Dastardly Diverticulitis
Posted , 10 users are following.
I am 67 perfectly fit up until 6 weeks ago, have a good balanced diet, carry little extra weight, in all aspects very healthy, then acute pain doubled up in agony hospitalised and diagnosed with The dreaded D Liquid diet for about a week with antibiotics seemed to cure it and Colonoscopy scheduled for six weeks later. Two days before the D struck again this time intra venus anti b's and hospital for several days. C scan showed coverage over most of lower intestine and a small perforation. Consultant considered emergency surgery but held off after some improvement, released from hospital but told it may re occur anytime no real dietary advice just dont eat seeds and nuts. Now walking on eggshells as I am still getting short abdominal pain and frightened to do anything. Due to fly to LA in two weeks and am worried. Does anyone still have recurring pain although no acute frlare up? Considering private consultation with a view to surgery but obviously do not want to end up Bagged!!
2 likes, 81 replies
Philj66
Posted
I have just made the trip across the pond and thought I would try to keep a small blog of my progress as I had a few twinges on the way here. Not sure if it was care over diet or prayer that got me through but so far so good. I am taking a bio culture tab natural yoghurt and an occasional paracetamol if I feel some pain. Strangely too much walking or activity definitely seems to produce some awareness or short stabbing pain I am also incredibly tired ( obviously some jet lag as well ) most of the time.on the plane it helped to wear really loose pants and a long t shirt that I could cover my waist with I could then sit with the fastening undone and no pressure on my tummy. My son has booked me to play golf on 4th July !! I will let you know how that goes! I am coming to terms with this pain in th a### disease but hey ho I am still the right side of the turf and I am determined to get the maximum enjoyment from life despite it. Keep taking the tablets!!!
Phil
Guest Philj66
Posted
james52892 Philj66
Posted
Hey Phil - many thanks. I'm actually ok for ABs as my Doc is happy to let me keep a couple of packets in hand - Felinia's doc sounds more draconian though!
Enjoy the trip across the pond (and the golf!) Be careful what you eat as the worst episode I've had to date kicked off at the end of a biz trip to Chicago in March - thankfully I managed to get a flight back that day (horible experience) and spent the next night fairly comatose as a guest of the NHS! Its the lack of control in restaurant cooked food which poses the risk - also their beef is so good that (for me) over indulgence always a temptation.
The feeling tired is defitiely a feature - I'm just getting over an attack at the moment and tend to run out of steam in the afternoon - then pick up again in the evening. Just take it easy and you'll be golden!
All the best
James
kathy46023 Philj66
Posted
Hello everyone, I am just getting over my first bout of D. I finished my antibiotics yesterday, but I still feel so tired and weak. I was on a drip for 3 days in the hosptial and running to the loo every five minutes. I could really do with some help with regards to the food side of things, really sorry I'm feeling brain dead at the moment so this post could be sounding all over the place. I think the antibiotics were worse to take. (Metronidazole 400mg and Ciprofloacin 500mg) these pills are making me feel so ill, any help about them would be helpful.
susan95516 kathy46023
Posted
If you scroll through this forum you will see lots of messages about food but everyone is different it boils down to trial and error. I personally don't eat nuts anything with pips or seeds yogurt isn't good for me I have reduced my plate size so I don't eat to much I take a probiotic tablet fybergel antispasmodic tablet and drink lots of water. I hope this helps Are you in the UK
james52892 kathy46023
Posted
Ah poor you - I've had 5-6 attacks this year (depending on how you count) and just coming back to strength now after last one (its taken 3wks this time - normally a bit quicker). DD makes you feel so ill but stick with it - try not to stress yourself as welll as for me this has a tendency to set me back. As Susan says - tons of good dietry advice within the blogs - I'm having to really focus on this myself as I've tended to be a bit slap dash. I posted a medical paper I found earlier (2011 - bit out of date) which has some quite good general info about the condition but maybe wait till your feeling better to read it as its a little dry! The ABs always make me feel rubbish as well though kill the fever fast.
Good luck and feel better soon - sounds like your over the hump!
Guest kathy46023
Posted
Hi Kathy
Yes, the antibiotics really knock the stuffing out of you, on top of the pain from the diverticulitis. It will take several weeks to start to feel more normal. My first 3 attacks it took 4 weeks, and the later ones much longer. The best thing to do is take it slow and steady, get plenty of rest, drink lots of water and for the time being, stick to a low fibre diet, slowly increasing the fibre as you recover. So things like mash, steamed fish, grilled chicken, plain yogurt, meal replacement drinks. Then soluble fibre like home made soup, vegetable puree and the liquid soluble fibre supplement, Fybogel. I'd look on here for a post by julia1040, about 8 months ago, which is full of food advice. As Susan said, trial and error, as we are all different. My trigger foods are wheat, gluten and full fat. I suggest you keep a food diary as you reintroduce stull, so you can see what affects you and what doesn't. Best wishes.
kathy46023 james52892
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Thanks james, the dietry thing is the worst to try and get your head round but there is so much good advice I'm sure I will master it soon. At the moment I'm trying hard to drink more as I know this is a key factor...I hate water, so trying to drink the said amount is a hard task at this time as I feel so tired and weak. I am however drinking Robinson barley water which takes the edge off plain water. I seemed to be ok with it so far.
kathy46023 Guest
Posted
Hi Felinia,
Thank you for the advice on food. I had fish and mash last night and all good. Just wondering if I could put some sort of sauce with it as it was so dry? I'm having a chicken breast tonight with mash and know this is aso going to be a bit on the dry side, any suggestion! I am now eating yeo valley yogurt and Yakult as a good gut helper. I've only ever made home made soup, that was butternut. Only normally buy tin soups like Heinz tomato/beef broth or veggie soup. I guess I'm going to look up how to do good homemade from now on. Once again thanks for the info at least I am able to add more to the diet now thanks to you. I know it's only two weeks since coming out of hospital, still so very weak and tired!
Many thanks
Kathy
Guest kathy46023
Posted
My mum used to swear by parsley sauce with fish. I loathed it but my brother loved it. I must admit I don't know how you might react to sauces. Can you take dairy? If so, a little plain Quark let down with skimmed milk makes a (very) bland white sauce and you could add some baked mushrooms and their liquor for a bit of flavour. I tend to make up 1 tsp gravy granules with water and drizzle over. Also I do all my cooking in tinfoil parcels with a little water, to preserve the moisture and pour the juices over the top. It's still very early days for you and can take 4 - 6 weeks to build back up. So take it easy.
kathy46023 Guest
Posted
Once again, very helpful advice. I will try all your suggestion. As you say, it's early days for me. Had some pain last night, got a bit scared it was all happening again considering I'm still getting over the first lot! I took a fibrogel last night (Not sure if I should have as I still in the recovery stage) anyway I took it. This morning I woke up, took a mouthful of drink and up I ran to the loo. easy passing stool but lots of lower stomache pain. Also had to run up stairs three times before it settled. Is that a normal reaction from fibrogel? Would welcome your input.
Guest kathy46023
Posted
Fybogel is a mild laxative and does make you go more often. But I've never had a reaction like that and others have reported it makes them constipated. If you are still on antibiotics and/or your soft diet I personally wouldn't take it. Also after that reaction I would stop anyway until your tummy has settled down a lot more, then try again. It's basically for prevention of future attacks after you've got over an attack (or more or less). It's not uncommon to have intermittent pain on and off for weeks or months - it's a case of recognising the difference between a flare up, and just a grumble. Only experience will give you that. On the positive side - you weren't straining - very bad for diverticula!! I bet like me you wish you had a downstairs loo!
susan95516 kathy46023
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I have gone back on fybergel and I am going to the toilet more I don't know if it's that or just me Sorry I can't be more help
kathy46023 Philj66
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Thank you for your advice, l will take all on board the info you suggest. So good to know I'm not alone with this D! considering I've never heard of it before. Would be gald of any other tips you have.
Philj66
Posted
Hi All
i tried to report a couple of days ago. But my response seems to have disappeared into the ether!! I managed to play golf on the 4th without too much discomfort, bending down to pick up the tee/ball was probably the worst, I had little problem swinging a club albeit a little gingerly. I must have been reasonably ok as I managed to beat my son who is ultra competitive!! One in the eye for DDD I am not complacent though and expect the green eye of the little yellow god of DDD to seek his revenge.
Later that day had a barbecue where I ate a couple of meat patties and some mashed spuds and so far no recriminations. I am still taking the pro biotics live yoghurt and honey which seems to be helping. I am still getting firm and heavy stools ( I do hate that word) so I intend to try the fybogel when I get back to UK. my three year old grandson has a golden retriever named "poppy" and he refers to her "emissions" as "poppylogs" afar more dignified term in my book. Anyway I am still getting some short painfull reminders of my condition but using the faithful paracetamol when needed. As yet I have not been able to identify any significant triggers but will be having some barbecued ribs tonight and will let you know if I survive! Like most of us in this position it's about trial,error,daring and bloody mindedness just don't let the B#####d thing get you down!!
james52892 Philj66
Posted
Hey Phil - loved the golfing war stories - reminded me a little of seeing an interview with Ian Botham's family years ago - apparently he was the ultimate competative Dad who never allowed his kids to win at anything!
I'm now the proud owner (but please no one shop me to the wife as it was really pricey) of The Hand Book of Colon and Rectal Surgery (a heinously heavy tome useful for proping the door open on a windy day) but actually pretty useful in helping to understand what is happening to us! Appologies in advance if you guys know this stuff....
The first thing Ive been trying to get my head around is the mechanism by which diverticula form. It seems like the general idea is that if the gut is having to contract too hard to process food, then small irregularities in the colon wall structure can eventually blow out and form the divo pockets. There is a well know equation (Lagranges Equation) which relates the surface tension in a tube wall to the pressure it must contain: the key take home if that the wall tension increases as the radius of the pipe goes down for some given pressure.... thus the idea is that because the sigmoid colon tends to have a smaller radius, there is a tendency to form more diverticula there because the wall tension is higher. Also this helps explains why big, more squishy stools (I hate the word as well!) are good on two (haha Number Two!) counts - not only are they easer to work with but the increase colon radius also drops the wall tension ... basically a double whammy. Of course the converse is also true.
There seems to be another thing as well. If the colon starts misfiring for some reason, the peristalisis wave effect which propels the gunk down the gut starts to segment, with apparently one section contracting out of sequence with its neighbourand and just randomly squeezing in. This also apparently seems to raise the wall tension higher (and probably gripes like hell as well).
So from the point of view of stopping the progression of the Dastardly Mr D, we need large soft stools with fast transit times...all the good diet stuff that Falinia etal have been blogging. Fibre, water, not too much red meat (very slow transit times apparently). The gut needs to be worked (like any muscle) but worked in a benign manner.
The issue of triggers is a think is almost a separate topic and just another thing I dont really understand! For me two major attacks have been caused in exactly the same way (duh - you think I might have learnt!). In bar with beer, consuming a load of peanuts on an empty stomach, then a meal after ( interestingly in the second case the meal was not even excessively heavy). My tentative model for this is that the high concentration of nut fragments at the front of the wave basically sandpapered the gut lining ... maybe the edges of the diverticula are super sensitive ans then triggered?
Ah anyway, hope this was useful - its just its a great forum to share plus this was the first blog I read on the subject (and have ever participated in!). If people are interested I'll keep dropping in stuff I read on this blasted thing. The upside is we'll all start eating more healthily!
All the best and hope the trip continues to go well
James
james52892
Posted