Diverticulitis and PMR
Posted , 7 users are following.
I've been lurking, not commenting for a while but I have a question for you. In May 2014 I had a bad bout of diverticulis which was treated with Ciprofloxacin and Metronidazole. I had a CT scan which showed no abscess but did show the inflamed diverticula. In October of that year I had another attack which was much less severe. At the end of November, 2014, I developed PMR which I have been treating, under the care of a Rheumatologist, since then. I have never gotten below 5 mg of prednisone. I am also taking Leflunomide (Arava.) Before that I tried four months of Methotrexate which did nothing but make me sick. I have also had intermittent bouts of diverticulitis--sometimes treated and sometime self-resolving. Has anyone else had similar problems? I know the doc checked me for inflammatory bowl disease as part of my general work-up and that was essentially negative. Curiosity reigns. I am getting sick of being sick.
Minnesota/USA
0 likes, 7 replies
djwillms
Posted
susan29426 djwillms
Posted
After about 14 months of being on prednisone for PMR, I developed diverticulitis which led to the emergency removal of 8" of colon and a -hopefully - temporary colostomy bag. The prednisone masked the pain which should have been associated with my condition. I was told that had I not presented myself for an (unrelated) hernia check, I would have died within 48 hours. At the time, I was on a high dose of 40 mg prednisone which - based on my experience and feedback from members of this group - was unnecessary. I'm at 15 mg now, trying to get it as low as possible for the reattachment surgery in a few months. I'm sick of being sick, too! Best wishes.
djwillms susan29426
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margaret22251 djwillms
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Australia djwillms
Posted
Anhaga Australia
Posted
Do fermented foods help, such as yoghurt, fermented veggies, some cheeses, kefir, kombucha, etc?
djwillms Anhaga
Posted
No. I know that I will have a flare-up of diverticulitis if I eat too much, get constipated or indulge in popcorn, too many raspberries or strawberries. The problem isn't really managing the diverticulits which I think I have had for a long time. Really my question is whether the inflammation it causes could have triggered the PMR and then become part of a vicious cycle.
Thanks for your thoughts and suggestions. BTW, I love and drink "fermented tea."