Newly diagnosed with diverticular disease but don’t get stomach pains like most seem to?
Posted , 2 users are following.
so ive today been diagnosed with diverticular disease following a sigmoidoscopy. i have to go back next week for a colonoscopy to see if they can see more but im confused as after looking the disease up a lot of sufferers have stomach cramps etc. i dont suffer at all with my stomach and the only reason i was being investigated was for diarrhea and bleeding. my other symptoms are lower back pain and pain underneath what i would say was my tailbone area. i also have groin pain (right sided). do these sound like typical symptoms?
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mjf3814 melissa26914
Posted
Diverticular Disease is the presence of diverticula in the colon. You can have them without any symptoms. The pain, cramps, changes in bowel movements etc come with an attack of diverticulitis. This is when the diverticula get inflamed and/or infected. But you don't necessarily get all the symptoms. Sometimes a diverticulum ruptures and you can get bleeding. Normally the pain is lower left quadrant, but it can be right sided, particularly if a person is of Asian heritage. Some people do report back pain. The colonoscopy will check for polyps which can also bleed. These are usually removed during a colonoscopy to prevent them turning into something nasty in later years.
You don't say whether you were put on antibiotics, which is normal if signs of infection were discovered. When I had my first colonoscopy, it was because of bleeding, but I wasn't given and medications, not until I had a full attack with the pains, fevers etc. I was told the bleeding was a ruptured diverticulum which healed by itself.
So to answer your question, yes you have some of the symptoms, but not all are typical. But everyone is different - the colonoscopy will tell you more.
melissa26914 mjf3814
Posted
thank you for that information. no ive not been prescribed any antibiotics, i was literally told thats what could be seen and then sent away with a leaflet explaining about the disease and to make changes to my diet etc. I think il find out more after the colonoscopy. They did say though they had found old skin tags and petechie which I dont know much about or what that means so these are questions they will hopefully answer next week. maybe the diarrhea is being caused by something else if they didnt think it was an attack of diverticulitis.
mjf3814 melissa26914
Posted
Sounds like finding the diverticula was a secondary finding - which is often the case. Lots of people have a "well person" colonoscopy and symptomless diverticula are found. Petechaie are a sign of bleeding under the skin, and you did report some bleeding. Hopefully your symptoms will be due to a viral or bacterial infection, but the colonoscopy will give a better picture.
I've been managing Diverticular Disease for 20 years now on diet - it's basically a healthy eating plan, with soluble fibre. I take a daily soluble fibre supplement and try and ensure I don't get constipated. Lots of fresh vegetables, fruit and water, plus exercise and ideally keep your weight in the normal range (I fail here!!!). There's lots of advice here, but it's often about foods to avoid as they trigger attacks. You may well want to read through the posts here after you get the results of your colonoscopy. Best wishes.
melissa26914 mjf3814
Posted
yes thats what i am thinking, i dont think the symptoms i am having are to do with the diverticular finding. i am sure the colonoscopy will shed more light on my symptoms. i must admit i am probably the worst at eating fruit and vegetables and i am even worse at drinking water but I am definitely going to change my diet now. thanks for your information