Advice please - Acute Diverticulitis, Peritonitis and Stoma

Digestive health
1

Hi there

I am hoping that some of the forum users can offer some advice and guidance. 

The background to my symptoms -

I had been visiting my GP for almost 2 years due to back and flank pain as well as blood and mucus in my stools . I was incorrectly told that the pain was due to repetitive strain and he suspected arthritis (I’m 40 by the way) and the blood and mucus was due to hemorroids. During my last doctors  visit in May I told the GP that I was convinced it was not muscular and something else was going on and I should have a scan.  Instead he sent me for a range of blood tests. Some of the results stated abnormal ratings yet my GP stated there was no requirement for further action and referred me for physio and provided me with a NHS printout of exercises to help arthritis (???)

The symptoms continued and whilst on holiday in Spain this August, I started to experience severe abdominal pain, swelling and nausea. After three days and now barely able to walk we went to a hospital and after a quick blood test I was informed I had suspected peritonitis and would need emergency surgery immediately.

I woke up after five hours in surgery to find that I had stage 4 peritonitis due to a bowel tear from acute diverticulitis. The Spanish hospital team ( who were fantastic throughout ) could not believe that I had no prior diagnosis of diverticulitis.  The surgeon cleaned the peritonitis , removed the infected section of bowel and also removed appendix.

After being in hospital for almost two weeks on IV antibiotics I was allowed to fly home .  The Spanish doctor said that a specialist in UK should scan me straight away when I return.  I have just received a letter from NHS informing me that I can’t have an appointment until mid November ??

I also have a stoma due to Hartmann resection. The stoma nurses here have been good but I have had little to no advice from anywhere regarding diet and pain management .

The past week I have had quite a bit of pain in my left side which I’m reading other members posts sounds like a flare up. The stoma nurses said that I can pretty much eat anything apart from nuts and popcorn. 

I am vegetarian and have been mainly healthy since the operation. I did have some wine last week, could this trigger a flare up? Can anyone offer any suggestions regarding diet ?

I would be grateful for any advice.

Thank you 

 

2

Hi Andrew, the service here in the UK is terrible. 4 months ago i started with the pain. It wasnt until after 2 months that I suggested DD that the Dr took blood tests etc and referred me to a specialist and even then I had wait ages to see him and still to this day after weeks of antibiotics, a CT scan that showed an abscess on the outer wall of my colon and a colonscopy that showed mild DD I am still waiting to see him again and have basiclly been sent home to get on with it without any support or advice.

3

I too had acute diverticulitis, and had started getting sepsis in my abdomen because my doctor wouldn't listen to me. In the space of 2 years I was in the ER 14 times, multiple times at the doctors in between. Finally last May I had open cut sigmoid colectomy where they removed 4", & I had a lot of scar tissue and holes in my colon. The healing process is slow, for 6 weeks I stayed on a soft diet to ensure my insides were healed. Always remember what goes in must come out, eat moderate, drink lots of water and walk as much as you can.

4

Hi Andrew, things move very slowly don't they.

I have severe divaticular diagnosed two years ago after a really bad spell, I must have had it for years, I aviod brown bread, beans, peas, gassy veg, high fat foods, cake, anything with caffeine, chocolate is hard to avoid but have to, popcorn, fright, the skin on jacket potatoes and anything you think that may get stuck in the divaticular part of the bowel.

Things I'm okay with are soups, chicken, fish, mash, carrots, mince, pasta, crackers, plain biscuits and low fat crisps.

I drink plenty of water and light walks which I think helps....what really made a difference was decaffeinated tea and coffee but in moderation because it still contains a little.

It's a game of trial and error I have been seeing a dietician for 8 months and she suggested trying to introduce an apple, so I played it slow obviously no skin, so weeks of trying an odd bite I had half of one and was in trouble so that was the end of that. I have tried to introduce other things very slowly but it hasn't worked.

I go with what I know now and reside to the fact that this is life at least I do like the things I am safe with, too much pain otherwise!

I have constant pain mainly on the left but also in my back .

Thank God for the Spanish hey!

Hope the info helps some

5

Go to your GP as you will need more antibiotics if you are having a flare up.  But bearing in mind his previous useless performance, you might wish to request a transfer to a different GP.  Unfortunately you don't get into the NHS 2 week programme unless you have suspected cancer, which fortunately you don't.  But with a stoma, you should be getting bags through your GP practice.  In the meantime I would stick to a mainly fluid diet as that often helps calm things down.