ibs and now diverticulitis

new member here...

i have had ibs for 40 years.....it used to
be d mostly but has leaned towards
c lately.......lots of stress in my life the
past few years...

i just last week was at er with what i thought was appendicitis..
ct scan confirmed diverticulitis....

was on liquid diet for for several days...
while on that bm's passed smoothy with
quite an amount....

started low residue diet from mayo clinic a few
days ago and the bs's are smaller now....not eating
much as i am afraid...mainly a little applesauce..
bread and saltines to help with the nausea from
the cipro/flagyl combo i am on ...that finishes up
10 days today...

i am so paranoid about getting back to a smidge here
and a smidge there whic happened before this attack...
wondering if anyone here has any input as to if these
small movements are normal...at this point i am very
glad they are still soft...

thanks so much...

btw...i am 65...

thanks...susan

thanks so much sherry!

man..you have a full plate don't you
with diverticular disease ibs AND
crohn's! i am almost wondering if
i might be dealing with some crohn's
too...i suppose a colonoscopy is in order
when all this settles down..ugh!

no...i don't take fiber supplements...
i have to be so careful...my system
i am assuming like most..is very
sensitive and delicate!!!

someone had suggested colace...
any thoughts on that?

i am now thinking that the diverticulitis
caused the constipation and not my ibs too..
but it is so confusing....

i am hoping that some of this zinging
i am getting is from the cipro/flagyl and
will settle down....

i will be reading and checking in......no one
understands unless they themselves have been
there or are there...

thanks again....susan

hi sherry...

sorry about the crohn's/colitis confusion...
but bottom line is you have a lot to deal with...!

why can't you take colace? i have never tried
it but thought it might help when things settle down..

thanks..

susan xo

Sherry - they make Colace in two strengths, 50 and 100 mg. You often just see 100 mg on the shelf but 50 (pediatric dose) is available, ask your pharmacist if you ever want to try it.

I find that by taking two 50 mg a day is easier on my system, one 100 mg pill was just too much.

Most products do loosen me up and cause D. But Colace never has. It helps keep my stool consistent and on most good days, easily passed. Not that I ever struggle with Constipation. The stool stage I try to avoid is the putty or messy stage that goes on forever. 50 mg of Colace, spaced 12 hours apart seems to really help me. And I take it all because my GYN kept recommending it. Not my GI doc!

I didn't either! At first, but somewhere along the way a kind Pharmacist pointed this out to me.

Also, be VERY careful to buy only Colace, not generic. One time I started buying Kroger generic brand "Colace", 50 mg and my gut was such a rumbly mess. I couldn't figure it out until I began searching thru topics on this forum I believe. Generic brands, even at 50 mg, what you're considering, will contain senna and you do not want senna (I'm sure you're aware of this product, helpful for some of us but for me it made my gut worse, not better).

Now I pay the higher price for name brand, sometimes I can find it on the shelf at Walgreens or CVS, but never Kroger's. Kroger's will order it for you, but you have to wait 24-48 hours for it to come in. A few times I've gotten down to one or two capsules, which is when I discovered Walgreens carry 50 mg now (pricier than ordering thru a Pharmacy though).

Just watch out for generic and you'll be fine. I was surprised how mild 50 mg is, I cleared my calendar for a few days when I started it, I was so freaked out, expecting a total cleanout. Which didn't happen!

thanks all for the colace info....will keep
it in the back of my mind...for when things
calm down totally...

i have taken tagamet for years and for
some unknown reason it really helps with
ibs....while on the flagyl..pharmacy said
not tagamet/would interact...so put me on 40 mg
of pepcid....i asked if it was comparable to the 1200 mg
tagamet i was taking daily and they said a little low...
but 40 is what dr ordered...

it was also odd that i didn't start to feel any nausea
from the meds til i started to eat a little something...
i am now thinking it is the lack of tagamet...or maybe from
the pepcid itself...

meds ended sunday morning but i am still have
low gas pains...not severe ...but off and on....
if i expel gas or go to the bathroom, it passes...
trying to figure out if this is just part of the process
while my gut heals....there was quite a bit of inflammation
there per ct scan....

so i guess my question/s now is/are...

are residual gas pains normal after a diverticulitis attack?
does anyone have any input on the pepcid/tagamet thing?

i am thinking that my ibs is coming into play somehow
here ...dcos don't have much to offer....unfortunately...

on a good day..i am unlike most people...
should they get a stomach bug ..they bounce
back within a couple of days...for me it can
take 2 weeks...

i am still eating little amounts more often..
cream of rice...applesauce.....lightly toasted
bread with some apple jelly....pastina...maybe
a little canned peaches and i still have gas...
and several bms a day...small and soft...

i feel at this stage of the game being almost 65
i should be able to help others not keep asking for
help but this is all new to me and i am really
confused and that makes me anxious and we know
that anxiety is definitely an enemy here...

also..i am depressed from all this....

thanks again for any input....

xo susan

hi mookiemoomoo...

so sorry about the ongoing pain....i too have ibs and
just recently diverticulitis...i hear you regarding afraid
to eat....i think this is a process and it really takes a while
for things to get back to somewhat normal...but as this
is new to me...i am sure someone more *seasoned* on this
forum will answer you soon....

feel better...

susan

Fannierose, I hope you are feeling better at this point. Did your doctor say anything about perhaps taking probiotics after a course of harsh antibiotics; probiotics might help to restore the healthy bacteria in your guts, which are destroyed by antibiotics.

Mookiemoomoo, if that right sided pain continues please get to the doctor as soon as possible! My DH let his diviticulitis get so bad that he ended up with a perforated colon, you might need another CT scan to see what is going on and causing all that pain.

I hope both of you are feeling better and will keep us posted how you are doing.

Hi Michelle, DH first described the pain as feeling like pulled stomach muscles and his was on the left side. Later on, he said it felt like someone punched him in the stomach, that would wake him up in the middle of the night and that's when he finally admitted he was having problems. Yes, during times when there is no diverticular flare up, high fiber, lots of water and low fat is good but during a flare up, our GI said liquid diet or soft foods are better.

I do hope you get in to see the specialist soon and hope you feel better soon, keep us posted! Ruth