Surgery for Diverticulitis

Hi E.,

Please don't remove the colon. It CAN be healed. Fortunately my mother said NO when I was eleven. The doctors said it was the only way and she was convinced otherwise. She didn't have the internet but she knew that you need all your body parts. I'm 54 now and my Ulcerative Colitis is completely gone and has been since I realized I didn't have to live with the illness. It's not just diet. That IS important but not the only thing. I have TWO friends that have had their's removed and they regret it terribly.

Please email me here and I can give you more specific info if you're interested.

God bless,

M.

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Please please please have him get the surgery! Yes it is not the easiest thing in the world but right now....before the continued infections weaken him further is THE time to do it. As he continues to get more and more infections his body weakens more and more...which will make recovery time MUCH longer that it would me now. Trust me...delaying cost me my entire colon. Good luck and God Bless

Hi, E.:

As other's have suggested change in diet.
If there are no infections and his colon is calm.
Look into getting a colon hydrotherapy session to clean out the
pockets.

Just an idea. Check with the nurse who does them: ###-###-####

D.

My ex-father in law had it done. He was in the hospital, in pain, on meds, etc. He was refusing surgery, like your husband. They kept telling him thta it was going to get so bad that he would need the colostomy bag. He eventually got the surgery a year or so later. Everything went fine.

My mother-in-law just had it done over this past summer. I guess changing her diet didn't help either. She was worried about getting the surgery but didn't want to have a life threatening event while traveling. They are somewhat active and she didn't want to take the chance of being away, etc. Everthing turned out fine and she has no problems that I am aware. Believe me, I'm sure I'd hear it from her!! LOL!

My brother had the surgery as well. His was an emergency surgery. I guess they just caught it in time. He got very lucky! He hasn't had any trouble since that I am aware of but he lives out of town so I don't see him often.

If it were me, I would get the surgery done. You have already tried changing your diet. And unfortunately the pockets are already there. It is very important to eat a very high fiber diet. I would suggest Fiber One cereal.

Good Luck!

My mom had it. She was about 74 and had a very hard time recovering.

The good thing is that she is way more healthy now that she is fully recovered.

Unfortunately, his problem will not go away. I have it too and as I get older it's getting worse. Any surgery is better to have when younger as he will heal faster. Sounds like he doesn't really have much of a choice. He'll be better off in the long run.

We had the same issue here with my husband a few years ago. In the hospital a few times for IV antibiotics and pain meds. We tried it all and nothing was working. They even removed his gallbladder. I was pregnant with our third and terrified for him to go into such a serious surgery. They wanted to remove 20cm. From his descending colon. Scary! It is possible to take just a section of the "bad" area out. It was planned as a laparoscopic but due to complications they had to open him up. It took about an extra hour than planned which was torture in the waiting room. It took a few weeks for him to be back to his normal self and since then there have been a few times where things are not right but he has stayed out of the hospital. (Knock on wood). He is far more in touch with his body now and we are able to "fix" when he is not feeling great. It mostly comes down to drinking enough water now and avoiding too much red meat. So much better than the soup only diet. Message me if you have any questions. Good Luck!!!

This is a really thought provoking question. My husband was in the hospital for a couple of days once or twice with this and he was in so much pain that if they had suggested surgery I would have begged them to hurry up. He was writhing in pain at some points.

He took medicine to help for a while then stopped. He still has mild flare ups occasionally. He changed his diet to cut out the small seeds and some other things. That seemed to help too.

His mom was an Ostimate. She had only 6-8 inches of stuff from her stomach to her external bag. He doesn't want to end up like that so he really works on the diet end of it and that seems to work.

If your husbands is not clearing up due to the severity of the injury to the Diverticula then he may need them taken out in that area. If you are suspicious of the doc just wanting to cut then get a second opinion.

My brother in law had it done. It was a life or death situation and he ended up with a colostomy bag. He can have the bag removed and be reconnected now, but he keeps chickening out. He is in much better health after the surgery. Still with us 11 years later.

Surgery and recovery has really come a long way. Has he discussed all of this with his doctor recently? I just had back surgery Saturday night and came home on Tuesday and was taught to climb stairs and get dressed myself before leaving the hospital. I use the old man gopher stick for anything I cannot reach and am probably going back to work 3 weeks after the surgery. My husband had this surgery 5 years ago, he got 3 cuts and I got one. He wore a body brace and I don't have one. He used a walker and I never had one. When I tried to discuss his surgery for point of reference with the doctor, he told me a lot has changed in 5 years.

Best wishes.