twisted bowel symptoms??!!

Okay I have done some research and not sure how I found it but this is technically called a "volvulus". It indeed is a twisted bowel, can be small or large bowel and can be caused by a few differing factors that add up to the perfect storm. A very long transverse colon is typical and is usually seen in people who have a history of sluggish bowels or constipation or diarhea. There is usally a close proximity between the splenic and hepatic flexures in the colon as well. Because they are so close and the transverse is long it sort of hangs down and easily ends up twisted in the center. It can also be a twist in the small intestine- I think this is more common or perhaps its the one that more often than not does not resolve on its own before a surgeon sees you. There is a slight link for white middle aged women of swedish decent- thats me. Suprisingly there is little evidence that wieght loss playes a role.  It certainly could but maybe more of us whove had  weight problem that we are working on have had constipation issues and we think its the weight loss that is common? Maybe its a bit of both. There is a surgery where they can remove some of the transverse colon to make it shorter- might not be too bad? But who knows if this would be a constipation CAUSE later?  Also they can secure the colon to the abdominal wall but supposedly the twisting will eventually return so why bother?
The biggest danger is of course gangreen. The areas that are twisted will produce pain- but if it does not untwist the pain still will disappear as the area loses circulation and begins to die. So, to make a long story short- I doubt that a surgeon could help you if you are not twisted during diagnostic testing- but from those of us who've experienced it- if you CANNOT feel that it indeed DID UNTWIST- you should go to the doctor! The releif of pain could be a very bad sign. I have resolved myself to pay attention and if I ever have an episode that does not end with an obvious untwist I will be going to have it checked out. Its the only way I know that I can be sure i am not going to die or lose some of my bowels to gangreen. In any case the only doc that can supposedly help is a colo-rectal surgeon... that is if all prevention fails. I have been getting colonics ( a good one will NOT stretch you out more ) and my symptoms as well as my sluggish bowel have been gone for some time. I do hope this helps!!

mine it exactly the same as yours ...thy even took out my gall bladder thinking that was it but the pain still persists...how are you feeling now

 i am in the hospital now recovering from surgery from a twisted bowel. i had no clue. i just thought i had very bad gas that i couldnt get rid of that continued to hurt more and more. im just glad i finally chose to call my surgeon's office.

Thanks for all the info, I have had issues with loose bowels for many years, have never had a colonic, kinda freaks me out.  but I am going to talk to the doc about this to see what my next step is.  thanks so much.