Hello all .... I just joined Mayo Clinic Connect. It is my latest grasp at getting information and help with my tortuous colon condition, which has plagued me for 40 of my 54 years. I was diagnosed with tortuous colon in 2012, and had a bunch of tests performed on me which ruled out celiac, Crohn's, gluten allergy, and other stuff. I have some food sensitivities, but essentially all my GI problems are due to my tortuous colon. Basically I am constipated 24/7/365 because my colon is a long and winding road from which nothing emerges at the end without some sort of intervention. In the very best of scenarios, usually with the help of coffee after strenuous exercise, I go once a week, two at most. I start out each day feeling OK, but as the day goes on and as I ingest food, I feel worse and worse with the bloating, gas, and general feeling that I am carrying around a cantaloupe in my abdomen. I am a relatively small person, but my stomach area feels disproportionately big because of my tortuous colon and the stuff in it that I carry around from not being able to ditch it like a normal person. My gut feels best when I don't eat (except for that hunger thing). I relate to @sher71 and probably a lot of others in this. I drink lots of water, exercise every day, and eat as much fiber as I can. So my condition would be even worse if I didn't do these things.

From reading the many posts in this thread, I see that a tortuous colon is not as rare as I thought it is. I feel better at the thought of being able to talk to people about this, people who know what it is like to have to live with this. People who have been told (e.g. @scottisfull), as I have been told, that a tortuous colon is not a big deal and can be totally managed by more fiber, water and exercise. People who know this is not true.

In the last couple of days of reading this thread, I have gotten some ideas that I will try, and just for that I am already very happy and grateful. I learned that there are many like me who have to take 3 or 4 doses of Miralax per day in order for it to do anything. Or, take other stuff, natural and otherwise, to coax the colon to wake up and do something. I relate to those like @lasirvent and @dianecostella who have one thing (or nothing) that works for them.

I started thinking the only solution for me is to take out the extra loops and twists and lengths of my colon in order to get better. Looks like some folks like @thellman and @emma83916 are also thinking about this, and some, like @ellemorgan and @kathyoung, have had it done. I would love to discuss further.

Happy New Year to everyone and I wish all a 2022 with a better stomach.