Internal Medicine Questions Body Odor

Why is my body emitting a very strong eggy odor /fart smell?

My body is emitting this strong eggy/fart smell for many years now. I went to see a gastroenterologist and she told me all I needed was some metamucil. I have been taking metamucil for years and nothing has changed. I have seen many doctors in the past and no one can find anything wrong with me. I also have found that when I explain what is going on with me some doctors tend to look at me funny. What type of doctor do I need to see.

Female | 48 years old
Complaint duration: 5 years
Medications: Synthroid
Conditions: Hypothyroidism

4 Answers

The egg-like smell is secondary to sulfur gas being emitted from the colon. It is produced by bacteria in the colon by breaking down undigested food. Your best bet to reduce this gas is to reduce ingestion of carbohydrates. Try the Low FODMAP diet. The fewer carbs eaten, the less gas will be produced.
Do other people near you smell this or is it you only? May be it’s an abnormality of your sense of smell, also called an olfactory disorder.
Yes, this is not an uncommon problem. This is usually associated with bacterial overgrowth of the small intestine or malabsorption or both. If you are not losing weight, I would recommend getting off gluten in your diet and take an antibiotic for 21 days that covers bacteria in the intestine, either Vibramycin or Xifaxan for 21 days and see if it makes a difference.
This can be a very difficult problem, because it is unusual, and most physicians will not be very familiar with potential causes. I am assuming that you are not finding yourself passing a lot of rectal gas and flatulence.. Normally in these cases you need to consider you need to consider poof digestion or emptying of the stomach, or something like small bowel bacterial overgrowth. In this particular case, the gases that carry the odor are conveyed through the bloodstream, and expelled in the lungs and then subsequently through your mouth as you breathe. It is reasonable to see a gastroenterologist, to then should order a gastric emptying scan to look for  slow stomach emptying slow, as well as a breath test for small bowel bacterial overgrowth.