SURGERY FOR SLOW TRANSIT CONSTIPATION

Tracy  Have you had your colon removed?  My brain has a dis-connect and I have a hard time recalling things that is why I ask...

Leslie

Rylann, did they remove your sigmoid colon? Because my doctor told me removing the sigmoid colon can sometimes make the colonic inertia worse.

I have colonic inertia too....I also have a pelvic floor dysfunction, anismus, rectal intussuseception, and a rectecele. I am going to have the intussusecepted part of the rectum removed, the sigmoid colon removed, and a rectopexy. I will be hooked up to a temporary loop ileostomy to give the rectum time to heal and hopefully relax the puborectalis muscle. I have already had 2 pelvic prolapse surgeries, the last one was a sacralcolopopexy.

You should also join us at total colectomy part 35...that is where alot of us with colonic inertia meet and several have already had their total colectomies....Nice to meet you and welcome...Tracy

Hi there,im new to this site,i just came across this site because i have been searching for answers as to why my consultant wont offer me surgery,i wondered if you could help give me some advice,i have suffered constipation a lot in my life since a bay and at the age of 7 i had to have colonic iregation,inow have had constant constipaton and severe pain for 5 years now and doctors and consultant say that its severe ibs,cut a long story short i have had quite a few tests done and the last test i had that i had to push for was a barium swallow so i went along to the test i was basically the first one in the waiting room and the last one to leave as they kept sending me in and out of the xray room and eventually they got a football and pushed the machine onto it and started to roll it around into my abdomin i couldnt believe it and i thought thank godness they have found that my transit is slow,but oh no when i went to my appointment with my consultant he said oh yes bit of slow transit but nothing to worry about,i couldnt believe it,i am so down because my tum is distended everyday and people ask me if im pregnant the pain doubles me up,i am on lots of medication plus have been put on fentanyl pain patchs for 2 years which is 80% stronger than morpine and it doent help the pain so i hope you can imagine what pain im going through,my consulatant says i cant have surgey because i have pain and constipation he says if it were just constipation then i could have the surgery i dont get it i am desprate for surgery as i have tried everything and nothing works so now yet again i have been offered more medication this time a trial drug that he says i have to collect in 2 weeks as it has to come from another country,im so fed up and desprate now,does anyone have any idea what i can do as i have no life like this,i just want a chance to have my life back plesa can anyone help??

Hello 2mpain

I have symptoms very similar to yours, and earlier this year was diagnosed with Colonic Inertia. My surgeon did not say that being in pain would mean I couldn't have an operation. Did the consultant give an explanation as to why your pain would stop him from operating? Have you had a Sitz Marker Test, and a Defecating Proctogram to check for pelvic floor dysfunction? I've recently tried a new drug called Prucalopride (Resolor), which is used for women with slow transit constipation. Unfortunately, I've had to stop taking it because of the side-effects, but have 'met' a few people who've been helped by this medication.

Hi again,thank you for your responce ;) yes i will run threw my tests ive had done,i approched a doctor because i was only haveing bm once every 2 weeks and i was in a lot of pain and putting lots of weight on,i was first given a celiac test for wheat that came back negative,then i hada barium enema which they found said they thought they found a polyp so they did a sigmoidoscopy and what they thought was a polyp was a stool but they did find a small polyp that didnt show up on b enema so they took that out while it was being done,the doctor who did it said it was lucky i chose to be sedatated because my colon was spasming so much that it would have hurt so much more if i hadnt but it was really painful anyway,then i had the camera down the throat that test i pushed for because my mum had been taken into hospital after suffering tum pains for 20 years which she was told was ibs,the only reason she got taken in was because she was constantly vomiting her duododium tube had closed up aparently she was born with it starting to close up over time it was awful she went down to 6 stone she was almost just bone very sad but she fought on and after 4 months came home.my mum is really upset for me cos she says she suffered tum pain but not everyday like me prob twice a week or 3,anyway sorry i digressed,i had the camera down that was horrible and when got results it was yes nothing wrong,now i had suffered this pain in the stirnam middle of the ribs and it would radiate through to my back i tried everything to get rid of it and when i went to the doctors on several occasions about this pain they gave me nothing until i saw a different doctor at the same surgery and he had a listen to my stomach and looked on his computer and said right here you go he gave me some antepsin tablets was best thing it works great and he told me that on the results of the camera down it said my stomach was inflammed yet up antil then i was given nothing i couldnt believe it,when i saw my consultant next he saw the state of me and put me on the fentanyl patch for the pain yes great for the pain for a bit but not anymore,then my next consultant appointment 3 months later he then admitted me into hospital cos i was so bad like always and they did 2 xrays and saw the constipation all around my colon,then i luckily got a scan whilst i was there as the lady next to me said you symptoms sound like mine the top abdomin pain not the other pains i get though anyway so i had the scan nope nothing wrong,then they told me they would just keep admitting me into hospital when it gets bad so i could have a rest,i couldnt believe it its bad all the time,so no luck there,then after my dad came with me to push for my small bowel to be looked at that wasnt easy as i had my consultants registrar she was very nasty to me and i had to walk out as she was saying things like well as for the bloating you'll just have to dress round it no compashion plus she said this barium swollow wont show anything up so whats the point of having it,oh she was well mean,so anyway i had the barium swallow and like i said they put a football on my abdomin in the end to roll it aroud with the machine to try and get the b liquid to go down so i thought finally this will be the end of it my bowl is slow so i should get something done now,but oh nope when i went to consultant for my next appointment he didnt mention about results i had to ask as he was talking away,and he said oh yes a bit of slow transit but nothing to worry about,i couldnt believe it i was stunned,he then told me he was going to do a stool test and a balloon test but nothing as usual he is just giving me more tablets trial tablets from another country,im already on 12 tablets a day i dont want to hear about more medication,so i brought up about my colon being removed and he said well thats not an option because i have pain and constipation and it would cause more pain if he did surgery but if it was just constipation then they could operate,he seemed to be making any kind of excuse,my mum was there with me and she said to him even her 11 year old daughter is having to help her in and out of the bath plus she is getting so depressed now something has to be done,but nope same answer to me mum,so yet another appointment i go away in tears,he told me and my ex partner that my colon doesnt work at all anymore,im confused with the things he says,sorry its so long but 5 years is a long time plus to me i dont think they have done as many tests as they could have :( .i hope everyone is ok,take care and speak soon,and thanks again for replying very kind. x

Thank you so much for your advice and very kind words that makes me feel a little hope to hang me in there,as ive basically given up now im getting worse by the day and am so scared as i am more often getting signs of toxins,ive been getting them for years but its now every week,my symtoms are bad headache joints and muscles hurt bad i can barely walk and it makes me feel so tired and weak its the feeling like i think im dieing or something.I dont have much support from anyone im pretty much on my own my mum came with me to my consultant appointment for the first time in the 5 years and my partner of 9 months lives 200 miles away so i feel very alone,i have gone from an extremly active person to a cant do anything person,to be honest i think if i dont get the help i need soon i will have more health worries.where are you from if you dont mind me asking?me im from southampton.

Thank you very much for your responce,i feel so alone with this and i have my 2 children that i struggle to look after,the doctor just says oh your doing really well and taps me on the arm im like i dont want to be doing really well im screaming inside i cant take anymore plus my consultant he says nope he wont do surgery because i have pain and constipation if it were just constipation then he would,i have been offered no more tests ive been living on the fenynl pain patch for 2 years now so im reliant on that,somedays i can hardly move and its now at a stage i just cant cook meals as i start to feel like bad headache joints and muscles hurt bad i get goosepimmples all over and i shake and i get so cold yet my head remains hot i get this every week now aswell as the swelling abdomin and the pain and constipation,i also have the social pressureing me to go out to work and it all feels like its caving in on me,i dont get any help from the kids father as he has figured a way to not pay,so money is so tight and i just want to get myself better so i can make our lives better but i cant as no doctor or anyone will help me plus i have no idea how to go about getting to see a colorectal surgeon,sorry for getting so upset its jst i really have no idea what to do i really dont as for so long no one has listened.thank you so much for taking the time to respond to my post x

wow bless you,enjoy enjoy ;) thank you so much for the advice.when you get a minute can i ask you how i go about finding one of these surgeions because im from the uk so its the nhs here,are you from uk or usa because things are different over here,anyway take care of yourself and thank you again x

Hi 2mpain,

 

I totally know what you are going thru; I know this is hard to believe but i suffered with many of your same issues from age 20-age 58 (my current age).  I really got to the point twice in my life when I wanted to just "end it all" because no one would help me.  Finally in 2009 I had a Sub-Total Colectomy with Ileo-Sigmoid (2 " of colon left) anastamosis  . . in other words, I am connected from my small intestine to a tiny bit of sigmoid colon and my rectum is still "intact."  My problem now is that I have diarrhea from 8 - 20 times/day which does make me weak and causes rectal pain, burning and bleeding. 

 

I have found a really good colo-rectal surgeon though, here in San Diego, CA.  He is doing "everything" he can to help me!  He even orders tests that normally would be ordered by a gastroenterologists or a primary care physician.  He is from London, England and got his first medical degree there.  Then he did tons of training in the U.S. (especially at the Cleveland Clinic).  I really think if you wrote to Dr. Michael Worsey, briefly explained your situation and asked him for a name of a colo-rectal surgeon in the UK . . . . he would take the time to answer.  His email address is on this site I am forwarding to you; he will answer emails.  Good luck and keep us updated; we all care and totally understand what you are going thru! 

 

Gilda

 

I couldn't copy and paste his website but here is his email address:  advancedsurgical-sd.com

 

Also, you may just want to type in Dr. Michael Worsey at Scripps Hospital; you should find several websites describing his services.  I know you are looking for a referral for the UK but you may want to first check Dr. Worsey's credentials.  You can tell him one of his patients referred him; he doesn't know me by the name "Gilda" though.

 

 

answers4me2
  I know that I have said this more times than you guys like to hear, but they told me I had outlet issues...once I had my Total Colectomy I have no out let issue.  My belief is that people have outlet issues because of the constant bloating, consipation, or D, or whatever, that causes so much pressure it give you the outlet prob.

I am not a doc, but they wanted me to do all the bio=feedback and botox, no way if they use too much botox, then you have eveything falling out.....  so just my opioion.... 

Leslie

Welcome to the site Slowgut.  July 28th I had a subtotal (leaving 2 inches of colon) colectomy - it is the best thing that could have happened to me because, like you, I suffered most of my life with colonic inertia.  Since the surgery I feel like a new person.  I asked my surgeon for a total colectomy but he recommended the subtotal because there would be a small storage spot for waste - otherwise I would be unable to control the bowel movements.

One of the fears people have if they have a colectomy is that they will have bowel movements too often.  So far I haven't had that problem.  I go maybe three or four times per day. 

I've found that there are foods that I cannot eat because they cause pain or diarrhea - fruits, most veggies, nuts and fiber rich foods like whole grains.  That hasn't been a problem for me - I just take a multi vitamin.

Those of us who have or had colonic inertia post on the  Total Colectomy Part 38 thread.  Please join us there.

Val

rylannjacob said...
Hi

I am new on here but am relieved to see that there are other that I can share my story with that really understand. I just had a subtotal colectomy on May 3, 2010 for colonic inertia that developed immediately after I had a mesh rectopexy in March of 2007 for rectal intersussuption and solitary rectal ulcer syndrome. Has anyone else developed colonic inertia or severe slow transit constipation after rectopexy???
I am also wondering about a fiber supplement now- since I had the subtotal colectomy I go about 8-10 times a day, this started out closer to 20 times a day so it has decreased significantly. Anyways does fiber cause severe bloating after this surgery or it is beneficial in helping slow down the number of bm's?? Is it safe to take an occasional immodium? Any diet advice would be helpful as well.


Thanks for any help

Hello,

Just wondering how much does colectomy cost now?