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DD Flare up

Posted , 5 users are following.

PMolly
PMolly

Ok if some of you have seen previous posts regarding stress as being my most obvious trigger - well I have to take it back - at least partially.

Woke up Sunday what I describe as low grade abodominal pain...thinking perhaps wind/constipated/and it would go away. Well it stayed but as I was hosting a family lunch I was able to push through without toomuch discomfort. When everyone had gone I took stock. pain was not as severe but I did have a fever 37.9. Tossed up between going to ED or local late surgery. I really wanted to manage it at home. So saw great random doctor who was willing to send me home with antibiotics - Keflex and Flagyl but told me if fever is still apparent after 48 hours than then oral antibiotics aren't going to manage it and I will need to go into hospital for intravenous. Now 24 hours later fever still there but managed by panadol, pain about the same. Fingers crossed for the next 24 hours.

About the stress thing. Currently I am not working - the last episode knocked the stuffing out of me - and luckily we can almost survive on the one wage. If I was working I would not have acted so quickly. I would have waited for it to become so severe I would be unable to walk - this is due to my own work ethic, and a sense of guilt of taking time of work without being REALLY sick.

So waiting for this to pass...but let me assure you I feel like crap.

 

2 likes, 30 replies

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  • jacqueline01135
    jacqueline01135 PMolly

    Posted

    Crap is about right, but I would expand on it. You did the right thing, My magic 

    moments  usually happen week ends or evenings So I do the 111 thingy after  I take my temp and  heart beat Last time . Last week I did a 38;2 How did you manage with the Keflax ? It flooresd me ,so I had to ring out of hours   again  !!!!! and they swapped it

    have to tell you that it is no good hanging on in case it might go away, IT WON'T

    Might hurt for a little longer than 24 I do the touch test to feel how sore it is.And I 

    lay flat on my back in bed, and hate having to get up for a pee  Painful.

    Stress is like your soul. you have one ,but you can't point at it . stress is of a

    similar nature, it''s a thing you have, but don't know where to give it a pat on the

    head. 

    Paracetamol help me anything stronger makes me ceiling walk

    You will feel better soon. if not seek help ASAP

     

    • PMolly
      PMolly jacqueline01135

      Posted

      Thanks jacqueline01135, I'm better now. Thanks for your pointer on the 'pain test'. I am pleased to have avoided a hospitalisation this time.
    • madge07350
      madge07350 jacqueline01135

      Posted

      Dear Jaqueline- I am new to all this as I am just recovering from my first episode of this condition. I was told in 2001 after a barium enema that I had a couple of small divis but nothing to worry about, normal for my age, probably never give any trouble etc etc. Shortly afterwards I moved to France. I have always had wind after eating brassicas and garlic but considered this normal! When I went to the doc after a fortnight of upset guts (which I put down to a dodgy scallop) developing left side pain and a temperature of 38.4 I was extremely shocked to be told I had to be hospitalised. The scan showed no abcsess or other complications but they kept me in for nearly a week. The Flagyl was awful constant nausea and headache and one night they had to send for the cardiologist and the ECG machine as I has chest pain and pins and needles in my arms. Iam convinced it was the Flagyl as later the pins and needles came in my legs and face. Has anyone else had very bad reactions to Flagyl? My GP switched me to Augmentin when I came out which I have just finished. This gave me the runs. After a fortnight on antibiotics I feel worse than I did before! The gastro doc at the hospital said three episodes and it's the op so I guess they take a different view here than in the UK? I have ferretted about on the internet and I came across a paper in the British Journal of Medical practitioners by two colorectal surgeons at a hospital in Dunfermline who say that overuse of NSAIDS and Paracetamol can cause flares. This interested me as I hardly ever use painkillers but prior to the first attack I was in a motor bike accident and suffered bruised ribs. I had to take painkillers for nearly ten days and after that the problems started. At the moment I am trying to follow the diet though I have cheated as I cannot bear the white bread sarnies and I allowed myself some creamed spinach. What I want to avoid more than ever is another hospitalisation and antibiotic. They are very cautious here in France -it seems like overkill to me to be on antibiotics for a fortnight. All advice welcome as reading the posts makes me think this is not going to be just an isolated episode.
    • jacqueline01135
      jacqueline01135 madge07350

      Posted

      Hello Madge, Stress and panic really don' t help,  but having been down

      the same road myself, and countless others as well, I know exactly how you are feeling.. Two different attitudes to Paracetamol, I do take them 

      very sparingly as I do all other drugs.The hospital drips (drugs, not doctors ) do  take the pain and inflamation away eventually.

      Now comes the worst bit .!!! You will have to watch ,and I mean really

      watch what you eat . I get dreadful withdrawal symptoms from not

      eating a whole shed load of my favourite foods, but I think about the pain ,and I get back into "sesnsible Mode"

      Have you been given a LOW RESIDUE  diet sheet To keep you on the

      straight and narrow regarding food??

      Can't comment on Flagyl ,  strange thing is I have never had problems

      with bowel movements'

      If you can, scroll around and find the DIVI DINERS forum, which 

      has been running for about 6 months now Tons of info, and lots of 

      nice people 

      Find the Diverticula forum. scroll down the list, and Hopefully you will

      find DIVI DINERS. 

      Have you had the colonoscopy yet.? It looks like a moon landscape.

      Glad you have found your way here .Are you in France Permanently??

      I know it's hard ,but don't worry too much

      Jacqueline

      Tell me if you find the Diners

       

       

    • jacqueline01135
      jacqueline01135 madge07350

      Posted

      Hello again ,just in case no one has told you ,it is better if you stick to a 

      liquidy diet for a while to let your infection calm down,,potatoes ,mashed

      boiled NO skins, and jacket ,again, don't eat the skins  (best Bit)

      Drink LOTS of fluids I drink flavoured still water

      J.

       

    • madge07350
      madge07350 jacqueline01135

      Posted

      Thank you for your reply. I was in hospital for 6days, four on a drip with no food and first two days no water. The thing was my pain was very mild. I didnot need the Spasfon my GP prescribed and I took no painkillers in the hospital. I did have a fever and a high white blood cell count and a sky high c reactive protein that worries me a bit. Here in France you get copies of all your blood tests, scans etc so if you wish to go to a different hospital (as I am going to do for the coloscopy)you just take all your results to the new doc. I see my new gastro next Weds and she will arrange the coloscopy. Everything happens very fast here compared to the UK though having lived here for 13 years I can only go on what my sis says about health sevice in UK. I was told to follow the low residue diet for 8 days by my GP then gradually reintroduce cooked fruit and veg but no brassica or onion family. The pain on the left side went very fast but I now have some on the right side. I did find the Diners and found Jons posts very encouraging as he seems to be able to eat all sorts of foods that other web sites forbid. I have always eaten a high fibre diet. My husband makes our own wholemeal bread (very dense!) and we have a very productive veggie plot. I just hope I can get back to eating veg again. I had a very constipated childhood but for the last 30 years no problems. I hate having to take drugs. I have not had an antibiotic for more than 10 years before this and my system did not tolerate them well at all. I felt like they were poisoning me! It is helpfull to read the accounts and advice of others suffering from this.
    • jacqueline01135
      jacqueline01135 madge07350

      Posted

      Veggies are on the do not list apart from cauliflower that you cook to 

      decomposing consistency  Mashed carrots are acceptable, but no peas.

      sweet corn or baked beans 

      You wer lucky to have had a mild pain, mine was top drawer .One of the antibiotics made me sick, and one of them ,made me sp depressed, I 

      sat in the loo for an hour and sobbed my socks off.That is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO not me .

      Must be a good feeling to be looked after so well, and ,so quickly

      Stay where you are  

      J

    • madge07350
      madge07350 jacqueline01135

      Posted

      The blood tests after 3 days in the hospital showed my infection was much better so after the water only tyey took me off the drip and started the low residue diet. I am slowly trying to introduce different foods and risked a few well chewed up cooked carrots today. So far no reaction. How long normally do you have to wait to see if it's a no no? The problem here is that a normal French diet is very different to what we eat. They eat a very bad breakfast -far too much sugar and white bread and then have two full meals the lunchtime one having starter maincourse, cheese and pudding! There was more meat on the ordinary hospital menu in one week than I would eat in a month! Nobody here would have a clue about the sort of bread I am used to and they just say stale bread which I think means yesterday's baguette! Do you manage to eat any wholewheat bread?
    • madge07350
      madge07350 jacqueline01135

      Posted

      I noticed feeling depressed on the Flagyl as well. I think that because of all the antibiotic resistance the newer antibiotics are stronger and give more side effects. I do not remember such horrible side effects when I occasionally had to take them for chest infections when I was young. But maybe the system is more resilient then.
    • jacqueline01135
      jacqueline01135 madge07350

      Posted

      I do enjoy a sarnie, and went through different sorts, Except for the 

      seeded varieties taboo. I finally found Warburtons thins were O. K probably

      not available ,where you are . I do eat eggs for breakfast, sometimes 

      with a rasher  Lunch !!!!! cup of tea and a couple of shortbread biscuits and a piece of cheese Fruit ,mangoes ,peaches  nectarines ,take the

      skins off and the old trusty bananas 

      Dinner is usually fish or chicken,, Stomach has shrunk, and lost  quite a bit of weight ,causing retail therapy

      Try to not eat big meals ,little and often ,gives your bowels chance to

      send stuff on it's way.

      So. Madge, the answer to your question is. NO 

      Have to say that a sense of humour helps, plus the odd expletive

      J 

       

  • sam52768
    sam52768 PMolly

    Posted

    It seems as though through the years I when I have stress I subconsiously push everything to stomach. Almost like grabbing anger, fear or any kind of stress and pushing it to stomach. Hard to explain. Told for years I had Irritable bowel. Five years ago after colon search that I had mild diverticulitis.. A month ago a ct scan revealed acute diverticulitis. During all this time I have recieved nothing for pain. I have gotten Flagal and Cipro for each attack. With some symptoms through years I almost feel Icould be treated for colitis. Something for imflamation... something other than what I get. I avoid anything with orange grease because it makes me deathly ill. It would seem that there should be a way for docs to insert antibotics through bottom bits and try and shrink the pockets instead of cutting away colon or intestines. The only research I had heard of is the probotic one and that is promising.
    • PMolly
      PMolly sam52768

      Posted

      Dear sam52768, intersting your insights on how you 'carry your stress'. When I had my first appointment with my gastro - (tried to spell full but it defeated me!!) she was quite probing when taking my history. I experienced a pretty challenginmg childhood and she felt that many of her patients who present with Irritable Bowel Syndrome and DD Flares tend to have this history. And yes - every stress or 'misery' for gets carried in the stomach - I understand that one.

      Look after yourself smile

    • sam52768
      sam52768 PMolly

      Posted

      Ditto on the childhood. Seeing a new doc soon and hope to gleam some new more helpful information on this wretched disease. We can fly to the moon and have drugs for erectal disfunction but very little concerning DD. I almost feel it is up to us the sufferers to figure it out for ourselves.

      We will overcome.. I hope for you more good days than bad. Cheers.

       

  • tess053
    tess053 PMolly

    Posted

    Hi

    I am in total sympathy with you. I have diverticular disease and have low grade lower abdominal pain a lot of the time, but no temperature yet thank goodness. I go to work and get on with my daily life trying to ignore it, but sometimes I have to resort to a hot water bottle, usually at night especially when I go to bed, as lying down seems to make it worse for some reason I don't quite understand. I don't know what to eat anymore, as there are so many contradictory suggestions from people with the disease and medical professionals alike. I am 61 and reasonably fit apart from the diverticulosis, but I am thinking of applying for medical retirement as the job has become incredibly stressful lately and I think this is making the condition worse. I hope that you feel better soon.

    • PMolly
      PMolly tess053

      Posted

      Thanks tess053, I am better now....fingers crossed that it strays that way for another 6 months which appears to be the time between flares at the moment. Funny I use a hot water bottle often. last hospital admission I took it in with me which was so comforting. Interesting that this works so well to relieve pain.I trust that you have a gP that you are discussing that pain with? Be careful - a friend of mine experienced the same thing and rather than experiencing a 'flare', had a sudden and life threatening perforation of the colon. As my doc said - abodminal pain is never normal. I have also been told not to presume it is the diverticulitis - as it can also mirror other conditions. Goodluck smile
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