Can a Colonoscopy Miss Diverticulitis?

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Hello! I'm a 22 year old female and my main question is if a colonoscopy can miss diverticulitis, but I also just would like to know also if some can help me better understand what my doctor has told me.

So this all started in January of 2019 when I went to the ER with severe abdominal pain. I could barely move with how much pain I was in, and thought my appendix was bursting.

That night after multiple tests they told me it was mesenteric lymphangitis and sent me home. The pain lasted around a week, but then I had the pain again about 3 months later. Then again 4 months later. And then I was getting it almost once a month until September. That's when I got a colonoscopy, but it didn't really give any answers. Things looked normal!

I tried seeing a couple more doctors but they always sent me to someone else, then my gynecologist suggested it may be endometriosis and offered a simple surgery in Feb. to check and clear it out. I was just happy to have someone be able to "look inside" hoping they'd find the reason for the intense pain.

After the surgery, there was no endometriosis but instead I had scar tissue surrounding my intestines and attached to my abdominal wall. I asked why was scar tissue there, since I had no prior reason to have any. My doctor just told me "Its probably from the diverticula" and that was kind of it. I was and still am confused about what she said, since the colonoscopy showed nothing of the sort. Is it possible the colonoscopy missed some diverticula? For the record, my father has diverticulosis and got diagnosed young with it. Even months later, I am still confused and have been unable to get any more information from my doctor who did the surgery.

Can anyone out there help me out here?

Thank you.

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1 Reply

  • Posted

    Hi there

    I asked my gastro specialist this same question and she said yes it is possible to miss seeing the diverticular during a colonoscopy as it depends on how the camera is going through and angles etc. I'm suffering various symptoms but not the usual symptoms you hear many people talk about. I'm wondering if I have mildly inflamed pockets in my colon as I feel horrible most days and experience very bad fatigue but dont get alot of stomach pain. The not knowing what is happening and struggling to get relief drives me crazy. I hope you find some answers and regain your health. Best wishes

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