# New here and recent Diverticulitis episode has me freaked out



## iluvchicago (Apr 1, 2013)

Hi everyone, thanks for being here!

I have been working with a GI doc recently to diagnose my belly pain. I have been so desensitized by this pain I am embarrassed. I have had it for a very long time, as in years, and have done nothing about it. I am a working Mom who has two younger children. I am also a cancer survivor (uterine) and have had to deal with that. So like everyone else in the world I am busy and have ignored this part of my health. I eat a diet that is very healthy and high fiber - always have.

About a year ago I had extreme left quandrant bowel pain with a fever of a 103.5. I was admitted to the hospital and dx'd with diverticulitis (CT scan). I followed up with a GI doc about 6 months after the episode....and he wanted me to have a colonoscopy. I had the colonscopy last Fall and he was unable to complete it with both the regular size endoscope and the peds endoscope, I kept waking up under twilight sedation (in extreme pain). He ordered a barium enema. I waited about 2 months to do that study and when I finally did I was in excruciating pain (I did it 3 weeks ago) during the prep and during the procedure. I followed up with him last Friday and he told me that I have diverticulosis and IBS, along with polyps. He also said that I have several "pretzel turns" in my colon which is what made the last colonoscopy so difficult. He recommended that I do a colonoscopy under general anesthesia now that he knows what my bowel looks like. He added that adhesions are more than likely involved here too (I had 2 c-sec as well).

Monday of this week I was admitted to the hospital with diverticulitis again. It was 23 hour stay, I had a CT to confirm the DX. I am currently at home resting, drinking fluids and on Flagyl and Cipro. My doc says that I am probably going to have to have a sigmoid resection because I am "young". WHAT???????

Now all of a sudden I am flipping out.

Anyone have any advice or gone through something like this? BTW, my brother is a GI pathologist and he agreed that having my sigmoid colon out would be a prudent course of action based on my history. My doctors are at a major teaching hospital and known for their GI expertise.

Thanks for being here. If I am supposed to post this somewhere else, please let me know. I can't find a diverticulitis forum out there.


----------



## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Usually everyone gets some diverticuli (may never become infected) if they become elderly enough.

But some people have a weak area in the colon and so get them early and because it isn't good to go through infection after infection after infection and they can perforate the colon if they get too weak, which makes for a life and death infection, they do sometimes just remove the weak section at a time of your choosing when you are healthy and strong rather than wait until you get into really bad trouble and may be too sick for them to do much but hope they can pump enough antibiotics into you.

If you start having issues when you are 80 and the chances are it will be 30 years before something deadly happens, they don't do much as you'll die of something else first. But if you are young and likely to get into life/death situation in the next 20-30 years they usually feel better to intervene and make sure the really bad thing can't happen. That is why they are more aggressive in treating this when you are fairly young.


----------



## BVan (Apr 6, 2013)

I am 50 years old and had a sigmoid resection for diverticulitis in July of 2010. I went through an intense process involving consulting other professionals, doing my own research, talking to family, and a lot of prayer to make the decision to have it, as I was pretty terrified. Ultimately the reasons to have it (to deal with the problem now, in a planned way, rather than perhaps having to face it as an emergency situation) outweighed my fears -- though I was still afraid of the surgery, I won't lie! I had not ever had to be hospitalized with an episode, as you have, but had had recurring infections with pain, constipation, and occasionally fever for about a year. My surgery went well, and while I can't say everything about my digestion now is always perfect (or I probably wouldn't be on this site!) I have had no recurrences of diverticulitis as of this writing.


----------



## iluvchicago (Apr 1, 2013)

Thank you for your perspective. I really appreciate it. As the days have gone by I have become more comfortable with the idea and now I am looking forward to it. I am glad to hear that you feel better. My GI Doc said I will still have IBS, but I can deal with that. I don't want to keep having episodes where I am in pain and have fevers as high as 103.


----------



## Patricia mary (Nov 15, 2014)

Hi i am new to this forum my self and looking for some info. There was blood found in my stool ,8 mnths ago went for the colon and the one down the throat, i had the worst exoerience mysrlf, woke up screaming with pain, he said he was lucky to get inn 12 inches, well he said im a hot mess and i do have dvt. I asked him to get rid of the diseasrd colon, mind u i have alot of flare ups and i also go on the antibiotis, my point is i dont want to wait until im 60 yrs old. I want it done now,, im 53 and cant stsnd the constant pain on my left side and lower abdoman.. Should i see another dr.. Im tiered and scared. Will surgrey get rid of tje psin on left side...


----------

