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Does anyone know the symptoms of Diverticulitis???

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Posted 7/27/2008 12:40 PM (GMT 0)
My husband mentioned someone having Diverticulitis and I read about it as I thought it was not a serious issue and it mentions that you can have gas and cramping along with the feeling of being feverish even when you are not. Bloating is also a symptom. I've read tenderness in the lower left portion of your side is also a symptom. And if a person does not consume enough fiber, drink enough water, eat enough fruit and vegetables rich in fiber, or use fiber supplements, that is what can cause the diverticuli to become inflamed and they can burst thus leading to peritonitis throughout your abdomen which is fatal.

Now I'm scared of this and am afraid this diverticulitis is what I might have. And I still notice the offensive odor in my stool, well, in what is on the toilet paper anyway, and wonder if that was caused by the klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria I developed in the urinary tract. If it can get outside your intestines and into your urinary tract I would think you could have it in your bowel area also. I'm now have been a nutcase since reading this last night. But regardless, I was on the correct anitbiotic for even the diverticulitis by being on the Ciprofloxacin 500mg a day for a week.

The only reason I looked that up is because a weatherman here on our local news was being treated in the hospital for diverticulitis and had been able to come home only to die overnight at home the next night. I've noticed my left side is a bit tender but it has been in the past. And at certain times my entire lower pelvic area below the navel appears tender to the touch, but I am still having female bleeding issues.

And why do they attribute everything to do with bloating and gas to be something horrible that can cause something even more horrible? I was attributing the tenderness all across my abdomen being tied in with when my menstrual bleeding started. Since that is the only time it is present it seems. I need to quit reading this stuff. Has anyone on here had this?

Posted 7/27/2008 2:31 PM (GMT 0)
First, some definitions. Diverticulosis is a condition where you have multiple outpouchings of the colon wall (sort of like small appendices.) It is very common in adults. When the pouches become infected, it is diverticulosis. The symptoms are similar to appendicitis: fever, abdominal pain, elevated white blood count. It can be treated with antibiotics; if it's really bad and there's danger of rupture, the affected area of the colon can be surgically removed. My mother had diverticulitis once, and she was really sick - vomiting, fever, very severe pain.

If you've had a colonoscopy recently, it should tell whether you have diverticuli or not. They're very visible through the scope and will usually be noted as an incidental finding in the report. And yes, cruising the internet reading about symptoms is a really bad idea for those of us already anxious about our health. Better we should read the humor sites, or recipes, or any other topic than health.
Posted 7/27/2008 3:23 PM (GMT 0)

 I suffered with diverticulosis for many years. They are weak areas in the colon usually on the left side. When they become infected it is then refered to as diverticulitis. You can develop a mild fever when this occurs. Your first paragraph pretty much sums up the the entire condition. Most people in the western world have diverticuli and don't even know it. This is due to our bad diet.

 This is a condition that if not taken seriously may lead to complication including peritonitis.

 HOWEVER, I cannot believe that your local weather man died "overnight" from this condition. 

 As I stated I had this condition for many years and at one point my colon did perforate. I was lucky though and it sealed itself. The weak spot still remained however and I elected to have it surgically repaired a few years later. They just remove the weakened area of the colon and reattach it. It was a fairly easy operation and recovery was easy.

 Now after saying all of that let me try to shed some light on this condition (in my case). I was dx with UC 2004. The GI I see seems to feel that I probably had UC long before Dx. Had no symptons though. Which led to my colon being weakened by the ulcers that led to diverticular forming. I noticed in your signature you were dx with UC in 1986.

As Judy stated a colonscopy will reveal these diverticuli. Watch your use of antibotics if you do suffer from this condition. They may help your div. but can effect your UC. This is a condition to be aware of and concerned about but I feel you may be entering into panic mode over. Of the two I take div. over UC anyday thats curable. Take a deep breath and relax.

Posted 7/27/2008 4:19 PM (GMT 0)
When was your last c-scope? This is one instance where a barium enema would reveal the diverticulum if you have it, or a sig-scope.

Call your doctor anyway and make an appointment to discuss the possibility of it.

quincy
Posted 7/27/2008 4:57 PM (GMT 0)
My MIL has diverticulosis and she got a perforated bowel and went in for emergency surgery to wear a bag for just over a yr...so diverticulosis can be very serious...you have to be especially careful not to eat nuts/seeds as they can easily get trapped in the "fingers" and cause complications and alot of discomfort.

Here's a really good link..

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/diverticulosis/

:)

Posted 7/28/2008 12:34 AM (GMT 0)
When I had my attacks, as you mentioned, the pain was always on the lower left side. During my worst attack, I could barely stand; much less walk. Unfortunately, I have a very high pain tolerance and a lot of my diverticulitis attacks went untreated which led to me having fistulas to the bladder for which I had to have a resection done.
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