Diverticulitis attack recovery time?

[Carol]

Thank you Deb. I'm just trying to figure out when I should have the surgery because my daughter is having a baby soon and I am going to help her and my son in law because they also have a three year old. Thanks again.

[applecake]

Carol,

My advice is to have the surgery before she has the baby so you have some help. You're going to need to prioritize your own health first. Otherwise, the stress of trying to care for the kids while not feeling well could set off another attack. Take care of you and make sure you have some support in place.

[Brenda]

Ihave just had shoulder surgery and was given morphine pills during recovery which appears to have slowed my GI tract down causing a diverticulitis attack sending me back to emerg with chills vommitting and abdominal pain. I had two previous attacks within the last 18 mos which required hospitalization. The GI surgeon told me there are two areas causing the problem, but did not suggest surgery. He said there was kink or bend in my tract which aggravates the condition as well as inflamation. I stayed on liquids and now my system is slowly responding. My point is that constipation may not be the main cause of , medication can initiate an attack. I know from the pain and fever that inflamation is present and that a liquid or soft diet is what works. I did not become aware of the risk of the medication, although I did bring up the condition both with the ortho surgeon and my GP.It was after the attack I was advised or the potential for this side effect.

[Benjamin]

Brenda said:
"My point is that constipation may not be the main cause of , medication can initiate an attack."

Too much fiber can also initiate an attack. As a vegan, I can testify to that fact. I have to be careful and watch my fiber intake; anything over 20 grams per day causes me a lot of trouble.

A liquid and/or pureed food diet (plus antibiotics) sets me right again.

[Johanna]

Has anyone tried serovera?

[Betsy]

What is serovera?

[kfromnj]

Betsy wrote:

What is serovera?

It is an aloe based supplement that say's it is for all gut disorders. It is a health food store item. It is like aloe juice only in a capsule.

[TheRaz Stuart Fl]

Hi all

Hope that this message finds all in good Sprits and healing good

May God be walking with you holding your hand

___/)___/)
¯\)¯¯¯¯¯\)

Teddy Bear Hugs

Larry

[Daniel]

I am currently still in the hospital and I have divercuticulitis, I had severe abdomanel pain, diherra, fever, and chills. My mom and older bro also have it so I'm wondering if it is hereditary cuz I eat a gd diet. I am on Antibiotics and IV and they say I. Shouod come back in 6 wks for surgery. They say if I let it heal for 6 wk I won't have the poop bag. I am so scared?

[DianaL]

Larry, I send you a huge hug and a kiss!

Daniel, sorry to say, welcome to the club. On this site there are many, many posts in the diverticulitis forum. You'll find great support from those of us who have been in your shoes. I'm healthy now after having the surgery 9 months ago but along with others who have and have not had the surgery, we want to be here and help those who are new or have questions.

Browse through the threads, know you are not alone and get informed. Not everyone needs the surgery and if there's one consistent thing I've learned on here about this disease is everyone is different and so there are many causes, triggers and symptoms.

May your recovery be quick!

[Matt]

Just wanted to give you all a quick update since I had been diagnosed 6 days ago.

I am completely pain free since beginning my Cipro and Flagyl. I have been eating good as well. I have noticed that on the day I didn't drink as much water, side effects from the flagyl and cipro were noticeable (spasms, nervous/anxiety, muscle tightness). The days I drank a TON of water, they were virtually gone. Maybe because the water has diluted it somewhat and is help pushing it out of my system faster? I dunno..

My Diet

Day 1 Broth and lot of water
Day 2 English muffin with an egg, small portions of white rice lot of water and jello.
Day 3 Eggs and bacon on whole wheat, 1 hamburger on bun with ketchup, lots of water, yogurt and jello
Day 4 Eggs on whole wheat for breakfast and lunch, chicken cutlet with brown rice at dinner..NOT as much water as other days and noticeable side-effects ie; worrying, muscle spasms, tightness etc
Day 5 LOTS of water, no side effects (except water poop from the drugs) eggs on whole wheat, salad with dressing, fettucini alfredo with chicken, some saltines.

Thats it so far, just glad to be 100% pain free, now just waiting to finish up these drugs so I can get my gut health back to take normal poops again, will start loading my system with probiotics a few days before last dose and will continue to eat yogurt daily now. If you pee is dark yellow DRINK MORE WATER. Dark yellow means dehydrated. I had that too yesterday and just upped my water intake and all gone.

[Matt]

Also alot of water means AT LEAST 1 gallon a day at least.

[lovedusty]

applecake wrote:

K-
Know what you mean about taking eating for granted. I lost a bunch a weight after my surgery and kept losing it. Ended up at 94 lbs before I started gaining again. I'm 5'6". Now I'm up to about 105 which is pretty good all things considered.
I just recently read "When the Body Says NO" by Dr. Gabor Mate and it's fabulous. I highly recommend it.
My attack came on the heels of the meltdown of my relationship and an extended period of emotional repression.
Reading "When the Body Says No" helped put it into a much bigger and more accurate context. In addition reading some studies about diverticulitis and its effects on serotonin as well as the body's microflora lately helped me as well. The effects of stress on the condition are very immediate for many people but the science of documenting that process hasn't seemed to catch up. Most physicians are still stuck on the fiber model and leave us scrambling for answers in the dust.

Hi Applecake,

When you write "Most physicians are still stuck on the fiber model and leave us scrambling for answers in the dust", what exactly do you mean?
Thank you in advance for answering.

[marvelousme50]

maxine weinbaum wrote:

<quoted text> The antibiotics are used to combat the infection in your intestines. If the infection becomes too severe, you could develop an abcess as I did. If the abcess perforates the colon, you can develop peritonitis which is a life-threatening condition. I have had other bouts of diverticulities (although I did not know what it was. I had pain, no fever, and it subsided after a few days. This time I had an abcess and was in the hospital for four days on IV antibiotics! Feel better now, but am afraid of food. My doctor says low fiber until healed. Then a return to normal. He also says that diet is not the cause. All those stories about seeds, nuts, etc are UNPROVEN! Go figure. Hope you feel better soon, but do take the full dosage of antibiotics.

I was also told by a surgeon that seeds, nuts, etc., do not cause diverticulitis. I researched on the Internet and many sites stated if seeds bother you do not eat them. I ate popcorn and was eating seeds and I developed diverticulitis. I was diagnosed over a week ago and still am experiencing pain and cramps in my left side. I know how everyone feels and I pray everyone gets better and feels better!! Take care.

[Betsy]

Larry, the same to you, take care, hope you are feeling okay, thinking of you, prayer going up. Greetings from across the ocean, Betsy

[marvelousme50]

I am 36 years old and uninsured and had my first diverticulitis flare up in 2010 diagnosed. I also experience kidney stones so at first I thought I was experiencing kidney stones because the pain is similar. I think I went undiagnosed for many years because I was experiencing UTI's and was prescribed Cipro. Thank goodness for my husband because he mentioned to the ER doctor I had a family history of diverticulitis. My mom has diverticulitis attacks and her mom and dad suffered with it. My dad has it but can eat nuts and seeds with no problems. His dad had colon cancer but no diverticulitis.
I had to go to the ER on July 20, 2012, with another diverticulitis attack. I was prescribed Cipro 500mg twice daily and Flagyl 500mg three times a day for 7 days. I am still experiencing muscle cramps in my left colon and side. I am wondering if the pain is from the diverticulitis or am I just recovering. I am wondering if the infection is still present and do I need to take more Cipro and Flagyl. I am also prescribed pain medication for the pain and take it at least once and usually twice a day. I am drinking much water and am not eating much. Today I ate an omelet and some toast. It is the most I have eaten in over a week.
I am wondering how long does it take to fully recover from the muscle cramps and pain in the left colon and left side. From everything I have read on here it can take 2 weeks or longer to fully recover depending on the person.
Also I have read stress can make diverticulitis worse. I also read the Mayo Clinic's low residue diet, which was very helpful. Thank you very much for the posts!! People who can finally understand the pain and agony I am going through.
Is there such a thing as an over-the-counter WBC test to see if the infection is present? If not it needs to be invented as this would be a wonderful invention and save people much money and hospitals and doctors' offices.
Also does Belladonna work better than pain medication for the cramps and spasms of the colon compared to pain medication?
I pray for everyone with diverticulitis. It is very painful and terrible!! I pray everyone feels better and recovers quickly. I pray for a quick, easy, and affordable cure for diverticulitis.
I look forward to reading your posts. I hope everyone is experiencing a wonderful Sunday and a wonderful weekend. Take care.

Sincerely,

Michelle :)

[Nelly]

Hi marvelousme50 - it took me 5 weeks from my recent (and first diagnosed) attack to feel pain free again. I didn't know what to expect so was feeling desperate. But suddenly one day I felt more myself and realised the pain was less. It took a month to be able to eat solid food and even now I am still eating cautiously. I still feel the odd twinge so it's not gone completely.

Everyone is different - I read with envy Matt's post above. He's eating after a few days. Well done Matt - I hope you continue with your brilliant progress.

Pain relief is a bit limited - codeine which the doctor gave me to take together with paracetamol made me constipated which wasn't ideal so I just took paracetamol and was miserable for the duration.

I ate soup and drank lots of water an juice for a month. Learn to respond to what your body tells you and read the posts here. The support from people here is wonderful.

Hopefully someone else will answer your other questions - I don't know the answers.

Good luck.

Hugs to you all.

[Johanna]

It has been exactly a week since my first and hopefully last diverticulitis attack. I can say that today I feel myself with some pain here there but it is so bearable. Thank god I'm done with the antibiotics today because they made me sick!!! I did another cat scan and my results were great. Although I have multiple diverticuli by my cecum. Now I have to follow up with a G.I. Doctor and do a colonoscopy in 6 weeks.

[Anne]

Johanna wrote:

Has anyone tried serovera?

Hi Johanna,

I tried Serovera about a year ago. Unfortunately it didn't work much for me. After 2-1/2 years I am still suffering flares. It sounded good in all the adverts so thought it was worth a try and it could quite possibly work very well for other people. The cost was also a factor. I had to order it online as it is not sold in stores in Canada and at $158 per bottle, it was way too pricey.

Had a sigmoidoscopy on Friday and had some inflammation at the base of one of the pockets so have been on Flagyl since Saturday. Was actually surprised that I haven't felt too bad with just the one antibiotic but pain started up again today so not sure what is happening now. Doctor didn't prescribe the Cipro I guess because there didn't seem to be any infection but just wishing this whole thing would be over. I am so weary of this.

Hope everyone else is feeling OK.

[Pam]

marvelousme50 wrote:

I had to go to the ER on July 20, 2012, with another diverticulitis attack. I was prescribed Cipro 500mg twice daily and Flagyl 500mg three times a day for 7 days. I am still experiencing muscle cramps in my left colon and side. I am wondering if the pain is from the diverticulitis or am I just recovering. I am wondering if the infection is still present and do I need to take more Cipro and Flagyl. I am also prescribed pain medication for the pain and take it at least once and usually twice a day. I am drinking much water and am not eating much. Today I ate an omelet and some toast. It is the most I have eaten in over a week.
I am wondering how long does it take to fully recover from the muscle cramps and pain in the left colon and left side. From everything I have read on here it can take 2 weeks or longer to fully recover depending on the person.
Sincerely,
Michelle :)

Michelle, if you are still in enough pain that you need pain meds, I would question if 7 days of antibiotics was enough. The infection can be really hard to get rid of, and I believe the normal course is more like 10 days. Discomfort does take a long time to get rid of, aches and small pains, but *real* pain should be discussed with a doctor.(ok, not that discomfort and small pains aren't *real* pain, but you know what I mean.)