Diverticulitis and colectomy

No surgery but when I have an attack and take medication I think maybe having a colostomy may be ok. My first ended me up in the emergency room and hospitalized from hemorging

Thank you for sharing. I really appreciate it.

@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

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

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.

@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 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.

@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.

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.