was inspired to write about my experiences now that I've been odor-free for almost a year now. This is my first-ever post writing about the subject. I've read through posts in this forum in the past, but I was too embarrassed to contribute to the conversation. I suppose this was because I was too ashamed to publicly admit that I had an odor problem, even though I knew deep in my heart that this was a very big issue for me. In hindsight, I should have posted earlier as this could have helped others in the same position. That being said, I hope that those reading now can possibly benefit from I have experienced.

I want to start off with a little bit of background information. I am a 29 year old woman and my odor problems started when I was in high school. I'm not exactly sure how it started or if there were any biological factors that contributed to it, but I knew for sure that stress and nervousness were factors.

At first, it started as uncontrollable flatulence during class in my freshman year in high school. As hard as I tried to hold it in, it would eventually come out. This wouldn't happen all the time, at first. In the beginning the flatulence would only happen when I started thinking about it, and then, I would become nervous and it would start happening and would be nearly impossible to control it.

Years later, my odor problem seemed to worsen over time. I no longer felt the pressure you would feel when a fart was about to be released. Rather, it seemed like my anal area seemed less tight and that gas would flow freely out of it. I suspected this was the case over time. Like, whenever I'd walk around in public, people would making sniffling noises or start rubbing their noses around me even when it seemed like I wasn't passing gas. Occasionally, I'd overhear someone make some commentary about how it smelled in my general vicinity, and it would be incredibly embarrassing.

For the longest time, my best defense was to try to ignore the commentary, sniffing noises, and dirty looks. But it does take a toll on you eventually, and it affects your self-esteem and your willingness to go out in public. Just knowing that I would have to sit in a confined area for a long period of time would make me anxious. Sitting through lectures in college were a nightmare. For many classes, I ended up skipping lectures and self-studying to avoid the embarrassment and would only appear during exams.

Up until last year, I had researched every possible solution that would help with my odor problem. I had tried many things, from altering my diet and taking supplements (eating less meat and more fruits and vegetables, taking peppermint capsules, chlorophyll capsules, charcoal pills) to finding ways to mask the odor (Flat-D underwear liner, Shreddies underwear, plastic underwear), but nothing worked. I was beginning to lose hope and worried that I would have to live with this odor for the rest of my life.

Finally I thought to myself, "Is there any way to plug up the smell?" I considered using tampons, but I thought they would be too large and uncomfortable and could pose health hazards due to their absorbency. It needed to be something smaller and comfortable to wear throughout the day. And then it hit me -- ear plugs. I had a ton of them in my house and I decided to give it a shot.

I added a little water to it so it would slide in more easily, and then I prepared myself to test whether it would work or not. I brought some work with me to a Starbucks and was eager to see whether I would hear the usual sniffling sounds, see people rubbing their noses, etc. Not one person did it. After all these years, I finally felt like I got my life back.

It's been about a year now, and I just wanted to share what worked for me. I used to put the plug partially through my anus, but occasionally it would shift and the gas would leak out and I could hear people sniffling again. I then started putting the plug all the way through my anus and it worked very well. It blocks the gas from escaping, but I don't experience any extreme pressure build-up from the gas. If I do need to pass a lot of gas, I feel a little bit escape. However, I feel like it's a nearly imperceptible amount, since no one makes any snorting noises or commentary when it happens. And it comes out easily when I have a bowel movement, no pain or discomfort at all.

I am in no way a medical professional, but I have not experienced any adverse effects from using the ear plugs. It's worked for me for over a year and I don't know what I would do without them. I know it's not exactly a cure per se, but it's been wonderful not having to live with the odor stigma. I've tried everything and this is the only thing that worked for me. Personally, I use the CVS brand ear plugs, which are pink and are graded at 32 decibels.

So that's my experience with my odor problem. I know it may not work for everyone, but hopefully this may be useful for some of you. Let me know if this works for any of you! I'd be interested to hear of your experiences.