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diverticular disease and irritable bowel? which is causing what?

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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Posted 1/31/2013 11:08 PM (GMT 0)
Brand new to this site but it seemed very helpful so I registered.  Last few years have had several CT scans, MRIs, PetScans, etc.   all with the result that I have severe diverticular disease and irritable bowel.  Was recently on antibiotics for an ear infection and my colon has not settled down for two weeks.  Bouts of severe right sided pain (which is not new to me) and constipation with lots of gas.   Have been taking stool softners and Citrucel and finally today was able to have a decent size BM.  But the pain and gassiness are still with me.  Up until today I have been on a fairly normal diet but looks like I will have to go back to liquids or soft bland foods (mostly crackers, chicken noodle soup and jello).  And my glass of wine with dinner will be just a memory.   Anyway, it feels good to post this to a place where people understand what I'm talking about.  confused

 

Posted 1/31/2013 11:37 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome to Healing Well, gammyjoan! I'm glad you registered. Have you every had a colonoscopy? The reason I ask is there are diseases of the small bowel and colon that cannot always be detected on CTs, MRIs, or PET scans. What symtpoms led to you getting all the scans in the first place? Just pain? Did you have other symptoms?

Without a colonoscopy, a doctor cannot diagnosis someone with IBS. IBS is only diagnosed by eliminating all other possibilities of ones GI problems. I look forward to hearing from you.
Posted 1/31/2013 11:59 PM (GMT 0)
Should have mentioned......colonoscopies every year for the last five or so.   Always the same....diverticulosis.

The irritable bowel is questionable to me as until recently I have never had a problem with either D or C.  The C is something relatively new.   Mostly now I am having very low abdominal pain which begins on the right side but travels across the abdomen.  Can almost track the movement of the bowel.  Also until today the BMs have been hard, pebble like.    I do thank you for your response.  All suggestions are welcome.

Posted 2/1/2013 12:01 AM (GMT 0)
Also should mention that Doc has diagnosed me with diverticulitis on two occasions , by phone and prescribed antibiotics.  But I have never had a fever with any of this.
Posted 2/1/2013 12:29 AM (GMT 0)
I have Diverticular disease as well as IBS. My IBS is mainly D and related to what I consume. But when my DD acts up, I get severe pain and constipation as well. I've been to the ER twice for pain control, but I've never ran a fever either.

What's your diet like in general? Do you avoid the major no-no foods for DD? Seeds, nuts, corn, celery etc?
Posted 2/1/2013 1:50 AM (GMT 0)
I try to stay away from chocolate, never eat nuts (took me a while to know that even 2 peanuts could cause an attack),hardly ever eat corn (one ear maybe once a season, and I pay for that) never seeds and really just found out that celery could be a trigger. Doc also suggested I could be lactose intolerant so I use only Lactaid or Almond milk. Oh, and red meat can also cause problems.

My biggest fear is that I will wind up in an emergency room sometime as these attacks are becoming more frequent. It is always a battle between too much or not enough fiber. Everything seems to be trial and error.
Posted 2/1/2013 1:17 PM (GMT 0)
I hear you on that one! I battle with the fiber issue too on a daily basis. If I eat too much fiber, it bothers one condition but helps the other and visa versa.

But don't be afraid of the ER, if you need to go, you need to go and they will get you feeling better again. The last time I went, it was just for a little pickle seed! I felt like slapping myself for forgetting.....but at least the morphine took the pain away :)
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