It means they have an infection. Their diverticulosis turned into diverticulitis. And yes, the pain. That's why I call the doctor and take the meds before there are any complications. That's also why some of us think of surgery. It sometimes takes weeks or longer to get over a bad attack and if you are prone to more attacks surgery makes sense.

I see. That is why I asked because my incident seemed a bit different in that I had NEVER had "an attack" or any kind of abdominal discomfort. It was just the one, unbearable pain which rendered me pretty much unable to even walk...hence it meant I'd had a rupture as opposed to a "regular" attack. Either way, definitely NOT very nice at all. Hugs to all who are suffering.
I asked the doc if I could ever have another and he said...never say never...it could happen..so I am definitely on my guard as they say.

Yes, stay on guard, but at the same time...relax. You may be one of the lucky ones to never have another attack. Hope so.

Thanks carryall, I shall definitely stay on guard. Somewhere in my posts, I had mentioned that I had severely strained to pass stool just before the pains began and the doc is certain that this is what caused the rupture. Consequently...lol..he said DON'T ever do that again...and I won't. I diligently keep track of my fibre intake daily and never let my stools become hard. Hopefully this will work for me and that WILL be the only incident. I realize everyone is different as to how their attacks were triggered, or how they occured and if they were ongoing etc.
This is a great forum, not only for information but for support and sharing as well and no matter what happens I shall stay with this group always. Take care, God bless.

I agree! I was not sosure about what defined an attack - but overall it is the infection part that goes with everyone! I am overcoming my first attack/infection and am also very careful about what I eat and listening to my body - I am so afraid of surgery or abcess or anything else like that! I have increased my fiber too... It is hard but worth it!

This group has helped me tremendously with the advice and sharing from others - it helps to overcome anxieties from unanswered questions by sharing our experiences and making new friends!!!!

Hi Brat: Yes, the infection is the cause of the pain, but I'm curious as to how many people got the infection as the result of a rupture as I did. Up until that rupture of the diverticula, I had no problems whatsoever. Glad you are doing all the things that you are to at least lessen the possibility of future problems. You mentioned the grapefruit juice in another post....do you not find that too be too acidic?? I think it would cause cramping for me even if I didn't have diverticulitis...but everyone is different.
Take care....talk to ya soon.

The grapefruit juice was okay in the morning; I also have Acid Reflux so I was worried - but I did okay. The main reason for me drinking it is because I read that it helps with inflammed liver which is what I had at the time; I am hoping it will help lower my liver panel.

My diverticula did not rupture and I pray it never does. So I guess my infection was mild compared to that...

Oh, ok...I just thought that grapefruit juice is probably the most acidic of all the citrus juices. I have acid reflux too, but I take a stomach pill 2x per day ...no big deal..and I take a pill 1/2 hr before I eat to allow the food to clear the upper digestive area quickly. Both work well and I have not had any probs with that for the past 5 yrs when I was first diagnosed with it.
Take care Brat ((hugs))

i've had both, an infection without a perforation and a perforation. oddly the infection caused pain and the perforation didn't. i felt ill for quite sometime prior to the perforation and the day i went to the hospital i had no pain at all. i felt unwell, my stomach was unsettled and my temp was elevated. i work at a hospital and my supervisor told me i couldn't work and to so to the er. the wait was 4 hours so i decided to wait until the next morning figuring it was diverticulitis.

i was shocked when the physician said it was a perforation and i would have to have surgery. it took 3 days for the infection to subside sufficiently for them to perform surgery but i had very little pain, unlike the first attack.

it's odd so now i pay attention.

It has been a while since I've been here (3 years) so I doubt anyone knows my story. At the ripe age of 31 I had my first attack in July of '06. The second attack was in May of '08. Both were confirmed by CT scan. After the second attack my gastro doc scheduled a colonoscopy. Not long after that we scheduled a sigmoid colon resection. Wellll, about a week after scheduling the surgery I had the third attack. This time the colon ruptured. Thank God it walled itself off against my gall bladder (I knew that thing was good for something). The CT scan reader person didn't catch the rupture, otherwise I would have had a colostomy. We waited about a week or so for the infection to subside, then went to cut the bad part out. My surgery was done laporoscopically (is that a word?), and was a blessing. I've heard the recovery time for open surgery is much longer. That was in August of '08. Since then, I've had no problems...none. Not saying surgery is everyone's magic bullet, but for me it was,
Ourangel, your doc was right about forcing the stool. My gastro doc has a great analogy: Imagine your colon is a water hose. Sometimes a weak spot will create a bubble (diverticulae) If you turn on the water and plug the other end, the bubble will get pressured and become weaker. This is when ruptures are more likely to occur. A contributing factor for me, I believe, was lack of hydration. Stool needs to be soft but formed. I have since added more fiber in the form of fruits and veggies. The words bland diet and low-residue diet bring back bad memories. I am quite surprised your doc didn't recommend surgery after your rupture. This is no joke. You could have become septic and worse. More often than not you are more likely to have another attack. I'm no doc but you should have a serious talk with a gastro doc, if you haven't already. Good luck with it and God bless.

Well, I am at high risk for surgery jem and I think why he didn't....he wanted to do the colonography, and the colonoscopy and he had seen that there was no "poison" in the rupture. I did spend a week in hospital with flagyl and cipro. He said that he is convinced that the straining while at the bowel movement caused the rupture and that if I don't do that again..lol..and eat properly I should not have any problems. I actually discussed this with him just the other day. So, I am doing all the right stuff and hopefully will never have to get the surgery. Good luck with your health and thanks for the note

Also, for what it's worth, the biggest game-changer as far as getting my stool to the right consistency has been activia. Keeps me reg-u-lar. I notice a difference if I skip it for a few days. Yay probiotics!

"...hopefully will never have to get the surgery" - I also thought this pre-surgery, but am soooo glad I did. Nipped it in the bud. 10 inches of colon down the drain...or...in the trash...or whatever they do with it (I really don't care to know) Good luck ourangel, and keep communicating, both with the docs and the good folks here. The docs have book smarts, but we have street smarts, so to speak.

Same here Jenn with the stool. I take a stool softener plus I eat Activia too and I have my veggies, but make sure they are well cooked, easier to digest...they don't lay around in the gut so long. In a way it kind of goes against how I ate before...I loved salads and raw veggies, but now I know I can't have them...so no biggie. Like I told another lady on here...it's all about adjustments and sacrifices..no need to get all paranoid and upset....just do what you have to do...what you know is best and it is "do-able". I know if the doc thought he should do surgery he would have, so I am not concerned. Everyone is different, and I definitely had someone watching over my shoulder when I had my attack.
I feel better now than I have felt in a long time. I maintain that I will control this disease...this disease WILL NOT control me.
Take care Jenn.

@ourangel I'm glad you have good docs. BTW it's jem with 1 m and no n's, but whatever floats your boat. I never ate veggies before my surgery...none. I can't stand them raw, but am growing to like them cooked. As for salad, I somewhat like them, but I do not digest the leafy stuff.
You make a good point about the raw veggies not being easy to digest. There's so many opinions about what to eat, what to avoid and so on. My opinion is that the longer it takes to digest, the greater the chance of it getting stuck in the diverticulae, causing an infection - i.e. peanuts, popcorn, etc. This is purely an uneducated guess.

JeM...lol...I think it is more than an educated guess. The longer food stays in our gut...the harder it is to pass and the more likely to cause problems within the colon/bowel area. A lot of people are NOT willing to make adjustments and unfortunately would rather complain...and this is not good. I've read posts where people just do not get it.....adjustments and/or sacrifices can make the difference between getting on with your life and actually enjoying it....or facing months or years of problems. It IS hard, I realize to those who are unable to make those adjustments but believe me it is definitely worth it. Take care.