Bassoonaroo Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Hi All, Looking for some soul sisters (okay, more like "gut sisters") here. Thursday, I flew from Colorado to Florida to go to my DB's wedding. Mid-morning I felt weird twinges in my left side. Nothing too painful. Just weird. Thought they were gas pains and I chided myself for eating breakfast too quickly. But, unlike gas pains, they continued through the day. I figured it was something like those annoying eyelid twitches but inside me. Friday AM they were still there and I just ignored them. But by lunch I was not feeling well and took about two bites of my lunch. By 2 PM I had a fever, confessed to my mom I was not feeling well and we decided to get an appointment. I started feeling like I was going to puke, but didn't. I've not puked since May 1976 and I was determined that I wasn't going to. The doctor asked questions, poked me, and diagnosed me with diverticulitis. That's for old and fat people of which I am neither (size 6 or 8, 47 years). I also eat relatively healthy thought not obsessively so. I get a lot of salads, fresh produce, whole grains, etc. He told me to take antibiotics and when I said that my brother's wedding was about 20 hours away he said, "Oh, we'll give you a shot of antibiotics to speed up the process." "In the rump?" I asked. "Yes," he answered, "my nurse will come in after I step out. It was nice meeting you." I pictured a nice lady coming in with a needle, but his nurse was a big burly man who looked like Grizzly Adams. Ouch. Anyway, I am rarely feeling the pain any more and the fever is gone without Tylenol and I am not feeling nauseous. I have horrid diarrhea from either the medicine or the condition. The diarrhea doesn't hurt, but is probably the worst I've ever had in both frequency and consistency (except for the incident with the spoiled Twinkies -- I won't go there). I am totally bummed about having this. I will always be at risk of it recurring. I understand it is common. Anyone here want to talk me through what you are doing with your food and other lifestyle choices to avoid flare ups? Tomorrow I fly back home (hope the runs slow down) and will check with my doctor, but I'd love to hear from the hive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Did he do an xray? Or CT scan? My dh needed both befroe they made a definitive diagnosis of diverticulitus. After his infection cleared, he had to have a scope to make sure everything else was okay. :grouphug: I hope you were able to enjoy yourself at the wedding! PS My dh has only had a couple recurrances of diverticulitis. He recognizes the symptoms early and takes antibiotics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandamom Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 >>>> (except for the incident with the spoiled Twinkies -- I won't go there). >>> I know you didn't want to go there but I didn't think that Twinkies ever spoiled (and no you don't have to explain) :tongue_smilie::tongue_smilie: Get better soon. Sorry I can't help with the other stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyR Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 I don't have diverticulitis (anymore) but its not for old people I can assure you. There are children that can have this condition. I was one of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 I was dx with diverticulitis about 2 yrs ago... I'm 48 now. I eat pretty much anything I want (I try to be as LC as I can), except that I know nuts are a huge trigger for me. Perhaps everyone is different, but if I stay away from nuts then I do just fine. I'm glad you're feeling as well as you are. I was SO SICK. It was like the worst childbirth pains I'd ever had. I wrote on my blog at the time "I felt like I was giving birth to something that was very angry with me." And then the meds made me sicker! It was awful. I'm glad you're feeling better. Perhaps you can think back to what you were eating at the time and do some investigation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassoonaroo Posted July 23, 2012 Author Share Posted July 23, 2012 Thank you so much, ladies. No, the doctor, who "squeezed me in" did not definitively diagnose me AND he said so. He said he was "95% sure" and asked that when I get back home I call my doctor to be sure; he said I need a scope for sure. That seemed like an appropriate response from a doctor who was simply providing relief to an out of towner. He told me, too, that if I got worse to go to urgent care... I try to be as LC as I can Okay, what is LC? Low calorie? Lemon Cake? Laughing Cow? So, TMI TMI TMI, how long does the nasty diarrhea last? I am flying on a plane tomorrow and one of my seats is a window seat and I just KNOW that I'll be bugging my two seatmates to go to the lavatory probably twice on the long leg of my flight. I'm going hourly and don't have much warning. Or control. When I gotta go, I gotta go! I think it's because I tried to eat some white bread today (breaking my "clear liquid" diet) along with a bite of eggs. I fear having an accident... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Thank you so much, ladies. No, the doctor, who "squeezed me in" did not definitively diagnose me AND he said so. He said he was "95% sure" and asked that when I get back home I call my doctor to be sure; he said I need a scope for sure. That seemed like an appropriate response from a doctor who was simply providing relief to an out of towner. He told me, too, that if I got worse to go to urgent care... Okay, what is LC? Low calorie? Lemon Cake? Laughing Cow? So, TMI TMI TMI, how long does the nasty diarrhea last? I am flying on a plane tomorrow and one of my seats is a window seat and I just KNOW that I'll be bugging my two seatmates to go to the lavatory probably twice on the long leg of my flight. I'm going hourly and don't have much warning. Or control. When I gotta go, I gotta go! I think it's because I tried to eat some white bread today (breaking my "clear liquid" diet) along with a bite of eggs. I fear having an accident... Sorry - LowCarb. But I've been doing it off and on since years before I was diagnosed. As to the diarrhea. Honestly, I don't remember that being my primary problem so I don't remember. It could be the meds you're one too - although that wasn't the side-effects I was having (I felt like I was on massive doses of speed). sorry I'm not much help. I hope you make it through tomorrow. How long is your flight? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureMoms Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 I don't know anything about Diverticulitis, but most antibiotics give me terrible diarrhea, so it could be that. Probiotics help some, but I have to take a lot more than the package suggests (3-4x, usually). More natural probiotics sources like yogurt don't even touch it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex-mex Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 I was dx with diverticulitis about 2 yrs ago... I'm 48 now. I eat pretty much anything I want (I try to be as LC as I can), except that I know nuts are a huge trigger for me. Perhaps everyone is different, but if I stay away from nuts then I do just fine. I'm glad you're feeling as well as you are. I was SO SICK. It was like the worst childbirth pains I'd ever had. I wrote on my blog at the time "I felt like I was giving birth to something that was very angry with me." And then the meds made me sicker! It was awful. I'm glad you're feeling better. Perhaps you can think back to what you were eating at the time and do some investigation. :iagree: My hubby was on a diet and ate lots of sunflower seeds daily with his salad. One of those little seeds lodged into the lower GI and got infected. Then the pain hit. Doctor dx'ed as diverticulitis. It was bad. Took weeks to get better for him. Now he avoids nuts and sunflower seeds like the plague. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 My mom's colon ruptured due to diverticulitis and she had emergency surgery (colostomy). That was, oh, about 13 years ago at least. She was in ICU for quite a while. She's normal size, though she was about 60 y.o. at the time. Seeds are an issue. (Now that she's missing some colon, lots of foods are an issue) That's all I got - take care of yourself and feel better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassoonaroo Posted July 23, 2012 Author Share Posted July 23, 2012 sorry I'm not much help. I hope you make it through tomorrow. How long is your flight? First leg of flight (aisle seat) is about 1.5 hours. Second leg of flight (window seat, sigh) is 2 hours. Still running to the bathroom regularly and without much warning. I guess it's the medicine goofing me up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReneTL Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 I second the recommendation for probiotics. Really, you can't take too many in this case. If possible, get the kind that needs to be refrigerated and load 'em up. It should at least get you to have a little more warning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 1. It's not just for old, fat people. My 38 year old dh almost died from it. 2. Get a follow up. I recommend getting a scan/scope done. 3. Don't blow off symptoms. My dh had attacks off and on for a couple of years, each time it seemed to get better on its own. Until the last one, which ruptured his colon, infected his abdomen, and put him into emergency surgery. He ended up with a colostomy. Not fun. 4. Watch what you eat. Corn and anything with seeds are trouble for my dh. Please, please don't blow it off. I'm serious when I say that my young, healthy husband almost died from it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 First leg of flight (aisle seat) is about 1.5 hours. Second leg of flight (window seat, sigh) is 2 hours. Still running to the bathroom regularly and without much warning. I guess it's the medicine goofing me up. How did your flight/s turn out? I hope you're doing okay. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassoonaroo Posted July 24, 2012 Author Share Posted July 24, 2012 Thanks for all the replies. I tried to get an appt with my usual doctor, but she's on vacation this week (is she REALLY allowed to take a vacation when I, her favorite patient, is not well???). They tried to put me in today with the PA that floats office to office but I encountered this lady once before and don't want to go to her. I do plan on taking this seriously. The episode I went through was mild as it was outpatient, nonsurgical, etc. But it was NO fun at all (remains no fun). I realize that I need to be proactive. Being not yet fifty, I've not yet had The Scope but I know it's in my near future. I'm going to buy really soft TP for that. The flights home went okay though I experienced about 10 flushing experiences between the start and end of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassoonaroo Posted July 24, 2012 Author Share Posted July 24, 2012 First, I was floored with the diverticulitis diagnosis because I am not old, not overweight, and like my fiber, though not obsessed with it. When they offered me the appointment with the PA from heck, I declined and decided to head to the urgent care center. I got there at 9 and stayed until 1:30 or so. I talked to a doctor and they took blood. Then, they did a cat scan of my abdomen. I had to drink a half gallon of this dye. It tasted like purple Koolaid but had a bad aftertaste, like some pasty grainy stuff you might feed a geriatric horse. I figured with the dye drink, a 20 oz. Gatorade, and about 20 oz of water, all before 10:30, that I'd be plenty hydrated. But I was still dehydrated and they had a heck of a time starting an IV in me. I had seven pokes, by three people, two of which worked -- one for blood draw and one for IV. The cat scan showed that my intestines are totally fine. No pouches or bulges (aka no diverticulosis, which are the pouches that often develop in older folks). They are suspecting C-diff. I took Flagyl and Cipro. And last month I had an ear infection (isn't that something kids are supposed to have, not moms???) and took Biaxin. I have to wait until tomorrow for the dye to clear out cause it could skew the wonderful test (stool sample) I have to take. What caused the original twinges, pinches and then fever and nausea. He's saying, "virus..." I'll have better answers by Monday as it takes a while for the samples to be run through the lab. So, on one hand, I'm glad I don't have to watch my diet like a hawk (but it was a good wake up call to ramp up a little...) and that I don't have diverticulitis. On the other hand, the runs have not improved since they suddenly started on Sunday. Whatever... Lost about 8 pounds during all this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 (edited) nm Edited December 24, 2012 by Tiramisu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassoonaroo Posted July 25, 2012 Author Share Posted July 25, 2012 If I were you, because it takes so long to get the results of the samples back, I would consider Align, and double up on Florastor, too. ... (more helpful advice deleted here)... Thank you. I'll go ahead and get those brands... And follow your advice. The doc said diagnosis can take a few days. Thankfully tonight, things have been a bit slower. Still nasty, but less frequent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassoonaroo Posted July 25, 2012 Author Share Posted July 25, 2012 Spoke too soon -- this AM is just as busy as yesterday AM. Sigh... Interesting weight loss plan?????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotherGoose Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 First leg of flight (aisle seat) is about 1.5 hours. Second leg of flight (window seat, sigh) is 2 hours. Still running to the bathroom regularly and without much warning. I guess it's the medicine goofing me up. I would tell your seat mates you have a (non contagious) illness that makes bathroom trips frequent and would they mind switching with you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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