Anyone else have a Redundant / Tortuous Colon?

I am in my 40s and recently had my first colonoscopy and was surprised to learn I have a redundant colon! I used to live in NYC and walked so much, I barely noticed. But I moved to a driving city and was noticing bowel movements that were extremely large that were causing tearing and bleeding. Doctors were telling me to eat more fiber. But then after the diagnosis I was told to eat a low fiber diet, which lacked almost any nutrients.

I am still trying to get a hold of how to eat a balanced diet. I've been reading up on gut health and adding kimchi and probiotics to my diet. Trying to slow down when I eat and drink a lot of water. (I like the idea of setting a water reminder)

I've decided to eat a bit more intuitively and pay more attention to how different foods impact me. It seems it takes about 6 days for food to make it through my colon. I stay away from cruciferous veggies and peppers.

Taking miralax has been a big help. I have to experiment with how often, because too much and stool gets runny. I actually found that eating grape nuts in the AM keeps me regular.

I have also been trying belly dancing, massage, sit-ups and walking after meals. But sometimes I don't hear or anything moving around in there!

So this is definitely a new journey. But I'm taking it slow. I've been confused by advice to eat low fiber vs. high fiber. Somewhere inbetween works.

Hopefully I will be able to meet with a nutritionist who specializes in this one day. If anyone knows of anyone to follow on social media let me know.

Thanks will give it a try.

Kiwis can help with regular bowel movements.

No one has said that I have a long or redundant colon. Yes, I am switching to soup, ten cups of water, and cautiously adding a little fiber. I am going to do my best to stay away from a bulky diet. It is hard to do that during the holidays. My wife is a really good cook as well. There is surprisingly little to no information about miralax and M of Mag causing acid stomach. Every once in a while, I run across someone who mentions they have had the same problem. I hope your diet works for you.

I hope that works for you. I will never take Miralax or MofM again. Granted, I have the hernia, but it was never as bad until I started the Miralax. If I eat a lot of fiber, I so easily get backed up but I have the redundant colon, not sure if you do or not. I eat a lot of soup, and stay hydrated but stay away from anything bulky.

I appreciate the input. The acid stomach started after taking miralax everyday. I was taking it for several weeks and so I stopped miralax and switched to milk of magnesia 15 ml every night. Eventually acid stomach got worse. Never had an a consistent acid stomach problem before this. Just once every once and awhile after eating spicy food. I am now going off daily milk of mag and miralax to see if the acid stomach problem goes away. I am now using ducolax SSoftener and soup and salad diet with soluble fiber supplements. Praying this works. It looks like I will just be able to use M of m and miralax every so often.

I finally bit the bullet and had an endoscopy performed. Revealed a hiatal hernia. Now I take Pantoprazole and that is the only med that has worked for me for the heartburn. I started taking a good Magnesium supplement at night which helps with the constipation.

This is a great thread. A lot of good information here. I also have found that taking milk of mag or miralax causes heartburn. They both work for me but I have gut pain and heartburn after taking either one everyday. I am not sure what to do at this point.

I was diagnosed a couple of years ago when having my colonoscopy. I have been following the Low Fodmap Diet and it has helped tremendously! It is the diet that people with IBS follow. Fiber does not help and can sometimes bring on my symptoms. I exercise and follow this diet and drink lots of water. My only question is what can they do the next time I need a colonoscopy?? I took a stool softener and drink a whole gallon of prep and it took hours for me to eliminate it. Luckily the surgeon could still do the procedure and that is when I found out about my redundant colon.

Some things that work for me that may work for you:

Avoid eating "heavy" foods at dinner (meat, fish, fat) and watch your intake of "dense" foods like heavy, dense bread.

Eat cooked veggies and fruit. I eat cooked parsnips and the few other things I can tolerate for their fiber content and low FODMAP status. (some say a long colon can trigger FODMAP issues). Also, ground chia seed is something to consider, as well as lactose-free milk products. I can handle raw kiwi (check out the study on how well it works for stubborn constipation) and papaya.

I have less nausea with the Intoleran brand dietary enzymes for food intolerances. A game changer.

Ten up and then ten down stomach massages expel bloat. Check the UK's National Health System (NHS) posting on constipation: https://www.torbayandsouthdevon.nhs.uk/uploads/25773.

Get your rest and sleep.

A huge problem for me was anxiety and sometimes sleep. I cope three ways now:

1) a micro-dose of melatonin (300 mcg pill cut in half) nightly. I am super sensitive to meds and supps. Others may need more, but start with less. Too much disturbs your circadian rhythm.

2) Hilma Gentle Bowel Support (2 a day) - I did not notice a stool improvement but it proved to be the missing link in ending my general 24/7 anxious state. A lot of research on magnesium and anxiety on the net.

3) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for anxiety, which is just a deep state of relaxation. I learned in a 7 week course with a therapist, but there must be some relaxation recordings to listen to. After 7 weeks of daily listening, you have retrained your brain. You only need the tapes for a refresher or because you want to listen.

And make work-life balance a priority. A rested, destressed you will be more productive too. It took me awhile to realize I just wasn't that important ---my ego kept me on the race track.

BTW, good to know about Lactulose.

And when I feel I need to explain my health situation, I do so by analogy. It is as if I had diabetes and managed it solely with food. I have to watch what I eat.