Diverticulitis

[Frank]

Ellen, I am also in Atlanta area although I have postings showing Greensboro (see surgery firday correspondence) and now Bowling Green.(has to do with work server). I had my surgery at St. Josephs in Dec '06 by Dr. Grablowsky. He is the "old school" pioneer of the department and I was very satisfied with the staff and my treatment.

[Maria]

I've had several bouts with diverticultis. In fact, I am on Cipro & Flagyl right now. I am on my 4th day. My advice is not to let go the attack for too long before going to your doctor. Also, water is the key. Avoid constipation and when you feel the symptoms of a flare up, start with clear liquids right away and plenty of water. Have lots of rest. Does anyone get nausated with Flagyl and have a funny taste in their mouths? Above all, claim a miracle from the Lord. Physicians are still people! A divine intervention will also help.

[gerri]

i have diverticulis for 9 years now, i have attacks aboutu 3 0r 4 times a year, now i had one in dec, and now i have another attack in jan, i am so afraid to have this surgery, help

[CAP]

gerri wrote:

i have diverticulis for 9 years now, i have attacks aboutu 3 0r 4 times a year, now i had one in dec, and now i have another attack in jan, i am so afraid to have this surgery, help

jerri
I have had 3 attacks over the last year and with the last one after my 10 days of meds, I began drinking lots of water, Danactive and Cranberry juice. It's not been almost 4 months and so far so good. I still feel a little discomfort on my left side but I think so far it's under control with what I've been doing. I went to a Surgeon and he wanted to operate, but that's what Surgeon do, so I'm trying to eat right and drink, drink, drink.

[adrienne]

I have read through many of your posts and am hoping someone might be able to offer e some insight. My mom went to her doctor recently after pretty much self-diagnosing diverticulitis. For whatever reason, no testing was done. She ended up on the emergency room a week ago Friday and they sent her home saying there was nothing they could do for her abdominal pain and sent her home offering her narcotics to ease the pain. A week later, I demanded her to go back to her doctors, she was sent back to the hospital where they finally did a CT Scan. It not only confirmed divirticulitis, but she had perforation and an abscess. They performed emergency surgery (in a VERY small town hospital). They ended up taking out her appending, fallopian tube and ovary as well. She has a colostomy bag, 2 draining tubes out offer abdomen, and a tube down her nose to her stomach to pump out the bile. Short of being told that she will have to have another surgery in 6 weeks to reattach her colon and that she will be out of work for 3 months, we have no idea what the next steps are! I am not near her and feel like I need to be asking questions, providing her with info etc but I don’t know where to get the help If anyone can help, I really appreciate it. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Adrienne.

[Toria]

I am very sorry to hear about your mom. A similar thing happened to me back in late August but with a different outcome. When I went to the ER at the hospital, they did a blood test and found my white blood cell count was up and I had a fever. They did not send me home (otherwise I would have been in the same boat as your mom). IMHO, that's probably the key thing that went wrong there with your mom. Instead I was admitted and put on IV antibiotics and no food for several days. After having a ct scan, I had no perferation or abcess yet fortunately. I think all she can do is to get stronger, get her colon reattached and heal up. Get under the care of a good gastro doctor and learn how to eat right. As you can tell from the boards, even those with operations can have attacks again. Learn what an attack feels like and get on cipro and flagyl pronto if one is coming on. I actually have an emergency prescription from my doctor just for this purpose. I suggest, drink tons of water, add fiber to diet (but only after healing), eat more fruits and vegetables. Don't get constipated!!!! Eat Activia yogurt or get some probiotics. And learn what to eat during a flare up and what to eat when not having a flareup. They are very different diets. Good luck to your mom.

[adrienne]

thanks, toria. i appreciate the input. i will start making a list of diet notes and begin locatinga gastro doctor for her. thank you again :-)

[Marc]

Last year I had 3 or 4 attacks of diverticulitis. I had one this January which went away after 10 days of cipro and flagyl. After a few days I felt that familiar pain and growing from mild to worse. For whatever reason, I decided to have some green tea, which is available at work and it's free. I was amazed that my abdominal pain subsided after that and so I drank more green tea for a few and the pain totally went away. Whenever I fell like I'm having an attack I will drink green tea for a few days, 3 time a day. I should probably make it a habit. I have the Bodecker green tea (little cups that you put in a machine) at work and Tetley at home. I was not a fan of green tea and I did not believe the its health benefits until I experienced them myself. I tried other kinds of tea (earl grey, chai) but they did not work for my abdominal pain. Everyone with diverticulitis should try green tea. I'm not saying it will work for everybody, but it sure beats having a colostomy.

[bob]

ive had twisted bowel. one hospital stay with diver been back again to er gave antbotics sent home. just got scoped and still feel terrible. suppose to see him fri. dont know what hes gonna do. he scoped me up top too have bile backwashing stomach. gave me some medicine. im 59 dont know if can handle. opertion if have too. any comments. scoping made me feel bad this time.

[emily]

My husband has had nothing but trouble since December 2007 until today 3/08. He has been on antibiotics on and off since then. My question is this: He had abcessed and ended up with a cathater to drain it the surgeon says do surgery then in December, but now says it elective and if he's nervous don't do it. The surgery was supposed to be in one week but yesterday he had another bout and we've had to push it back. We've tried diatary changes but to no avail. If anyone has any suggestions PLEASE let us know. My husband really, really doesn't want surgery he's young and healthy otherwise. Your comments are welcomed.

[Joe C]

emily wrote:

My husband has had nothing but trouble since December 2007 until today 3/08. He has been on antibiotics on and off since then. My question is this: He had abcessed and ended up with a cathater to drain it the surgeon says do surgery then in December, but now says it elective and if he's nervous don't do it. The surgery was supposed to be in one week but yesterday he had another bout and we've had to push it back. We've tried diatary changes but to no avail. If anyone has any suggestions PLEASE let us know. My husband really, really doesn't want surgery he's young and healthy otherwise. Your comments are welcomed.

DD won't go away, so the time to do it is well you are young and healty. I just had it done 7 days ago, and just today had a healthy bowel movement for the first time in 5 years. If I knew if your husband could be assured lap surgery, I would say sign up for the surgery tomorrow, because that is not nearly as bad as the open surgery. I'm not suggesting it was a piece of cake, but if he is young and strong now, he can get through it without too much difficulty. Hardest thing for me was that I hate needles, and you get prcked with quite a few needles. As for pain, I don't know if i have a hugh tolence, but to me it wasn't too excruciating. I'd say 7 on a scale of 10, and you can manage that pain with the good meds they give you. I'm on 2 percosets right now and feeling pretty good most of the day. I take a slghtly lrger dose at night so I don't wake up in pain, because it would be bad if I didnt. Find a good surgeon who does lap and get it done because like alot of things in life, you'll be better off dealing with adversity now, than putting it off and letting it fester.

[mike]

Great site and I appreciate all the sharing of information. My doctor suggested that I may have diverticulitis and ordered a CT scan. I wasn't in any pain, although I would feel a little twinge at the belt line rght side. I went in for the scan and had to get an enema for the contrast. As soon as I had the emema, I felt lousy and the scan revealed diverticulitis. I honestly believe that the enema caused the flare-up of diverticulitis. Now I constantly feel a little pressure on the belt line right side, but no pain. I am on day 8 of antibiotics but I feel tired most of the day. I felt fine beofre the scan and I was wondering if anyone else had a similar situation. Thanks.

[Johnny O]

I know that DD does not go away so the best that anyone can hope for is control or alternatively removal of the diseased portion of the colon. Having said this... has anyone look into any alternative medicines for control of this through say - a Naturopathic doctor? I have been told that its surgery for me but I am grasping as straws right now for alternatives to this.

Please reply

John

[emily]

Joe C wrote:

<quoted text>
DD won't go away, so the time to do it is well you are young and healty. I just had it done 7 days ago, and just today had a healthy bowel movement for the first time in 5 years. If I knew if your husband could be assured lap surgery, I would say sign up for the surgery tomorrow, because that is not nearly as bad as the open surgery. I'm not suggesting it was a piece of cake, but if he is young and strong now, he can get through it without too much difficulty. Hardest thing for me was that I hate needles, and you get prcked with quite a few needles. As for pain, I don't know if i have a hugh tolence, but to me it wasn't too excruciating. I'd say 7 on a scale of 10, and you can manage that pain with the good meds they give you. I'm on 2 percosets right now and feeling pretty good most of the day. I take a slghtly lrger dose at night so I don't wake up in pain, because it would be bad if I didnt. Find a good surgeon who does lap and get it done because like alot of things in life, you'll be better off dealing with adversity now, than putting it off and letting it fester.

Thank you for your response. He is a little over weight to qualify for the lap belt, so the surgery they are talking about is the removal of the dis. part of the colon and no colstomy bag after. However my husband feels like rolling the dice and taking a chance is better than surgery. After the abcess the surgeon told my husband that yes he was to have the surgery and now at the last visit says if your nervous take your time and figure things out. So I'm just curious, do all doctors go back and forth or should we be looking for the 2nd opinion? I just want my husband to be healthy (and since my last report has been doing well..)I feel like we don't know where to go from here? Thank you for all your comments and prayers to all going though what your going through.

[Biker]

emily wrote:

<quoted text>
Thank you for your response. He is a little over weight to qualify for the lap belt, so the surgery they are talking about is the removal of the dis. part of the colon and no colstomy bag after. However my husband feels like rolling the dice and taking a chance is better than surgery. After the abcess the surgeon told my husband that yes he was to have the surgery and now at the last visit says if your nervous take your time and figure things out. So I'm just curious, do all doctors go back and forth or should we be looking for the 2nd opinion? I just want my husband to be healthy (and since my last report has been doing well..)I feel like we don't know where to go from here? Thank you for all your comments and prayers to all going though what your going through.

Hi Emily, I was reading one of your comments from early March where you said "my husband really doesn't want surgery". Sometimes it can be the best longterm thing he could do. Weigh the alternatives. Without surgery, he risks perforation, infection, abcess and did I say he could really get sick!:) Many of us have had lapoaoscopic surgery with great results. I had two attacks and made up my mind that I had had enough. I wanted the diseased part of my colon removed so I would not have to worry about being away from home and getting another attack. I did mine at age 59. That was over a year ago. Your husband sounds very young. He should bounce back quickly. If he has an option to do lap surgery, I would suggest it. Doctors will not put themselves in a position of pushing a patient. A patient has to make up their own mind. Diverticulitis is bad stuff. The percentages are in your husbands favor, though. I had mine done at The Cleveland Clinic. It will be worth the trip and he will get the best care, should he decide to do it. My mantra is "Don't worry". Get other qualified opinions and do the right thing.

[emily]

Biker wrote:

<quoted text>Hi Emily, I was reading one of your comments from early March where you said "my husband really doesn't want surgery". Sometimes it can be the best longterm thing he could do. Weigh the alternatives. Without surgery, he risks perforation, infection, abcess and did I say he could really get sick!:) Many of us have had lapoaoscopic surgery with great results. I had two attacks and made up my mind that I had had enough. I wanted the diseased part of my colon removed so I would not have to worry about being away from home and getting another attack. I did mine at age 59. That was over a year ago. Your husband sounds very young. He should bounce back quickly. If he has an option to do lap surgery, I would suggest it. Doctors will not put themselves in a position of pushing a patient. A patient has to make up their own mind. Diverticulitis is bad stuff. The percentages are in your husbands favor, though. I had mine done at The Cleveland Clinic. It will be worth the trip and he will get the best care, should he decide to do it. My mantra is "Don't worry". Get other qualified opinions and do the right thing.

Thank you for your response! I like being able to read what has worked and hasn't. It's educating us very well. I will ask his doctor about the lap surgery. He had his scope today and everything looks great. My worry is he had a perforation in January and we ended up with a cathater to drain the infection. After all of what we've (mostly him..) been through he still would like to think he can wait to do the surgery. The doctor keeps giving percentages but I don't want what happened to happen again. He is only 34 and we are doing the diet and lots of water and fiber. I guess I'm more nervous than he. Are these things that you've struggled with? I feel like everyone says he's "healthy" but how do they know?

[Biker]

emily wrote:

<quoted text>
Thank you for your response! I like being able to read what has worked and hasn't. It's educating us very well. I will ask his doctor about the lap surgery. He had his scope today and everything looks great. My worry is he had a perforation in January and we ended up with a cathater to drain the infection. After all of what we've (mostly him..) been through he still would like to think he can wait to do the surgery. The doctor keeps giving percentages but I don't want what happened to happen again. He is only 34 and we are doing the diet and lots of water and fiber. I guess I'm more nervous than he. Are these things that you've struggled with? I feel like everyone says he's "healthy" but how do they know?

You know, even after the the operation, I am still paranoid a little. I am conscious of every ache and pain down below. My surgeon told me, after I asked what are my risks of redeveloping diverticultis again, he said that they only can give you 'odds in your favor' up to about ten years. He said that in the past most of these operations were performed on people in their seventies and they just do not have enough data. Being young like your husband, who really knows. My surgeon says that younger and younger people are developing diver. I guess this is like other chronic situations, you take your chances. In my opinion, the operation performed after a few attacks makes more sense than taking the risk of another attack and facing the unknown.

[emily]

Biker wrote:

<quoted text>You know, even after the the operation, I am still paranoid a little. I am conscious of every ache and pain down below. My surgeon told me, after I asked what are my risks of redeveloping diverticultis again, he said that they only can give you 'odds in your favor' up to about ten years. He said that in the past most of these operations were performed on people in their seventies and they just do not have enough data. Being young like your husband, who really knows. My surgeon says that younger and younger people are developing diver. I guess this is like other chronic situations, you take your chances. In my opinion, the operation performed after a few attacks makes more sense than taking the risk of another attack and facing the unknown.

Thank you so much! Your resposes have been helpful and so insightful. My husband is VERY appehensive about surgery and is trying to avoid it at all costs. I however after being the one who had to help treat him see the surgery as an option. However its his decision. I just want him to have the best information going into this before he says no it's not going to happen. He's doing well with the diet and I hope that he sees it as beneficial than harmful. That's why I'm thankful for your comments and your stories. So THANK YOU!
EMILY~

[josie]

my mum has been diagnosed with this and although it has been a relief to find out what is wrong, she is still struggling and her pain is becoming more regular. she knows if she is going to be bad when she visits the toilet first thing on a morning, she gets the pain and is laid up for the rest of the day. she has tried eating fibre and controlling her diet, she has lost 2 and a half stone and has tried a variety of different antibiotics. she is going to see a specialist on 17 apr. don't think she can carry on like this. is it really diet-related or more stress-related? is is true that aloe vera helps? i appreciate any advice.

[chris]

I had my first battle with DD back in January. I was finally diagnosed with it during a bout in March. Since then It seems I've been on Antibiotics constantly, or in pain. I haven't eaten solid foods in over week with the most recent attack, however I would like to start. I'm only 29 years old, and this disease / meds (Flagyl is evil) have me feeling like a very old man. I see so many conflicting reports on what to eat. This forum seems to make the most sense, as I've seen several posts say it varies. On the bright side, I've lost 27lbs in the past couple months and I no longer need my Blood pressure pills. Can anyone recommend a list of known safe foods? Any help would be greatly appreciated.