First Acute Diverticulitis - Advice please
Posted , 10 users are following.
Hi all, I am 46 years old and was released from Hospital 3 days ago with Acute uncomplicated Diverticulitis. I was on IV Antibiotics for 2 days and now on tablets for 7 days. I was admitted to hospital 12/2 following feeling shivers and cold, slight fever 37.6c, tenderness in left flank and general discomfort throughout stomach particularly when twisting or moving. Bowel movements have also not been great and lot's of ongoing gas. I also has tachycardia on admission. heart rate sitting on about 110bpm while laying down. I stayed for 2 days, EKG and bloods done. All showed OK except for CRP and white bloods slightly elevated. Was discharged.
We thought I had kidney issues because I had been exercising a lot to lose weight and possibly I was dehydrated because I was sweating a lot. I went to Dr on 14/2 and had CT scan with contrast which showed 3 diverticula with abdominal wall thickening coupled with fat stranding consistent with diverticulitis. I got an urgent call from the radiologist to go back to my Dr who suggested going to ER.
Right now am at home recovering. I generally feel better but from hour to hour I might feel some slight discomfort in the suspect areas. Left flank pain has gone but about 5cm below below button sometimes I feel a twisted bowel type feeling and upper right below ribs I feel a funny sensation which I'd give a 1/10 for pain.
What did I feel leading up to this
- For the last ~2 years my stools had not been consistent. Morning usually firmer but during the day I could have 1 or 2 diarrhoea episodes
- I have had lots of flatulence over the last 2 years
-around August 2018 I felt nagging pain about 3/10 in my right abdo below ribs. It lasted a few weeks. I put this down to me being overweight
- In November 2018 I was diagnosed with UTI. I took antibiotics and while pain when peeing went away I was still left with disomfort below belly button and across pelvic area and put this down to an inguinal hernia I have unrepaired
- Progressively this stomach issue got worse in December and early January I started taking anti inflammatory tablets which helped but now I know were bad.
The ER would like to do a colonoscopy to rule out something bad, I guess they are referring to colon cancer because the surgeon said Diverticulitis can mimic this. I have since read colonoscopy is standard after a first case of acute diverticulitis and I am assuming if I had very bad colon cancer it would have shown on the CT scan with contrast. But I am scared to death. Surgeon is waiting about 6 weeks to let colon heel
Diet Post Hospital
I was exercising a lot prior to this issue. 2-3 hours per day and lost about 12 kg. Since hospital I have lost a lot more weight and my wife has commented my stomach looks so much thinner. I am guessing the bloating has gone away and possibly I was bloated for 2 years? I was only on liquids but now I am eating Mash plus probiotics. My calorie intake is insufficient but with the niggly feeling I have which comes and goes in my lower belly button and right flank under ribs I am petrified to eat.
Keen on views if it is possible that my change in normal bowel movements and flatulence for 2 years could have been down to an inflammation which was left untreated and hence progress to an infection vs same symptoms applying to colon cancer.
Any other advice? How long before these niggly feelings go away? This is doing the brain in of my wife and I. Diverticuli, Diverticular Disease, Diverticulosis, Diverticulitis.!!!Nothing on the net refers to these symptoms I have been experiencing (for anything other than Diverticulitis) or which I read on this forum from the vast majority of people that references ongoing symptoms like we are experiencing. Maybe my diverticulosis was causing all these issues
A guy in the ER told me he had a bad case of diverticulitis and was admitted to hospital but for 15 years he has since had nothing.
Thanks again for listening
0 likes, 59 replies
glenda_82112 danny_1989
Posted
Sorry to say but get used to it, this will be your new norm. At least keep a mental list in your mind what you are eating, it will help you realize what foods you can or cannot eat.
j_09263 glenda_82112
Posted
Glenda, I don't know what you meant by this is your new norm. If you meant watching and tracking your foods then yes, but if you meant flares and hospital stays then I am sorry but you could be very wrong and scaring people who may may only have 1 attack.
Everyone needs to track their food so IF they have another attack they can try to figure out the trigger food but you can journal your food for the rest of your life and not have even another flare. It is important to remember that!
Julie
Guest j_09263
Posted
HAS me scared out of my wits! Of death and going cripple from this Infectious disease!
glenda_82112 j_09263
Posted
I understand I wasn't clear enough. What I meant the new norm is to track his food, keep a mental note on what he can or cannot tolerate. Sorry, didn't mean to scare people.
Guest Guest
Posted
This disease is NOT infectious - you cannot catch it or give it to anyone
danny_1989 j_09263
Posted
Hi I am just curious regarding the symptoms and infection vs inflammation. 3 months leading up to hospital admission I had discomfort about 5 to 10cm below my belly button above my bladder. But when the symptoms got worse I developed that left flank pain which I could point to with my finger which was above my kidneys.
That left pain when over 4 days with the antibiotics and while the lower discomfort also improved I can still say even today I feel that but I feel nothing where the real pain was.
Is it possible the diverticuli above my bladder was not infected but is still inflamed but the real issue which had me admitted was the bad focal pain around where my kidney is? The only niggly feeling that keep stating on and off is the one below my belly button above my bladder and as my bladder fills it feels more uncomfortable
As an update went to my GP. Have given stool sample for CDIFF and praying I did not get this again.
glenda_82112 danny_1989
Posted
Milk of Magnesium is fine. It's natural and not hard on your stomach and colon. I have to take 2 tablespoons every morning to keep myself regular.
Guest glenda_82112
Posted
Can you take Milk of Magnesium everyday? You say its easy on the stomach? I take two Mag Max which is total of 300 mg of magnesium Citrate and Magnesium Glycinate and it has Pyidoxal5-Phosphate (activated B-6) all that in two capsules a day which I take for blood pressure and menopause. But I'm wondering if I try the Milk of Magnesium if I can still take the two mags tablets a day that I take?
glenda_82112 Guest
Posted
Yes. It was what the doctors recommended. I would ask first about taking that and your pills. My morning routine is drink the Milk of magnesium, drink a Gatorade (electrolytes), take my liquid vitamins, eat a bowl of cream of wheat, then drink my fiber. Because they removed 4" of my colon my body can't absorb vitamins and nutrients like a normal person, so this routine is a must for the rest of my life. Milk of magnesium is supposedly all natural and as far as I know works well with most medicines.
Guest glenda_82112
Posted
My daughter was born with HD (hirschsprungs disease) she had all her large colon removed except for 1 inch to hook up her permemant colostomy she got the perm colostomy at 4 years old her first one at newborn she was given up on and said let her die because they couldnt find out what was killing her until they finally checked in to rare disorders long story BUT my question is why the heck they never told me she wouldnt be able to absorb vitamins and such I was told as long as she had her small intestines then she could she is 23 years old now with perm colostomy and fistula. She use to live on TPN through the main artery by heart was a port, my fridge was full of lipids and such . YOU know I wish one doctor wouldnt say one thing and then another one something else.
glenda_82112 Guest
Posted
Aww poor baby. l had never even heard of diverticulitis until I was diagnosed, I wish information was out there it would have saved me from a lot of pain through the years. I researched everything I could regarding liquid vitamins because my body couldn't tolerate the pills. I googled the most powerful power packed foods and because of the disease was unable to eat all but 2, avocados and baked potatoes (but still unable to eat the skin which carries all the good vitamins). My hair started falling out, skin looked like crap and I just didn't feel good. I drank so much bone marrow broth which helped but wasn't enough. That's when my friend was selling this liquid vitamin and talked me into taking it. All the power packed foods are in this vitamin. Yes, the colon and intestines play an important part in soaking up all the vitamins and nutrients from the food you eat. Once you lose any of your colon, your body can't absorb the nutrients and vitamins fast enough.
danny_1989
Posted
Update
Today I had to go to ER. My pain about 10cm below my naval in the pelvic area became much worse. Had bloods done. All fine. Had another CT which showed nothing in pelvic area. They prescribed another 7 days augmentin with no real diagnosis. Why these pelvic area pains which intensity comes and goes for 3 months. I did nothing today or yesterday to cause increase in symptom. Just ate plain rice.
danny_1989
Posted
Update
I went to ER a few days ago with pain in my pevis area which was getting worse since I stopped the Augmentin. When I exited hospital last time my left flank pain was mostly gone but the pelvic area pain was still a niggling feeling particularly when I sat down which made it worse.
I was prescribed another round of Augmentin and let go home. I had no infection in blood and they also did another CT which showed only one diverticulitis (proximal descending colon). however the other CT I did 3 weeks ago shows 3 diverticulitis. So not sure how this can be.
Anyway the most recent CT found nothing below my belly button in the pelvic area but I know the pain was getting worse.
When I got home I decided not to use the Augmenting they prescribed again and instead I had some Keflex tablets which the previous GP had prescribed a couple of weeks ago for my Diverticulitis before I was admitted to hospital. So I started taking the Keflex and within 24 hours I am almost at zero pain in my pelvic area. I have not had this little pain in that area for 3 months. I am going to my GP tomorrow to discuss this plus my CT results and also get my Cdiff results.
As I read Augmentin does nothing for ecoli bacteria but Keflex does. I don't know what the difference is but only that I feel better after the Keflex and I did not feel the same with 2 days of Augmenting IV and 7 days of tablets
chris63986 danny_1989
Posted
Hi Danny. thanks for sharing your experiences. I was diagnosed with diverticulitis in December 2018. My experience and symptoms are very similar to yours. I am sorry you're going through all of this, but it's comforting to see that I am not alone with what is happening to me. your word "niggle" is the perfect word to describe those pings and pains that suddenly pop up and go away as suddenly as they started. I was supposed to have a colonoscopy on February 15th, had to reschedule for March, as I've had another flare.
Good luck to you.