Diverticulitis Support Group
Diverticulitis is a common disease of the bowel, in particular the large intestine. Diverticulitis develops from diverticulosis, which involves the formation of pouches on the outside of the colon. Diverticulitis results if one of these diverticula becomes inflamed. Diverticulitis most often affects middle-aged and elderly persons, though it can strike younger patients as...
Hello All,
I would like to start a thread here for successful prophylactic therapies for our disease.
The study I am in defines success as lasting 2 years without an attack, so I thought that would be a good line in the sand. Others can define success any way they want. Quality of life is another way to define success or failure. It is a bit trickier. Even successful treatments are trickier than failed treatments. A successful treatment that lasts 2 years and a month is really no longer successful, but you have to put the mark somewhere. A failed treatment is easier.
Elective colectomy surgery that have to be repeated within 2 years is a failure since it did not do the job it was suppose to do. Colectomy patients that require antibiotics within 2 years should be considered a failure. Emergency surgeries and elective surgeries that find complications are successful no matter how long they last because the primary mission of them is NOT to prevent further attacks, but to save lives.
Colostomy surgery is the only treatment that is 100 percent successful as a preventive measure. I have not heard of relapse of a colostomy patient unless a reversal attempt is preformed. Correct me if I am wrong.
Since successful therapies are harder to define, please post anything here that may help people looking for answers.
I would like to start a thread here for successful prophylactic therapies for our disease.
The study I am in defines success as lasting 2 years without an attack, so I thought that would be a good line in the sand. Others can define success any way they want. Quality of life is another way to define success or failure. It is a bit trickier. Even successful treatments are trickier than failed treatments. A successful treatment that lasts 2 years and a month is really no longer successful, but you have to put the mark somewhere. A failed treatment is easier.
Elective colectomy surgery that have to be repeated within 2 years is a failure since it did not do the job it was suppose to do. Colectomy patients that require antibiotics within 2 years should be considered a failure. Emergency surgeries and elective surgeries that find complications are successful no matter how long they last because the primary mission of them is NOT to prevent further attacks, but to save lives.
Colostomy surgery is the only treatment that is 100 percent successful as a preventive measure. I have not heard of relapse of a colostomy patient unless a reversal attempt is preformed. Correct me if I am wrong.
Since successful therapies are harder to define, please post anything here that may help people looking for answers.
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This behavior will not qualify as a long term treatment, but it might help prevent an antibiotic cycle if performed early.
At the first sign of attack - pain in the LLQ, fever, or feeling bad and weak, STOP EATING.
I have had many episodes where I thought I might be under attack. I would stop eating for two days and many times my pain went away and I started feeling better. I am not sure that I reversed an actual diverticulitis attack or not. It may have just been mild diverticulosis symptoms that would have passed anyway if I did nothing.
I think it is a good idea to STOP EATING even if it does not really prevent acute diverticulitis attacks because having less food / stool in the pipeline means that if you proceed to acute and critical diverticulitis with perforation, you will have less fecal matter that invades your abdomen. You will also be ready to undergo emergency surgery quicker if you do not have to wait for your stomach to empty. You cannot be put under anesthesia with a belly full of food.
John
Now that I'm dealing with my transverse colon I don't know what would be my success. My daughter's best friend is 47 and has NO colon, a colostomy and now continues with abcessess in her small intestine. Puzzling. As the adoptive parent of special needs children, some on weird to us diets, they have bowel issues. One of our sons is on a liquid diet for 29 years-since birth-his colon is not normal. Another young man has had a very high fiber diet-issues.
So what is success to each of us? At the moment for me-eating normally and being alive without a flare up.
Joanne
Your last surgery was a success because it saved your life with the removal of your gallbladder. Many here that went in for elective preventive surgery found they had complications. It may have been the complications that drove the bus toward surgery in the first place. If these same people were feeling tip-top (like I do between attacks) they may have NOT opted for the surgery.
The study I am in defines success as being attack free for two years. My attacks are two years apart anyway. If I go two years with no attacks, that means nothing to me. It is arbitrary.
I hope that people trying garlic post here. There seems to be success stories out there with it and several people are trying it. If we get enough people that have been sick every few months and then go two years attack free on garlic pills, that will be great primary data we are collecting. We might have the power to effect world wide treatments for DD.
POWER to the People!
John
PLEASE POST HERE WHAT YOU ARE DOING TODAY AS A PREVENTIVE MEASURE THAT MAY HELP OTHERS. Post how long it has worked for you.
Success or failure should not be considered a success or failure of a person. It is a success or failure of the knowledge level of the healthcare system we are in. There would be no failures if we had perfect information and perfect care.
John
4strikes, maybe you can start a new thread so we will have a better tracking with your request.
Joanne