Harry, Can I ask for your Advice Please? - Bowel Disorders Message Board

04-13-2002, 05:20 AM

Hi Harry,

I hope that you are feeling better now and that your stomach is ok?

From this board, I happened to find out that I have IBS and lactose intolerance and I am now very glad that this board is here.

I have managed to keep my symptoms well controlled and my stomach has been fine up until a few days ago, when I started having severe stomach pains and diarrhea. The pains in my belly were so severe in the night that I had to call an emergency doctor out who examined my belly and performed a rectal to rule out 'a hot belly'. He then gave me a Voltarol injection which got rid of my pain within 30 mins.

I went to see the doc the next day, where he performed a vaginal exam and took a smear test. Do not have the results of the smear, but he said the vaginal was normal. He took bloods and told me that my ESR level was really quite high and because of this he is booking me in for an urgent scan of my belly.

My doc thinks that I could have diverticulitis or a gut infection and has started me on steroids and an antiboitic straight away to help me feel better.

I suppose what I am asking really is is it possible to have both IBS and diverticulitis? I am sorry if this seems a really stupid question, but I know that you have had lots of stomach problems yourself and I think I have heard you mention diverticulitis before?

Thanks a lot

Sarah

Harry · 04-13-2002, 07:38 AM

Sarah,
Sorry about your problems!!!
I don't think I have ever had a Sed Rate test done except for inflamation like arthitis. So, I don't know what it means when you have an infection.

I have had alot experience with diverticulitis but now they took out that part of my colon that had all the divertilar present because they bled alot.As you know Diverticulitis is infection of a divertular(one or more). The pain can be very intense---like that of an infected appendix except --it does not rupture and can be treated with antibiotics. It can double you over, produce nausea& vomiting and really hurt. This type infection usually produces an elevated white blood count--and as I understand is how you can tell if you have an infection.

Taking Psyllium not only helps your bowel regularity---it cleans out the pockets(diverticlar) and folds in your colon. When I started taking Psyllium, My infection rate of diverticulitis went from at least 3/year to one every 3 or 4 years.That was 19 years ago. When I have had infections ---they were not nearly as severe.

An intestinal infection has almost nothing to do with the symptoms of IBS---except contipation will aggrevate diverticulars and produce more.

My problem was that I was taking too much stuff to keep my blood from clotting ---Plavix & Asprin and when my diverticular bled --it would not clot very well so one time I lost between 4 to 6 pints of blood. Hemoglobin went from 15.6 to 8.4 in 4 1/2 hours ---I passed out.I was given a shot of Vitamin K to stop the bleeding. Had a colonoscopy--given 2 pints of blood and sent home. Two weeks later --I started bleeding again so I had part of the colon removed on March 4.

I wish you well---God Bless---Harry

mlgable · 04-13-2002, 08:06 AM

Harry is right. Diverticulosis and IBS are two separate problems and you could very easily have both at the same time. I would assume that the doctors have told you to avoid thing like seeds and nuts with your diverticulosis. As for the lactose intolerence depending on how severe it is many people can get by and have some lactose if they use a lactaid type product. Have you considered being tested for celiac sprue since a lot of symptoms seem quite severe? Just a suggestion. One thing I see that Harry didn't mention is to be sure to take yogart or acidophillous capsules while on the antibiotics so you don't accidently wind up with C-diff from the antibiotics or a yeast infection. Good Luck.

04-13-2002, 09:28 AM

Harry and mlgable,

Thank you both very much for your help. I am grateful.

Just got back from the ER where the scan of my belly showed up the pockets of diverticula. Had repeat bloods that showed high white cell count and raised ESR. The doc said that the ESR level will be raised if you have any kind of inflammation going on in your body and is really a non-specific marker of inflammation. He did also tell me that in some cases you can have an infection going on when you have a raised ESR level and a normal white cell count, so he said that even if my white cell count had not been raised he still would not have ruled out a gut infection.

Yes, my pain was so severe that I did think that I had appendicitis which is why I called a doc, but it is now under control again I am glad to say.

I am taking Metamucil and Acidophilis caps and I don't eat anything with seeds in to avoid them getting stuck anywhere.

Is there anything else that I should be taking? It is just that at the moment, although I have no stomach pain, my BM's are all over the place. I have been going to the toilet about 6 times a day over the past three days and sometimes more and have been having diarrhea sometimes, but at other times my gut seems to slow right down and I have to sit on the toilet for 30 mins at a time to achieve a BM. By sluggish I don't mean that I am constipated. My stool is still soft and easy to pass, but it is just taking a long time to come out, as if my gut has slowed right down. I also sometimes get the feeling that my bowel is still not empty even after I have been and I have the feeling that I need to go again.

For instance, this morning I had to sit on the toilet for 30 mins. After this I went and made a cup of tea and drank this. 15 mins later I had to go back and sit on the toilet. This time I was stuck there for nearly 40 mins. I did not strain at all through any of this and my stools remained soft, just a little bit lighter in colour.

I know that it is not good to have to sit on the toilet for that length of time, but I still do not seem to have a lot of choice in the matter at the moment.

Is there anything else that I should be taking or doing to help, or do I just have to wait for the antibiotics to start working?

Sorry about the length of this and thanks again.

Sarah

Harry · 04-13-2002, 01:24 PM

Sarah,
Of course you're going to have inflammation with an infection and like the Doc said it's very nonspecific and could be mixed up with any number of other ailments. Virus type infections many times don't generally raise your WBC. With diverticulis I almost never run a fever except sometime low grade 99.0 or so.

Homeopathically I'd take a dose of Arsenicum Alb. every hour for 3 hours ---if then there is improvement then take a dose every 3 hours until you go to bed. Sometime this will help a disordered gastro system and who knowns it's great for all kinds of things including ptomaine poisoning and even things that are close to it(similar). I use 30X.
If you have any Iris Tenax 30X ---I'd also take it.

Keep on with your regular doses of Metamucil and YOGURT but you know that!!!! Right!!

Take care---Harry