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does anyone have their intestines reversed?

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted Yesterday 2:33 AM (GMT 0)
When i meet with the Dr after being released from hospital with my blockage he told me that I my intestines are reversed??????  he said that a very small part of the population have this issue.  what happens in when the fetus in the womb, the intestinal track grows outside of the fetus untila certain age.  then it turns and goes back into the fetus.  on a few people like me, they just go straight back in, no turning.  I asked if this has any thing to do with my crohn's he said no.  but here is were it get to be a little more of an issue.  Meet with the surgeon, in case i need surgery soon.  Surgeon said that this issue I have means he cannot do the surgery laproscopically.  he will need to cut up the middle.  the only real issue is the larger incinsion and a longer recover time.  Does anyone have this? 
Posted Yesterday 5:18 AM (GMT 0)
You can have your intestines or all of your organs "backward" in your body. Some people have just their heart reversed, while others have all organs on the opposite side of their body. Usually it in itself doesn't cause any problems. Why would they not be able to go in laproscopically? All they would be doing is what they usually, but on the opposite side of the body.

I've xrayed patients with sitis inversis (that's the technical name for it) and it causes a little bit of an issue because the radiologists assume the xray tech has marked the image with the wrong right or left marker. Usually what we needed to do was reimage the patient with both left and right markers to prove that it was the patient, not us. (The markers we use we actually put on the xray board or on the patient so the radiologist knows what side of the patient was imaged.)

When we learned about it in school, we were all told that it doesn't cause a problem because you still have all the usual organs and they all function the same, they're just backward.
Posted Yesterday 10:55 AM (GMT 0)
thanks for the info. The surgeon said it was precautionary so he had plenty of room in case other things were out of place or different than expected once he got in there.
Posted 1/14/2010 9:53 PM (GMT 0)
I have been sick for several years now. In a lot of pain. After giving birth to my 6th child I went into the hospital with an infection. That is when we started to find out the extent of some of my medical problems. The surgeon came in and told me that my intestines are upside down and backwards, which means my appendix is on the wrong side, my gall bladder is squished and then last week we found out my colon is twisted. My doctors wont touch me. They say it has to be a birth defect when I know for fact it is NOT a birth defect.

My ex-husband and the father of my first 3 children is military. I had so many cat scans and GI's and so many other test, done by both Air Force and civilian specialist, they would have found it then. For the past 5 years I have been in pain. My medical records say nothing about all of these problems. However, I do remember my c-section 5 years ago very well with my twins. My fourth pregnancy, 4th and 5th births. I will never forget hearing my husband say to me, "Look Darlin' that's your intestines in that bowl" and then all of a sudden my intestines are upside down and backwards? I do believe that sometimes this can be a "birth defect" but I do believe mistakes happen during childbirth.

As far as everything working normally even though they are upside down or backwards. That may be true if it is a birth defect but in my case it is not true. Nothing works right and it is all very painful.

If you have these problems you are not alone. If you can have surgery to correct it then you are lucky.
Posted 1/14/2010 10:23 PM (GMT 0)
Oh my, this all sounds very painful, I hope you all find relief.

:)
Posted 1/15/2010 2:36 AM (GMT 0)
Man I can't believe how much I'm learning here. Facinating!
Posted 6/5/2010 7:25 PM (GMT 0)
Just found out this week intestines are reversed. Was told it is a birth defect. Severe pain under the right rib when driving. otherwise a dull burning pain all the time. Pain for the past four years. Was told no cure, nothing for pain. Going back next week he will look at an upper GI I had done and a recent colonospy. Hoping for some answers.
Posted 6/6/2010 1:33 AM (GMT 0)
I've had one resection and it was open abdomen. Laparoscopy wasn't even an option or known back then (1978). Frankly, as I read all the tales about the gas pains after laparoscopy my choice would be another open abdomen. Recovery isn't all that bad if you hug your pillow to your belly and get up and WALK as soon AND as OFTEN as you can after surgery w/o exhausting yourself. Besides, I would much rather as long as they have to "go in" that they have the clearest field of vision possible so skip the laparoscope and give me the open abdomen, thank you. I don't want them missing anything whilst they are "in there"!!!!
Posted 3/17/2014 4:40 PM (GMT 0)
Yes I do and it HAS caused me complications with it being reversed..I don't care what medical professionals have been told otherwise..but they were told wrong. Ever since I have been a little girl I have either had constipation for weeks or diarrhea, gas and stomach dissension. They did a series of Upper & lower G.I's told me that I have reverse intestines. Also my liver has irregular readings during blood work. As I had my first child they told me I also have two uterus' another birth defect and my gall bladder started acting up. I got horrible pain and found out I had a lot of gall stones and that I'll eventually have to have my gall bladder taken out and at the time I was only 23. Since then I have had bowel obstructions and the beginnings of Crohn's Disease. I am 36 years of age now and I'm always bound up for weeks if I don't take a laxative. It seems to be just getting worse the older I get. So I want to let other medical professionals out there know..regardless of what they tell you in medical school or your training..having reverse intestines does cause complications. Just look at those who do have this condition like myself and others on this forum. It's horrible to live with!
Posted 3/20/2014 12:49 AM (GMT 0)
      A friend told me about this thread, so thought I would mosey on over.   I usually post over on the ostomy forum.

     I have situs inversus...all my organs are reversed.  They didn't find this out until I was 11 yrs old...I am now 67.  I don't think it had anything to do with my ulcerative proctitis.  My paternal grandmother died from cancer of the rectum and my dad suffered with diverticulitis, so digestive problems run in my family.  Situs inversus is very rare and it is just a phenomenon of nature.

     After suffering with UP for twelve years, I had a total colectomy with end ileostomy in 2010 and never looked back.  I feel great! 

     Having your intestines reversed shouldn't have any impact on your surgery.  My surgeon told me I was the only patient he had ever come across with this condition and he was in practice over 30 yrs when he operated on me at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philly.  He said, "No problem, I just stood on the opposite side of the bed."

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