Anyone else have a Redundant / Tortuous Colon?

Has anyone tried taking copious amounts of Vit C to bowel tolerance for our condition? Also, I remember my husband having air pockets that were the culprit in his constipation. He had to start taking one gas-x with each meal to prevent this. Apparently, it is harder for the colon to expel gas at times than solid waste. Go figure. The idea of winding up in my small rural hospital for emergency bowel surgery worries me. It's the luck of the draw.

Sorry, I meant to say, "stress management always a good idea..."

Just read all of your posts! So much information and so much in common with so many of you! I also have Raynauds. The serotonin connection I was aware of as I have suffered from severe, chronic migraine for 30 years. There is a definite brain-gut interaction. I have had constipation since a child, IBS since my 20’s, but things only got seriously bad three years ago when I became so nauseous I couldn’t eat. Dropped 25 lbs I didn’t need to lose. No drs could find answer. A year until diagnosed slow motility. Then just in February did my GI determine the severity of the tortuous colon another gi told me about a number of years ago and all these drs over 3 years never thought could be an issue. I currently use combinations of Motegrity, Miralax, Magnesium Oxide, Colace. My problem is that things work great for a while, then don’t. I just had to do half a jug of Golytely. I’m still recovering from that! I see a new, female GI June 3. I’m so hoping she will have some new answers. So grateful to now have all of you! Know no one with this.

I just remembered a paraplegic patient in a nursing home tell me that he could not poop without his small can of beets per day.

@sallyw133 My Gastro could not help me with foods, but was good about diagnosing.
My nutritionist is Jane Schwartz, janeschwartz.rd@
gmail.com. She’s in Princeton NJ
I am adding more regular meals slowly, but still strict

TY. Greatly appreciated!

With a tortuous colon with twists and turns, its all about food. In the beginning, my Gastro did give me a stool softener to get everything getting around the turns, that with the smoothies with my Ninja really did the trick, I have since stopped the softener, smoothie for breakfast, or oatmeal, soups, sometimes blended, for lunch, and regular dinner (staying away from beef) with vegetables, sweet potatoes. I do take laxative stimulant at night, because of incomplete evacuation.

Hello. Just chiming in here. I'm a 70 yr old female and have dealt with constipation issues all my life. I found out later in life that I have a redundant colon, but also a poor diet didn't help matters. Today I take my usual multivitamin, an extra 250mg magnesium citrate, and 2 stool softeners in the evening. At breakfast I drink one serving of Miralax, and I also mix Fiber One with another fiber-rich cereal and some blueberries. I found a multivitamin that has calcium citrate and is iron free. I take an extra 1000mg calcium citrate every day. Most multivitamins contain calcium carbonate and iron. My doctor told me to go with calcium citrate because calcium carbonate can be very constipating, and so is iron. Years ago I tried taking a fiber caplet supplement every day. My constipation got worse, and it was because it contained calcium carbonate. And for some reason Metamucil doesn't agree with me. I also try to eat fiber-rich foods every day, and eating a little broccoli every day at lunch seems to help. I've noticed that many people with bowel issues have a morning routine they need to stick to. Me too. I try not to plan to go anywhere until after lunch. I also have multiple sclerosis (diagnosed in 1999) and Parkinson's (diagnosed in 2018) -- doing very well -- to look at me you'd never know I have these two conditions, I'm very lucky. Hope anything I said here might help someone.

Your post was very interesting. I take extra calcium because if osteopenia and it is calcium carbonate! No idea that could be causing a problem. The morning routine is critical for me. Generally, if I don’t follow it and go in the morning, I won’t go the rest of the day. That is terribly disruptive as I love to go out to breakfast and we go to mass on Sunday mornings. This disorder is very life altering for me right now as I can’t seem to find a happy medium and I just don’t feel well so much of the time. I’m either uncomfortable because I haven’t gone or have diarrhea or afraid I’ll have diarrhea so I can’t leave the house. I’m going to try some of your ideas. Thanks so much!

Hello @sallyw133 A couple of tips here. I buy my calcium supplement and my multivitamin from http://www.vitacost.com. Free shipping if you spend $50 or more. I'm on their mailing list so sometimes I get a coupon now and then. Their prices are much cheaper than if I buy at a health food store. The calcium citrate brand I buy is Solaray 1000mg per serving -- that's 4 capsules. Calcium is best absorbed when it's taken in smaller doses (typically less than 600 milligrams at one time). If you take 1,000 mg of calcium a day, split it into two or more doses over the day. Also, if you take a thyroid medication, you need to wait 4 hours before taking any calcium, and at least a half hour before taking an antacid of any kind. The multivitamin I buy is Bluebonnet Maxi One. The calcium in it is calcium citrate and I buy the one that's iron free. Good luck and good health to you!