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Diverticulitis and warfarin

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marktone
marktone

Brand new member here. Diverticulitis is a relatively new condition for me, about a year now. After a colonoscopy in December 2017, I was diagnosed with it. Polyp removed, gut cleaned out, and on to a high fiber diet. For the next 6 months, I felt great. Other than gurgly stomach, there was no left side pain, fatigue, bleeding, or diarrhea. All was well. Then I foolishly came off the high fiber diet in the summer while on vacation— lots of greasy, fatty foods— and the pain and fatigue returned. Two rounds of antibiotics (40 days in total) helped somewhat, but after I finished both courses, it’s as bad as ever. Most days, the pain starts in the early afternoon and worsens throughout the day. Fatigue sets in concurrently, and by the end of the day, I’m toast. To say it’s interfering with my job and family life would be to put it mildly— I’m 46 with three young children, a demanding job, and a busy church (lay) leadership position. It’s become impossible to deal with.

Some days are better than others, but there seems to be no discernible pattern to the pain— if there is a dietary trigger, I haven’t identified it.

To complicate matters, I have a rare blood clotting disorder which requires me to be on lifelong warfarin (blood thinner). This resulted in a modified antibiotics prescription of only sulfa (bactrim), because the usual dual-antibiotics regimen would heighten the effect of my warfarin to dangerous levels. The single sulfa regimen already heightened the effect to the highest level it’s ever been.

Being on only the one antibiotic may then partially account for the ineffectiveness of eradicating the pain... but it’s hard to say.

So at this point, with no resolution of the pain and the possibility for the diverticulitis to worsen, the next step seems to be surgery. But for a guy who already has an unusually acute tendency to clot, coming off the warfarin in order to have surgery plus actually having the surgery and the propensity to develop clots post-operation increases my risk of clots exponentially. It’s almost a death sentence. That may sound dramatic, but it’s not far from the truth.

Thus, I’m thinking this: there has to be some other way to manage this condition without the near-fatal (if not fatal) last resort of surgery. The prospect of it is downright scary. It just can’t be an option for me.

I’ve been back on the high fiber diet for two months, plus I’ve started taking probiotics, vitamins, magnesium, krill oil. I’ve also started exercising 3x a week. I’m trying to do everything I can to lick this thing without surgery. 

I’ve made an appt. with my Dr., but he can’t see me for three weeks. And at this point, I’m not confident that a visit will result in anything else other than a GI referral and recommendation for surgery. But there HAS to be another way.

I would be very interested to hear from anyone who has had success managing diverticulitis (either with or without being on warfarin), without resorting to surgery.

Lastly, I would add that it’s not in my nature to resort to hysterics, but don’t be misled by the moderate tone of my message. I am desperate. By the end of the day I’m an emotional wreck, wondering if tomorrow is the day my gut ruptures or I go into septic shock. I can’t bear the thought that my children might be left fatherless. I’m depressed and stressed out, finding it difficult to focus, and I’m beginning to lose hope. Any encouragement, ideas, and suggestions would mean a lot to me. 

0 likes, 27 replies

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  • dee88278
    dee88278 marktone

    Posted

    Due to your unique medical situation, if you are in the US, I would recommend seeing specialist at either Mayo Clinic or Cleveland Clinic.  I have friends who have had extremely good success at both of these.  Don't know if you need recommendation, but would call and ask!

    • dee88278
      dee88278

      Posted

      Meant to say don't know if you need referral.

       

    • marktone
      marktone dee88278

      Posted

      Yes, Mayo Clinic is excellent. I probably would need a referral, but it's worth looking into. Good thoughts, thank you!

  • Guest
    Guest marktone

    Posted

    Hello Mark, I also can basically only take Bactrim now ask your doctor because I have heard people can be on it long long term. I myself do better on a soft diet like veggies cooked really good, mash potatoes including mashed sweet potatoes, Plain greek Yogurt because of the high protien and the probotics in it I add my mash sweetpostoes with mashed carrots in it, Krogers sales it already mashed with the carrots in the mashed sweet pototaes you just pop in over for 50 mins. mine lastes like 3 days. I eat the plain greek yogurt twice a day in the morning and at night. I also take magensium called Mag Max from Dr Ron website which has activated B6 in it, and I drink LOTS of water. I use 100% prune juice for back up in case. I only eat chicken and fish NO BEEFor pork. I have been picking up only on walking and my stepper. For my treat I eat hersey's choclate pudding creamy and really good, I love dark choclate I mean dark from 70 to 85% dark I have narrowed that down to only 1 small piece a day. Ginger and raw honey have natural antibotics and a few other foods do a search on foods with natural antibotics. Mark, one thing for sure and TRUST me its easier said then done but please try not to stress and worry and allow fear to control your life and as you say there must be away for you to heal and have a life and there is and I know God will led you to that and please know God is our great physcian and our untimate healer. He will take your hand if you ask him and HE will walk through this with you. I pray for your healing and for God to give you wisdom and knoweledge through this and your life. Jeremiah 17:14 I say alot! I live with this DD and the worry with my other health conditions on top of it and have still at home two special needs children so I feel your fear and concern but the battle is the Lords and he has us in the palm of his hands.  I want to share these scriptures with you below:

    HEALING AFFIRMATIONS

    God forgives all iniquities, and heals all my diseases - Proverbs 103-3

    Lord, It is written in Your word that if I cry out to You, You will heal me - Psalm 30:2

    Lord, it is written in Your word that You will take away from me all the sickness - Deuteronomy 7:15

    By His stripes I am healed - Isaiah 53:5

    You Lord will bring me health and healing - Jeremiah 33:6

    Lord, Your word says that My healing shall spring forth speedily - Isaiah 58:8

     It is written in Psalms 41 Heavenly Father, that if we remember and bless the poor that you will keep us alive and that you will raise us up off of our sick bed and heal our diseases. - Psalm 41:3

    Lord You said that if I departed from evil and I would have health to my flesh, and strength to my bones - Proverbs 3:7-8

    Lord You said that if I served You, You would take sickness away from me - Exodus 23:25

    I cry out to You O\' Lord and you will heal me - Psalm 30:2

    My body is healthy and strong and not plagued by human ills - Psalm 73:4-5

    Father, it is written in Psalms 107:20 that You will send Your word to heal me, and Your word does will not return to You void, and that You will rescue me from the grave. - Psalm 107:20

    You will heal the brokenhearted and bind up my wounds - Psalm 147:2

    You Lord will bring me health and healing and I will enjoy abundant

    peace and security - Jeremiah 33:6

    Heavenly Father, it says in Your word in Malachi 3:11 that you will rebuke the devourer for my sake - Malachi 3:11

    It is written in Psalms 34:19 that the afflictions of the righteous are many, but You will deliver us from all of them - Psalms 34:19

    Your words will strengthen my weak hands and strengthen my feeble knees - Job 4:3-4

    You Lord will heal all my sicknesses and diseases - Matt 4:23-24 

    I listen to the voice of the Lord and do what is right in his eyes and he heals me - Exodus 15:26

    The Lord is merciful to me in my weakness and he heals me - Psalm 6:22

    I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done - Psalm 118:17

    God has seen my ways. He will heal me and restore my comfort - Isaiah 57:18

     

    • marktone
      marktone Guest

      Posted

      Thanks for the temporal and spiritual encouragement and for sharing those scriptures. I have a strong faith myself, and I've relied on it to get me through this.

      Water is a must, agreed. I try drink plenty of it throughout the day. I'm constantly making trips to the restroom, but it's a small price to pay if it means healing.

      Thanks for all the other food suggestions. The no beef idea intrigues me. It would be tough to give up, but if it was a trigger, I would do it. I'm going to *try* a rotation diet. We'll see how far I get. I suspect that things like sweets and junk food (both of which Iove) are triggers. So we'll see how it goes removing those from my diet first.

  • heather91287
    heather91287 marktone

    Posted

    The only other thing I would try is drinking Aloe Vera juice. I got it at a health food store. It actually healed my colon after a attack. Probiotics are a must. I also get these at a health food store. Good luck to you.
    • marktone
      marktone heather91287

      Posted

      Aloe Vera juice. Wow, that's a new one. Glad you had success with hit. I'm willing to try it. Thank you so much!

  • 1231Pecan
    1231Pecan marktone

    Posted

    I can say that, for me, there is definitely an association between DD flare ups and diet. Like you, while I was monitoring my diet closely, with no alcohol, lots of water, lots of fruit/vegetable smoothies, oatmeal, soft diet, etc., I got along fine. When I got complacent after months of being symptom-free, I veered off the diet, and boom! here comes a flare up, severe enough to take a round of strong antibiotics. I'm back on the DD diet, and feeling okay. I'll do whatever it takes to avoid surgery for as long as possible.

  • ann55375
    ann55375 marktone

    Posted

    You have some good responses here.  I can relate to you with regard to being on coumadin anti clotting.  I have been for some years but a few months ago i had my first DD attack.  Cleared with antibiotics but at the risk of the INR increase.  I am very careful with my diet but i do like. Ho olate so will be trying to cut it out.  I had surgery two years ago for gallbladder, they took me off blood thinners and put me on clexane injections to bridge then after a while back to oral thinners, dr said that was normal practice.  I am hoping thing will settle down without flare ups, i think in uk surgery is last option. Have you had anxiety or depression in midst of this, i have found myself now with this too and wish i knew how to fix it, anti deps dont help me and the thinners restrict them too.  Never thought id find myself in this position.
    • marktone
      marktone ann55375

      Posted

      I’m sorry you’re experiencing depression. There are some anti-depressants you can take while on warfarin. You have to adjust your dosage and get your INR checked more regularly. Maybe there is one out there for you?

      I had to come off warfarin for a colonoscopy and then do the heparin bridge. Never any fun injecting yourself in the stomach twenty times! The recovery time for a colonoscopy is one day, and you’re only ever completely without protection for about 12 hours, so the risk of a clot is relatively low. But after a surgery, the potential for a clot is much higher, and that concerns me. I’m glad to hear your surgery was uneventful and you got back on warfarin without incident.

      I know exactly how you feel. I never thought I’d be in this position, either. The invincibility of youth has definitely worn off, and I feel my mortality more than ever.  Just trying to keep a positive outlook as much as possible. 

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