# I have diverticulitis and it STINKS! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 6, 2005, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-diverticulitis-and-it-stinks/329739 "2005-11-06T04:12:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chanteuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-diverticulitis-and-it-stinks/329739/1 "2005-11-06T04:12:10Z")
Four days ago, I was diagnosed with diverticulitis (an infection in a bulge in the colon wall). Crap, does this hurt! I thought I’d pulled a muscle in my side while bowling (shut up, I know I’m out of shape! 😉 ), so I suffered for about a week before going to the doctor. Several hours and one CT scan later, I know why I’ve been feeling so crappy (add bronchitis to the mix) and am on two antibiotics and a clear liquid diet for _two weeks_ (I have 10 days left–and I’m already sick of jello and bullion). Doc did say I could have the occasional protein drink, at least. Keeps me from starving completely! I hate me for doing this to myself. I felt pretty good yesterday, so I did some housework and I must have overdone things because today I felt crappy all over again. I know, the treatment beats surgery, but dammit, I’m hungry, tired, and weak, and I just needed to bitch about it some! OK, self-pity session over–for now! ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-diverticulitis-and-it-stinks/329739/2 "2005-11-06T04:29:39Z")
My mother and one of my best buddies both have this. My girl friend watches what she eats. But it is impossible to convince my 92 year old mother that eating popcorn can lead to some bad problems. Both of them say that it is really painful. Do take care. Beware of nuts in chicken salad! ---
**Author:** ![EnderWay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d26b3c/32.png) [@EnderWay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EnderWay)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-diverticulitis-and-it-stinks/329739/3 "2005-11-06T20:22:44Z")
Yea, that pain is the worst. I had it too. Be gald you went to the doctor after a week. I sufferd through six weeks of agonizing pain, hoping it would somehow magicly get better ( Yea I know … stupid). I finally went to the ER when I was yellow, had a 104 degree temp, and could barely move. A diverticulum had perforated. I had to have surgery to revmove about eight inches of my large intestine. They gutted me like a fish. One word for prevetion … FIBER ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-diverticulitis-and-it-stinks/329739/4 "2005-11-06T21:52:05Z")
I’m glad you’re seeing a qualified doctor. My mother had rectal bleeding. They said it was a little diverticulitis and put her on antibiotics. It was cancer. She was dead in 7 months. ---
**Author:** ![Chanteuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-diverticulitis-and-it-stinks/329739/5 "2005-11-06T22:13:32Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > I’m glad you’re seeing a qualified doctor. My mother had rectal bleeding. They said it was a little diverticulitis and put her on antibiotics. It was cancer. She was dead in 7 months. I’ll be having a colonoscopy (oh, yay) in about a week and a half (after I finish the meds). I read somewhere that that’s fairly standard, to rule out anything else. {{{{{ **Kalhoun** }}}}} I’m sorry about your mom, though. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-diverticulitis-and-it-stinks/329739/6 "2005-11-06T23:12:58Z")
> [@Chanteuse](#): > > I’ll be having a colonoscopy (oh, yay) in about a week and a half (after I finish the meds). I read somewhere that that’s fairly standard, to rule out anything else. > > {{{{{ **Kalhoun** }}}}} I’m sorry about your mom, though. Thanks for that. Yeah…my mom sought medical help in November and this doctor didn’t order a colonoscopy until Easter. Considering colon cancer is one of the leading causes of death in women over 65, it was downright reckless of him not to order the colonoscopy immediately. Fucker. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-diverticulitis-and-it-stinks/329739/7 "2005-11-06T23:28:14Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > Thanks for that. Yeah…my mom sought medical help in November and this doctor didn’t order a colonoscopy until Easter. Considering colon cancer is one of the leading causes of death in women over 65, it was downright reckless of him not to order the colonoscopy immediately. Fucker. That’s awful, and surprising. I’m sorry. Colonoscopies are part of a regular physical (around here, anyway) starting at age 50. Annually after that if they find polyps or if there’s a family history, and then every three years, even if they don’t find anything or if there’s no history. Prep is miserable – not the diet so much as the stuff they give you to clean you out, and then the enemas – but the procedure is painless. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-diverticulitis-and-it-stinks/329739/8 "2005-11-07T09:55:25Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > That’s awful, and surprising. I’m sorry. > > Colonoscopies are part of a regular physical (around here, anyway) starting at age 50. Annually after that if they find polyps or if there’s a family history, and then every three years, even if they don’t find anything or if there’s no history. > > Prep is miserable – not the diet so much as the stuff they give you to clean you out, and then the enemas – but the procedure is painless. Yes, I know I need to schedule one of those as well. I need to find a new doctor first. The one I’ve been using seems a little “old-school” and I don’t think he pays attention to new process and procedures. The sisters-in-law and their husbands are very good about getting theirs…and a couple of them actually look forward to it! Those are the ones we have to watch _very closely…_ 😉 ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-diverticulitis-and-it-stinks/329739/9 "2005-11-07T15:42:34Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > The sisters-in-law and their husbands are very good about getting theirs…and a couple of them actually look forward to it! Those are the ones we have to watch _very closely…_ 😉 Well, I gotta admit, you do feel a bit _lighter_ when it’s over. And the drugs are good. Hubby had one a couple of weeks ago. He weighed himself before and after and he lost four pounds. It’s a whole different feeling than losing four pounds after a week of dieting. ---
**Author:** ![Chanteuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-diverticulitis-and-it-stinks/329739/10 "2005-11-07T19:18:25Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > Well, I gotta admit, you do feel a bit _lighter_ when it’s over. And the drugs are good. > > Hubby had one a couple of weeks ago. He weighed himself before and after and he lost four pounds. It’s a whole different feeling than losing four pounds after a week of dieting. Well, I’ve lost almost eight pounds with the clear liquid diet I’ve had to be on for the past five and a half days (there’s NO WAY I’m going to make it the whole two weeks–I’m hoping the doctor will let me go to full liquid). I guess weight loss is weight loss, but I could sure choose some ways that are a lot more pleasant! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Giant\_Spongess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/94ad74/32.png) [@Giant\_Spongess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giant_Spongess)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2005, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-diverticulitis-and-it-stinks/329739/11 "2005-11-08T00:18:20Z")
> [@Chanteuse](#): > > Well, I’ve lost almost eight pounds with the clear liquid diet I’ve had to be on for the past five and a half days (there’s NO WAY I’m going to make it the whole two weeks–I’m hoping the doctor will let me go to full liquid). I guess weight loss is weight loss, but I could sure choose some ways that are a lot more pleasant! 🙂 Hate to break it to you, but you’ll probably just gain it back when you go back to normal food.