Anyone else have a Redundant / Tortuous Colon?

Yes, it is constant trial and error. What works one day, either doesn’t or is too much the next!

Sure-I take about 1/8 of a teaspoon every evening.
I spent less than $10 on this container and I still have a ton left--I've had it since January.
I hope the pic comes through.
Does mag oxide work ok?

I was glad to hear that after your conversation with your husband, you had the hope and energy to keep searching for answers, as are we all here.

I read your contact with the motility specialist as she simply didn't have any answers so seized on the easy out of "It's all in your head." Is it possible that you have been written off as depressed in your medical record which reduces any effective intervention and the doctors can focus on easier cases with a clear conscience?

Reading Mayo Clinic's Drugs and Supplements very long entry for the Citalopram (Oral Route) she suggested is concerning.

My "NotMoff" name is based on Dr. Moff's laughing reply to my question as to how to reduce my obstipation impactions. He suggested I stand in front of the laxative aisle at Walgreens and try things randomly. He also commented casually that I had an incredibly tortuous colon (not in my medical records and news to me) as he rushed off to a waiting colonoscopy.

When I asked my internist for ideas, she said to try an out of Kaiser resource.

It doesn't appear to me there are many good answers out there. But I keep reading whatever I can find on the subject, walk daily to get my intestines moving, drink chia water, eat dried figs & prunes, take Miralax about 1/week, Smoothe Move about 2/month, do my own abdominal massage, and when my rectum is packed solid but reluctant to release, use manual extraction. I hope this isn't tmi.

As a relative newcomer to this group I wonder how many "graduates" there are . . .

Not really sure what works anymore. Where did you get this?

I need to clarify. She wasn’t saying it was “all in my head” or that I was depressed, but that the pain from my migraines was likely triggering (for lack of a better word) my gi system, as both are part of central nervous system and play off each other. So solution to gi issues is to fix headaches, which I have been attempting to do for over 30 years. Her only suggestion was to try the SSRI, which can calm the CNS and may help constipation. My frustration was her saying I needed to fix the migraines, like I hadn’t been doing that. Then she asked what I needed and I told her I couldn’t regulate meds to go regularly. Asked 3 times. Finally she said previous gi had me on good meds, saw no need to change. But they aren’t working for me. No answer. Said previous dr said extremely tortuous colon playing large part in my issues. Her answer, yes, saw that in your records. So basically I got absolutely no advice on anything. As far as the drug goes, believe me, I looked at all the side effects. I also emailed my neurologist to be sure it was ok with all my multitude of migraine drugs. I’ll give it a try, because, who knows? She says she has a different approach than most drs. I’m also calling for an apt tomorrow with a different gi!

Sorry, I meant to say I got it on Amazon.

Thanks for the reply. It is very discouraging to have one's hopes up and then not get the advice requested after asking a direct question - repeatedly.

I recently put together a reliable breakfast routine. I steam butternut squash, cut it up and store in a covered dish in the fridge. In the AM, I add yogurt, applesauce and tahini butter and mix it up with a spoon. It is actually quite delicious and adding a little cinnamon may suite some. I find that moist fiber, such as is found in the squash family, including all other hard shelled winter squashes and the the summer squashes such as zuchinni and crook neck yellow squash are a gentle bulking fiber that retains its moisture and does not dry out and absorb water from the colon like the dry fibers do. I am going to experiment with different nut butters for the calories and also adding flax oil. I remember my father telling me that in the small general store his father had in west Texas in the early 20th century, they kept dried okra powder on hand for stomach problems because of the gelatinous and moisture retaining nature of the fiber. My next step is to try steamed frozen okra. May have to wind up putting it in the food processor and then eating it on whole grains like rice, buckwheat groats or millet in order to glug it down and not get those round seeds caught in my colon. I'm not sure fried okra would work well, as fried anything is hard to digest. I am also going to try the gelatinous qualities of chia seeds. Has anyone tried it? Since eating my butternut breakfast, I have been able to cut down on the miralax and hoping to do so with the one senna I take. It is extra effort to prepare these meals, but I do not want to end up in the ER again. Nothing is certain and this could stop working tomorrow. I think it is really good that we share recipes with each other. I am experimenting with smoothies as well.

I get the general impression that even gastro docs really don't want to deal with this issue. It is unrewarding for them. I read in one scientific article on google scholar that if pain is a significant symptom for the patient before the resection, it is likely that it will be also after resection and even possibly worsen. I do recognize that there are times when the patient has no choice because the disease has progressed to the point that there is a danger of perforation. That is a difficult lesson I learned from caring for my husband through all his illnesses and surgeries: the illusion that docs will have an answer for every condition or even a correct diagnosis. There is a bit of the wizard of oz effect going on in the culture of medicine. As one wise poster said some time back, we glean what information that we can from a provider and then move on. I am grateful that Mayo has made it possible to learn from all of you. One thing that I learned on this Mayo site that has really help me with gas is to do the abdominal massage. I also read that they use that in caring hospice situations. I started looking at hospice/ and constipation due to cancer because it is a serious problem in those situations. I have learned that even in these conditions, the issue of constipation is not fully addressed.

Your suggestion about adding tahini & applesauce to butternut squash sounds good to me. I've read that dairy can be constipating so I might replace the yogurt with hemp powder to get the protein I need. I've been relucatant to use acacia or psyllium fiber for fear I might not accompany it with sufficient water. I'd like to reduce my senna and Miralax usage.

Recently constipation has been less of an issue for me, maybe because several times a day, I've been putting about 1/2 teaspoon of chia seeds in the bottom of a drinking glass, adding about 1/4 C of water, stir with a fork to break up the seeds, wait about 15 minutes until they have gelled up and then stir in about 1 - 1/2 C more water and drink. If I mix them all at once, the seeds clump.

I enjoy the "sliminess" of steamed okra, but find it pricey. I haven't noticed how it affects my gut.

Thank you for the good ideas.