Diverticulitis--anyone with experience?
 

Back in October, I had an attack of diverticulitis that put me in the hospital for four days. A CAT scan revealed a perforation of the sigmoid colon, so I was put on an IV, kept off food, and fed a stream of antibiotics to kill the infection. The surgeon on call indicated that I would certainly need surgery a few months later to remove a length of the sigmoid colon, although he admitted that surgeons usually recommend surgery in the same way that Midas recommends new brakes. He said that there was really no cancer risk.

When I consulted my regular gastro guy a few weeks later, he seemed skeptical about the need for surgery. He said he understood the surgeon's point of view--that removal of the troubled area (though it is now healed, as indicated by my symptom-free life since the attack) might be a pre-emptive strike (hope I have not crossed the no-political threshold there); on the other hand, it's major abdominal surgery, and there are always risks. When I asked him the fateful question, "So doc, what if it were YOUR colon?" he answered, honestly I thought, that he truly did not know what he would do, though there is a temptation to leave well enough alone. Since this attack, I have modified my diet to restrict foods that might pose a threat--nuts, popcorn, heavily greasy fare.

My question is for anyone who has had a similar experience, or knows anyone who has: What wisdom can you offer me? Do you recommend the knife, or not? Thanks.

Joe B.

I went through this at a young age, 21, in 1986. No one gets diverticulitis or diverticulosis when they are in their twenties!

Anyway, since I was so young the quacks at the hospital were sure it was kidney stones and they sent me home to pee in a strainer. I came back two days later when the pain was still there, and they admitted me. Two days after that, I spiked a fever and my gut swelled up like a big balloon, real hard like a balloon that is about to bust. I went in for emergency exploratory surgery.

I woke up in intensive care, split open down the middle from the bottom of my sternum to just above you-know-where. There were four big stiches holding me together, i wasn't zipped up permanently, because in six weeks they were going to have to operate again. You see, I woke up with a temporary colostomy. They had to make sure the perforated part of my colon (which caused peritonitis) could heal, then they put me back together again. I would hate to go through that hell again.

At the point where my stoma was, years later I developed a hernia. I lived with it, and off and on I would have more diverticulitis attacks. I would go to the Dr., tell him what was happening and get some strong antibiotics and it would go away. Finally in may of 99 I had a REALLY bad attack that put me back in the hospital. I had the hernia repaired, and I have not had any problems since then. I was told if I ever DID have anymore problems, I would most like lose the rest of my colon and have a permanent colostomy. When I had my first colostomy I told myself that if it ever happened to me permanently I would rather die. Of course I was young back then, and my attitude has changed drastically.

Be careful. I wouldn't have the surgery unless it was absolutely a medical necessity. Sounds like yours is not at this time. Keep getting check ups though because people with this problem develop polyps and you know what that leads to.

I was told to avoid popcorn, nuts, and especially sesame seeds. Stick to a high fiber, low residue diet and I would be fine. I've strayed from that considerably over the years (except for the fiber part) and I have been fine in that department, knock on wood. My most pressing problem at the moment is heart disease.

Good luck to you. :)

Should only people with certain problems like this avoid seeds? I eat nuts and seeds quite a bit, especially sunflower seeds.

Gilly

I you have any kind of digestive problem, especially stuff like IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) it would be prudent to avoid seeds, nuts, popcorn, and foods that leave a high amount of residue, like milk. I love milk and I never was able to wean myself away from that. If you do have those problems and still want to indulge in cashews or have a burger with a sesame seed bun now and then, stick to a high fiber diet. I don't wanna sound gross or anything but if you do get a seed or nut or something lodged against the wall of your colon, a high fiber diet should help to clean that stuff out pretty well.

The value of second opinions
 

My wife suffers from the same condition. She had a recent flare-up and we are waiting for test results.

Using my own experience as a guideline (I was diagnosed with a pituitary tumor) I would seek yet another opinion. Right now you have a tie of sorts. The surgeon recommends surgery, the gastro says no to surgery.

How about geting a tie-breaker?

In my case, getting the tie breaker resulted in my receiving the correct (and less intrusive) treatment for my condiiton.

Good luck.

Joe,
I don't know if this will help or not but I have read that lots of fiber will help cleanse the colon. We have been told to eat lots of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables by most health authorities. Also, drinking a lot of water will help keep your system clean. I personally put back at least a gallon a day. I know water doesn't taste good - but it is a small price to pay for good health.
I eat oatmeal for breakfast - with prunes and blueberries mixed in. Prunes and blueberries are the highest food in antioxidants - these have shown to prevent cancer. Try to avoid flour products that are bleached - that is all the fiber and nutrients have been removed. Also, are you taking a multi-vitamin everyday? This is cheap insurance against all the processed food we all consume.

Good Luck!
Robert Davis

Can't help you with any useful advice, Joe. Sorry. But your chronic illness reminded me of an interesting time in my life that I hope will amuse you a bit.

I taught human A&P in a JuCo for a while. A good friend of mine was a pathologist. He and I were indulging in brain-killing adult beverages one time and I mentioned that I thought it was too bad I couldn't use primate tissues and organs for gross anatomy lab since health professionals probably wouldn't be concerned about sheep brains and pig eyes. He said he had just the thing and told me he had all sorts of pickled spare parts that I could have. Also lots of X-Ray film. He said he'd remove any identifying information from the (patient confidentiality) and give me a trunk-load of pieces and parts.

A few days later he called and asked that I meet him in the parking lot of the JuCo so he could give me his largesse. I got hearts, brains, muscles of various limbs, bones long and flat, and a bunch of organs and guts. Many of them were diseased, which brings me to your malady. he pulled a section of dieseased intestine out of a Vlasic pickle jar (really) and showed me so X-Rays of the same tissue inside of the previous owner.

So here we were standing in a parking lot looking at jars of pickled guts and he says, "What do you think a deputy sheriff would think of this?" So we closed everything up and carried it into the lab.

Robert a high fiber is probably a no-no for people suffering from diverticulitis, especially during a flare up.

Water tastes good--where do you live that water tastes bad? :rolleyes:

Hi fiber is a no-no, at least while the inflammation is still present. After it has healed, I was told that high fiber was a good idea; ditto water.

Joe B.

Thanks to all for your thoughtful remarks. I think eliminating seeds and nuts is probably the sort of change that could prevent a reoccurence and (I hope) make surgery unnecessary.

Joe B.

I was amused, B. The image of two guys perusing the inner organs of various folks--in a parking lot, no less--was quite comical. How WOULD one explain that should the constable have shown up.

Joe B.

Joe,

Thanks for sharing this story. If you haven’t done so already talk with a nutritionist about dietary choices. Following is information that was recommended to me: There are lots of foods which are hard to digest, and which put higher demands on your organs, such as processed foods, fatty foods, and foods (such as nuts) which don’t readily brake down are at the top of this list. Gather all information you can, do what you need to do, and use surgery as a last alternative. Give yourself a generous time table for decisions. Best of luck with your continued recovery!

BTW, what are some causes diverticulitis?

LGB: It is nice to see you here!! If you don’t mind sharing, what treatment did you have? BTW, I sent you email a couple of days ago.

I've gotten good help at internet patient forums. Here's a link to a series of archived diverticulitis forums. The general board it comes from is gastroenterology.

http://www.medhelp.org/forums/gastro/archive/Diverticulitis.html

I think he just means water isn't fruity, sweet or carbonated. Says he's in Fort Worth, the one in Texas.
I've been to some areas of the country where the water tastes REALLY bad, Florida comes to mind, a bad sulphur taste to it.

Gilly

Diet info from the site Kerry referenced

http://www.medhelp.org/perl6/gastro/archive/1000.html