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Severe tortuosity and redundant colon

Posted by julsnealey @julsnealey, Apr 10, 2024

I had a colonoscopy for symptoms of unexpected weight loss, severe pain, bloating, early satiety and chronic vomiting with bowel movements. I have had these symptoms for years (15), but they have increased in frequency and severity. The doctor discovered severe tortuosity and redundant colon. He said he had to get help in moving the scope through manually the very tight turns and twists. My question is: What medications have proven successful to management? Best diet? Doctor said it was so bad that surgery may be the best course of action, but they try and avoid that for obvious reasons. Anyone have a success story?

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Profile picture for nharpster
nharpster | @nharpster | Jun 22 3:54pm
In reply to @researchmaven "I bet the gallbladder removal didn't help. I am sure you are following a "gallbladder removal"..." + (show)
Profile picture for researchmaven @researchmaven

I bet the gallbladder removal didn't help. I am sure you are following a "gallbladder removal" diet (sounds like it).

I would want to see how you do on a mostly liquid, soft (hot cereal, not thick, pureed soup) diet, if that can navigate your gut's twists and turns and prevent all those symptoms, which (just guessing) could be from a build-up at a twist and then a break-through along the lines of your x-day cycle.

Keep in mind that pea protein powder isolate and egg whites together are a complete protein (like steak). I add them to my hot cereal all the time for protein (along with Lactaid milk) as I can't eat a lot of meat or fish or any egg yolks.

For my hot cereal, I use green plantain flour. LiveKuna's brand is well-priced. and tasty. It has the right consistency for hot cereal too. It has some fiber and is an allowed FODMAP carb for me. I add a half-teaspoon of ground chia seed; I cannot tolerate the whole seed. I also add something crazy called K-Fiber from Australia (I use about 1/8 of a teaspoon).

Also try slippery elm tea (inner bark). It soothes (really well) and supports the mucosa of the gut. I use half a teaspoon, first thing in the morning, adding boiling water and drinking it like tea. A larger serving of slippery elm (inner bark) and/or more often, may help what you eat get past the twists.

And drink those soothing hot liquids. My hot drinks are mostly water. To make them, I add to 2-3 T of milk:

*a bit of powdered ginger and cinnamon or cocoa, or
*cocoa and peppermint extract, or
*cocoa and instant coffee.
*or whatever you fancy.

I also drink at least one strong cup of peppermint tea a day.

Keep me posted and if all of this doesn't work, I can't imagine the results from surgery being worse than what you are experiencing now.

I wish you the very best of good fortune.

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@researchmaven where does she stated she had gallbladder surgery? The gallbladder removal has caused new issues that are so severe and so called complex that I'm not getting answers nor the help to find the problems. I'm getting no help to find nor resolve them not to address the twists in the colon! I need serious help and have lost confidence in the specialists.

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researchmaven | @researchmaven | Jun 22 4:30pm

@nharpster

I sure do not see anything about gallbladder surgery, so I do not know why I mentioned it.

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researchmaven | @researchmaven | Jun 22 4:33pm
In reply to @nharpster "@researchmaven where does she stated she had gallbladder surgery? The gallbladder removal has caused new issues..." + (show)
Profile picture for nharpster @nharpster

@researchmaven where does she stated she had gallbladder surgery? The gallbladder removal has caused new issues that are so severe and so called complex that I'm not getting answers nor the help to find the problems. I'm getting no help to find nor resolve them not to address the twists in the colon! I need serious help and have lost confidence in the specialists.

Jump to this post

@nharpster

Maybe some comments got mixed up in the Mayo system or I erred. Give me your rundown. It seems like you are saying gut issues exist for someone and then they had gallbladder removal surgery that brought in a whole host of new, severe ones?

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kamommy | @kamommy | Jun 23 9:24am
In reply to @annpeters "So back to the original question… Does anyone have any answers to help with a torturous..." + (show)
Profile picture for annpeters @annpeters

So back to the original question… Does anyone have any answers to help with a torturous colon. Any medication’s any foods any treatments? My loops are collecting stool and causing problems. Any suggestions are welcome thank you.

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@annpeters
Loops. Trouble- yes.
Mostly when standing or walking slowly (craft fairs, car shows, cooking, and so on). It’s been 8 years now. Laying for 10-20 minutes on my left side (don’t know if side actually matters) as soon as possible when the pain just starts. Occasionally stress could maybe be the issue. No help from drs At All. Rarely even an acknowledgement. I’ve been wondering if it may be gas. Gets me at the right hip- I can even feel it there. Also up inside my genitals. More often at different times.at others, both.
Surgery seems to be the only option. Obviously I have discarded that option. Has never become worse than the horrible level it is. If I push through a beginning to finish a task, it takes longer to resolve.
I have managed it a bit when out by slouching down in a chair. It seems to take the pressure off relieving the onset of worse pain.
All the best to you!

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bborth | @bborth | 3 days ago

Suggestions for a next step here. I have this condition, and it seems like every 5-6 months I get jammed up due to eating something that doesn't agree with me. I've always had success with a couple colonics purges and higher doses of linzess for a few days. Not this time though. I've tried those for the past couple weeks and still no relief. Always feel it on my R side just under the rib cage...must be a bend in the colon there? Very uncomfortable of course, and anything I eat just can't get anywhere to digest. Wondering what to request from my GI doc now...likely a CT scan to see what is going on internally??

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