Diverticulitis and colectomy

Hello @maet and welcome to Mayo Connect - I see that this is your first post and I am happy that you joined in this conversation and posted about your experience with diverticulitis. I think most of us can relate to the problem of taking Flagyl - it certainly does cause nausea and for me, at least, also diarrhea. Your dietary suggestions for preventing another diverticulitis attack are spot-on!

I noticed that you said that you had a "laparoscopic colon resection." I take it that means that there was no incision? If you are comfortable sharing more about this procedure, perhaps you could tell us more about what happens during this kind of procedure and what the recovery is like. One of the main goals at Connect is learning from each other's experiences.

I look forward to hearing from you again.

Teresa

After several bouts of diverticulitis over a few years, I had a laparoscopic colon resection at Mayo in AZ. Even with that, I still had a severe recurrence about 2 years later. As painful as the diverticulitis is, I think the side effects of the 2 antibiotics is worse. By trial and error, I found that taking a small amount of food before the flagyl and a small meal after, helps with the nausea. Eating 1 or 2 containers of Activia per day controls the diarrhea. Keeping your stools very soft is key to preventing an episode of diverticulitis. I follow a high fiber diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains and daily Activia and have not had another attack in 18 months. Hope this helps you.

@musicflower4u Wow you have a very sensitive Gi trac. My attacks were essentially nothing compared to yours. As I mentioned I haven't had an attack for years! I also do need and take MIralax daily and that satisfies my needs. But I take it only in water.

I had diverticulitis back in late 1990s. Ended up in bed for 10 days as abdomen was so painful I walked bent over to the bathroom. I had projectoral bleeding from rectum. Abdomen was swollen and hard. I was put on antibiotics. I attribute that horrible attack from eating two bags of popcorn. One of my GIs disputes that popcorn and nuts aggravate diverticulosis but I no longer eat popcorn or any kind of nuts as I have had problems every time I try to have even a little of those great treats. Nut butters are the only type of nuts I can eat. And buttered popcorn flavored jelly beans are the closest I get to that mouth-watering taste. I also have Miralax and Benefiber every day in my coffee without fail which keeps constipation in check.
Hope my story on this helps someone. I’ve had my intestinal problems - had bad case of C-Diff mid-1990s , and two years ago had bowel resection from neuroendocrine/Carcinoid Cancer.

@frane1939 Sorry to hear about your frequent attacks. When I was having maybe 1 or 2/.yr.. seeds didn't seem to precipitate an attack. But then everyone is different.. gailfaith

I had a portion of my colon removed and thought for sure that it would be the end of me having diverticulitis. There was one pocket left and my doctor said I would probably never have a problem with it. However, in a period of two weeks, I had diverticulitis again and was back in the hospital. I should mention that this was perhaps six months later as the pocket was found after a colonoscopy. I have since had perhaps six more episodes of diverticulitis and have tried to manage staying healthy be avoiding all fruits with small seeds, i.e., strawberries, blue berries, etc.; and, never forget my metamucil.

@kathymurphy55 I appreciate your sharing your experience. I am glad that you are doing better. Teresa

I had a colonoscopy a few years before and they told me I had Diverticuloses and explained what it was.
One day I had pain in my side and that night I woke up with blood all over the bed. I went to the bathroom and kept bleeding heavy until I felt faint. I called an ambulance and by the time it got her I quit bleeding. Good thing for I think I would have been a goner. They did a dye scan and found it to be Diverticuloses. I stayed in hospital 4 days getting two meds by iv . Got a yeast infection from meds. When I healed they did a colonoscopy.
Since then I got it 2 more times without bleeding and doctor called in the 2 meds by mouth and I got yeast infection all 3 times. Flagil (sp) is one and I can't remember the other.
I have been told many times I look like Patty Duke and I believe this is what she passed from

@kathymurphy55 That does sound serious. If you are comfortable sharing more: How long were you hospitalized for the hemorrhaging? Was it due to a perforated bowel? Do you have medication on hand that you take when the symptoms start?

I appreciate your sharing your experience. At Connect, we all learn from each other.

Teresa

Thank you for sharing. I really appreciate it.