# Diverticulitis



## oldman (Oct 16, 2014)

I have been having pain in the mid part of my abdomen for maybe three and a half weeks. My wife finally got me to go see the doctor last Wednesday (10/8) and he diagnosed me with Diverticulitis. I was given prescriptions for Cipro and Flagyl. I started on the meds last Wednesday and was progressing pretty good, until early this morning when the pain woke me at 2:30 a.m. 

I had this disease two years ago and spent 10 days in the hospital. They were contemplating about removing some of my lower intestine, but decided not to when I began to improve after having bottles of the antibiotics run through me by an IV. Early this morning, my wife wanted to take me to the hospital, but I refused to go. I did call the doctor at noon today and he phoned in another script for me for Dicyclomine. I started on that about 2 hours ago because I had some here at the house from my previous bout with this disease and am already beginning to feel better. For how long is anyone's guess, but I'm hoping that the worse is over.  

This stuff is nasty with pain, diarrhea and feeling like a truck ran over me.


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## QuickSilver (Oct 16, 2014)

Glad you are feeling better. The concern however with diverticulitis is that the diverticula can perforate the intestine wall, and cause peritonitis and that's dangerous. Please go in the hospital if you do not improve.


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## oldman (Oct 16, 2014)

Yeah, I forget that part. I do have diverticulosis. Thanks for the reminder.


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## QuickSilver (Oct 16, 2014)

oldman said:


> Yeah, I forget that part. I do have diverticulosis. Thanks for the reminder.



Diverticulosis is a chronic condition where the intestine forms little pockets.. sometimes fecal material gets impacted in these pockets and causes an acute painful condition called diverticulitis (ITIS... meaning inflamation or infection) Sometimes this can be prevented with a low residue diet, and things like popcorn or seeds that can get stuck in the pockets (diverticula) should be avoided.  On occasion, the infection can eat through the intestinal wall. This is a perforation. When the intestine perforates, all the nasty stuff goes out into your abdomen and causes peritonitis.. or infection of the peritoneum. If untreated it can lead to Sepsis.. This is not a good thing, If you start to feel worse,or develop a fever, it's best to go in and have a scan to see what is going on. The antibiotics you are taking are specifically to kill the bacteria and organisms in the gut that cause the problem.  Now the way to fix this is by removing the diseased part of the intestine and sewing the ends together. We have lots and lots of intestine to spare.


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## Mrs. Robinson (Oct 16, 2014)

What QS is describing is exactly what happened to hubby`s best bud years ago. They ended up having to perform a colostomy,but only for a couple of months,then they were able to operate again and repair it (if repair is the proper word-maybe reverse it is more like it). He was only 39 at the time but had been going through a hard drinking period of his life due to marriage problems. I think it was just too much alcohol that caused it. The good news was that he turned himself around,stopped drinking and tried to take better care of himself. The sad news was that he passed away from a heart attack a year later,two days after his 40th birthday. That had nothing to do with his diverticulitis,of course,he had had high blood pressure since he was a teenager and did not take his meds...


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## QuickSilver (Oct 16, 2014)

Sometimes a temporary colostomy is used to give the bowel a "Rest"..  It is reversed at a later date.. the techical term is a colostomy takedown.   However, if all the diseased bowel section is able to be removed.. then the bowel is connected without a colostomy.  That is called and end to end anastomosis.


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## SeaBreeze (Oct 16, 2014)

A guy that I worked with went to the hospital for that Oldman, they told him to use Metamucil daily from then on to soften the stool.  He said he didn't like the taste of it, but he would do it, he seemed to be doing okay after that.  I use the Walmart brand of Metamucil to avoid issues with hemorrhoids, works well for me, no bad side effects, flavor reminds me of Tang.  Here's some natural suggestions for the condition.



> Demystifying *Diverticulosis
> 
> *About 10 percent of Americans over the age of 40 have *diverticulosis*. This is a
> condition where the colon (large intestines) develops small pockets that bulge
> ...


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## oldman (Oct 17, 2014)

I am doing my best to try to prevent from going to these extremes (surgery and colostomy), but whatever will be, will be as the song goes. I'm taking it one day at a time. Last night wasn't too bad. I felt better after starting on the Dicyclomine. Still not there yet. Eating light and just laying around for now. I did get a short walk in yesterday. At my last colonoscopy, two years ago, the doc said that I had this diverticulosis and that I wasn't in any danger of having surgery at that time, but things can change in a hurry. He suggested staying away from nuts and things that can easily get caught in the pockets of the intestines that was described above. He also suggested taking a good probiotic daily and eating Yogurt a few times a week would also be beneficial. I did that for awhile, but then got away from it. The past couple of weeks I have been eating pistachios like they were M&M's. I love pistachios. I believe this is what got me in trouble.


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## QuickSilver (Oct 17, 2014)

Oldman... please keep on top of this current flare up.  If you should start running a fever or the pain intensifies, call the doc and go in for an eval.


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## d0ug (Oct 17, 2014)

Diverticulosis is caused by a gluten intolerance and if your doctor did not tell you he should go to jail.


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## QuickSilver (Oct 17, 2014)

d0ug said:


> Diverticulosis is caused by a gluten intolerance and if your doctor did not tell you he should go to jail.



Of course this is NOT true oldman... People that already have Celiacs disease ie.. glutin intolerance are at a higher risk of having diverticulosis.. But you cannot say glutin causes the divertics... So please continue to listen to your doctor.. Eat a high fiber diet and drink lots of water... keep the bowels moving. avoid nuts and seeds.

AGE is the main factor in developing diverticular disease..  gender plays a role too.



> Age is a major risk factor. Diverticulosis is uncommon before age 40, but about one-third of all Americans will develop the condition by age 60, and two-thirds will have it by age 85. That makes diverticulosis one of the most common medical conditions in the United States.
> It wasn't always this way. Diverticulosis was uncommon in the United States 100 years ago, and it's still rare in the developing world. What accounts for the difference? The principal factor is diet, especially the refinement of carbohydrates, which has deprived the typical American diet of much of its fiber content. Diverticulosis is a disease of Western civilization.
> Dietary fiber is a mix of complex carbohydrates found in the bran of whole grains and in nuts, seeds, fruits, legumes, and vegetables, but not in any animal foods. Because humans cannot digest these complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber has little caloric value — but it has plenty of health value. Among other things, the insoluble fiber found in wheat bran, whole-grain products, and most vegetables (see table) draws water into the feces, making the stools bulkier, softer, and easier to pass. Dietary fiber speeds the process of elimination, greatly reducing the likelihood of constipation.



http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsl...2010/August/diverticular-disease-of-the-colon


So it's easy to see that Glutin is NOT the cause.. if it were, it would be more common in younger people.


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## d0ug (Oct 17, 2014)

A gluten intolerance causes Celiacs disease and is very hard to detect. Mayo clinic says that 1/3 of people have a gluten intolerance and ND say it is much greater.
When you have a gluten intolerance it stops you from absorbing nutriments but not calories and sugar  and in time you will start to have deficiencies which will become accumulative. This triggers the degeneration that older people notice.


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## oldman (Oct 18, 2014)

I am still having an issue with the residual effects of the diverticulitis. The Dicyclomine helped, but gave me a nasty headache. Today, I just feel lousy, like you do when the flu is leaving your body. Just not me today. My wife keeps trying to get me to go to the E-room, but I am not comfortable in those places. My PCP told me that if I had issues over the weekend to go there, so if things aren't better by 8:00 this evening, I guess that I'll head over there for my 5 hour office visit. This being a Saturday, I am sure that I won't be going right in and getting served. If I go, I guess they'll give me one of those electrolyte drinks and then do a CAT scan. At least I'll find out what's what, or I should.


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## QuickSilver (Oct 18, 2014)

Keep us posted Oldman.... I'll be thinking of you.  You are doing the right thing..  You certainly don't want to let this get too far.


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## SeaBreeze (Oct 18, 2014)

Probiotics should help too Oldman, either you can get a bottle of liquid probiotics from the health food store, or just get some good quality yogurt from the supermarket.


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## QuickSilver (Oct 18, 2014)

He NEEDS to go to the doctor....  He is in an acute phase of something... now is not the time to try other things.


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## d0ug (Oct 18, 2014)

QuickSilver said:


> He NEEDS to go to the doctor....  He is in an acute phase of something... now is not the time to try other things.



You are implying that returning the natural bacteria into the system is not right he needs more drugs which probably killed the good bacteria in the first place. What ever happen to eating natural and helping the body is alternative and pumping drugs is the orthodox.


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## QuickSilver (Oct 18, 2014)

No... hun... If he has a colon perforation.. he needs surgery or at least IV antibiotics.. or can risk sepsis... You need to stop dispensing home grown medical advise to people how may have a serious condition requiring medical help.  They may listen to you and the results could be disasterous.


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## d0ug (Oct 19, 2014)

There might be a point when a person needs antibiotics or surgery and I agree with emergency medicine.
This persons problem did not happen yesterday it has been going on for years, and all the time he has been doing what the doctor says and it has been getting worst. 
U.S. have the best medical system in the world and how is that working out, everyone is sicker than ever.
Sending a person back to the doctor who failed to cure him is crazy. Albert Einstein said doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is insanity.
The MD is not medical deity which some people believe.  The average person 65 years or older is on 5/6 or more different drugs and the MD are not curing anyone.
Only a crazy person would go back to a car salesman who sod him a lemon.

Some people have gave him options and you call this BS.  If they have not cured him do something/anything different because what they are doing is not working.


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## QuickSilver (Oct 19, 2014)

THe problem is Doug.... while they are taking your advise and NOT the advise of a Doctor, they can exacerbate their conditions beyond being able to be helped.  I ave learned some really interesting things here.  Chicken feet cure arthritis...  pumpkin seeds cure cataracts.... Red Yeast rice cures dementia...  etc.. amazing.. why do we even have doctors??


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## Bettyann (Oct 19, 2014)

Hi Oldman,
I am totally for doing as much 'natural' healing as you can...and it CAN be done. I have a friend who got rid of his diverticulosis by adhering strictly to a diet as prescribed to him by a Alternative medicine doctor. The AMA has its place...and I think you will know if and when you actually need to go to a doctor... I would search out alternative methods...I know some of this may depend upon where you live and if there are any available. The post from SeaBreeze is excellent.... with good ideas. I truly hope you can find a practitioner of alternative medicine...Good luck!


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## oldman (Oct 20, 2014)

Went off of the antibiotics on Friday because I ran out and I stopped taking the Dicyclomine on Saturday. Yesterday was a pretty good day. I think I am over the hump. I ate good solid food yesterday, (chicken), with no ill effects, so I am hoping that I am doing better. The antibiotics, which were Cipro and Flagyl are very harsh. Combined, they cause very heavy diarrhea, but the doctor told me to continue with them until they were all, which I did. The Dicyclomine helps with the cramping and I did take Immodium a few times, just because I though the diarrhea was too much.

Anyway, I am doing better, so I wanted to thank everyone for their support. I had this disease two years ago and spent 10 days in the hospital, which I tried to avoid at all costs this time, but had it got to the point of where I just could not have stood the pain or seen blood, then I would have given in and went to the E-room at the hospital. Now, I just need to stay away from the peanuts and pistachios, which is what brought this all on.


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## QuickSilver (Oct 20, 2014)

Glad you are doing better..  Follow your diet and listen to your doc.  And probiotics will not hurt you but may help keep your bowels moving and avoid another flare.


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## Bettyann (Oct 20, 2014)

Glad to hear you are better!!


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## AprilT (Oct 20, 2014)

Good to hear.  Just be sure to follow-up with the doctor.


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## oldman (Oct 21, 2014)

AprilT said:


> Good to hear.  Just be sure to follow-up with the doctor.



Saw the doctor for a follow-up yesterday. I am almost 100% again and he gave me permission to start exercising again. I told my wife, "No more nuts of any kind." I had been eating pistachios by the bags when this thing flared up. Hopefully, it is all behind me. That is one scary disease. Just thinking about having a part of the bowel removed and maybe going on a bag gives me the creeps. I know there are a lot worse things out there, so I have something to be grateful for. It can always be worse.


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## d0ug (Oct 21, 2014)

Glad to hear you are back to normal. Stay healthy and have fun.


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