what does it mean to have sitz markers on left side

first of all, there are endless of threads to spread!!

the markers being in the left colon after 3 days sounds pretty normal, although can't say till you do the last x ray, cause for the next 2-3 days it can just stay stuck there!!

also, you'll have to tell your gi you took a laxative short while before taking the capsule, so maybe these results are not reliable.

good luck and keep us posted.

oh gosh, you poor thing.. i know so well how painful it can be going for days and days w/o a bm. hang in there, you'll make it.
how many days after you swallowed the capsule was your last x ray? did the markers reach the rectum? did you have defecography yet? the defecography should show exactly if there's an obstruction within the rectum.

if it's only the rectum, then you'll be great, cause a simple procedure can fix that. i truly hope it's only the rectum and not the whole colon.

good luck and keep me posted.

if after 5 days they haven't reached the rectum yet, then your colon is not doing it's job properly. after they'll do a pelvic floor evaluation they'll be able to know what should be done.

hang in there and good luck.

keep me posted.

the sensation of an incoplete evacuation indicates there's an obsruction within the rectum. what you're describing is exactly it. yes, when it gets stuck, it does go back up and that can sure leave you feeling uncomfortable and bloated which leads to an awful pain in the abd. later during the day.
it could be that your colon is too slow and you also have an obsruction within the rectum, like: rectal prolapse, rectocele, enterocele, anismus. so yep, the defecography is the best test to see for an obstruction.

i know so well how things take so long to happen.. it's a frustrating waiting game. one of the most frustrating things in all of this process.

i know the waiting is hard, i'm going through a really rough waiting game myself right now.
lol, lets try to stay sane together, o.k?

keep me posted.

ih8u-
I am currently doing my second round of biofeedback (which has been no help at all). The first time around I paid out of pocket because I could not get my insurance company to pay for it. It turns out that the problem was the way my doctor had my diagnosis listed on my chart. She had it as just "constipation", which I guess is too broad for the insurance co. Try to see if your doctor can list your diagnosis as a pelvic floor disorder, or something that will be allowed by your insurance. Also, if you ask, the doctor can send an appeal to your insurance company explaining why you need the treatment. I don't know if it will help..I did all of these things and it still didn;t work, but maybe it is worth a try? Maybe your insurance company will be nicer about it than mine was.
Good luck!

I must say I have been completely un-impressed with biofeedback- everyone (my doctors) seemed to think it was a magic cure, but it has not helped AT ALL. Botox injections also did nothing for me. I go back to see my surgeon on monday and we will discuss a colostomy. I have tried everything possible, but nothing has worked. I am miserable all the time.. I think I would be happier with a colostomy than the way I am right now. I have done the sitz marker study as well, two defacography tests (which I failed miserably), anal monometry, pudendal nerve conduction tests, sigmoidoscopy. My pelvic floor just does not work and it sounds like there is nothing they can really do to fix the muscles (they think my musclles and/ or nerves did not develop fully as a child).
What kind of problems have you been having? Is it new, or have you always had problems? Have you had any other tests?

you poor thing, and you're only 18?? i don't know how things work in the USA, but in israel the biofeedback and defecography are covered. but maybe if you can convince your gi that you need the defecography, then maybe with his recomendation the insurance will cover it. the defecography is truly the best test to diagnose obstructions within the rectum.

you MUST insist. you have to keep telling your gi you always feel an incoplete evacuation and that you want a defecography. tell him how bad you feel all day b/c of it and how it effects your whole life. cause really, if it takes over your life like this, then it's something he must look into. you just have to be persistent!!! if he sees that it bothers you THAT much, then he may start taking you more seriously. if he doesn't cooporate, then you must find another dr who'll listen to you.

honestly, it took a while (that's an understatment) for the drs to listen to me too. i was 20 when i started having probs and my dr kept telling me there's nothing wrong with me and it's all in my head... i really started believing that it was truly all in my head and just lived with it for so many years, but really... my life was not considered to be a life at all. i didn't have ANY quality of life since then. but you, you must know it's nothing psycological and insist on having this test done. only then you can know what's really going on with your rectum.

so guess what, when i finally had this test done, it turned out i had MAJOR rectal prolapse and a rectocele. i don't know if the fact that it wasn't taken care of for more than 10 years was the cause for my colon to become so paralized. when it comes to functional and anatomic probs in the digestive system, the drs rarely have a way of knowing what was the cause for it. in some cases they may, but in most cases they just can't have a way of finding it out.

as for biofeedback, i had 3 mons of it and it really didn't change ANYTHING for me. it helped me getting rid of the constant chronic pain i had from the STARR procedure and i'm SO thankful for that, but as for my bms - nothing.

i truly hope you can make your gi notic your misery and be able to have the defecography.

i will add you to my list of prayers!!

good luck with the insurance, the test.. everything, and me updated.

thanks so much, little lady (you are a little lady!). well the prolapse of my rectum caused the whole outlet to be blocked, so before the STARR even when i took the strongest laxatives, when the stools was finally reaching the rectum it would get stuck and only if it was liqiud then it could pass, but i had to push it out REAL HARD even though it was liquid.

after the STARR for the first 2-3 mons i actually had spontaneous bms, they were small amounts, but still, they were spontaneous!! after 13 yrs of forgeting what a spontaneous bm is, it was amazing for me to have those, it actually seemed like a miracle to me, lol. but then it gradually but pretty quickly began to return to the way it was, but that's b/c the major prob is that my colon itself is paralized and not pushing the stools, so the stools doesn't even reach the rectum for at least 8-10 days. i never felt any urge to go befor the STARR too, so i know my colon was paralized way back before the STARR.

but the STARR still was a good thing, cause now when i take laxatives, when the stools reach the rectum it can pass through. the defecography i did 6 mons after the STARR showed i have no prolapse anymore, just a very minimal level of anismus though. so at least now i can have relief with the laxatives, but still the colon has to go.

i don't have a date yet for surgery. things are taking too long to happen and it's really frustrating. my drs had a final consultation 2 mons ago and they said surgery is certainly an option, but they want me to see a psychiatrist first to make sure i'm ready emotionally for this kind of surgery. well my gi noticed that ever since he mentioned the word surgery i got in to a lot of anxiaty, he just couldn't help not noticing that, and it's true, i was in a lot of anxiaty for the last few mons, but i feel like i'm so over it now and ready for surgery.

my gi told me he'd let me know when i can start my sessions, but it's already been 2 mons and he hasn't called yet. oh.. the frustration of waiting........ honestly, i feel i can't wait anymore, so i'm planing to call him this coming sunday (he was gone for the holydays) - i hope he's back, and tell him that i don't want to wait anymore and i want to go a head with the surgery as soon as possible.

say a prayer for me on sunday that he'll agree with me.

i'm looking forward to hear about your progress too.

thanks guys :) it's nice to hear people going through the same thing (yet not so nice at the same time, but i hope you get what i mean lol) are you considering surgery if biofeedback doesnt work out, jjfromga?

gl on monday! no luck so far. going to have to call up insurance on monday again. does anybody notice their acne worsens terribly with the constipation? it keeps getting worse as my stomach feels worse.

Thank you! Good luck to you as well!

I don't know about the acne..I always break out when I am about to start my period, and my stomach always feels worse around this time as well. I'm not sure why this is. That's all I can think of that may cause it. I'm not much help I guess.