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Newly diagnosed

Posted , 4 users are following.

stephanie46470
stephanie46470

Hi. I was only diagnosed with Diverticular Disease 3 weeks ago. I've been off work for 3 months whilst they investigated what was wrong. I've had 2 courses of strong antibiotics in the last 3 weeks and have changed my eating habits. Im feeling much better physically now. I went back to work on Monday on reduced hours, but find that I'm exhausted every day. Is this normal? Or just a side effect of being off for 3 months? Can I expect the exhaustion to go? Thanks

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • Guest
    Guest stephanie46470

    Posted

    Hi

    Glad to hear you are feeling better now you finally have a diagnosis and treatment.  Your exhaustion is very common when recovering from DD.  The drugs are very powerful and have nasty side effects, one of which is the feeling of exhaustion.  It takes 4 - 6 weeks normally before these side effects begin to ease up as they flush out of your system.  Also you are right in thinking part of the tiredness is due to having been off for so long - a bit of a double whammy. 

    I hope you are taking a good probiotic as the medication will have stripped out all your gut bacteria, the good along with the bad.  I can only suggest you you try and rest as much as you can when not at work, and make sure your new diet includes all the essential nutrients.  I hope your employers continue to allow you to ease yourself back in.  It's like any form of exercise - you have to build up slowly.  But you will recover and you'll find lots of help and information on this forum from people who have all been through what you are experiencing - me included!

  • Katealso
    Katealso stephanie46470

    Posted

    Very common with the disease and also the strong antibiotics! When you get home rest as much as you can . As  Felinia has said, take a good probiotic   The dietician rec a probiotic with at least a billion cultures with twice daily dosing. I’ve said in otherthreads the treatment was worse than the disease!

    Kate

  • stephanie46470
    stephanie46470

    Posted

    Thanks to you both, Felinia and Kate. Can you recommend a "good" probiotic available in the UK? It's not something I've bought before.

    I'm glad that there's a light at the end of the tunnel with the exhaustion 😁

    I've already made changes to my diet, and am trying to hit the 30g fibre each day that's recommended by the BHS and Nutritional websites. I'm also now drinking 2 litres of water a day.

    It's been difficult to get to grips with this - eating 5 or 6 meals a day rather than 3, eating so much fibre, always carrying something high in fibre with me in case I get delayed and drinking so much, but if it stops me feeling like I did for the first 10 weeks then I'll do it 😃

    • Guest
      Guest stephanie46470

      Posted

      I personally took a well known supermarket probiotic yogurt drink (the moderator won't allow naming products which could be construed as advertising) which was sufficient for me, but there are lots of products available in pill form.  You could ask your Chemist, or a reputable Health Food company like H&B for a suggestion with at least 1 billion cultures, targeted for gut and bowel problems.  The ones advertised on the Internet are a bit risky - you never can be sure whether or not they are "fake" items.

      As for fibre, it can be easy to get carried away with it and have too much.  You should be looking at soluble fibre, rather than insoluble (where it comes out the same way it goes in - skins, pips, sweetcorn).  For example, I have lots of home made veggie soup, which I blend, and make good use of a quality thermos flask if I am out (or heat up in a microwave at work).  Some people have found All-Bran too harsh on their healing systems, and instead take Bran Flakes or other bran enriched cereals.  I personally have 30gm rolled oats, rather than oatmeal, and I soak it overnight in 150ml flavoured yogurt, with frozen fruit, in a Kilner jar.  I also take a daily soluble fibre supplement called Fybogel, which is actually prescribed for me by my GP, and I have had it for 18 years.  It keeps me regular and soft, with no straining.  You are right to have small well cooked, well chewed meals and drinking plenty of fluid (and this is not only water, but teas and black coffee).  As you recover you can slowly try out different foods, and keep a diary to see if anything reacts adversely.  It is easy to become complacent once you feel better, so something to watch out for.  Best wishes.

  • madeline27614
    madeline27614 stephanie46470

    Posted

    For me it took 3 months to start feeling myself again.  The severity of the flare up causes all of the tiredness.  My last one I was hospitalized and it seemed like forever to feel like me.. you will feel better I assure you. It does take time. 👍🙏😘

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