A good 2 months for me to start having normal movement after my last attack. It hurt worse to sit or lay down than stand, probably because sitting, the pelvis is in a different position and may put pressure on the infected site.

I'm so glad you got checked and didn't perforate. The cipro and flagyl will cause diarrhea for a while. As soon as the pills are all gone, start eating yogurt - preferably greek - that is if you are not lactose intolerant, but even then you could take a lactaid before and be ok. If dairy causes your upper GI issues, try to get a probiotic - you can ask the pharmacist to recommend one. This will help good digestion come back quicker.

Try to cut out as much stress as possible, and if you don't have any ease of pain by tomorrow, I'd go back just to check.

Thanks mnb99! Wow! Two months seems like such a long time. And yes, sitting seems to irritate it the most. Laying down isn't too bad and standing up is the best.

I am now having the diarrhea associated with the antibiotics. Yuck! As if the disease itself isn't bad enough and uncomfortable. My bum is a little sore now. Today is the 1st day of full blown diarrhea from the antibiotics. I plan on using probiotics as soon as I am done with the antibiotics. For a while I was drinking Kefir which really helped my bowel movements. It is full of probiotics and has the benefits of vitamins as well.

I'm still real pale and sickly looking as well as being weak. Your post gave me encouragement that there is an end to all of this. Thank you.

i jnust found out may 7,2013 also the colonscopy I had they did not give me enough medication i was like part asleep and wake i felt this tube going down my bowels i was screaming i guess no one heard me the pain was so horrible I also had that thing they stick down your throat to look in stomack I was gagging well he told he i had the diverticulosi lots of them . told me nothing anything to take he said i had a small amount of old blood in my stomack but everything looked good and I had hemmroids stage 3 non bleeding!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I read you get those pouches from forcing your bowel moments!!!!!! I get so scared now. because sometimes I do have to push harder (sorry) Please some one tell me how would I know if I have an infection??? Call 911 this really scarey and especially what i went through awake pain.. I sure would likke it if someone whould tell me what to expect, I never go to Drs. to scared of them . My daughter died in that HMO Kaiser they lacerated her liver. took her 81 days todie 15 Drs working on her none spoke english that good. I have nev er been the same. so please write me. hugs zzztop

zzztop - I'm so sorry to hear about your experience with the colonoscopy. That must have been scary and quite painful. As far as knowing if you have an infection, for me, I had no idea until the pain came. I did have soft stools a couple of days prior that had some mucus in it and didn't think much of it. That should have been my first clue but since I've never had diverticulitis before I didn't know that was a sign that something was up. My pain was from the lower left side of the abdomen and ran all the way up to my stomach, right along the line of the colon. The biggest pain was in the lower left. For me, the pain wasn't horrible but I also have MS and can't feel things in certain parts of my stomach, as well as other places. I also wasn't feeling the greatest and apparently was very pale and ill looking. I hope that helps answer your question. Like I mentioned, this is the first time I have had it so my experience is pretty limited. I am sure others will come along that can help answer your questions.

Hi Divertgirl! I was just diagnosed with first attack 10 days ago. It's scary and uber painful....but my pain significantly decreased within a few days being on a clear liquid diet. Progressed to BRAT diet and now eating 4-5 small meals with fairly low fiber and cooked veggies. Adding protein really helped me feel better.

For last couple of days, my abdominal discomfort, bloating and fatigue/ nausea/ over-all sick feeling have increased. Turns out that the cipro and flagyl have caused a pretty nasty yeast infection in my GI tract, causing the fatigue, bloat etc. And this is despite taking a daily probiotic!! I'm working with a naturopath to deal with yeast infection, and have to cut out sugar and simple carbs , eg. white bread. Remember that alcohol and dairy products are not recommended when taking these antibiotics. Also the pharmacist told me to drink lots of water to flush out these drugs.

Hope you feel better soon!

I'd love to hear from others about combatting yeast infections.

equanimity

Oh, I didn't really answer your question. Had watery diarrhea, then few days of lots of intestinal gurgling (like they were waking up again), then progressively firmer stools over last couple of days. So I don't have to stick so close to the bathroom, hooray!

Thanks equanimity! I'm sorry you are experiencing this too. I'm concerned about a yeast infection as well and don't know the best treatment for it other than through medication. Since I am still on a soft diet for the most part, cutting out carbs and dairy are fairly easy; although, I have been eating a little yogurt each day for the protein, vitamins, and good bacteria. Maybe someone will come along and answer your question and it will help us both out. :)

I'm still sore in the area but its not painful. Phew! According to the dr at the hospital I had a lot of inflammation in the colon and in the area surrounding it. I know she said it would take a bit for the pain to lessen, but she didn't give me an estimate. At least I can sit now without it causing too much discomfort. BMs are still varied from nothing to loose. I never thought I would get so excited about normal bowel movements. haha

I was told I have diverticulosis After my botched colonoscopy. (i was awake)horrible. This was on May 7,Now my bowels hurt my bladder I,am taking an antibiotec for that, my stomack has hurt feel nausated. That Dr who gave me the colonscopy it felt like a jack hammer going back and forth it hurt me so bad I was screaming nobody could hear me I guess. But now I have hemrroids he said I did. What I want to know how do I know a pouch has gotten infectedwhat happens to me?? all I know this is scarey to me and I belong to HMO they never tell you anything I have pressure where your bladder is I,am on antibiotics I also had a endascope he said my stomack was fine all I had was old blood in it. no big deal I feel so depressed over this. I have just been eating regular food. I don,t even know a thing to look for fevers, pains, nausa. special foods. can anyone reply to this for me, thank you zzz

ZZZ,
I don't have a clue if a pouch is infected. Some people have bad symptoms and some hardly have any.
I do know though, if a pocket is infected, Diverticulitis can get nasty and if the colon perforates, it can be deadly, so my suggestion is that you please see the Dr. or even better go to the ER and make them check you out. You really DO need to find out what the problem is.
I wish you the best.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

I went through a similar situation: About 2 weeks of pain in my lower left abdomen, just inside my pelvic bone, that was both hard to describe and hard for doctor's to figure out. I'm only 30, so they first looked into ovarian/uteran issues, then lymph conditions, and so on. After 2 clinic visits, an ER visit, and a trip to a GI doctor, a CT scan was ordered that did determine I was experiencing diverticulitis.

I'm now on week 6 of having this pain - although I do think I'm now (finally!) on the downhill side of this.

Here are some of the things I've observed and learned over the last few weeks that have gotten me through this!

1. Don't freak out! The internet is full of so much info that you can really work yourself up by reading horror stories and scare yourself about possible conditions/treatments/tests that you're probably never going to have to deal with. So just keep calm!

2. Non-acidic liquids (no milk, no citrus juices) and easily digestible foods finally helped me get over the worst parts. Lots of rice, chicken broth, breads, pastas.

3. I was put on both Cipro and Flagyl. I'm not usually sensitive to antibiotics, but I did get low fever and stay up two nights vomiting. Keep hydrated. And ask your doctor for an Rx for pain, or at least if it's ok to take continuous Tylenol for a few days. It will really help you. There is a muscle relaxer that only targets the colon - can't think of what it was called, starts with an M - but to be honest, the Tylenol made a good difference for me.

4. After you finish antibiotics, your system is wiped out. You need some of the "good" bacteria back in your gut: my doc recommended Culturelle. It's over the counter (walmart) but has a LOT of cultures in it. I felt noticeably better after 48 hours of starting these.

5. The docs and the online advice forums all say that a divert. case usually is over in a few days. But real life people I've talked to all agree that it can take weeks (it took me about 6!) to really get over the pain. Everyone is unique, and there is no set timeline.

6. I advise keeping a food / pain diary ( I just jot notes on my desk calendar). Write down what you eat, and write down how you feel each day (I give myself a number, scale of 1-10). You'll see patterns that will be helpful to you in the future so you'll know what to avoid. It also helps you keep some sanity, and you'll finally start to see that the pain is getting better.

That's an excellent summary Lacey.

I also went to a naturopath to help with diet recommendations. Turned out I'm allergic to casein in milk products...which means that when I eat cheese, yogurt, milk etc, it causes inflammation in the gut.

The naturopath also gave me supplements to heal the intestines/ colon.

I'm wondering if eating a primarily vegetarian diet would be helpful to prevent relapse.

equanimity

I have had Diverticulitis attacks for 15 years and there are only 2 things that I have learned as true facts that are the same for everyone.
1. Everybody is different with the intensity of their attacks.
2. If you fee an attack coming on, immediately go to a clear liquid diet till the pain subsides. Usually it is not more than 3 days. Then slowly start with the low fiber. If during this time you eat to much at one time or eat fiber it can start the pain up all over again.
You can do NO better than the Mayo Clinic Diet for Diverticulitis which does start out with clear liquids.
After those, everyone is different. I was on a forum for about 4 years and talked to so very many people. I was shocked how different and what people believe cause their flare-ups.
Everybody's pain is also different. Some had not to much pain and had a abscess, and some even had perforations with very little pain. I believe that Diverticulitis can be dangerous, so if the pain just keeps getting worse do not hesitate to go to the Dr. or go to ER. You really need to be in tune with your body. If you eat something while you are having an attack and your gut starts to hurt, do not eat it again go back to low fiber or check your portions.
I really do believe if your pain lasts longer than a few days it is because of something you are eating.
Last, Dr's have a horrible habit telling their patients who complain of a Diverticulitis attack to eat fiber. One Dr. almost killed me telling me that. I have taken a copy of the Mayo Clinic to 3 different Dr's. They don't dare argue with the Mayo Clinic, but Dr's actually think the thing to do is eat fiber while you are having an attack. Please don't.
As time has gone by, I have heard many people say vegetables such as Broccoli cause them pain. I thought they were wrong for a couple of years, but it has caught up with me now and If I eat to many Veggies, I do start getting a little pain so I immediately stop.
There are so many things diet wise that people have tried, I wish you luck. Just pay attention to what you eat, like Lacey says.
I do know a lot of people that are with me when I say stress is a big contributing factor. I seem to never have an attack unless I have some stress.
Since you guys were throwing out stuff, I hope you don't mind me adding. This stuff took me years to learn. All of the regulars on our other forum got chased out by a nasty troll.
Take care of yourselves and I will wish for you, no more attacks!!!!

I was just diagnosed with diverticulitis on Sept 8, 13. Was sent to see a specialist and she has set up a colonoscopy for Oct 16. I have some unanswered questions though! I have been reading about diverticulitis and everything says I should have been put on antibiotics and I wasnt. Also, from what I've read the pain with this is normally in the lower abdominal area....my pain has been upper abdominal, like right below my breasts. Not sure what is going on! Also my Dr said she is concerned with the CT scan results but didn't emphasis why and is also concerned because I am only 41. Can anyone give me some kinda of info on what may be going on?

I am sorry you are going through this.
The not knowing is the worse part. Please immediately go on a clear liquid diet and read the post above yours. They should have put you on antibiotics. If you are still having pain call your Dr. and get some. Diverticulitis can be dangerous if not treated.
I think it is lousy of the Dr. to say she is concerned and not tell you why.
I have seen quite a few people on another forum that are in their 20's.
I wish you the best of luck