Written off by consultant

Caroline I had diverticulitis for 6 years and been through all the meds and fiber speech. Finally went to surgeon and he told me no surgery. He told me to get some Metamucil and you will be fine.Also, stay away from greasy fried foods. Your body will tell you what you can eat. Be your own advocate.

Since that meeting I have had not one flare up and pain free. I take it twice per day.

Hi Caroline

sorry to hear of your problems, understand your your concerns and embarrassment. I am sure your family and close friends would be understanding if you chose to tell them. Your predicament does make me feel "luckier" about mine. I was diagnosed 12months ago after many undignified tests, colonscopy, cystoscopy, finger prostate exams, xrays etc,. Like you now I realise what it is, I believe that it is something I have suffered from for years but now the frequency and intensity is increasing.  The abdo pains are a pain, but alternate between constipation and looseness but not to your extreme. My GP was all over this and had me off to a specialist swiftly. The Consultant himself has DD, so is more understanding, after the Colonoscopy and CTscan he offered me surgery to remove the badly "worn and torn" sigmoid colon. Having had the colonoscopy without sedation I watched the cameras progress with him pointing out each and every diverticular I had no problem accepting his advice. The CT Scan confirmed that one pouch is lying across a blood vessel so may cause issues in time.

I have been told it will be new year at the earliest for the op, because of the constant discomfort I would have it this afternoon if possible, as I find the Tramadol ineffective and do not wish to go on oramorph, found the antibiotics did not help. Suppose I am lucky in that my surgeon is a fellow sufferer and may has more understanding than your GP/Consultant.

Can you get a second opinion, nobody of any age should be told to get on with it and live with the threat of daily "accidents"

Keep your head up and ass down, take care

Steve

Hi Caroline

I have been living with DD for 15 years and am now 66.  I have been taking Fybogel (soluble fibre supplement like Metamucil) all that time and it does help to regulate the bowel movements (BM).  My GP also advised me to go gluten free and low fat.  Both made an enormous difference and I now realise these were trigger foods for my attacks and symptoms.  If I slip up and have gluten I suffer within 24 hours.  

My last attack was last August and this time the antibiotics did not help at all.  After 10 weeks of constant pain I was referred for colonoscopy and CT scan for suspected bowel cancer.  Like you I was relieved to be clear.  I was first told I had very severe DD and needed a Colectomy, but the Consultant then discharged me without seeing me, saying no treatment needed - this is a benign condition.  Not the word I would have used!  The GP did not want to see me either - nothing further to add to the hospital!

So I joined this forum to get advice on pain control.  Many people recommended pure Aloe Vera juice, which you can get from Holland & Barrett.  It is just one tablespoon twice a day.  Not nice tasting but it only lasts a few seconds.  Within 5 days my pain had subsided to just first thing in the morning until the first BM.  Many others reported similar results.  I also take 1 mini bottle of probiotic drink.  Others have advised against certain foods, like red meat, nuts and seeds and many recommend drinking plenty of water.  I also find massage, osteopathy and an old fashioned hot water bottle helps relax the lower body and eases the pain.

Unfortunately there is no quick fix and it can take months for symptoms to subside.  I still have 6 - 12 BM per day but now the pain is greatly reduced I find I can cope much better with life in general. It is a work in progress. Basically everyone is different and you have to use trial and error to find out what suits you and your body best. Best wishes.

Sorry to hear your troubles. I have to admit my problem tends towards bunged up, however my sister suffers as you do with accidents from time to time. Her doctor prescribed large, daily doses of Imodium which seem to keep these to a minimum. Her diet is fairly bland too, but she gets by. Good luck.

Thanks everyone for your replies, it does help having this forum as it makes you feel you are not alone. I have tried different diets but as yet nothing seems to work . I have seen 2 consultants and the first was worse, when i asked questions he said look it up on google!!!! It doesnt help my situation as i have very little muscle contol in my bum , apparently due to large babies. Working on that with exercise. Thanks again x

Have you gotten a surgical opinion?

Hi Caroline,

​Sorry to hear about the down fall of this disease. I think you need to see what foods are causing the accidents and maybe switch your diet up. I know stress causes loose bowels so try relaxing more and worry less. Aloe vera juice and gel is great for the intestines and probiotics 20billion and higher. A fiber diet should help with turning your bowels into a more solid form to eliminate it being running, which causes the accidents.

So sorry to hear about your situation.  By DD I assume you mean diverticulitis.  I would most certainly seek a second opinion.  I was diagnosed with diverticulosis 13 years ago. We moved from CT to FL in 2015. Since June, I have had 4 attacks of diverticulitis.  Fortunately they all responded to antibiotics.  Both my primary care doc and gastroenterologist both mentioned surgery in passing.  I said that surgery would be a last resort and only if the attacks kept recurring and failed to respond