The prospect of seeing a doctor can weigh very differently on different people.
Most people don’t give it a second thought when going for a routine check-up, and in an emergent situation, they will rush to an emergency room, knowing they will be in good hands.
That being said, when some people are told they should see a doctor, they have a surprisingly hard time fulfilling that request.
Sometimes, it is just because of the inconvenience it will cause; other times, though, it might be because they fear what their doctor might tell them.
Redditor Happy-Way-801 was growing increasingly frustrated by their roommate.
Specifically, what seemed to be a severe medical condition resulted in the original poster (OP)’s roommate leaving a lingering odor in their shared home.
Having had enough, the OP told their roommate to see a doctor about this.
A request the OP’s roommate didn’t show the slightest interest in obliging.
Wondering if they had crossed a line, the OP took to the subReddit “Am I The A**hole” (AITA), where they asked fellow Redditors:
“AITA for asking my roommate to see a doctor about her constant stinky farts?”
The OP shared why she felt it had become necessary for her roommate to see a doctor:
“My new roommate is 35, and she’s a big girl, and she has a problem of uncontrollable stinky farts every day.”
“We share a small apartment.”
“This has been going on for about two weeks, and today, I asked her to seek medical advice about her chronic farting.”
“She says it’s a normal bodily function and uses the excuse that some foods/drinks cause her to have bad gas, but this is extreme, and our apartment almost constantly smells like fart.”
“I can’t stand it anymore.”
“AITA for telling her to see a doctor about this?”
Fellow Redditors weighed in on where they believed the OP fell in this particular situation, by declaring:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You’re The A**hole
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
- NAH – No A**holes Here
The Reddit community resoundingly agreed that the OP was not the a**hole for urging their roommate to see a doctor about her unusually odorous farts.
Pretty much everyone agreed that the OP was accurate in feeling that there was something out of the ordinary going on with their roommate, even if some felt that they could have handled things a bit more diplomatically:
“NTA.”
“Sorry your roommate’s anus is heinous.”- Tim-oBedlam
“NTA.”
“Horrible gas that would drive people out of the room was one of the first symptoms that I had a GI issue going on.”
“After pestering to see a doc, turns out it was not me just being extra gassy: I had IBD and then later GERD on top of it.”
“Both conditions require dietary changes, constant monitoring, and maybe medication.”
“I say this as a fat person.”
“Weight SIGNIFICANTLY affects the seriousness of your illness.”
“She needs to see a doctor and get on a weight management program, or at least understand that her weight is now a problem.”- DatsunTigger
“Then she should stop eating those types of foods and drinks.”
“NTA.”- Small_Doughnut_2723
“Get an air filter for common areas.”
“NTA.”- bentscissors
“NTA.”
“This would absolutely piss me tf off.”- Small-Chef350
“NTA.”
“But you can’t make her.”
“It’s crazy how many people think having really bad-smelling farts regularly is normal.”
“It’s not, not for people or other animals.”
“Occasionally yes, and it’s not going to smell NICE, but there shouldn’t be a ton of odor, and it shouldn’t be heinous smelling.”- General-Success-8644
“NTA.”
“Living with someone means sharing space and being considerate of each other’s comfort.”
“If it’s really as bad as you say, it’s not just a minor inconvenience but a significant disruption to your living environment.”
“It’s fair to suggest she sees a doctor, not just for your sake but for hers as well.”
“Maybe it’s something in her diet she can adjust to, or perhaps it’s a health issue that really needs professional advice.”
“Framing it as a health concern might make the suggestion easier for her to digest—no pun intended!”- mysweaty_a**
“NTA.”
“It really could be a medical issue.”
“And, if it’s affecting you in the apt, it’s also affecting her in all aspects of her life outside the home.”
“Hopefully she and her dr can figure out what to do.”- FamiliarFamiliar
“NTA.”
“That’s f*ckin foul and unacceptable on her part.”
“It’s wild that she feels like it’s okay to treat a shared space like that.”- Triple-OG-
“I would obnoxiously spray Lysol every day and have candles constantly lit until she is so uncomfortable that she farts in her own room/bathroom.”
“Does she have no shame?”
“Disgusting.”
“NTA.”- climbitdontcarryit
“NTA.”
“But if she’s sharing a small apartment with you, it might be a financial hardship.”
“Perhaps get her some good quality probiotics and see if it helps.”- PudelWinter
“NTA.”
“I have IBS and issues with my weight, so I have frequent NASTY farts.”
“When I’m out with friends or have people over, and I feel a fart coming on, I’ll walk a few meters away or go to a different room just in case my toot is particularly foul.”
“The only person I tend to freely fart around is my mum bc she also has IBS and Gets It.”
“I won’t lie, sometimes I do have no choice but to rip nasty around innocents, but I try my best to minimize how often that happens bc I feel like choking people out with gas constantly is just rude.”- boogerbabe69
“Farts are a normal bodily function.”
“Farts that have such a frequency and odor that it’s changing the smell of the apartment are not.”
“NTA, but immediately jumping to ‘you must see a doctor’ isn’t super helpful.”
“Maybe she doesn’t have a primary care doctor; maybe she’s been, and the doctor blew her off.”
“It’s better (and easier) to define the problem and demand that it be addressed.”
“She can go see a doctor, but she can also:”
“Buy an air purifier.”
“Confine her farts to the bathroom (if they truly are uncontrollable, that’s definitely a serious issue and she should maybe skip the doctor and head to the ER – I feel like I remember once upon a time reading/hearing that if you can’t hold your farts at all, that’s a sign of a serious issue, but don’t quote me on that)”
“Open a window.”
“Buy a scent eliminating spray – not a fragrance like Febreze, but something like Lysol or Ozone.”
“Take Beano or other anti-gas medication.”- BroadElderberry
“NTA.”
“Fart on her pillow and tell her it’s normal.”- SquishedPancake42
“NTA and you’re right, too.”
‘Had a friend who had very bad-smelling farts.”
“We all thought this was just how his body worked, and we had to deal with it.”
“But then he had an antihelminthics treatment, and I swear, it worked like a charm!”
“Oh, and let me also tell you that this friend was not a big person.”- ladyxochi
“NTA.”
“Don’t think I could keep a straight face about it, though!”
“She needs to fart in her room or bathroom (with fan). Common roommate courtesy should be mutual, and if it’s bad and she’s not respecting that, find a new mate!!”
“Tell her it makes you nauseous and you cannot live around it.”- manda1216
“Honestly, she could have multiple medical issues that are causing like IBS, dairy allergy, low iron (sister has that, and it is horrid), thyroid, etc.”
“NTA.”
“Due to the medical it could be from, age, being heavier, there could honestly be something wrong and she needs to be checked out.”
“Not going to the doctor could be much worse for her.”
“Her reaction was childish and it seems that she lacks care for her own body and/or medical issues.”
“Maybe she has a fear but honestly, telehealth is better than not going to a doctor at all.”-GrumpyKitten013
“Is she lactose intolerant or something similar to this? Because this could explain it.”
“She should still seek a medical professional.”
“NTA.”- Popular-Block-5790
“Sounds like she needs to stop eating any new foods that make her gassy or she has a medical problem.”
“NTA.”- Pkfrompa
“NTA.”
“She is.”
“Regarding the odor, I have IBS, and my trigger foods can cause some seriously toxic farts.”
“You know what’s important though?”
“I can control when I fart for the most part.”
“Occasionally one will slip out accidentally during a coughing/sneezing/laughing burst, but the rest of the time I can hold it in.”
“So can she. If she genuinely can’t hold in her farts, she needs to see a doctor about her anal sphincter control, because what she has going on is definitely not normal.”- irish_ninja_wte
The apparent lack of self-awareness on the part of the OP’s roommate is confusing, to say the least.
If she knows that her somewhat overactive flatulence is caused by what she’s eating and drinking, then why doesn’t she adjust her diet?
On the other hand, if she has adjusted her diet and nothing has changed, why would she not follow the OP’s advice and get a medical opinion?
Perhaps most confusingly, does she really enjoy constantly living amongst such an unsavory odor?