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19 years old with diverticulitis

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james63183
james63183

Hello there,

After having a diverticulitis attack that lasted a week. I started feeling better after day 8 and resumed my normal daily activities. During the time of the attack I had been to multiple doctors and even the ED at one point. I had told them I had pain in my lower left abdomen, nausea, appetite loss, etc. but since I am 19 years of age every doctor did not believe it could be diverticulitis since it is so rare for a 19 year old to have this. So instead they thought it would be some sort of prolonged viral gastro bug.

So I believed them, especially after I started feeling better. Until another week later where I had a second attack. Seven days into the second attack I got a CT scan because my GP was concerned about kidney stones. The scan showed signs of diverticulitis. I have currently been taking antibiotics for 2 days with little to no improvement.

My main concerns are:

What damage has this done to my bowels? Should I consider surgery to prevent a third attack?

Will I fully recover and be able to eat foods like anyone else would? Or will I have to stick to a strict high fibre diet the rest of my life?

Thanks for reading!

0 likes, 1 reply

1 Reply

  • mjf2910
    mjf2910 james63183

    Posted

    Hi

    19 is young for Diverticular Disease, but it is now known that some people are actually born with Diverticula and you may have been one of them. There is also evidence that it could be inherited genetically. Surgery is a major operation, can take 18 months to get over, and should not be taken lightly. If you follow the posts here you will see that some people are fine, but others not so good and do develop complications. So, you could end up with a different lifelong condition. I suggest you message DanielBenjamin who had the surgery a year ago, or look at his posts.

    I have been a sufferer for over 20 years and have chosen to control my DD with maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle. That has not meant going overboard with fibre and a strict diet - we are all human and slip sometimes. I kept a food diary and worked out from that what gave me pain, and what didn't. Everyone is different, so what one person can eat, another can't. I found I can't take full fat and am gluten intolerant, but can eat foods like tomatoes and red meat that others can't. So I eat lots of vegetables and some fruit, cut out the fried food for grilled and baked, and drink a lot of water. Until COVID hit, I did a lot of exercise at my local pool. But occasionally I do enjoy a drink, KFC or Chinese takeaway - just not every day. At 19 this may seem hard, but at 49 your body will thank you. I soon found this way of life became, to quote a lot of politicians, "the new normal".

    On a more immediate note it can take 4 - 6 weeks to get over an attack, whilst the insides heal and the effects of very strong antibiotics wear off. Best wishes

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