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Anyone else have a Redundant / Tortuous Colon?
Digestive Health | Last Active: 18 hours ago | Replies (1016)Comment receiving replies
I recently had colon resection for diverticulitis. Since then, I have no urge to have a bowel movement unless I take Linzess and Milk of Magnesia. My surgeon disregards my concerns and I'm terrified that if these things stop working, I'm going to end up in the ER. I've lost a lot of weight and I didn't have a lot to lose. I drink a lot of water. I try adding more fruits and vegetables. Nothing works. I have zero motility. At times I'll get bloated to the point that I don't want to eat and need to take Gas-X, but honestly, this is no way to live. This surgery was supposed to "give me my life back". It hasn't.
Replies to "I recently had colon resection for diverticulitis. Since then, I have no urge to have a..."
I don’t know if it will help or not but I’ve found that 100mg of 5-HTP first thing in the morning and before bed help with my motility. And like @tiss I take 450-100mg of magnesium citrate or oxide daily. I have tortured colon and have suffered with chronic constipation my entire life. There are also some probiotic strands that help with motility.
I also had diverticulitis and a perforated colon, and ended up with a poop bag for six months, then had the surgery reversed, removing the remaining sigmoid colon. I’ve had chronic constipation since then, with three partial blockages. The last blockage they did a barium enema which showed a twisted and flipped portion of colon, which the enema actually helped clear. Still constipated, but even 1/2 dose gives me awful diarrhea, I cannot make it to the bathroom in time, even if the bathroom is just a few steps away. I cannot find a happy medium. I want so badly to understand why my body doesn’t work quite right anymore and how to best treat it, but I can’t find any answers. I do know that a nerve was cut during the first surgery that the surgeon at Mayo repaired as best he could. I also know a muscle atrophied (is that the right word?) while it wasn’t being used, and I’m wondering if that is part of the problem?
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How long ago was your resection? It can take a long time to heal from this surgery. What part of the bowel was removed and how much? I'm so sorry you are going through this. I had a resection (see my story above) and it took a good 18 months to get some sort of management going on. I've taken magnesium every day 800-1000mg for chronic constipation for 25 years. My constipation is now under control since my surgery 2 1/2 years ago.