Anyone else have a Redundant/Tortuous Colon?

Well, I cannot eat fish or chicken w/o constipation. I do not vomit. An orange its juice would send me into IBS-C purgatory. Bland foods are my ticket too. For your Q, I would use a seed butter that is smooth. Lots of folks like sunflower butter. It is nutritious and sold in grocery stores by the peanut butter. Glad egg whites are working for you. Best to you, too!

Great post Farmer Smith.
I apply a lot of what you do as well,
But im not brave enough to grind all the seeds up and eat them with prune juice.
Dry prunes bloats me but I will try the concoction w prune juice!
Thanks again

@researchmaven I used to be able to eat fish & chicken. Then I noticed I wasn't digesting it in my bm. Today I was vomiting orange. Research medical news chart has orange as digestion issue. Now, I've ganged up & am drinking tons of stash hot black licorice tea & zero Gatoorade. I found I can eat hint of lime chips. We've given up many foods but we feel so much healthier knowing what does agree with our internal system. GI 10min appt this Thurs. Asking if I sabotaged my GES & now color vomit. & I have not wavered from bland foods. Won't do fruit blends w seeds. Do seeds get smashed in blender? Had carton egg white sandwich today. It's nutritious on sourdough toast. Thanks again & best to you

Hi had a colonoscopy it was very painful bcz i have same like you redundant tortus colon with sigmoid loops...my symptoms are very painful gas all over stomach that including stomach skin discomfort..when seating long time and too much gas...also empty stomach more worse..🥲🥲🥲

Hi had a colonoscopy it was very painful bcz i have same like you redundant tortus colon with sigmoid loops...my symptoms are very painful gas all over stomach that including stomach skin discomfort..when seating long time and too much gas...also empty stomach more worse..

Good luck, shawnkthryn. You've got this!

@researchmaven Omgosh Thank You, appreciated so much!! I'm going shopping & you've given so many great suggestions. That's my mission to finish strong. Glad we got together on here. I said to myself, self, I'll have a dose of whatever you're havin

Hi Jayne,
Best of luck. Stick with it and you can find just the right fit for you! I am so glad I didn't even consider surgery after finding out about my longer than usual colon! You can form fit the changes you need for just you. Be sure to be active too. Glad others have natural suggestions like kiwi and artichoke root and slippery elm, Maybe I will add them from time to time too.
Disclaimer: Only my experience going natural for chronic constipation and come to find out redundant colon. I have used organic, integrative, functional, holistic Naturopathic doctor's advice along with my MD’s since the early 1980's. There is science in alternatives too.
I work closely with my ND, he told me to study the Migrating Motor Complex and Osmotic Gradient and he bet that I would find something that worked for me. Goal: how to keep a longer than normal pipe consistently moist…. My ND also said because my condition was physical, attention would be needed from now on.
I tried laxatives and they are not consistent and have side effects like bloating, etc. All say for occasional use. They disrupt the system if taken continuously. Psyllium husks, MD's go to, made me worse. I liked response from a co-redundant colon person: “It’s physical” so regular constipation suggestions may not work. Don’t give up because it took me 4 months to feel I could depend on being regular. It is worth going natural.
Dec 2023 the doc had me do non sedated colonoscopy. He went through my colon as I watched on TV. I had had a baby years ago (natural and could stand pain) so figured I could stand it – it was no big deal. Most people in world don't get put out. Very interesting and it helped allow the scope to get through because I relaxed. No wonder I had been constipation on and off starting in my teens. I’m now in my early 70’s.
OptiMag and K2+ Potassium are great supps. I take them when I go to bed and once in the night. I include prunes/prune juice, winter squash, sweet potatoes, rhubarb etc in my diet. I eat cups of steamed vegetables each day. I grind 2T chia, 1 T sesame seeds and 2 T flax seeds, then soak in prune juice overnight. I add a T or two of carob now since it can help regularity. Take half in the morning and half at night or all in the morning. Throw sugar out along with processed and refined foods. Look up foods and drinks that constipate and give them up, at least as a test. Drink lot of water starting with a quart of hot water in the morning - boy scouts. I use warmed up diluted chicken broth at times too. It is soothing to my stomach. Coffee and Smooth Move are my back ups. I don't like coffee and never have drunk it much but it usually works for me in a pinch. Thankfully I only need coffee a few times a month.
Check out helpful research of biological processes that take place in our gut:
- Migrating Motor complex which is the electroactivity in the GI tract during meals and fasting
- Osmotic gradient. If too much water is pulled into the colon, diarrhea results. If not enough water is pulled into the colon constipation results. Balance of minerals is important. Magnesium, potassium and sodium brings water into the colon. I have found balancing these help prevent constipation. I have to watch my calcium supplement intake because it tends to encourage constipation. Calcium carbonate seems to be the most constipating. I depend on blood work from time to time to make sure my minerals are balanced. Oh and letting stress go is important too - I know how scary it can be. Golly it seems there is no hope for relief but it is worth looking at diet and trying lifestyle changes that can help. Good luck, @farmersmith

Hello
Just checking in after some time and wondering how you are doing now> New to Mayo support, so far so good.
Digestive issues are so fun.

E

@shawnkthryn, I eat 4-6 small meals a day. I drink a lot of warm liquids, including hot water, too. That helps with everything. Frozen mature leaf spinach and carrots are good and low, "green light" with respect to FODMAPs. Green light FODMAPs pretty much is what I focus on, food-wise.

Frontier is the brand for my slippery elm.

Yes, fully understanding how one's plumbing works is really important. Stretching and a variety of movement helps move things a long and is good for mood too. I don't eat white fish any more (see below). I have a peanut once in a while, but no peanut butter (fat is an issue), no egg yolks (see below).

Here are all my details in case you want to try any: I drink a weak def caf black tea and peppermint tea, with milk. My veggie list is longer than yours (and I don't eat too much of any one): mature spinach (not baby, due to FODMAP issues), collards (no stems), parsley, radish, kabocha squash (1/3 cup once a day, due to FODMAP issue), white potato (1/4 c once a day), a sheet of seasoned seaweed (for my soups), a half slice of firm tofu (once a day, FODMAP issue), parsnips (one medium, once a day), green onion (green part only, FODMAP issue).

I can have a couple of olives a day. I use Maille mustard (no added onion powder) and mayo (scant). Some capers. Some FODY brand catsup or other sauce, but scant. Salt and pepper, turmeric, scant paprika, oregano, cumin. Cocoa is fun/chocolate is not. Scant nuts and seeds (brazil, walnut, pumpkin).

In theory, carrots should also be in my diet but I have a phobia for a couple of wacky reasons.

I eat papaya (1/2+ cup once a day), blueberries (handfull, once a day) in a smoothie with other ingredients. That is lunch, along with a microwaved-steamed plantain or a slice of my "carrotcake-like dessert bread I make.

I drink any Lactaid milk and can have a tablespoon of Lactaid cottage cheese daily. No lactose-free sour cream or butter; the fat content is an issue. Same thing with coconut milk. I do cook with scant olive or coconut oil. I eat egg whites but the yolks bother me.

My sweetener is pure liquid stevia (or stevia leafs for my teas).

My gut doesn't seem to like dense food, whether it is meat/fish or bread (but meat is far worse). I used to be able to eat fish, but I think with the manual labor shortage/ocean warming issues, it just isn't fresh in my area anymore ; even white fish and shrimp are gross, perhaps due to histamines/bacteria, but it could be its density. I never ate a full portion.

Protein is from egg whites (quart cartons mostly, but fresh at times and powdered for my smoothies), powdered pea protein isolate, lactose-free milk. I can eat cooked calf liver (chopped liver).

Plantain flour is for baking and hot cereal (which I eat 2X a day).

Regular Girl is my brand of multi-vit. It is good for those with a consitpation issue, as it has a gentle form of iron.

Importantly, and what I didn't say earlier, once last game changer is a golden kiwi each night. It acts cas a gentle stimulant (there is a study you can google). I tried skipping it...Rhubarb may work too. Not sure.