Anyone else have a Redundant / Tortuous Colon?

I have battled IBS-C for two decades. Recently, a colonoscopy showed I had a tortuous colon. I relayed this info to a separate GI I'm seeing, (insurance issues).....and the GI told me there is no evidence to support that a tortuous colon can cause/complicate IBS. Is that true? The enormous daily discomfort I feel happens to be in my descending colon....which is exactly where the colonoscopy showed the tortuous colon. It's hard to me to fathom that as a coincidence.

Bobbie, my favorite testimonial to the effectiveness of the Squatty Potty is @cahnny's serious but fun post here: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/106972/

I'm also guilty of not drinking enough and I really pay for it when I don't. I found tracking my water intake on an app to be tedious, but it showed me how little I was drinking. Now I use a different method. I have a pitcher of water and make sure it is empty by day's end. What do you do to remind yourself to drink more water?

I totally understand, and can relate to the constipation all your life. I only found out about my tortuous colon when I had a barium enema. But NO guidance from any Dr. and that was 11 yrs ago. Senna is natural but any stimulant laxative can become a habit and possibly lose it's ability to do it's job over time. I'm back on Miralax and had to take milk of Mag. last night. One thing I did do was got" squatty potty stool" It helped so much this am. I'm certain any stool that elevates your legs will have the same effect. I realize though for years I never drank enough water. As a kid I never drank water only milk, which added to the constipation. Redundant colon and the extra time it takes for food to transit our bodies is so very stressful. I have been making myself walk more and move more. I used to dance before the Pandemic! The very best to you Jacque, Bobbie

Yes, it has crossed my mind. I'm going to the doctor's this week and I will revisit this question. Thank you for bringing it up. It's interesting that the colonoscopy Dr. didn't bring this up. No one has. They were just focusing on it's efficacy. But I have read on this site there have been a couple of people that said "all of a sudden their laxatives stopped working". That terrifies me. I've had difficulty all my life and it's only been one year since I contracted C-diff from an anti-biotic and it's taken this full year to recover. I still have to rely on the Prunelax and Bisacodyl to eliminate and that is concerning. Otherwise I become constipated as I have all my life. I can go on my own, but it becomes a problem. I've ALWAYS been that way. I believe it's because I have such a long transit time due to the long intestine I have for a person my size, the "tortuous intestine". So truthfully, this past year, finally finding Prunelax, is the first time in my life I've been able to eliminate "normally" and I feel so much better. I thought because Senna was a natural product I might not have to worry about dependence. But I will discuss this more with my doctors. I don't want another problem! I'll keep you posted. Thank you! Jacque

Are you not worried you will be dependent on the prunelax? It has the stimulant Senna along with the " Sennocides" ?

Hello I've had a tortuous intestine, and dealt with it's consequences, for all my 70 years here on this earth. I'm surprised that the Dr. didn't inform you of diet! But I'm also not surprised. And, I believe, it's different for all of us. It's a continual learning experience. For me, there has not been a "cut and dry" formula. Unfortunately, because it would have been ALOT easier! Originally, I was told, lots of water (min. of 6-12 oz. glasses) per day, lots of fiber, Miralax (which didn't work for me), stool softener, magnesium citrate, etc. I use Metamucil crackers occasionally when I'm needing the extra. I use psyllium (8 mg) sprinkled on oatmeal and cereal) daily. But currently, I found Prunelax to work very well, most of the time, depending on other factors, such as diet, sleep, etc. I am taking the mini tabs, (3 to 4) nightly. I have found that I need to use Bisacodyl once a week or every other week. I also plan on trying the extra strength Prunlax when I finish my supply of mini tabs. Prunelax has worked so much better for me than Miralax. I have been on this site for a year and what I see is different things work for different people. Doctors seem to have forgotten that, at least in my area. You, as an individual, have to keep trying different dosages, brands, etc. to find what works best for your body. Remember, with a tortuous intestine, we have a much slower transit time than "regular" folks and things can get backed up and much more difficult to pass. So exercise, water, trying different aids, such as Prunlax, not eating too much cheese, or certain types of food,..............all help in you finding what works best for you. It's a process and a frustrating one sometimes. Sometimes we don't feel good at all until we change what we're doing and try something else. It's been a journey. But thank God above, I'm still here and still learning. I wish the same for you. Jacque

Welcome, seasalted!
You described my daily life so well that I printed your post and took it to my GI doctor appointment! I brought up the subject of resection surgery to remove some of the extra loops and twists, and she said that surgeons will not do that unless it is an emergency situation and there is a total obstruction or strangulation of colon (volvulus). I had emergency surgery for that condition when I was 30 years old, but they did not remove any of my colon. Just "flipped it back". So I've been struggling with this for 38 years now. I keep a food diary and am trying to get myself into a "regular" routine but I am either constipated or have diarrhea from laxatives. Some days are worse than others. I had no idea there were so many others like me until I joined Mayo Clinic Connect, which I found by accident just a few months ago. It is very helpful to me when I start feeling sorry for myself. Good luck, and I look forward to your future posts.

hi. i connected with this site to find a GI surgeon who will give me info as i have diverticular disease and flare ups of diverticulitis every few weeks and antibiotics which dont really take away the pain anymore. i had a pik line inserted and was on antibiotics for 11 weeks. fine for a bit and pain has come back. consults with surgeons and they say i need surgery but i could get sepsis and die. i need to have surgery and scared and no surgeon will touch me i am so upset, depressed, no quality of life and tired of excruciating pain. the sigmoid colon is rotting i am sure. PLUS i have a mobile cecum bowel what do i do?????

I am 70 years old and active and otherwise healthy, except for the tortuous intestine I've dealt with all my life. I wanted to share with you my decision to not have any more colonoscopies. The last one this past year was devastating on my body because of the difficulty for the Dr. to do the procedure with my colon. It left me "tortured" and I told her I was never going through this procedure again. ( She mentioned there are other ways to check for polyps etc. for preventative measures.) Possibly I will look into that down the road. But, as I said, with the tortuous intestine, you run the risks of the intestinal wall being punctured and then having more problems than you bargained for. My insides were so irritated it took weeks for the bulging to recede. I am not exaggerating. I will never (I really don't want to!) ever have a colonoscopy again with my long tortuous intestine. I just don't think it's the best thing in my case. And I believe there are many others out there like me. Please find a doctor that will listen and treat you as an individual and not just "follow the script". All the recommendations that were originally suggested for me, such as Miralax, more fiber (which isn't a bad idea), more water, probiotics, and on and on, didn't fit what I needed for me. Miralax didn't work. I followed everything I was told to do because I really wanted to improve this condition. It can make you feel so sick at times. It was on this site that other people had mentioned Prunelax to help with irregularity. It has worked great for me most of the time. I do use Bisacodyl every week or two to help the system really clean out. And this advice was through others on this site, not a doctor. It has been the best advice! Best wishes to you! Jacque

Thank you, I will try that.