How long do other people's diverticulitis attacks last? Just read someone on soft diet x 2months?!

I sure don't want surgery lol. When I had my colonoscopy after my first attack 10 years ago they only found one diverticuli. When I had this one he said I had about 25. He thought that was very mild saying some people have 500 or

More. But I did acquire

More in this 9 years even tho I always ate high fiber. So I quess. there's no way to stop it completely. I got infected tho when he could only find one pocket so that's not very comforting. I have pictures of my pockets. It's very interesting to look at. They are all in my sigmoid colon. I hope I don't get another attack ever my first two were completely over within a week.

They gave me pics of my colon but I never looked at them. I said if there was something I needed to know he would tell me. Some people say the high fiber brings more pain. I think 3 attacks over 10 years is not so bad. I get confused about what consist of an attack. I thought just the sharp pain. I never really ate beef other than hamburger so it's not hard for me to completely give it up. I ate brisket 2 weeks ago and I was fine. Why do you take the anxiety meds? I hear that can cause constipation. 

Hi my attacks consisted of fever bad pain and being sick. The first one I had no idea what it was. I went to urgent care. I'm in US. It is sort of an emergency doctor anyone can go to. They sent me for a Ct scan but suspected diver they called me the next day and told me I had diverticulitis and to take all antibiotics and they alssaid said I had gallstones and would need my gallbladder out. Which I new I had gallbladder attacks before.That attack was not down low like this one it was waist high left. I had a colonoscopy 9 weeks later where he found the one pocket. 5 years later exactly same as above. I just call d my g I Dr and got th prescription. Both attacks cleared within th week. This attack was different. It was down low. Pelvic pressure pain all across lower abdomen I had just had a d and c 6 days earlier and thought I had a pelvic infection. Nope diverticulitis in a different area. I also had fever and chills. This time i have th lingering pain so I might have had an undetected micro perforation. First attack I was 43. I'm now 53. I don't know what people mean when thEy just have slight pain and no fever and say they have an attack because I'm not sure how you would k ow what it was. Might atracks there was no doubt I needed antibiotics and was very ill. That's all I k ow about attacks. I've never heard of brisket haha

Also about th anxiety meds is because I've always had anxiety that I could deal with but when something medical lingers I start over worrying until I get myself into a state. I have only taken them once before a few years back for about a year and half. After this lingering attack I was getting worked up and my family members told me to go back on the celexa lol. I did and it has helped me to relax tremendously. I think constipation is a side effect of pain meds. I've never heard it was a side effect of anxiety medication. It's not listed as one for celexa and thank good I've never been constipated. I go in the other direction.

My experience was the bottom lower left pain also. Thanks for saying you don't know what people mean when they say they are having an attack when they only have slight pain. I think they get scared and freak out and think it's an attack.

Also thank you for telling me you went 5 years with no attack. That gives many of us hope. Brisket is beef from the breast or lower part of the cow. It's cooked slow and roasted. It is very good.

Oh, pain with fever. Sorry.

It sounds like what we call roast beef. Did you have fever and take antibiotics. I think diverticulitis is very confusing. My mom said my stepfathwrs mother had it. But she never had to take antibiotics but it always acted up on her and made her sick. I never knew what she meant. I thought as with my cases you had to take antibiotic or abcess and die. Some times I think there are two different things going on. Crazy disease.

Brisket is not roast beef but it kind of looks like it but long and not round. I am in the u.s. Yes I took antibiotics. Your stepmom probably never got and infection or had it really bad. Well you say you had 3 attacks in 10 years so you're living with it, you're not dead. My co-worker has had it at least 6+ years. If you read thru some of these post people are living with it for years. I think some people eat the wrong foods on a regular basis and it keeps triggering it. Did you lose weight? Everyone says they did. If so did you put it back on?

No. I didn't lose weight. Since I was low carb before the attack I changed to low residue foods like everyone said. So I had crackers. Potatoes soft foods etc. my body can't handle carbs. I gained about 10 pounds back of the 50 it has taken me a year to lose. I was prob not even eating 1000 calories a day but gaining from low residue carbs. I read all the posts about people losing. They would never be me. I just started menopause and have thesis problems. I was on clear liquid for over a week and that was sugar free clear liquids just broth and water and cranberry unsweetened and then had the colonoscopy prep and didn't lose any weight lol. My gi doctor told me and he's prob been in practice 40 years. " there are no foods you can't eat there are no foods that cause this ". He says it's a bacterial infection and if they knew what caused it in some people and not others with the pockets then they would be able to stop people from getting it but they don't know. I think some people are more prone to inflammation in there. Nuts don't bother me. I eat them all the time. I chew them to paste though. I don't eat corn or popcorn tho now I mean. And the red meat and dairy now because it's so hard to digest. Missing my fage Greek yogurt most. Sorry I thought brisket sounded like the U.K. Lol

I am 63 and had first diverticulitis attack November 2016, 10 days of the double antibiotics and it was over. Unfortunately I had 4 more attacks in the next months. Last time thr increased dose of antibiotics and did 14 days. 4 days after the meds only solution was colon resection, had on April 17th and feel like a new person.

Hi. I am so glad your doing well. And to hear a positive story. Did you have laparoscopic surgery without colostomy. Did you have extensive diverticuli when they got in there. Just wondering what makes some people not recover and have chronic attacks. Did your following attacks have bad pain and fever. I'm just wondering because my Ct scan showed my attack and then after six weeks I still has twinges and really no other symptoms and had another Ct scan which showed no infection or inflammation. We're all your attacks diagnosed with a Ct scan. Sorry so many questions. It just helps so many people to hear others experiences. I pray you continue to do well. I'm 53 female.Shawn

So glad it was successful and you're feeling good.

 

Amen!❤️

One of the two antibiotics side effects was weight loss and long q t syndrome of the heart. I took them for 10 days. I didn't know the side effects until I finished it. The sad thing is I already have underlined long q t so I had to recuperate from that as well as the divers. I had no taste for food. Then I had to eat only soft foods and liquids for about 3 weeks. It took me over one month to eat regularly. I think the anti's made me feel more sick than I was. I'm told they want us to lose the weight because it's better on the gut. I'm naturally slim so I didn't need to lose any. I think this condition happens because of long bouts of constipation. I also think people continue to battle with it once it happens because they don't eat right. I don't eat corn or popcorn either. I had vegetable soup today and I had to eat around the corn. You are doing something right for 10 years and 3 attacks. People are too stuck on beef and rice. I prefer fish, chicken and potatoes anyways. Which is what I mainly ate before this happened which is why I know this doesn't cone from how we eat. 

I have never been consripated really ever so I know it's not that. I was slightly over weight about 40 pounds. And I lost that. I have seen huge people who eat horrible and they don't have it. I've been mostly low carb for the last ten years. So I don't eat much sugar or grains or even potatoes for that matter. But I was eating a lot of meat on the low carb. So no red meat now I drink that calm every night even if it makes things to loose. I think what's not sitting in there can't cause problems. But I've always went everyday sometimes 2 or theee times. Read what I just wrote Madeline above. Shawn

All of that makes sense. But the colon itself can get inflamed. I started drinking hot ginger tea during my healing, I got the idea from one of these sites. I still drink 1-2 glasses daily after a meal on some days. Usually after lunch since I sit long hours at work. I think it also helps move your food. I'm also regular and I still sometimes take a very mild laxative(miralax) to be sure I'm clean. It works me in the mornings. I'm afraid to eat fruit so I drink the fruity health drinks. 

Also, I didn't think I was constipated but when this happened my doctor did an xray and told me I was constipated. I was shocked because I go everyday. I told the doctor that couldn't be right, that is when she told me to take the miralax daily but my GI told me I don't have to take it daily. To eat fruit. I'm afraid to eat fruit so I drink the healthy fruit drinks. I guess we think of constipation as pain and icky stopped up feeling and we can be going regularly and still be mildly constipated. 

 

I am 68  and was diagnosed with diverticulosis 13 years ago.  I never had a problem until I moved to FL. From June of 2016 until march 2017 I have had 6 attacks all requiring antibiotics.  I am scheduled for a colon resection this June.  The surgeon said he will remove about 16 inches of my descending colon.  He said no colostomy even temporarily.  I only agreed to surgery because I fear that another attck could wind up with a temporary or permanent colostomy.  The surgeon says he will do it robotically.  Did you have post op pain?  How long were you hospitalized and when could you start eating solid foods again?   i am very nervous and would apreciate any information you can give me.

Wow that is strange. Ever since I had my gallbladder out a month after my first attack my food moves right through me pretty quickly and I run toward the loose side I can't imagine I was constipated. My moms been constipated her whole life. She takes the calm magnesium and miralax and finds things a bit easier now. She's 72. And no diverticulitis. I know they think that causes it but I know plenty of constipated people lol. And I'm the only person with this. I eat fruit. Bananas strawberries and blueberries and grapes mostly. I've read every forum I can find and I see half of the people talking about there healthy high fiber eating habits and not being constipated so I think the drs are just guessing. My sons friends father had a diverticuli rupture and emergency surgery with colostomy last summer. Just got it reversed a few months ago. He is 38. Never had any problems before. Same happened to my husbands nephew when he was 50. Not the surgery but an abcess out of nowhere. He avoided surgery. That was 9 years ago and he's had no more problems. And that was his one and only attack. If I stAy busy and don't focus on my twinges I don't notice them as much. I have Rachel's digestive tea. It has peppermint ginger slippery elm fennel turemic chamomile etc. but it gives me acid reflux. I'm going to try to start drinking a cup in the mornings. Can't lay down after drinking it.

It 's great you're doing much better. After the surgery were you told to still keep a special diet?