r/Diverticulitis

Good afternoon everyone. I am a 41F who has had 2 complicated cases of perforated diverticulitis that ended up in hospital stays within this last year. My surgeon ordered a CT colonography and after reviewing the results and because I’ve already been in the hospital twice, he is recommending a laparoscopic sigmoid colectomy and I am scheduled to have this done next week.

I am getting scared and would like any advice or input from those who have had this surgery. I am scared to wake up with an ostomy bag. He warned that he will try to avoid this but it’s a possibility. Did you wake up with a bag? I wonder how common it is. I’m scared for the recovery and what it’s going to be like pain wise and moving around. I have mild cerebral palsy and I can walk on my own, but I do have mobility and balance challenges. I have ordered a bedside rail and wedge pillow to maybe help. Did you have to strictly sleep on your back after surgery? I normally like to sleep on my stomach or side.

Ultimately he said the surgery should make me feel a lot better and help with my bowel issues. Part of my colon is so thickened from inflammation that it causes frequent and often urgent loose stool where I feel like I have to always be nearby a bathroom. I want the surgery to help that. But at the same time I’m worried that the surgery could make my bowel issues even worse.

Any and all input is greatly appreciated; I’m losing sleep over all this.

hey,

Long story short I’ve had some undiagnosed bowel issues for many years.

Dairy = immediate bathroom

Anything remotely greasy = bathroom

I had a my first and only diverticulitis flare up a few weeks ago, treated with antibiotics and fasting for a week. After that first week, I’ve noticed I have ZERO prior symptoms. I can eat cheese, drink milk, eat ice cream completely fine with no issues. I can also eat whatever greasy food I want and not have to use the bathroom immediately after. Bowel habits seem completely normal now, as in I never feel the urge to go and I do not feel constipated/bloated/pain.

has anyone remotely seen this happen? I’m not sure if Ive had some issue the antibiotics have treated, or if the fasting helped. I’m just stumped and amazed to feel normal as far as bowels go.

Great news.. If I'm reading the report correctly.. I had acute diverticulitis at the time of surgery??

Its seems that surgery was eventually going to happen..
Makes me appreciate the fact that I made the right decision to have this procedure done especially with the "possible fistula" tract..

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Clinical Information

Diagnosis

Diverticulitis of large intestine without perforation or abscess without bleeding

Final Diagnosis

A. Colon, sigmoid, low anterior resection:

Diverticular disease with multiple diverticula, acute diverticulitis, associated focal abscess formation, and possible fistula tract

Negative for dysplasia or malignancy

Six lymph nodes, negative for malignancy (0/6)

 

B. Colon, proximal and distal anastamotic donuts, excision:

Benign colon with no significant histopathological abnormalities

Negative for dysplasia or malignancy

 

Gross Description

A. The specimen is received in formalin labeled "", sigmoid colon" and consists of a 22.0 cm in length by 3.0 cm in diameter segment of sigmoid. The specimen is received with one end stapled closed and one end open. The serosa is remarkable for focal patchy adhesions, but is predominantly pink-tan and smooth. The specimen is opened longitudinally to reveal an unremarkable pink-tan mucosa with the usual folds. A small focus of black discoloration from tattoo ink is noted approximately 9 cm from the stapled margin, but no mucosal lesions are identified in association with the tattoo ink. Sectioning reveals multiple intact diverticula. A possible fistula tract is identifed in the area of serosal adhesions.

 Representative sections are submitted as follows:

A1: Diverticulum with possible fistula tract

A2-A5: Additional representative diverticula

A6: Representative lymph nodes

B. The specimen is received in formalin labeled "", proximal and distal anastomotic donuts" and consists of two annular fragments of colonic tissue, each approximately 2.0 x 2.0 x 1.0 cm. Both fragments contain numerous staples and sutures, consistent with anastomotic rings. One of the fragments is received loosely attached to an EEA anvil. A representative section of each is submitted in B1.

(26F) It’s me again, I’m doing the prep now. My doctor gave me MiraLAX and Dulcolax for my prep. Already finished half of it. But I’m getting sharp pains in my left side while taking the prep. I’m so scared, what do I do?? 😭 I have no other day to reschedule this to. It’s not a constant pain it’s only happened about 3 times today but it’s scaring me. I’m so scared into going into another flare. This is the worst😩

I had a routine cat scan because I had Testicular cancer in 2023, didn't need any treatment thankfully...just had to get one removed...also my tumor markers were fine.

Recent scan showed Mild Diverticulosis, I told the doc every now and then when I need to pee my lower-left side hurts so I guess this makes sense of what's going on. I had to change my diet to mostly all clean, I can't drink any alcohol anymore, have to limit greasy foods, make sure I don't over-eat...stuff like that.

But something tells me I have this for life? A few weeks ago it was really bad, but now it's way better...been cleaning up my diet with more fiber and cleaner foods...also red meat is a nono now...can't even eat steak anymore I guess.

I am 41 and had NO idea about this condition, but by what I am reading it doesn't just go away? I used to drink maybe 5 beers a week total, but my diet was totally bad...

So basically, way less carbs/no booze/no red meats helped a ton. But it's not perfect, sometimes it just aches a bit for awhile, goes away the next day...comes back maybe...maybe not.

I'm seeing my GI doctor next week because I've been feeling like crap for almost a year since my first DV diagnosis. I was on vacation 2 weeks ago and my Colon flared up pretty bad (didn't go to the ER or anything) but I know it was the start of a DV flare, so I took it easy and it basically ruined my trip.

I'm home now and I've had UTI like symptoms for weeks now and they won't go away. It "comes and goes"...and I know I don't have a true Fistula because I had a CT before my trip and it didn't show anything.

Is it normal to have these Bladder / UTI sensations after a flare up for a while? I'm getting worried this is the start of a Fistula and I really do not want that.

I also have very bad bloating and side pressure daily. Regardless of the food I eat. I am having daily bowel movements but never feel empty

thanks

Hi. I'm scheduled for laparoscopic colon resection surgery in October. I'm 54M and like to stay active, including running several times per week, running a few 5K-5 mile races each year, strength training and yoga. I know I'm going to have to go through a period immediately following surgery where I'm not doing much more than walking. My surgeon says generally he clears his patients for full activity after about 4 weeks. I'm sure any return to training is going to have to be slow and careful, though.

My question for all of you who are athletic/active and have had the laparoscopic surgery is: how long did you have to wait before you were able to get fully "back" to approximately the training load you were bearing prior to surgery?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts!

I'm going to ER tomorrow because I'm 12 weeks post diverticulitis ER/two-day stay. Since before that scary time I was sweating when doing fairly mild work. I'm still experiencing excessive sweating and, yes, running a mild temp. At night I can't even sleep with the covers on and I'm way past menopause. Anyone else ever had excessive sweating with GI problems?

Hey all,

I’m 3 weeks removed from the start of my 2nd flare that turned into a micro-perforation & led me to an 11-day hospital stay. I’ve been on a low residual diet for about 13 days now and I feel like for the most part, I’ve done a pretty good job of not pushing it.

I’ve been having some bloating and very minor gas pains but I started gas-x a few days ago & have also added Florastor in as a daily probiotic, despite being in the last few days of Amoxicillin.

That said, I’m worried I might have screwed up at breakfast yesterday. It was a pretty safe breakfast taco that simply had chicken and eggs mixed together from one of our favorite breakfast places. I’ve been primarily sticking to proteins like chicken and making sure I avoid anything remotely spicy. Despite that, I started getting some pretty hellacious stomach cramps yesterday late afternoon/night. Nothing like it was when I was in the midst of my flare a few weeks ago but more of those types of stomach cramps where you know you’ll be frequenting the bathroom for the foreseeable future.

Long story short, I ended up having pretty rough diarrhea and stomach cramps until around 10pm last night when it finally stopped. I don’t feel “great” this morning but more than anything, my stomach muscles are extremely tight and very sore.

Did I screw up or am I too much in my own head and this is simply an unpredictable part of the healing process?

For the first 3 days i was in the hospital it was heavily leaning on cancer and only possibly diverticulitis, all the scans were showing a fist size mass, apple core appearance, even had someone come in my room and tell me its almost certainly cancer and started talking about chemo.

Got a colonoscopy on day 4 confirming it was NOT cancer, biopsies all came back clear, etc.

Turns out it was a mass of scar tissue from diverticulitis, plus abscesses, inflammation.

For context i only ever noticed any symptoms like a week and a half before i decided something was seriously wrong, which was alot of weird pressure than alot of pain the next day.

But apparently this has been going on for a while. They want to do surgery I likely will just to be done with this.

Curious if anyone has had a similar experience?

32M and just had my first diverticulitis flare. CT showed uncomplicated sigmoid diverticulitis with no abscess perforation or obstruction

I was initially put on Augmentin and the pain went away but it came back a few days later.

Im now on cipro and flagyl and the pain is fading again but I still have mild discomfort and my bowel movements are not back to normal yet

My GI wants to do a colonoscopy in 8 weeks after everything settles down which I know is pretty standard but of course I made the mistake of googling why they do a colonoscopy after diverticulitis and now my brain has gone straight to colon cancer.

I also remembered that I had slightly low serum iron on bloodwork last year which made me worry even more but my hemoglobin and MCV were normal so I wasnt actually anemic.

Ive also had IBS for years with unstable bowel movements gas bloating etc so bowel issues arent exactly new for me. I actually had a colonoscopy back in 2015 with biopsies that came back normal with no acute or chronic inflammation and the GI thought I had IBS-D at the time

I know I probably need to stop googling for the next 8 weeks lol just looking for some reassurance from people who have been through the same thing

Hello All,

I was diagnosed with Diverticulitis last year and about 5 weeks ago I got a really bad urine infection, I left it thinking I was ok, but somehow this created a fistula between the bowel and bladder, I was admitted to hospital and given IV antibiotics and sent home after surgeon saw me, said would deal with as an outpatient, I'm on CoAmoxiclav full time and have an appointment with surgery team on the 27th, since yesterday I've started peeing out a lot of poop, a lot of pressure in my bowel and up and down to the toilet every hour at night, do I need to worry about the amount of poop that's coming out of my pee (male)?

So a quick simple question. If I fast for a few days, should I take a couple of days to bring back in fiber or can I go right back to a normal amount? I currently eat 30-40 grams of fiber daily. No DV problems but am trying to heal some hemorrhoids.

If you want a read
https://www.reddit.com/r/Diverticulitis/s/j6o8vCobcv
———————————
WOW! Is all I can say..

A week ago I was spiraling.. in the thick of prepping for surgery..

Dreading the surgery.. dreading the pain..

12 inches of descending/Sigmoid colon removed
Extensive left abdominal inflammation
3 day hospital stay
Pain meds and worrying my family..

A week later..

I woke up at 6:30 and walked 2 miles today..

Showered.. made banana pancakes and scrambled eggs for breakfast (with assistance in reaching some items)

Spent the afternoon just soaking in the sun..

Napped and now we are going to Whole Foods for our weekly groceries..

Im still taking gabapentin and celebrex for pain
Im still being cautious, being careful to not over-exert myself.
I’m still figuring out my new bowel movements.. they will settle over the next weeks..

Im just amazed.. robotic assisted procedures are amazing.

I know we all heal differently but now I know I made the right decision to have the surgery.

I have minimal incision pain but I know this pain will go away eventually.
I don’t have that nagging diverticulitis pain anymore..
I don’t have that awful bloating and sudden nausea..
I’m not scared to eat..

Wow.

If you’re suffering and you’ve tried everything and elective robotic surgery is offered.. do your research.. ask questions.. get a second and third opinion..
don’t suffer for years like I did..

it all seems so daunting but it’s so worth it..

My next update will be at my surgery follow up.
I’ll give yall a break from my spamming 😂😂

Been having this upper and lower colon pain for years now. It gets flared up basically everyday from fats, gluten, sugar and fiber gets stuck really bad all the time.

I rescheduled a couple times. Because I'll do the prep in the past and Im sure my left side would be inflamed. So I'll essentially never be able to clear out well and end up with stool that still is yellow by the end of the night. As well as just still feeling like I need to shit, but can't because things wouldn't be able to push forward.

I just flared myself up again recently, with the same group of foods. About to cut out most of those, since do have better confirmation of the pain/inflammation it's causing. Probably still test out fats in tiny amounts.

I'm wondering what would you do, if you had a colonoscopy coming up and got a flare? I'm worried about two things really, not being able to clear out. Then having a lot of inflammation on the left side, to where I might end up getting messed up by the scope and getting a perforation.

Hi, I’ve been dealing with some severe gut problems following antibiotic use.

My main symptom is severe burning stomach pain. It’s mainly in the lower side below the belly, but it also feels centralized to the entire lower stomach. I think the pain is similar to colitis. Also sometimes diarrhea, weird smell and nausea/fatigue. I can’t even eat food right now. The burning pain increases immediately afterwards. It just doesn’t make sense to have colitis if it’s not from c. Diff.

My first thought was c. Diff as it was triggered by antibiotics. I was almost 100% convinced it was c. Diff. I went to the ER and they thought it was c diff too. They did a rectal swab but apparently the test was NEGATIVE which was a huge surprise to me. I almost couldn’t believe it, and I’m worried the test was done wrong or falsely negative.

Could Diverticulitis explain my symptoms:? Severe burning lower constant stomach pain (like a very bad sunburn), loss of appetite, nausea, almost can’t eat food, sometimes diarrhea and smelly stool, worsens after eating.

My symptoms was 70% better last week, but I stupidly ate a large bag of candy for two days (I know stupid decision) and ever since that candy, my symptoms have gotten 10x worse.

My symptoms align perfectly with c diff, so it doesn’t make sense it’s negative, and I’m trying to find other answers. I understand I need a CT scan for this, and it’s annoying the ER didn’t do it.

TLDR: internal bleeding caused by possible diverticulitis. advice needed!

Hi new to Reddit (love to lurk never ask!) my husband (43m) went to the ER last Tuesday with sudden diarrhea with blood. a lot of very red almost blue. Felt ER staff/Dr didn’t really take him too serious in the beginning . no neglect or anything just lots of head nodding when we state he’s gone to the bathroom 4 times since we got here at 10pm and it’s all blood w severe stomach pain. it wasn’t until his BP plummeted and he had an accident in the bed did they finally understand his seriousness. He‘s has numerous CT scans. only 1 out of like the 5 he had showed he was having bleeding in the transverse colon. IR went in after to cauterize but said when they got in there, there was no active bleeding so nothing to fix. He hasn’t stopped bleeding since tuesday. it’s now Saturday. Hes needed 3 pints of blood so far. He was able to tolerate a colonoscopy prep without his BP plummeting again due to blood loss. and they found nothing. colon clear of cancer/abnormalities etc. only thing it showed was bright red blood so still active bleeding. they just don’t know where from. I was told earlier today that ICU called IR to see if they want to do anything else since the colonoscopy and if they say no, General surgery is going to be called. and then he will have to be cut open for exploratory surgery. and if/when the find the bleed they’re going to cut out the bleeding colon and hopefully that will fix it. they keep saying they think it’s just diverticulitis . Has Anyone heard of anything similar happening?! Any advice? Thanks!

Hey, bit desperate at this point. Been signed off work by GP with a flare up for 4 months now. Haven’t been hospitalised in this time luckily but symptoms are debilitating every day. Any hints & tips on how to self manage this & make me get better soon? Thx

Tomorrow will be 6 weeks and I'm still having a lot of pain on the upper right side of my incision. I figured I would be mostly better by now but it seems to be getting worse. Thought it might be a hernia but there's no sign of one. Feels like it's just deep, aching muscle pain rather than an organ. Every little walk , car ride, or time I shave and shower makes it worse. My actual colon seems to be functioning pretty well so it doesn't seem to have to do with that. I'm thinking I should just lay in bed and do nothing for a couple of days but kind of paranoid about bloodclots doing that. Did any of you guys have similar experiences with your surgery? Any advice other than talking to my doctor? I'll be seeing him on the 26th. This doesn't seem like an emergency. No fever or vomiting or anything like that. Just sick of being in pain and not being able to do anything.

I’m a bit hesitant to bottom anyone because after a colonoscopy the doctor found what’s called Diverticulosis of the sigmoid. It’s not a bad thing but I can be. I’m asking if anyone has any like this or similar?

Thank you in advance