Diverticulitis

Firstly, absolutely not asking for a diagnosis here but more if anyone has had the same symptoms and been diagnosed to see if I should get a second opinion.

Have had bloody stools, constant diarrhea and right side stomach pain with dizziness for 8 months plus. No food triggers, just after all food. No weight loss, if anything I can't lose weight despite trying.

Have had bloods which were relatively normal (slightly high hemoglobin and hemacrit) and a colonoscopy.
The colonoscopy showed diverticula scattered throughout my colon but no signs of inflammation at all.

Saw my GP to discuss the results and she has said I have diverticulitis and to have probiotics and avoid things like tomato seeds.

My question is, I've never had a severe flare like it seems is common for Diverticulitis brought on by seeds etc. It's a constant issue rather than incredibly painful bouts. Everything I've read on Diverticulitis sites and from others experiences suggests I have Diverticulosis which shouldn't cause any symptoms unless it's inflamed or infected, the colonoscopy shows it wasn't so in theory, it doesn't seem to be this causing my symptoms.

The doctor won't do a CT scan with contrast which seems to be the next step as she says the colonoscopy is the gold standard and hasn't at any point done a stool sample.

So my question is, should I get a second opinion? Do my symptoms match yours at all and what testing did you go through to get diagnosed?

Firstly, absolutely not asking for a diagnosis here but more if anyone has had the same symptoms and been diagnosed to see if I should get a second opinion.

Have had bloody stools, constant diarrhea and right side stomach pain with dizziness for 8 months plus. No food triggers, just after all food. No weight loss, if anything I can't lose weight despite trying.

Have had bloods which were relatively normal (slightly high hemoglobin and hemacrit) and a colonoscopy.
The colonoscopy showed diverticula scattered throughout my colon but no signs of inflammation at all.

Saw my GP to discuss the results and she has said I have diverticulitis and to have probiotics and avoid things like tomato seeds.

My question is, I've never had a severe flare like it seems is common for Diverticulitis brought on by seeds etc. It's a constant issue rather than incredibly painful bouts. Everything I've read on Diverticulitis sites and from others experiences suggests I have Diverticulosis which shouldn't cause any symptoms unless it's inflamed or infected, the colonoscopy shows it wasn't so in theory, it doesn't seem to be this causing my symptoms.

The doctor won't do a CT scan with contrast which seems to be the next step as she says the colonoscopy is the gold standard and hasn't at any point done a stool sample.

So my question is, should I get a second opinion? Do my symptoms match yours at all and what testing did you go through to get diagnosed?

I really think you should get a second opinion (that's my opinion) My boyfriend was just diagnosed with this and his gastro told him to just eat anything... we are being careful what he eats and definitely avoiding NSAIDS as they exasperate his problem..he got a medication from the doctor to take with an NSAID if he has to take one for his back pain and he does watch what he eats..his was diagnosed with a CT scan!! Prayers for you to get some answers!!

Definitely get a second opinion. First, along with your kidney, liver, your gallbladder is also on your right side. Are you having gallstones or any cancer marker testing?

No, she doesn't want to do any further testing as she has said it's definitely DV, I really felt I wasn't listened to at all when explaining the symptoms. The initial blood tests covered the usual plus bowel inflammation markers which were all clear. I'll definitely get a second opinion, whilst some symptoms seem to match DV the overall picture just doesn't! Thank you for your reply 🙂

Thank you so much! I will get a second opinion or at the very least a stool test! Sending love to your boyfriend, sounds like he's got the best support network 🙂

The episodes will keep happening no matter what. (Sad to say)
Will not matter what you eliminate or add to your diet.
You should check with your doctor.

For me it had gotten to the point where I finally decided to have surgery to remove that part of the colon.

I had my surgery 5 months ago. My quality of life has definitely improved. Last year I had too many visits to the ER, constant pain on my lower left side and constantly felt sick from the strong antibiotics. The surgeon was worried my bowel might perforate and wanted to do the surgery before that happened, so it was an easy decision for me.
The hardest thing to deal with is probably getting my system to be more regular. At first I had to go (BM) at random times all day long. That got somewhat better, but my digestive system is still messed up. I was having issues before surgery as well so not sure how much is surgery related and how much is just me.
The pain was manageable so I didn’t need to take pain pills very long. I was in the hospital for 3 days.
I would say overall that my biggest struggle is knowing what I can eat and what to avoid. The surgeon said I can eat whatever I want but my gut doesn’t agree. For example, a couple of weeks ago I ordered a salad for the first time. It tasted so good. But the next day I had diarrhea all day. This has happened a few other times, especially the day after eating a lot of fruits and vegetables. I need the fiber but I haven’t quite figured out what I can tolerate.
I had robotic surgery so my recovery time was quicker than if they would have had to cut me open. They can never know for sure until they get in there and see the damage. There was a lot of diverticulitis in the portion they removed.
I couldn’t continue living like I was so I know I made the right decision. Now I just have to get my system regulated. I’m hoping my doctor can give me guidance at my next appointment.
I hope this helped. I know others on here have had different experiences so hopefully you’ll get information from them as well.
I’m happy to answer any other questions you might have. Good luck in whatever you decide. I’d love to know how things turn out for you.