My dr seems to think I may have diverticulitis (hope I'm spelling that right!) I can't seem to find much info on it, but did read that it's supposed to show up on the left side of the mid-abdomen. I'm having pain in that area, but also elsewhere, including quite low and centre.

Does anyone know if it can show up in other parts of the lg. intestine?

TIA

When you are first diagnosed, you may be told that you either have diverticular disease or diverticulosis. This refers to the diverticuli themselves and to their existence, but without them causing you any problems or being infected.

Diverticular disease normally occurs around the age of the mid 40's, but can occur earlier, although it can be well into the 60's and 70's. Diverticular disease mostly occurs due to a bad diet and not enough fiber, as a result of IBS and/or chronic constipation and sitting on the toilet too long straining to have a BM.

Basically, diverticuli are loops of bowel or pockets that protrude through the bowel walll and because of this, food particles can become lodged in them and will then cause infection and inflammation and this then causes all the symptoms of classic diverticulitis.

As diverticuli occur mostly along the descending colon and sigmoid colon, then this is where most of the pain will occur - the lower left hand side of your belly where your descending colon runs. It is probbly not unusual however to get some pain around your belly button or other areas of your belly too. I would suggest that if you have pain in other areas of your belly, that this is most likely to be referred pain or due to the infection itself, which can cause diffuse belly pain due to the inflammation and infection generally. As diverticuli affect the colon, then this will be the descending colon and I think they are unlikely to occur elsewhere, but could not be 100% sure. I think the pain in the other parts of your belly is mostly likely to be for the reasons that I have just explained.

With an attack of diverticulitis, you would normally have quite severe pain located around your lower left quadrant, although this could be diffuse and can spread to the right lower quadrant and mimic appendicitis in this way. You would also have fever and diarrhea with blood and mucus in it.

Blood tests would be likely to show a raised white cell count due to the infection and a raised sed rate due to the inflammation. To conclusively check for diverticulitis, you would have to have a diagnostic colonoscopy in which the diverticuli could be seen with any inflammation in the bowel. However, you should not have this done during an acute attack. This needs to settle first.

Treatment for the infection includes antibiotic treatment, plenty of rest, plenty of fluids and meds to reduce the fever if you wish and to help the belly pain too if severe.

You need to think about trying to improve your diet if you have not already and to think about measures generally to help prevent another attack.

Hope this helps?