# IBS and diverticulitis advice (and strong smell)



## glenn75 (Feb 3, 2012)

Hi, I'm Glenn, 36 and a elementary school teacher. I signed up on this sight to try to get some advice from anyone else suffering from the symptoms that I am going through. In 2010 I was diagnosed with diverticulitis. My gastro-doctor told me to take a high fiber diet and try a probiotic like Align. I was also diagnosed with IBS. In the last month or two, in addition to periodic diverticulitis flare-ups, I've been noticing a very strong smell from my abdomen. This is something that when I first noticed, I was at school and honestly thought my dress pants just needed a dry clean or something. But it's become more noticeable to me.... I even smell it when in bed. It doesn't matter if I have regular bowel movements or diarrhea... the smell is there when I use the bathroom... but also there just walking around, sitting around, etc. The smell is very hard to describe... I guess I would say it is most like rotten eggs, if I had to give some sort of description. My doctor gave me a bacterial breath test about a month ago... but it came back negative. Is there another test that should be run? I started taking dicyclomine for when diverticulitis flare-ups occur, along with Librax (for, I guess, relaxing the brain/stomach connection). Could anyone guess what this smell could be? I'm worried that something "burst" in my intestines or something... I know that sounds crazy, but I'm picturing something "leaking" into my bloodstream causing this smell. I realize how ridiculous that might sound... Any help would greatly be appreciated. Thanks,Glenn


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## AIRPLANE (Mar 15, 2004)

The only thing that comes to mind is a fistula although I'm not sure about it coming from the abdomen though it certainly could be possible. Usually, with diverticulitis, if a fistula forms it goes from the sigmoid colon (that's the lower left where diverticulosis/diverticulitis seems to occur most frequently) to the bladder so the gas would leak through the urinary tract. A fistula is an abnormal opening that can occur from weak/inflamed areas. Besides diverticulitis, people with inflammatory bowel conditions are prone to them. I myself had very distinct symptoms of one after having surgery but was not able to get a diagnosis. There are tests for them but unfortunately they can be difficult to detect because the hole can go through various stages- it can be larger at times and then partially close or be blocked by edema so lucky timing can play a part in getting a diagnosis. The only tests I know of are ones where they insert dye into a suspected area and then watch for it to come out somewhere else.


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## maitland (Dec 23, 2011)

glenn75 said:


> Hi, I'm Glenn, 36 and a elementary school teacher. I signed up on this sight to try to get some advice from anyone else suffering from the symptoms that I am going through. In 2010 I was diagnosed with diverticulitis. My gastro-doctor told me to take a high fiber diet and try a probiotic like Align. I was also diagnosed with IBS. In the last month or two, in addition to periodic diverticulitis flare-ups, I've been noticing a very strong smell from my abdomen. This is something that when I first noticed, I was at school and honestly thought my dress pants just needed a dry clean or something. But it's become more noticeable to me.... I even smell it when in bed. It doesn't matter if I have regular bowel movements or diarrhea... the smell is there when I use the bathroom... but also there just walking around, sitting around, etc. The smell is very hard to describe... I guess I would say it is most like rotten eggs, if I had to give some sort of description. My doctor gave me a bacterial breath test about a month ago... but it came back negative. Is there another test that should be run? I started taking dicyclomine for when diverticulitis flare-ups occur, along with Librax (for, I guess, relaxing the brain/stomach connection). Could anyone guess what this smell could be? I'm worried that something "burst" in my intestines or something... I know that sounds crazy, but I'm picturing something "leaking" into my bloodstream causing this smell. I realize how ridiculous that might sound... Any help would greatly be appreciated. Thanks,Glenn


if you had a hole in your intestine or something was leaking in to the blood like bacteria this is called sepsis and you would now be in the hospital on the critical list....have u been out of the country on vacation or anything...eaten some strange new foods recently?


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