I am 11 weeks post-op for colon resection surgery. I had 18 inches of my right colon removed due to diverticulitis. Prior to having the surgery, I only had one attack (that I knew of) that resulted in a micro-perforation. On that particular attack, it started out with gassiness and bloat and right-sided pain. While the pain was uncomfortable, it wasn't unbearable. My stomach was quite distended, the bloat is pretty significant. The only reason I went to the ER was because it was my third day of that pain and I thought maybe I had appendicitis. That's when I was told I had diverticulitis and would need to have surgery. I had a colonoscopy that revealed diverticulosis throughout my entire colon, even though they were only removing that part on my right side.
Since my surgery, I keep having very similar attacks. I'll start getting pain in my abdomen that feels like gas. My stomach will get very swollen. I have to walk a little hunched over because it hurts to straighten up. While I am not constipated, I am not going as much (volume) as I think I should be. (Only during the ‘attack'). I then just ride it out for two or three days and then it's gone. I went to my surgeon about two weeks ago, but I went because I thought it was the hematoma that was giving me trouble. I developed a large hematoma during the surgery, which is still a baseball sized bump near my belly button. He told me that it's not unusual for that to take months to go away, but it was harder and firmer than he would have liked it to be. But he said "before I send you on a wild-goose chase with bloodwork, ultrasounds and cat scans, let's wait and see". Since then, I started to think what I am experiencing has nothing to do with the hematoma, and has to do possibly with having more attacks in the others parts of my colon. But since I only had that one attack, I don't know what having an attack feels like. Any help is appreciated....!
Oh yeah... I started really keeping track of what I eat. I was up to drinking 6 or 7 diet cokes again, and have stopped doing that. I think I read on here that someone discovered that carbonated beverages really gave them problems. I am still getting enough fiber, but some days I would forget to take citrucel. I have a terrible habit of not drinking enough water, and am trying to do that too. Thanks......
I can't say if you are actually having more attacks, but I am about 3 1/2 months post surgery and feeling better than ever after making some changes. I found that I would have pain similar to a diverticulitis attack (lower left quadrant pain, a feeling like something was in there, swelling) if I ate the wrong things and didn't drink enough water. After switching back to a blander diet (no spicy sushi or Mexican, no red meat) and being careful about drinking plenty of water, I am now feeling terrific! I wish more people would stop with the sodas, they do not hydrate you at all and in fact seem to dehydrate. Water, water, water! And fruit juices, milk, etc. But not sodas! I don't think it would hurt to get checked out because as you can see from my other posts, I do not subscribe to the "wait and see" school of thought. Let's find out what's wrong & fix it!
