Hello all, I'm new here. Just diagnosed yesterday with a sigmoid abscess although I do not know the size. The radiologist said that he looked for a fishbone or other reason for the abscess and inflammation but couldn't find one. Couldn't rule out diverticulitis. I have been placed on the 2-antibiotic regimen and scheduled to see a gastro on 5/29. Anyone else been where I am and can comment? I'm somewhat terrified to be honest... I've never had a bout of digestion issues.
He didn't see any diverticula pockets? Did you have really bad pain? Any blood or mucous in stool although not everyone gets this with diverticulsis (I do though)
Hi crosado, thanks for responding. I couldn’t get much information out of my GP but the report of the scan will be released to me tonight so I will look it over then.
I had low grade pain for two weeks and went to the gyno thinking it was ‘lady business’ related. After that visit I developed more severe pain and a fever of 103 plus chills. Went to my GP the next day who suspected diverticulitis and sent me for an emergency cat scan which picked up the abscess. I’m on the antibiotics now as I mentioned but after reading online about abscesses I’m terrified.
No blood or mucous in the stools for me. What is your story?
With my first attack that landed me in ER was severe pain right below my navel in center like labor pains that didn't let up the entire night, the next morning I went to potty and had the bloody/ mucous discharge from bowels. blood work showed infection and the CT SCAN with dye showed the Diverticulitis, been a horrible ride since and with close together flares!
I'm replying to this thread in case someone down the road is searching the net, as I was, looking for answers to this scary and seemingly rare situation.
I had my follow up cat scan yesterday and the results show that my 2cm abscess is GONE. There is still residual inflammation and thickening (both mild) in the area, which I can feel that the area isn't right yet, but I am SO RELIEVED that the abscess is gone.
I had been on Flagyl and Cipro from my GP for 6 days when I saw a GI doctor and he crossed me over to Augmentin 875 twice a day. He did not explain the reason for the switch but I must admit I was relieved to be off of Cipro after reading the warning on it, and also hearing how it interferes with levothyroxine absorption (which I am on for Hashimoto's/hypo).
I will most likely still need the colonoscopy and will update this thread with the results at that time.
I am glad you are feeling better!
Replying again to keep the thread updated. I saw my GI doc last week. He confirmed the abscess is completely gone. He said to resume my normal diet and include more fiber. I've been making veggie stews with beans added and eating other types of fiber here and there. He also said nuts and seeds are fine. This is just his opinion of course so if your doctor suggests a slower ramp up with fiber and to avoid seeds then that is what you should do.
I still have low level cramping or like a "pinching" type feeling in my left abdomen where the abscess was. The doctor said this is normal. He did give me some Bentyl to take but I haven't used it yet.
I am to do the colonoscopy at my leisure, which I will schedule for later this summer. I will post the results of this when I receive them.
Such good news. I didn’t even have an abcess - I only had my First acute diverticulitis diagnosis two weeks ago - and it was uncomplicated (no abcess). I’ve been on two rounds of antibiotics and starting to feel better.
So, to hear you had an abcess and you’re recovering with oral medication gives me up that I too, will eventually clear this.
Do you still have any pain?
Hi Mtwok,
Yes I do still have vague pain in the lower left abdomen. It can be there all day (so far today I've had it lightly) or it can wax and wane (yesterday I barely noticed it). I try not to lift anything heavy though and haven't restarted on my walking regimen yet. I'm going to give that another week.
I think if you had acute uncomplicated diverticulitis and are starting to feel better at the 2 week mark you are on your way to a full recovery. From what I could tell online (before I knew about the abscess), acute uncomplicated diverticulitis reoccurs in 5% of cases. So that means you have a 95% chance of NEVER having this again, which are great odds. My chances are slightly higher due to the complication - the abscess - but I am determined to eat as high fiber as I can tolerate and also just to live healthier in general by reducing stress and putting my feet up more.
Best of luck to you, and let me know if you have any more questions.
I guess my fear is, is it a road to “full recovery” or am I stuck with this?
There’s such little literature out there on acute uncomplicated diverticulitis that it makes me wonder if I’m making a much bigger deal about it than it is.
When it comes to things like flu, doctors have a playbook they can read from: “you can expect to be ill for x amount of days on average”, but for diverticulitis, none of the four doctors I’ve seen has been able to give me an indication that this is something that typically passes with a certain amount of time. And that’s got me Worried.
I thought I was in the clear but the pain came back today.
Rose did your abscess clear up on oral antibiotics or was u on IV in hospital?
acute uncomplicated diverticulitis CAN turn the other way around!
Hi crosado, I was on oral antibiotics only. No IV, no hospital. Managed at home thankfully.
Mtwok, I feel your pain. It is a slippery slope into what I call the rabbit hole. For me it's OK to spend some time there wondering and learning about my issue but when it consumes the mind, things can turn dark. Dr. Google can be good and bad for me.
Maybe try to be thankful that you had a relatively mild issue compared to others. Of course, change your diet and try to be healthier, doctors believe these things will help to prevent a recurrence. Personally, I have a cruise coming up and my doctor told me to get on that ship and enjoy myself. Which I fully plan on doing, increased fiber and all!
Absolutely it can but the odds are totally in your favor that it will not.
Crosado I may have misunderstood you, sorry about that. Acute uncomplicated diverticulitis can turn into nothing and be a one time thing, that's for sure. Maybe that is what you were trying to say.
Just an update. I am still experiencing a pinching feeling in the left lower abdomen at varying degrees during the day but thankfully no fever at all. I am trying Bentyl which my GI doctor gave to me which seems to help but not 100%. I am eating a high fiber diet and am already gluten free and try to avoid dairy as much as possible. Just keeping the fingers crossed that the colonoscopy shows nothing sinister. Colonoscopy is scheduled for 7/20. Wish the pain would go away but from this website I can see that residual pain is nothing to be extremely worried about.
Me again, just keeping my information out there in case someone is reading this down the road. I had the colonoscopy and there was a large diverticulosis pocket in the ascending colon (not where I had the issue) and then some small ones around where the abscess had formed in the sigmoid colon. Also in the sigmoid colon was an area that they biopsied but didn't remove because the GI doc thought it might be scar tissue that had formed when the abscess healed. Thankfully it WAS scar tissue and wasn't something sinister!
The GI doc has put me on a high fiber diet. He said to eat 2 veg servings, 2 fruit servings and 1 whole grain serving a day. I am gluten free so the whole grain will be challenging.
He also said the general idea is that if I have three total episodes (including the original one) within a 12 month period, that is when I should consider surgery. So I will wait with fingers crossed and try to be as healthy as humanly possible!
I still have lingering pain daily. It's not nearly as bad but it's still there. I am taking Bentyl three times a day which does help. Any questions please feel free to comment and I will do my best to respond.
Thank you Rose for your continuing update. You can get gluten free porridge from most bigger supermarkets. That is what I take most days. In the summer I mix it with a fat free flavoured yogurt and top with fresh fruit. In the winter I mix with skimmed milk and have it hot with fresh fruit. If you look in the gluten free section of cereals you might find one that contains whole grains. I tend to ignore them as I have to watch my sugar intake.
An abscess is nasty and the deep healing does take time, plus the scar tissue will pull. Most days I am totally pain free now, having had niggling pains for over a year after my last attack in 2016. But the odd twinge does recur, particularly if I eat one of my trigger foods which inflame my insides. Not sure where you are based but in the UK surgery is not an option unless for emergencies or severe reduction in the quality of life. So I have managed OK for 17 years with 6 attacks of diverticulitis with infection. There are downsides to surgery so if you have uncomplicated DD (which is what it sounds like) the knife is best avoided. Best wishes
Felinia thank you for your thoughtful response. The porridge sounds tasty, what is the main ingredient? Is it like an oatmeal? I am in the US.
I agree that the healing from an abscess is simply going to take more time, plus the skin is pulled now as you mentioned whereas before it was nice and smooth. I may have to deal with some level of pain for a long time. But yes I do not want to have the surgery, absolutely it should be reserved for the worst-case scenario!