it was recommended to me, after 3 attacks of diverticulitis over 3 years, to have the surgery to remove the bad section, namely the sigmoid. I was scheduled and chickened out...I thought it sounded too extreme and I could control it with diet. Fast forward to this year, and I've had the most severe attack so far, and it's been an awful 6 weeks. I'm on my 3rd course of antibiotics, too. Yuck! Anyways, I think I have accepted I am going to have the surgery. I would like to hear from others what to expect and how the recovery will be. I'm a 64 yr old active female, and the thought of being down and out and devastating to me, but I can't deal with any more attacks! Thanks!
I had about 10 inces of my Sigmoid removed 7 years ago after having constant Diverticulitis. They were able to go in and remove the most diseased part of my sigmoid without a bag to wear afterwords. I was a very active 68 year old woman that was sick of being sick. For me, the surgery wasn't bad. I had a good colorectal surgeon that did it laprascopy. I never had alot of pain. I healed fairly fast and had to let my guts settle out and learn how to function without part of their sigmoid colon. My bowels were a little unpredictable but that settled out pretty fast. The surgery never made me nauseated or feel bad. Godbless Laprascopic surgery! You do have to be careful because you tend to forget that even though they didn't open you up, you have been through major surgery and need to take it slow for a while. If I had to, I would do the surgery again rather than risk a severe infection and perforation in the Diverticulum that results in a permanent bag after surgery. That's what happened to a friend of mine.
it was recommended to me, after 3 attacks of diverticulitis over 3 years, to have the surgery to remove the bad section, namely the sigmoid. I was scheduled and chickened out...I thought it sounded too extreme and I could control it with diet. Fast forward to this year, and I've had the most severe attack so far, and it's been an awful 6 weeks. I'm on my 3rd course of antibiotics, too. Yuck! Anyways, I think I have accepted I am going to have the surgery. I would like to hear from others what to expect and how the recovery will be. I'm a 64 yr old active female, and the thought of being down and out and devastating to me, but I can't deal with any more attacks! Thanks!
At age 78, I had an emergency colectomy in mid-November after perforation of my sigmoid during a severe attack of diverticulitis. I had no choice. Frankly, I'm glad it happened. Now at the beginning of March I've returned to normal and am thrilled to know that I will never be tormented again. It is a routine operation. Consider it.
I stay away from nuts, seeds and popcorn. My provider has now put me on a lo-fiber/soft diet which consists of applesauce, cottage cheese, yogurt, pasta and rice for the most part. I do eat chicken and fist at times, too. Any deviation and I start getting "full." I'm pretty set to going ahead with the surgery, I feel like I'm a ticking time bomb. I would really like to hear from someone who's been through it so I have some idea what to expect going through it and the recovery, and afterwards as well.
it was recommended to me, after 3 attacks of diverticulitis over 3 years, to have the surgery to remove the bad section, namely the sigmoid. I was scheduled and chickened out...I thought it sounded too extreme and I could control it with diet. Fast forward to this year, and I've had the most severe attack so far, and it's been an awful 6 weeks. I'm on my 3rd course of antibiotics, too. Yuck! Anyways, I think I have accepted I am going to have the surgery. I would like to hear from others what to expect and how the recovery will be. I'm a 64 yr old active female, and the thought of being down and out and devastating to me, but I can't deal with any more attacks! Thanks!
I also was recommended surgery, but I am still considering it. Have severe diverticulosis in the sigmoid, but I never had diverticulitis. What is your diet? I have been better with cooked vegetables, specially beets, spinach, green beans, carrots, turnips, etc., I eat fruits and have curcuma supplements. Fish and chicken. Lots of chicken broth.
it was recommended to me, after 3 attacks of diverticulitis over 3 years, to have the surgery to remove the bad section, namely the sigmoid. I was scheduled and chickened out...I thought it sounded too extreme and I could control it with diet. Fast forward to this year, and I've had the most severe attack so far, and it's been an awful 6 weeks. I'm on my 3rd course of antibiotics, too. Yuck! Anyways, I think I have accepted I am going to have the surgery. I would like to hear from others what to expect and how the recovery will be. I'm a 64 yr old active female, and the thought of being down and out and devastating to me, but I can't deal with any more attacks! Thanks!
Just wanted to add... I've had a left hemicolectomy (section of colon removed) 14 years ago and it improved my bouts of diverticulitis to a level of that I feel I've not had a single episode. A colonoscopy last month shows diverticulosis throughout my remaining colon. I eat nuts daily but not many seeds. I NEVER, NEVER EAT POPCORN NOW. The last time I ate it my attack was so severe I had to be hospitalized for 3 days. It was then I scheduled the hemicolectomy. Good luck to all.
Has anybody stopped the antibiotics before the required 10 days for diverticulitis? Had my first attack last month, 10 miserable days of nausea, lightheadedness, no appetite. 3 weeks later, another one. Back on a 10 day course I have read that sometimes you dont need them. To give it a few days to pass. I am thinking of stopping them after 4 days. My pain is gone, and I'm losing too much weight. I have also noticed white spots in my stool. Candida?
I'm sorry to hear that you are dealing with yet another bout of diverticulitis. Yes, I do know that the antibiotic treatment can have very difficult side effects. I have a very difficult time with the antibiotic Flagyl which is often used for diverticulitis. This may be what you were using. It does cause problems for a lot of people.
Before discontinuing treatment you need to talk with the prescribing doctor and explain the problems you are having with the current antibiotic. He/she is best able to decide if you need to try a different med or not.
From my reading about diverticulitis, I know that some people do wait it out for a few days before starting antibiotics. If you are able to get bed rest and drink fluids for a couple of days, you might be able to arrest the diverticulitis. However, it does require complete rest with your feet up, and a liquid diet for at least the first day and then a very soft diet after that.
Please discuss this with your doctor, though, before trying to cure this on your own. I look forward to hearing how you are doing.
Hello @s35flyer, I would like to join John @johnbishop, in welcoming you to Mayo Clinic Connect. I had to smile when you wrote, "It’s really messed up my life." Most of us with diverticulitis attacks feel the same way.
The lifestyle changes needed to deal with diverticulitis are necessary and need to be a permanent change in order to be effective in preventing further attacks. Most of us try to avoid major changes, if at all possible so I understand what you are saying.
Get as much information as you can on avoiding constipation which is the key. The right kinds of foods are important and they change as well. When you are in the middle of an attack you are best with using mostly liquids. As you begin to recover you can then add some soft foods like scrambled eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc. After that, you can begin to add fiber back into your diet as you tolerate it. Also, don't forget to drink lots of water.
Another suggestion is to look for trigger foods that might be upsetting to the sigmoid part of the colon. This is different for everyone. Some of my triggers are coffee (and I really do love coffee) carbonated beverages and there are others.
Keeping a food journal will help you to find these trigger foods that exacerbate your diverticulitis symptoms. By writing down everything you eat you can tell when you have a trigger food because you will feel the discomfort.
Have you discovered any answers yet to trigger foods?
Has anybody stopped the antibiotics before the required 10 days for diverticulitis? Had my first attack last month, 10 miserable days of nausea, lightheadedness, no appetite. 3 weeks later, another one. Back on a 10 day course I have read that sometimes you dont need them. To give it a few days to pass. I am thinking of stopping them after 4 days. My pain is gone, and I'm losing too much weight. I have also noticed white spots in my stool. Candida?
Hi I had segmoudectomy 3 weeks ago. DONT do it. I wish someone told me that. I will regret this the rest of my life. Check out other options I had mild diverticulitis!
What are your results from this surgery? My doctor has been saying it’s the “only cure” for diverticulitis even though I don’t consider mine to be that drastic at this point in time. If she indeed recommends a sigmiodectomy I will seek another opinion. I just want to hear other patients take on this.
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I had about 10 inces of my Sigmoid removed 7 years ago after having constant Diverticulitis. They were able to go in and remove the most diseased part of my sigmoid without a bag to wear afterwords. I was a very active 68 year old woman that was sick of being sick. For me, the surgery wasn't bad. I had a good colorectal surgeon that did it laprascopy. I never had alot of pain. I healed fairly fast and had to let my guts settle out and learn how to function without part of their sigmoid colon. My bowels were a little unpredictable but that settled out pretty fast. The surgery never made me nauseated or feel bad. Godbless Laprascopic surgery! You do have to be careful because you tend to forget that even though they didn't open you up, you have been through major surgery and need to take it slow for a while. If I had to, I would do the surgery again rather than risk a severe infection and perforation in the Diverticulum that results in a permanent bag after surgery. That's what happened to a friend of mine.
At age 78, I had an emergency colectomy in mid-November after perforation of my sigmoid during a severe attack of diverticulitis. I had no choice. Frankly, I'm glad it happened. Now at the beginning of March I've returned to normal and am thrilled to know that I will never be tormented again. It is a routine operation. Consider it.
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1 ReactionI stay away from nuts, seeds and popcorn. My provider has now put me on a lo-fiber/soft diet which consists of applesauce, cottage cheese, yogurt, pasta and rice for the most part. I do eat chicken and fist at times, too. Any deviation and I start getting "full." I'm pretty set to going ahead with the surgery, I feel like I'm a ticking time bomb. I would really like to hear from someone who's been through it so I have some idea what to expect going through it and the recovery, and afterwards as well.
I also was recommended surgery, but I am still considering it. Have severe diverticulosis in the sigmoid, but I never had diverticulitis. What is your diet? I have been better with cooked vegetables, specially beets, spinach, green beans, carrots, turnips, etc., I eat fruits and have curcuma supplements. Fish and chicken. Lots of chicken broth.
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it was recommended to me, after 3 attacks of diverticulitis over 3 years, to have the surgery to remove the bad section, namely the sigmoid. I was scheduled and chickened out...I thought it sounded too extreme and I could control it with diet. Fast forward to this year, and I've had the most severe attack so far, and it's been an awful 6 weeks. I'm on my 3rd course of antibiotics, too. Yuck! Anyways, I think I have accepted I am going to have the surgery. I would like to hear from others what to expect and how the recovery will be. I'm a 64 yr old active female, and the thought of being down and out and devastating to me, but I can't deal with any more attacks! Thanks!
Just wanted to add... I've had a left hemicolectomy (section of colon removed) 14 years ago and it improved my bouts of diverticulitis to a level of that I feel I've not had a single episode. A colonoscopy last month shows diverticulosis throughout my remaining colon. I eat nuts daily but not many seeds. I NEVER, NEVER EAT POPCORN NOW. The last time I ate it my attack was so severe I had to be hospitalized for 3 days. It was then I scheduled the hemicolectomy. Good luck to all.
Yes, I had 13 inches of my colon removed because of diverticulitis (2007) have had one attack since then.
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1 Reaction@beckyt
I'm sorry to hear that you are dealing with yet another bout of diverticulitis. Yes, I do know that the antibiotic treatment can have very difficult side effects. I have a very difficult time with the antibiotic Flagyl which is often used for diverticulitis. This may be what you were using. It does cause problems for a lot of people.
Before discontinuing treatment you need to talk with the prescribing doctor and explain the problems you are having with the current antibiotic. He/she is best able to decide if you need to try a different med or not.
From my reading about diverticulitis, I know that some people do wait it out for a few days before starting antibiotics. If you are able to get bed rest and drink fluids for a couple of days, you might be able to arrest the diverticulitis. However, it does require complete rest with your feet up, and a liquid diet for at least the first day and then a very soft diet after that.
Please discuss this with your doctor, though, before trying to cure this on your own. I look forward to hearing how you are doing.
Will you post again?
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2 ReactionsHas anybody stopped the antibiotics before the required 10 days for diverticulitis? Had my first attack last month, 10 miserable days of nausea, lightheadedness, no appetite. 3 weeks later, another one. Back on a 10 day course I have read that sometimes you dont need them. To give it a few days to pass. I am thinking of stopping them after 4 days. My pain is gone, and I'm losing too much weight. I have also noticed white spots in my stool. Candida?
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionWhat are your results from this surgery? My doctor has been saying it’s the “only cure” for diverticulitis even though I don’t consider mine to be that drastic at this point in time. If she indeed recommends a sigmiodectomy I will seek another opinion. I just want to hear other patients take on this.