Anyone else have a Redundant / Tortuous Colon?

Oh. I just wanted to say to be careful taking those laxatives..OTC or not, they should only be used for a short period of time…your body can get used to them & mess everything up…like not being to “go” w/out them…& dehydration

Just some clarifications here--my 86ish lb.
weight loss was very gradual and intentional, over 14 months. At 254 lbs it was a necessity for me. My doctor warned me of senna and stool softeners and doesn't want me on those on a regular basis. I was told that miralax and my magnesium chloride are fine to take every day in small amounts forever. But yes the body can get dependent on senna products. I appreciate everyone's support! I have yet another stupid colonoscopy on September 7 and I'll let you know if it actually works.

Epsom salt does not have this issue as the body processes it as Magnesium. It is not a stimulant laxative, therefore, no need to worry about your intestines to stop functioning over time. It is generally safe and quite effective.

At my last Colonoscopy my colon was described as redundant also. It was explained to me that it wasn’t pathological, more of an anatomical anomaly. And it can lead to constipation and other awful symptoms. There are many natural avenues of dealing with constipation and also pelvic floor remedies if that’s the problem. But a surgical intervention/ resection? Lucky for you the surgeon was not a greedy bastard. ( last part was commentary only).

I had severe left side pain last year from June into January of this year. Numerous ER visits with C/T scans and X-rays. No one ever determined actual cause. Then suddenly woke up one day and it was gone. Nothing different. Colonoscopy in February was when my gi said extremely tortuous colon. Secret, don’t get constipated. So I’ve been doing relatively well. Then a week ago, BAM, pain is back! I am in misery. I do not get it. Nothing different. Not constipated. And my dang pcp will not order an X-ray . My gi can’t because my hospital won’t accept orders from out of state. I tried qcare and she said I’d have to have my pcp order it. I’m dying here. I don’t want to go to er. My 3 grandsons are due here in a few hrs to stay for 3 days.

I talked to a general surgeon and urologist this last month and they explained that in seniors the small and large bowel tend to sag as we get older. The tissues that hold our organs in place start to lose their integrity. This is exacerbated by surgeries. In women the uterus shrinks and allows the bowels fill that space. In women who have had a hysterectomy, the rearrangement can be quite pronounced. The major place that a kink can occur is where the rectum and sigmoid join. All this things can lead to pressure on the bladder as well. The urologist said the number one cause of inability to urinate in older women is chronic constipation pushing on the urethra. In men, prostate problems and the inability to urinate can put pressure on this same area. So basically, there is a train wreck in our lower left abdomen.
What I have figured out for myself because I do not want to become dependent on laxatives or their side effects, is to give myself a 250 ml enema with warm plain water every evening before I take a shower. I found on the internet a small "bucket" enema with a very small tube for insertion into the rectum. This is far less difficult to use and to clean than the standard enema bottle and large wand. I am guessing that by clearing out and adding moisture to this area, I am relieving this "kink" area. With this method, I always have a large bowel movement every morning upon rising and sometimes a second in late afternoon. It also solves the problem of incomplete emptying. I have almost completely eliminated the agonizing left-sided pain that I have had since January of 2022. Of course, I also eat lots of vegies and fruits and whole grains etc, etc. It generally takes about 20 minutes to complete all the task including clean up. I hope that this continues to work.

Good to hear you have no gas nor digestive problems!

I have a tortuous colon, bloated abdomen and constipation which may be unrelated. My internist taps my abdomen and declares it is my intestines "air" based on the echo she hears, I guess. I don't know what to do about it except slightly reduce my discomfort and "pot belly" by taking Beano before eating beans or cruciferous veggies. The constipation is an ongoing problem. This group is the closest I've come to find support and helpful feedback.

When you say your stomach is expanding, do you mean the capacity of your internal stomach? Or a bloated abdomen?

Is there any chance you could provide a link to "the small "bucket" enema with a very small tube" ? I find that the tubes on the standard enema bags are very uncomfotable and often painful for me to use, Which has caused me to give up on mine.

My bucket looks most similar to Ansino International enema bucket. There is also Gentle -L-Care and Pure Joy Planet that look like they have a blue comfort tip. The idea is not to try to clean out your entire colon, just to clean out and rehydrate the area of the sigmoid/rectum where the notorious kink is. Of all the posters, I thought that you might be interested because of your frustration with laxatives. A lot of people are squeamish about enemas. This can be done sitting upright on the commode with the bucket sitting on the tank. I am so glad a friend told me about this and the gastro doc cleared its use as harmless. The worst that could happen is that you could be impatient and injure your rectum. KY Jelly and experience will solve that. I am for what works with the least amount of side effects. Laxatives interfere with our digestion, especially fat soluble vitamins such as A, E, D and K.
I have to say that I also take one Pancreatin capsule from Allergy Research Group with each meal for better digestion. I also take 400 mg of magnesium citrate and one capsule of Life extension Daily Bowel maintenance (Bifidus probiotic) at bedtime with a glass of rice milk. Hope you get some benefit.

Bloated abdomen--the expansion is now at my waist. The bloat never diminishes [it is not air], just increases. It is good that yours is amenable to beano.