Anybody here have chronic constipation & pelvic floor dysfunction?

My problem is somewhat unique. I had cervical spine surgery, June of 2020. It was long surgery and when I woke up my bowels have never functioned. I mean never. Went through two years of testing to figure it out and not much for a diagnosis. They scheduled me for a total colectomy. Two weeks before, I cancelled . Again, I was scheduled and canceled deciding to live a life of laxatives.
The issue now is I’ve been doing this 5 years and not much works. My nightly and morning regimen is huge amounts along with a colonoscopy prep every two weeks. All meds and diets failed. I think my situation is so different it’s not diet or exercise or water that will he help me. My doctor thought my last resort is Mayo because if anyone can find a way they can and they might say the same thing, take it out.

I had a total colectomy at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester after literally months and months of testing there. I had a Nissen fundoplication 360 at JHU & unfortunately the surgeon decided to perform the surgery by hand bc the robot wasn’t working & I wish I hadn’t had the surgery. In addition to damaging my vagus nerve I also ended up with gastroparesis, slow intestinal transit, a wrap that was so tight I couldn’t swallow my own salvia, & the worst chronic constipation I have ever had (there were times I didn’t have a BM for a month). After years of agony & having the head of GI at Johns Hopkins call me a conundrum I flew out to Rochester. It was the doctors there who diagnosed me with vagus nerve damage, gastroparesis, Slow intestinal transit, & told me that my colon had been dying/shutting down over the years and now it was dead. I was nervous when I was told I needed a total colectomy but also relived that there was a reason why I felt like & looked like crap and that they had solution. My only regret was not going to Mayo sooner

Wow, I have gastroparesis as well. I’m so scared. I didn’t do it in Boston in 2020 age 65, now I live in Georgia and I’m 70. I’m in the middle of removing top teeth for dentures with implants because it has all caused severe decay to my upper teeth. You would never know looking at them.
I hate the entire mess but I live on so much laxatives that my gastrointestinal here says before push comes to shove Mayo has the best procedure.
Can you tell me about your surgery and what you felt was the hardest part. If you are comfortable with sharing. Thanks so much your story is inspiring to me.

I am due to go to Mayo, Rochester, in Aug to get my jpouch scoped, and a couple other tests. I am having issues with night time incontinence, daytime is usually fine though have had a couple small accidents but seem to always have a pad/liner on these days. If I bulk up too much then I seem to feel nauseous, constipated & bloated. I have been curious about the implant types they have, or maybe a referral to a pelvic floor doc. I will be on medicare in July w/supplement plan (not advantage) so am hoping to get some answers. My incontinence seemed to come on kind of suddenly, and have had issues since November of 2023. My doc retired, so in 2023 the new one just said to go home and start doing pelvic/kegels, no med change or anything. Last fall I had another new doc, which I have been working with somewhat, no med change other than tried some suppositories, but they did nothing so I am winging it until I get there, one test is to check the strength of my spincter muscles that I have left, maybe they are shot? Keeping my fingers crossed that I can get something figured out. Wishing the best of luck to all of you all suffering from this frustrating disease.

I had all the rectal test and failed some, not all. I also did pelvic floor PT and acupuncture for two years. Along with that I did visceral massage. She taught me how to do that nightly which I do almost always. I think I just have no natural movement left to my colon, it’s been so long. I’m never passing hard stool or needing to push feeling. I take so many laxatives followed by enemas in the morning it’s easy to pass if and when it does. It’s not often. I’ve had a lot of other surgeries and it seems you buy maybe 5 years if your lucky before scar tissue sets into the wrong places, age more and the pain just starts all over. I just don’t know if at 70, do I want to do it and deal with a bag. I’ll go for last opinion but in the end it’s still my decision . So much to consider. I wish you the best and hope August visit will have answers. It’s also a lot of flying for all the follow ups.

I had a total colectomy at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester after literally months and months of testing there. I had a Nissen fundoplication 360 at JHU & unfortunately the surgeon decided to perform the surgery by hand bc the robot wasn’t working & I wish I hadn’t had the surgery. In addition to damaging my vagus nerve I also ended up with gastroparesis, slow intestinal transit, a wrap that was so tight I couldn’t swallow my own salvia, & the worst chronic constipation I have ever had (there were times I didn’t have a BM for a month). After years of agony & having the head of GI at Johns Hopkins call me a conundrum I flew out to Rochester. It was the doctors there who diagnosed me with vagus nerve damage, gastroparesis, Slow intestinal transit, & told me that my colon had been dying/shutting down over the years and now it was dead. I was nervous when I was told I needed a total colectomy but also relived that there was a reason why I felt like & looked like crap and that they had solution. My only regret was not going to Mayo sooner