I've found out in the last year that I have chronic diverticulitis. Basically, worn spots on my large intestine (colon) that bulge out and can collect 'debris' and become infected and inflamed. Lovely imagery right there. You're welcome!
They used to think that eating things that would easily get caught in those pouches was the culprit but not anymore. Yes, they do recommend eating food high in fiber to cleanse the intestines/colon as it passes through but popcorn hulls, nuts and the like are no longer believed to cause the condition.
What a relief because I -love- microwave popcorn with movie theater butter as a nightly snack.
The real problem with diverticulitis when it becomes chronic is that doctors start talking surgery after about the second or third time it flares up. I can't think of many things that sound worse than having part of your bowels cut out. It sounds like something they used to do in medieval times to torture folks.
Diverticulitis is actually pretty serious business. Most people have those pouches by middle age and don't even realize it because for whatever reason (luck) they don't become infected and inflamed. But for those of us who are not that fortunate, it can become life threatening.
Our bowel could perforate and allow fecal matter into the abdomen. Our colon could become blocked and feces would then move up into our stomach. An abscess could form, infecting our intestines and possibly the entire abdominal cavity. All of these are emergency situations and require a hospital stay and/or surgery.
The pain of diverticulitis comes on suddenly - there is no warning at all. One moment you're moving around fine and then it feels as if a knife is being stabbed into your lower abdomen, usually on the left side but it can be the right or across both, just above the pelvis. Once that initial stabbing sensation happens, it only gets worse over the course of minutes and hours.
Not only will you have ferocious pain but you'll be unable to stand straight up, your body instinctively hunching over as it tries to protect the area. Each small movement of your body sends another hot knife into the area. You'll have the worst diarrhea ever and lots of it. You will feel feverish, run a temperature and be nauseated, sometimes enough to throw up.
You have to be seen by a doctor, usually in an ER setting. They'll do a Cat Scan which will show the inflamed pouches. They give fluids, antibiotics (two different kinds) and pain medication through an I.V. By this time, you're begging for those pain meds that you hate to take any other time.
You'll be sent home with those two antibiotic prescriptions in oral form and orders to rest for the next few days. Drink lots of water and eat soft foods, liquids, to give your intestines a break so they can heal. You'll be told to come back at the least change for the worse. And they mean it - do not question yourself, don't put it off, come back in immediately.
So, because it can turn ugly in a few different ways and relatively quickly, surgery becomes a discussion in short order. I'm afraid of surgery, anesthesia to be specific, because of prior history. I do not want to have this conversation with my Gastrointestinal doctor, nor a surgeon. I'm well aware that surgery while healthy is a much better option than in emergency circumstances but that doesn't ease my mind much.
Right now, I'm going to focus on getting better from this bout of diverticulitis and go from there. As for the picture I've included at the top? I have a laundry list of illness and disease and still, it's too often some new problem, some fresh hell. Plus, I love Sheldon Cooper's sense of humor. You can't go wrong quoting him!
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