Anyone else have a Redundant / Tortuous Colon?

wfpb dr? Means ? GERD Diet 20y's taught me food self discipline. I needed the pre-requisite for IBS, colon prolapse, & multiple diets. Until torturous colon & gastroparesis. Eliminated all oils, all fiber. They sit in stomach 6 days for me & the 7th I'd be blessed to have a bm. Otherwise poop like grease separating in water. I hope you're feeling better

wfpb Dr = ?

This is long, but please bear with me this once.

Looking for info, I found this group, thankfully. Initially told I probably have celiac due to slightly elevated I-IgA. Sceptical, I switched g.f., and had the worst 9 months of my life. Requested review of CT was refused, so I pulled it myself; 100% symptoms, most signs(incl. elevated IgA), & imaging indicates extra loops and bends, Had a parent had who suffered terribly without being told (discovered when I pulled all their test results! 24 CT's, 2 mentions!) Unwilling to spend the rest of my life taking lax to prevent serious outcomes, I started looking harder, and have recently found something that is helping. I wanted to share for anyone willing/able to try using normal foods to overcome the slow-transit/no bm problem. As others have said, this is working for me. It's not medical advice; you try on your own recognizance, but if it helps one other person, it's worth the share.

Friend referred me to "juicing" - another fad. But turns out that some mixtures are effective at improving motility & texture, juiced or smoothie. If you can afford to buy a slow-masticating, cold-press juicer, it's very helpful and increases choices. One of the best, apparently, is the Nama J2 - it is not cheap, but some of the best reviews, and 15-yr warranty. Most thorough extraction, fresh juice (not heated), easy to clean. (If you're interested, they're having a sale right now.) (No, I don't work with/for them; it's not an advertisement. ) Copy-cats on Amazon are far less $$; I didn't bother reading those reviews, but it may suit someone who needs a lower $$. A decent blender or food processor suitable for liquids serves for the smoothies.

Celery juice, with or without other items (lime, cucumber, pineapple, apple) on empty stomach in the am, is hugely effective at getting things moving. Enough that you may want to stay close until you have seen how your system works.

I haven't a juicer yet, and am sick of PEG & inulin (psyllium makes things worse for me!) So smoothies (have a food processor) and have had 3 of the only 5 "normal" bm's in nearly a year! And less bloating. And less discomfort. AND no PEG or other lax! I'll post what I used, but the keys are: fresh greens + fresh citrus, other good nutrient & fibre sources. If it helps you, it's worth the time. It can be kept in an air-tight bottle in the 'fridge for up to 3-4 days, so make a big batch & have some every morning. Remember to thoroughly wash the produce before processing!!

1. ½ c each cranberry juice & coconut milk
handful of spinach
½ pk raspberries (ripe)
slice green pepper
part of a mango (most went bad, so what I could salvage)
½ c coronation grapes (frozen; they're seedless & excellent-quality table grapes. different type would work if comparable quality.)
about 1 c peach slices (frozen)
½ lime, juice & pulp
1 orange, juice & pulp
tbsp or so chia seed
½ tbsp inulin

2. ½ c each coconut milk & cranberry juice
few leaves Red Russian Kale
larger handful spinach
1 celery leaf
½ container raspberries
slice each green & orange peppers (larger than first time)
about 1 c peach slices
½ c coronation
a very few bits of pineapple
~ 2” piece of zucchini
½ lime
1 orange
tbsp chia
1.5 tsp inulin pdr

Makes about 4 - 5 cups. Will keep in air-tight bottle. Can be frozen in serving sizes, and thawed overnight if you find it works and want to make bigger batches less often.

I intend to skip the inulin on the next batch (I may be cowardly & just decrease it, toward omitting completely in a week or so.)
If you have diverticulosis, strain the raspberry seeds & skip the chia. You could use finely-ground nuts instead, for the fibre, protein, and taste.
It looks nasty. Sounds weird. Tastes great. I was craving it the second morning! And for the first time in so many months, things are moving and I am not uncomfortable.
You can add more greens, more mango, cherries. Avoid bananas, and I skip apples/pears because they brown too easily when the membranes are broken. The colour is already ugly.

If you're game for the juicer, try the celery juice (blend or "straight"). I used to eat one stalk or 2 if I was "slow"; it's not enough nowadays.

I hope this helps someone else. It's all food, fresh, nutritious, and is a game-changer for me.

ps: if you have a foot of space you can grow your own greens indoors or out if you have a box or cold-frame. My Red Kale is sweet and tender right now, spinach will grow until deep freeze (frost covers longer if outdoors). Cilantro, parsley, lettuces, and root veg for the juicer, can all grow outside in chilly weather. The greens will all grow in pots or trays inside, if you have a window w light.

I get mine from iHerb (online store). It is called: Frontier Co-op, Slippery Elm Inner Bark, 16 oz (453 g). It is also available from Amazon. It has really saved me, but I have to watch other fronts too. The outcome is that my gut issues are solved for now.

Oops, I am not seeing my recent answer to your query, so I will post again, shawnkthryn. I use Frontier brand slippery elm inner bark powder. You can get it from iHerb or Amazon.

Thanks. I take artichoke root too. Slippery elm for digestion too ?

@researchmaven Thanks. I take artichoke root too. Slippery elm for digestion too ?

@dfloyd1133 I'm w GES re stomach emptying super slow. I'm w redundant torturous colon. My chart 2022 read redundant c. Asked GI re torturous & YES i fit the tab. Was unaware Colon Resection surgery ? Looked at stomach options. No Fundalop re that. Wrapping stomach around another organ. Did you ever resection? How's your life going?

No I decided against that surgery bc of age and nothing is 100%.

Slippery elms provides the mucosal support that helps my otherwise "dry" colon move everything through. It doesn't give a "urge." I use a golden kiwi a night for that. Either alone not as useful.

Good to know about artichoke root. I cannot try it though as I am sensitive to most foods -- think FODMAP, but in the extreme. Glad it works for you and others though.