Colonic Inertia Questions

Diseases & Conditions Ostomies
21
I am new to the post but wanted to share my story, which I hope helps.
I had the same issue as most of you constipation and abdominal distention.  I had a barium enema to find that I had colonic inertia/right colon redundancy. I did not have a colonoscopy. Last month I had a laproscopic subtotal colectomy and I have been back to work for a week now. My surgeon only made 3 incisions: One in my belly button (vertically), one in the right lower abdominal area and one in my upper left abdominal area (the two smaller ones are already invisible). I am very happy that I had this surgry and I felt very comfortable and confident in my surgeon. I had my surgery on a Wednesday and went home Thursday night.  
I worry more about needing a total colectomy down the road but I guess I should just enjoy feeling great for now! Merry Christmas to all smurf
22
thanks for sharing your story. it's encouraging to read about good ones.
i hope you continue to feel great and never need any more surgeries!

if you want, you can update us on your progress in the TOTAL COLECTOMY PART 20 thread. it's the thread of those with CI and we'd love to hear about success stories.

i'm supposed to have this surgery, but it's gonna take a while till it happens.

i just wish i could hear from ppl who had this surgery for CI like two yrs. ago and still doing well. most of the girls keep reporting only for a short while (few months) and it's not enough in order to know what the success rate is in the long run, cause with this surgery things can go well for a while up to a year and then can suddenly change again, but if after 2 yrs. or so the outcome is still stable, then it most likely stay that way.
anyway, that's what 2 colorectal surgoens told me.

Hodaya
 
06/05/2007 - STARR procedure 
colonic inertia w/ pelvic floor dysfunction

23
Hodaya,
 
I know exactly what you mean about hearing from people after a couple of years.  I'm hoping that the fact that most people have the surgery and move on means that most are successful and they don't need the message board to ask questions, etc..  I do personally know a young girl who had this surgery in 2001, (she was about 27 at the time) and she is doing great.  She had a rough few months finding out what she could and couldn't eat, and after the first 6-8 months, she was still going to the bathroom about 6 times a day.  I spoke with her about six months ago, and she said she goes just once a day now, but can eat anything she wants.  She said she feels like she got her life back when she had the surgery.  She (like me) had lots of GERD issues, and they're gone as well.  If that went away for me, it would be amazing, but at this point, I'll be happy if I can poop....but not all the time!
 
Extreme Misery, 
 
I'm so sorry for your problems.  I can't imagine how you must feel. Before you had the surgery, did you have all of the tests and everything indicated that everything worked except your colon?  I've been told I have pelvic floor dysfunction as well as inertia, so I'm also afraid I'll have problems after surgery.  Right now, about 90% of the time, when I take a large amont of senokot, it will clean me out, but it's such an inconvienience, and that 10% when it doesn't work almost kills me.  The pain is horrible.  I just don't want to live this way anymore.
 
I hope and pray you can find someone who can help you.  You say that only liquid comes out; have you tried any laxatives (in small doses) since your surgery?  Is your small intestine working,  and not your rectum, or is the problem with your small intestine?  Whatever the problem, I pray you can find some help.  If I remember correctly, you're very young, and way to young to have to deal with these issues.
 
Janie
24
I had my colon removed due to colonic inertia and my rectum removed due to rectal inertia and now I have small bowel inertia
please email me dustiann@gmail.com
25
hey there, Janie, how are you?

thanks for telling me about this girl! when did it happen that her bms were reduced to just 1/day? i mean, is it going to keep reducing....?? how can we know if it's gonna stay stable? i don't mean to sound pessimistic, just trying to be realistic, you know.

i was thinking like you, that if the girls moved on, it means they are ok and don't have issues to discuss anymore.... i truly hope that that really is the case...

say, i posted a massage to you and to the other girls who are about to have the surgery. it's about 2 types of substances that are used with abdominal surgries: "sepra film" and "adept". have you heard about it?
i've found out that these substances are very important for the prevention of scar tissue/adhesions. unfortunately, surgoens don't bother to inform us about this, and only if you ask for it, then the hospital would order it for you to be used at the end of the surgery. it's quite expensive, but it sure is worth it!!
please ask your surgoen about it and be prepared for your surgery.

yeah, i hope the GERD issue vanishes for you too!!!

it's great hearing from you.

pepperann..... thanks for your reply, i'll email you.

Hodaya
 
06/05/2007 - STARR procedure 
colonic inertia w/ pelvic floor dysfunction

26
I am curious about the long run myself. I almost hate to post anything positive for fear I may jynx myself. Good luck to evryone that has had surgery and the has upcoming surgery! God Bless all of you!
27
I AM SCARED.
 
 
I am 30 years old with 3 children and have been in chronic pain for almost 3 years now. I have had 4 intestional surgeries. I have been told I was a pain pill junkie, I was told I had superior mesentiric artery syndrome (which I almost underwent surgery for), IBS, constapation among other diagnosis. I was recently on a trip in Vegas with my husband and for the for the fourth or fifth time ended up in the hospital with a small bowel obstruction begging for god to take me. All I ever hear is how I am too young for this and people not believing my pain. I almost had my fifth surgery when they opted not to because they said I was to sticky and it would only happen again because my body builds up so much scar tissue. They told me to go talk to a specialist about having colon inertia because I can no longer go to the bathroom on my own. I need help from laxatives. I am so scared and down and worried I will never get to enjoy my children. My poor husband, I wonder why he stays or if he will end up leaving me for someone who is not broken.....
28
Hi
 
I just had a total colectomy for colonic inertia a week ago today..... i have fought with horrible constipation/diarrhea my whole adult life.. the only thing that finally made me go to a doctor was that it changed from going once every  7 days to once a month.. and it lasted for 5 months....... i was on ( and still am right now) a drug called amitiza they gave that to me when zelnorm went off the market... helped a lot .. but two years later... not that i wasnt going but by colon would clog ( as how i describe it) and you could visually see it bulge out of the skin ..... eventually i was having to do citrate of magnesium every week to keep it clear from clogging or to unclog it.... so they ran many many tests on me though i have had two colonscopies... they did a sitz marker study , anal mamometry study ( sorry i know my spelling is way off on that one) and failed almost every drug on the market for constipation and slow bowel...... my doctor figured out thru the test spring time this year.. that i had a motility problem... which unfortunately for me involves my stomach  and large intestine... they think the small could be involved but unsure at this point..... i was finally sent to a colorectal surgeon for a consult in early december and the surgery was decided for last week.... only because i am facing a 2 level lumbar fusion and they knew that it would be a year out if they didnt do it now..... so i had a total colectomy because none of my large intestine was working... the also do subtotal to just remove parts of the intestine that arent working.... and they thru the sitz markers and various other tests can decide which areas arent working and than you would consult with your gastro and then if decided a colorectal surgeon...
 
i cant say yet how this will or will not make my life better ... i was only give a little better than a 50 chance this would help because of the other motility issues and gastroparesis i have..... but she did say if my problem was large intestine alone and not an entire motility problem... they see 80 - 90 percent success with removing all or part of the colon .......
 
so i think you need to go for further testing .... more in the motility side of gastrointestinal problems.... it was a long time before someone finally gave me that word.. all i was ever told was constipation or irritable bowel... and i kept saying ... look i dont see anyone else at holidays or in restaurants or in stores going thru what i go thru... doubling over.... etc. etc........ so the amitiza was a huge help to get it all going... and my colorectal or gastro will decide after my healing phase of this whether i still need it because of the small intestine .... but it helps liquify what is in the large intestine making it easier to pass... so i took one of those a day and one sennokot.... but you should be looking at more motility testing especially that sitz marker study......  which is no big deal..... more time spent driving to and from the xrays than anything else......
 
if i can help with anything else let me know

  • Had total colectomy 12/30/2008 for colonic inertia
  • severe gastroparesis
 
 
 

29
tcr1130,

How are you feeling after your surgery? I'd love to hear more about your recovery so far...are you able to go to the bathroom? How long were you in the hospital? There are several of us about to have this surgery, so anything you could share would be greatl

I also have gastroparesis, as well as pelvic floor dysfunction. My surgeon feels the surgery should help me; I hope he's right. Right now I'm in the middle of another sitz marker test, and then on the 15th, I'll see the surgeon and hopefully set a date.

I hope your surgery is a huge success...are you still taking senokot after surgery? I tried amitiza, but it made me feel horrible; zelnorm never did a thing for me. It's just amazing to me that so many of us have this problem, for so many years I thought it was just me!!

Janie
30
Janie
 
I wish i had found this site before my surgery.... i had lived with this for so long.. had no idea any of the things i have learned in the last 6 months... as soon as my doctor got off of IBS and moved onto motility issues.. everything changed...... but it was scarey not knowing anything before all of it.. and so anything i can tell ya to help i would be happy to do.....
 
my surgery was last tuesday - (30th) the surgery lasted about 4.5 hours she said it was longer than she expected because i was tiny... whatever that meant.. whether she had issues puttin me all back together or whatever she said it went about an hour over what she thought.... i was sent home friday afternoon.....  so three nights.... i was torn i would of stayed another night... but i was so tired of the bs with the not sleeping, and every person that came in my room said something different.. yes you can have this drug, no you cant, yes can eat this, no you cant... i was ready to go home and just sleep........  i was given all liquid iv drugs... no pumps (that surprised me) .... the first night i was given quite a lot of pain meds.. and my blood pressure got down to 73 over 42 so they discontinued drugs until it came up... which pissed me off... cause they were giving me three different kinds... i was just like - could we just do one.... just one ... maybe not three.. and maybe my blood pressure would hold its own..... go figure ... after about 6 hrs of no drugs the night of my surgery... they came back and said oh.. lets try just using one pain killer....... i wanted to slap someone......... 
 
anyway.... i was on the cathedar for two days... i had to see the pa today as one of my incisions the glue came undone ( all my incisions were "superglued" as i called it) one came undone and was draining pretty bad so we called the oncall doctor over the weekend... and he said what we were doing was right.. but they wanted to check it for infection... all looked good, but they are did send me for a urine sample.. because i have not had the urge to pee - at all - since they took the cathedar out..... i started having liquid 'bm's' on thursday in the hospital.... it was horribly scarey and painful the first time... cause blood just poured out......... my night shift nurse said that was not good.... and then the day shift nurse came in and said that was perfectly normal.... the surgeon came in later and it must of been in my chart, because she reconfirmed that it was normal that there would be blood - in the beginning... but everything i eat goes right thru me then and still.... it is painful at times... and embarrasing most of the time.. because my intestine gets like air bubbles in it and just makes all this horrible noise.... and i wont lie you sometimes just go in the bathroom thinking you have to go but its just air/gas .... unfortunately i was told that that would probably not change...... nor the food passing right thru me......i would say at this point i have probably 10 liquid 'bm's" a day so far... and i pee maybe twice if im lucky!
 
i have a diet i have to follow the next month... and limitations she said i will probably always have with my diet... but i do with the gastroparesis also....so not a real big deal with that .
 
if you  - like myself have a bigger motility problem... know that this isnt the fix all for everything.. they keep telling me that over and over again.... this will take care of nothing with our small bowel or our stomachs... i worry where this will go if this proves the small is part of the problem... but right now need to heal this one and let the doctors do their thing
 
i still take amitiza ( 1 per day), sennokot(2 per day)  and i have belladonna i take in the morning...
 
that may all change as i have the next two appts with the surgeon... but right now we are staying with what i was doing before the surgery!
 
if i can help more please feel free to post ...... 
 
tcr
 
 
 

  • Had total colectomy 12/30/2008 for colonic inertia
  • severe gastroparesis
 
 
 

Post Edited (tcr1130) : 1/6/2009 8:49:11 PM (GMT-7)

31

Thanks for telling us more about your surgery.  Was it done laproscopically or open?  My doc plans to do it lap, but said sometimes they have to open.  I haven't had previous abdominal surgery, so that may help.   I can't believe you were only in the hospital 3 nights, that sounds great.  I always have a hard time peeing after any surgery; the anesthesia really messes my system up.  I hate the catheters, but know when they come out peeing will be difficult!

My surgeon told me that I would have to have an NG tube (?) for a couple days at least because of my stomach motility problem; said I would be so nauseous without it...and that I wouldn't want to have it put in after I woke up.  Did you have one?

When you said the soft stools and gas would last, you didn't mean forever, did you?  I understand it can take weeks or even months to slow down a little, but hopefully time will help, don't you think?

I've never wanted/not wanted something so much in my life.  I hate living like I do now, but I'm so afraid of what may happen afterwards.  Now at least I know what I have to do; I just hope the surgery will be successful....for you and everyone else!  And for me, to!! wink

32
Janie
 
 
i had a lap done....... she had told me three or four nights in the hospital......
 
the gas the food moving thru... from what i took today from my appt... it lasts ... but they work with you via i was told by the surgeon immodium or laxative... to slow or speed up whatever your problem is... but she did say today if i have a small bowel motility problem... that this could last ..... a long time.... hopefully her long time and mine mean something different...... but my surgeon warned she has patients that have had there surgery years ago ( lap surgery - total ) that have up to 15 liquid bm's a day..... so hopefully it will get better as time goes... im so swollen and black and blue right now hurt right now.. the intestinal gas and diarrhea is just aggreviating it right now.....
 
i hope your testing goes well and i am curious as to the small bowel motility things... how they test for that.. and what if your found to have it... then what!???
 
please keep me up to date on how you are doing.... and i will continue to read and post here  for information too and a place to feel sane with all these problems....
 
tcr

  • Had total colectomy 12/30/2008 for colonic inertia
  • severe gastroparesis
 
 
 

33

Hello!

 

I have been reading the different posts on this website and want to thank all of those that post experiences etc.....I am currently taking Zelnorm and Amitiza both twice a day....I have had little relief...I am meeting with a surgeon next week...Has anyone else been in this situation where even w/ both drugs there is no output?  I have had the Sitz Marker test and conclusion was they were all left......If anyone has been in a similar situation can you tell me if you think I will be a candidate for surgery.

Thank you!

34
hi rnr,
my advise to you is to read "total colectomy parts 1-20" you'll get great information there about tens of women who had slow transit constipation and had the surgery.
just google "total colectomy part 3" and etc. there's a LOT to read there. part 1 and 2 are hard to find.
also, you can join us in the "total colectomy part 20", and you can also have answers to your questions there too.

best wishes.

Hodaya
 
06/05/2007 - STARR procedure 
colonic inertia w/ pelvic floor dysfunction

35
Thank You!!!!!!   I will read up and maybe post my same message on the other forum!  :))))))
36

 

 

Im surprised you are taking zelnorm - that was pulled off the marker quite a while ago..... i took that and they switched me to amitiza when it was removed from the market... i take amitiza and sennokot everyday - he even started me on colchicine ( which is a med for gout) my primary doctor thought that was very good on my gastros part to try this - he gave it to me because the primary side effect was diarrhea - and since i couldnt move anything thru my system we eventually ended up doing all these...... i would go something everyday.. but my intestines were still plugging up and pop"n" out ... you could see it when they clogged... and with the gastroparesis i couldnt move anything once it did that... so it got to where he wanted me to also do a bottle of citrate magnesium everyday. ( prep stuff)  .... if i had i probably wouldnt of bound the intestines up anymore - but i couldnt do it everyday - its worse than the potty runs i have now after the surgery..... i did the magnesium 2 bottles 1 day every week.....

 

i had to stop taking and doing everything when they did my sitz marker ( obviously all these drugs can affect the outcome of the test) along with anorectal mamometry i had done....

 

between the facts i failed all these tests.... it was getting that even with all these drugs couldnt they couldnt help me keep the intestines from slowing down... they moved rather quickly to set up that surgery in december ... met with the surgeon on the 17th had my surgery on the 30th........

 

healing slow..... i do understand what someone mentioned to me about a food journal.... some foods i go 20 times after i eat it  and some 3-4 .. i understand now my body is trying to tell me it cant digest it... and to stay away from that for a while..... later down the road you can reintroducing it... or it may just be something i cant eat anymore.... there was so much i couldnt eat before the surgery... im just hoping we have made it better enough to have something of a variety now..... for about 6 months i had to stay to very very soft foods..... and very little quantities of them

 

 

  • 45 years old
  • Had total colectomy 12/30/2008 for colonic inertia
  • severe gastroparesis
 
 
 

37
tcr1130....I had to order the Zelnorm for Canada..I am just not understanding why w/ both meds nothing moves....I do bowel preps it seems like every other mth.....I also take Neurotin for pain...i am up to 3600mg of that per day...and also take Ultrase while eating to try to help w/ the bloating etc....I as well had to stop taking everything for the Sitz marker and it was horrible...Now I am to the point where i just dont eat...which i know isnt good...but i have gone back to a point where i have no idea what food is going to cause pain and discomfort....

good idea about the food journal!!!! i have been trying to see what i can and cant eat....

how long did you go on before they felt surgery was an option? i guess another question would be do you think w/ all said the surgeon is going to opt for it?

are you pretty much stuck in the house?
38

your taking a lot for pain... which slows the bowel down.. so that doesnt help,.. but with that said all the stuff you have tried makes me think you do have similar problems as to what i did.... i had been working with a doctor 2.5 years ... but unfortunatly the last 6 months the cycle has spun out of control... they were pluggine every week... i could see it.. my husband could see it.. i failed all the tests run.... he suggestsed in november for me to see a colorectal surgeon.. and of course it takes forever to get in to see a new doctor.. so i finally got in dec. 17th.. she was honest with me.. because of my gastroparesis - and the possiblity i may have a small bowel motility problem... she only gave me 50% success for this surgery..... for me.. i had to try something... i was at a point i couldnt eat anything but rice/soup...... which is really what im back to now.... it is the two things i get the least amount of pottie runs with...... surgeon told me today... intestines need about 6 months to level out and then i will know if it works for me or not..... the other rush for this was the fact i have to go in for a double lumbar fusion and i was afraid of how bad the narcotics would be with intestinal problems... so i pushed more for the intestinal issues to be addressed first and the back will be done when i have healed and gotten the colorectal surgeons blessing....

i have been out the last two days... my surgery was 15 days ago.... i did the grocery store/ and little errands yesterday - had to cut it short because i could feel the need to be near a bathroom for a while... not just a one time thing...... and today i drove out to the surgeon and to visit my mother for a bit... i get sore... and tired... but its only been two weeks... and the insides have been thru some stuff... so im in no hurry to push it... but if i could of gone out the last two weeks - would I of??/ probably not... i have been pretty tight with the bathroom since ive been home..... its been a bit better since backing off eatting like regular people do and eatting the way i use to.... i suppose with the gastroparesis - i am a little different in what some people can do in there recovery..... but at the end = its all comin out anyway... so doesnt really matter........

  • 45 years old
  • Had total colectomy 12/30/2008 for colonic inertia
  • severe gastroparesis
 
 
 

39
Great site to have 'finally' discovered and my thanks to all of you who contribute.  I'm doing research for my boss who had approx. 2ft of her colon removed just after Thanksgiving (colonic inertia).  She was to be in the hospital just a few days but did not get home until just a couple days before Christmas.  After reading through most of the posts here, I realize how little I know of her problems but will share with you in hopes of getting some info.  I've made a list of questions for her based on the info I've gleaned here.
 
The hospital release was delayed due to complications - she developed a hernia and had to have another surgery.  She is back to work now but still having some problems and is literally at a point of not knowing what 'NORMAL' is anymore.  Her doctor has told her she can return to her regular activities as long as she feels up to it.  However, she's had significant bleeding and returned to the doctor.  The response was startling to me.  They did blood work and because her count was in the normal range told her she was fine.  The nurse practioner even remarked she should perhaps see a dietician since what she was seeing was probably caused by something she ate.  I am certain she knows the difference between her own blood and Fruit Loops!
 
Basically, she is confused and outright lost on her own sense of what 'normal' is now.  Based on info I found here and on other sites I've urged her to get another opinion and to trust herself in regards to how she is feeling.  Can anyone offer some advice or share their experience on their recovery?  Is this bleeding really something to be expected this long after surgery? I read a post here where someone had a problem with the 'glue' not holding and causing leaking?? Is that somewhat common and was there bleeding when that happened?
 
I should also note that prior to her surgery she's a lady that's in great shape - takes care of herself with diet and exercise and even now she looks good but you can see that strain behind her eyes that says 'I just don't feeeeel right'. 
 
Thank you all again and I apologize for not being able to keep this as brief as I wanted - I'm a firm believer in knowledge is power 
 
 
40
spoker

I have had no problems with bleeding since my surgery just the first time i went after the surgery..... so if its truely blood i would continue to seek out a doctor - as im guessing anemia would be showing... or there isnt a perfect heal from the surgery... but yes since food comes rushing out more.... the coloring can be more from wat you've had to eat or from a pill you take that could have a red dye in it... id rule all that out first..

i will be 5 weeks since surgery on tuesday....... all of my external incisions are closed but one - and that port opened after i was released from the hospital.. so its just healing slower... as for internal and how i feel with all that... i have gone out to try dinner out close to the house.... and my reason for doing so worked to my benefit..... what goes in whats to cramp up and come right back out..... i think the doctors are watching these cramps i have.. as i should be... so thats maybe why they are hinting a small bowel problem.... but that would be the 6 mths out i previously stated to let everything calm down. and see how it ends up ..... there isnt anything i can eat or drink that doesnt cause the pain and or cramping and the impending bathroom rooms.... i do hate the cycle... but i havent had my intestines "pop" out since the surgery.... where i saw them almost as a blockage and push thru my belly skin......

anyway... would give ya any info on anything i have been thru if i havent answered it here.. my food choices have grown a little but i do pay for some of my choices... meaning instead of going 2-4 times i go 8-12 times....

Tam

  • 45 years old
  • Had total colectomy 12/30/2008 for colonic inertia
  • severe gastroparesis