Diverticulitis- recently diagnosed

Hi

Sorry to hear you have Diverticulitis.  It's a horrible disease but it can be managed.  The medication is very strong, with nasty side effects, and that is contributing to why you feel so lousy.  Depending on where you are, you will be on the medication from 5 - 7 days (UK) to 2 weeks + (USA).  Whilst you take the pills you will continue to feel rough, and for up to 2 weeks afterwards, as the side effects work there way out of your system.  You can hope to start feeling better in 4 - 6 weeks, but it does vary from person to person. 

I expect you were not given any advice about diet.  You should be on fluids only for the first few days until the pain hopefully starts to ease.  Then you should switch to a low residue (no fibre) diet.  This is designed to give your bowels a rest and help them start to heal.  The low residue diet includes broth, plain crustless white bread, mashed potato, steamed or broiled fish or chicken, jello, applesauce, tea/coffee, plain yogurt. (No full fat, butter, cream - keep it simple).  Google will give you ideas.  The medication not only strips out the bad bacteria, but also the good stuff, which helps your digestive system.  So you should take a good probiotic.  For your pain, heat pads and paracetemol (or the US equivalent).  Then you should build up to a healthy diet with plenty of soluble (not insoluble so much) fibre.  Small meals, well cooked, chewed thoroughly.

Once you start to recover, this forum is a good place to return to, to advise you on how to manage Diverticular Disease.  You have it for life and in the UK it is managed with diet and lifestyle changes, not surgery unless an emergency.  I have managed it successfully since 2001, so it can be done.  I'm not perfect and do slip up from time to time, so have had a few flares over the years.  Best wishes - we have all been where you are now.

I can tell you from experience, antibiotics can make it worse before it feels better. I’ve usually not started feeling much better until after I’ve finished antibiotics. 

Have you changed your diet while in  recovery? This is vital to feeling better and improving as well.

Be sure to get started on good probiotics - maybe 2 a day while you are on the antibiotics.  They will help with getting your digestive system squared away and really helped me with the diarrhea that was associated with the meds.  Be patient and just know that you will feel better - it just takes time!  

 

I also was just diagnosed at ER. I live in US and took Cipro and Flagyl for 2 weeks. Meds made my lower abdominal pain go away pretty quickly, but the meds make you feel horrible! I finished yesterday and still have very soft poop every time I sit on the toilet. I still only eat chicken noodle soup, white bread, potatoes, applesauce. I found my problem was I didn’t want to eat AT ALL during the treatment, had a lot of jello, broth, water, popsicles and actually lost weight. The nurse asked me if I’m in any pain anymore, which I’m not, but I’m really tired and have low energy. This stinks, but I feel like I’m on the upswing finally!

I was in the ER for a possible emergency surgery, when I visited the doctor for a fever that I thought to be the flu, but fortunately got away with IV antibiotics in the hospital for a few days and some of the worst pain I've ever felt over the last few weeks.

I'm a week off extreme antibiotics and I still get bowel irritation working regular food into my daily intake, but I am back to eating about anything I would in smaller portions.

The jolts of pain / feeling like my testicles were being squeezed lasted the first week after hospital, then shocking pains throughout my body / pelvic area / splitting headaches the second week, and extreme sensitivity to digesting anything the third week.

On my fourth week there is still discomforts and I still take stool softener and probiotics daily, but it's gotten 90% better, it's just an endurance of pain for awhile

Good luck to you and sorry to hear you got this crapola too!

I'm really sorry to hear you have diverticulitus it really us a terrible illness

I am so glad I found this discussion board i am 42 years old and was diagnosed with diverticulitis a little over a month ago. I also have a vaginal fistula connected to my colon. Both my OBGYN and my GI says this was caused by the diverticulitis.

I am lactose intolerant and have had bowel pains on and off for several years. This last April is when the pain got so bad I went to the ER. Ended up having an emergency appendectomy, but the pain on the left side and my vaginal cuff (I had a hysterectomy in 2014) came back.

I had a colonoscopy done in September, but the doctor could only go 35cm before my colon went rigid.

I am scheduled to have part of my colon removed this Thursday. They are going to attempt the surgery via laparoscopy unless bigger issues are found.

I have been on a Keto diet for the last 35 days and it has helped immensely with the bowel pain. Spinach salads everyday to keep things moving and at least 30 minutes of walking. I'm not going to lie, this surgery terrifies me. When I asked my GI what caused the diverticulitis, he literally told me "bad luck". Wondering if any of you had a nutritionist or another doctor provide additional insight.

I have been doing my own research, but most say it could be just bad genes, not enough fiber, to much fiber, smoking (which I quit 8 years ago), alcohol (which I quit 3 years ago), or lack of exercise. I quit smoking and drinking to become healthier and have since had 3 surgeries. Ha! Cruel irony.

Thanks in advance to any replies