Hope in time for Christmas

just wanted To let everyone know, there is hope out there. And it looks like I’m seeing it just in time for Christmas, and I hope you all do too.

I posted on the boards in May when I got diverticulitis as a 39 y/o male. Slightly overweight (BMI 30-35) but no other health Problems. It was acute uncomplicated sigmoid, treated with oral antibio meds.

The diverticulitis stage went away within about 3 weeks, but crampy localized pain started to crop up over the months to follow. All over the colon, mostly in the sigmoid, but sometimes it would be on the lower right or upper left.

Doctor’s diagnosis was that the diverticulitis had caused the nerves in the colon to become overly sensitive as a result of the damage done by diverticulitis. a sort of acquired "IBS". We managed it with osmotic laxatives to keep stool soft and moving, and avoid putting too much pressure on the colon and stretching it, which is her theory on why I experienced pain after the initial diverticulitis. too much hard stool stretching the colon and irritating the nerves.

As time has gone on, the time between attacks has become less and less. And now I have reached the point where I can’t even remember when my last full-blown “can’t leave the house, on meds and heating pads all night” attack was. I think September/October?

Since then, the pain in the colon has diminished to the point of...I occasionally feel gas going thru the area. And it doesn’t hurt. Hopefully this is not just a long period of remission, but a total resolution of my symptoms.

So I just wanted to let everyone know, there is hope. Just give it time. If you have had a mild uncomplicated case like me, and you’re young and otherwise in good health, you may have messed up the nerves in your system, creating a sort of temporary “post-diverticulitis IBS”. but give yourself 6-18 months before you wave the flag of surrender. I know it sucks while it’s happening, but I hope I can be an example of hope.

Hope everyone has a good Christmas. Best part of this is...I’m going on a cruise over the holidays and If this keeps moving in a positive direction, I’ll be able to eat pretty much any foods without worry!

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