# Sitzmark test 3 questions



## redrachel76 (Jun 28, 2009)

I have had a colonospy, endoscopy, blood tests and was diagnosed as IBS-C.I was then offered a Sitzmark test and mannometry.I declined them because while I was waiting for the doctors to make tests, I found relief from a combination of very large vitamin C doses, extremely restrictive diet and date syrup. They help me have a bowel movement everyday. Without them I do not have a BM at all.Thank Goodness I am sort of managing now. (Fingers crossed.)I keep wondering if I should have done the Sitzmark and mannometry tests because I have to keep changing the amounts in my protocol to keep it working. I might need to do the test one day anyway if I get a severe flare with my bowel problems. In short: I want to know what happens after the Sitzmark test if it comes out positive for a very low transit time and if there is a treatment for it.(I can not find the answers on the web and all my Gastro doctors were very uncommunicative.) My questions are:Is it possible for someone to be diagnosed as IBS-C then have it changed to something else after a Sitzmark test shows an extremely low transit movement?What diagnosis can IBS-C be changed to if a Sitzmark shows extremely low transit time?(I can only think of colonic inertia, enteric neuropathy and chronic intestinal pseudo obstruction. Are there any other diagnosis???)If the Sitzmark result changes someone's IBS diagnosis, is there any treatment that's different to what's given for IBS-C? (other than surgery)Like I said, to sum up: I want to know what happens after the Sitzmark test if it shows a very slow transit time, and if there is a treatment for it.Any answer or hint of an answer to any of my questions is appreciated.I'm sorry for rambling on but I'm a bit tired tonight. Thanks


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## raym0nd (Nov 28, 2010)

Use whatever treatment you use currently. Try doing pranayam along with it,it is much more easy compared to yoga. You can do yoga also, if you wish. It helped me to get rid of ibs-c, it might work for you too. You can read my post "pranayam for good health"...notice that i dont mention "pranayam for ibs-c". Read and find out why. Oh and i tried homeopathy, ayurveda , allopathy and laxatives with mixed success. Now i dont need them anymore. I had also undergone endoscopy, ultrasound , barium-meal-test and repeated stool_blood_urine tests - I passed all of them with excellent scores







but ibs-c continued to bug me. Now i does not bug me anymore.Also, handle stress well. Sometimes/for a few people, stress worsens ibs-c.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Generally for slow transit constipation (which is what would be the diagnosis for failing the sitzmarker test) they usually treat with a lower fiber diet and higher amounts of osmotic laxatives than you might try for someone with normal (or near normal transit) like you see in IBS.If the colon becomes too inactive they can do surgery, but that is usually at the most extreme end. As long as you can keep things moving (even if it takes treatment to do so) they usually hold off on the surgery. Some people never get bad enough to need the surgery, but some eventually do.You have a better chance of the surgery working well if the outlet (so a manometry or other tests of outlet function) are normal. Outlet obstruction can cause problems even if the colon is removed.


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## Guest (Jan 10, 2011)

redrachel76 said:


> I have had a colonospy, endoscopy, blood tests and was diagnosed as IBS-C.I was then offered a Sitzmark test and mannometry.I declined them because while I was waiting for the doctors to make tests, I found relief from a combination of very large vitamin C doses, extremely restrictive diet and date syrup. They help me have a bowel movement everyday. Without them I do not have a BM at all.Thank Goodness I am sort of managing now. (Fingers crossed.)I keep wondering if I should have done the Sitzmark and mannometry tests because I have to keep changing the amounts in my protocol to keep it working. I might need to do the test one day anyway if I get a severe flare with my bowel problems. In short: I want to know what happens after the Sitzmark test if it comes out positive for a very low transit time and if there is a treatment for it.(I can not find the answers on the web and all my Gastro doctors were very uncommunicative.) My questions are:Is it possible for someone to be diagnosed as IBS-C then have it changed to something else after a Sitzmark test shows an extremely low transit movement?What diagnosis can IBS-C be changed to if a Sitzmark shows extremely low transit time?(I can only think of colonic inertia, enteric neuropathy and chronic intestinal pseudo obstruction. Are there any other diagnosis???)If the Sitzmark result changes someone's IBS diagnosis, is there any treatment that's different to what's given for IBS-C? (other than surgery)Like I said, to sum up: I want to know what happens after the Sitzmark test if it shows a very slow transit time, and if there is a treatment for it.Any answer or hint of an answer to any of my questions is appreciated.I'm sorry for rambling on but I'm a bit tired tonight. Thanks


Hi Rachel,You've asked a lot of great questions. There is certainly nothing wrong with declining the tests and continuing your current routine, if it is working. I was in a similar position but after many years of trying to make a routine work for me, I realized there had to be something more serious going on and I went from GI doc to GI doc until I finally found one who listened. I had a colonoscopy, and just last week had a sitzmark test and an anorectal manometry. I still do not know the results of those tests, but was told by my doctor beforehand that I likely had what is called colonic-inertia, which is constipation caused by a large intestine that is damaged or does not work. There isn't much treatment for it. But if your methods begin to work less, or you grow tired of trying to manage...I think trying to find out more about your body would be a great idea. If your constipation is caused by something other than just a slow colon, they would be able to rule that out and treat that. The manometry will help determine if there are issues in places other than your intestines (outlet issues, muscle problems, etc). I may have issues with both, but I look forward to hearing from my doctor about it because after years of being told it was just "IBS" and I just had to "deal with it", it is a weight off my shoulders to know that there really is something else going on, and it isn't all in my head.But thumbs up to you for figuring out a routine and sticking to it, I know how hard it can be to stick to a restrictive diet and such. It can really be a drag and lots of people don't understand, but everyone on these boards knows what you're going through.-Ali


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## nowandthen (Jun 17, 2010)

I think you should have all the tests done. I always feel it is beneficial when you have a physical problem to arm yourself with as much information as possible. Information about yourself and how your body is working is always useful. Each new doctor you go to from now on will ask you if you've had the sitzmarker test, so it's good to have that done.If you had told us you had a protocol that is working perfectly, then it would be a different story. But you're saying it has to be changed, so that is different.There's a reason doctors do this test as it gives them a lot of information about your particular body and what's going on.By the way, you might want to google the amount of vitamin c you take each day and see if there are any unwanted side effects to that. Sometimes I tell my sister that by the time she has worried over going to a doctor and getting a test, she could have already gone and had the test over with.


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## redrachel76 (Jun 28, 2009)

Thanks to everyone who answered so far.Kathleen, nowandthen and Ali K, you three have given me more information than the 2 very uncommunicative gastro doctors I saw.I hope you get some relief Ali. I get the impression from your post that they take you more seriously after doing the Sitzmark and finding something on it. It really helps to hear from someone who has gone through this and then had their IBS diagnosis changed as a result. Thanks Rachel


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