Hi Tammy ~ I was in the same predicament as you having had numerous bouts of Diverticulitis, 2 hospitalizations when first being diagnosed and about 3 more episodes in which, like you, knew the symptoms early enough to start the antibiotics thus preventing a hospitalization.
Upon my 2nd hospitalization one of the GI docs told me that he highly recommended the surgery because with the way things were going it was just a matter of time that I would have a perforation of the bowel requiring an emergency colostomy and surgery with whatever doctor was on call in the ER with the resection months later after healing took place.
I weighed these options, feeling that it was to my advantage to be able to choose my surgeon rather than getting "joe-schmoe" who may not be the best and also succumbing to complications of a perforated colon which could be fatal if not treated immediately (this is far worse than a ruptured appendix)
And so with great thought I decided to go ahead with the resection. I was 45 years old at the time and had it done 8 years ago and I have to say it was by far the best decision I ever made.
Had it done laproscopically, although the recuperation time for both lap and open is about the same since the same internal muscles are cut etc.
They removed the 8 inches of my sigmoid colon which was the problem area......since then I did have one small incident of diverticulitis that I treated with antibiotics and was confirmed on CAT scan and via colonoscopy but which the GI doc feels will be no problem as like before because it's less amount of tics (pockets in one area)
So....it is an elective decision to make but as confirmation to me that I made the right decision a friend of mine had one bout of diverticulitis that landed him in ICU with a perforated bowel.....he was in a coma for almost a week and lost his spleen and had sepsis.
He almost didn't make it and had the emergency colostomy having to deal with that for a good 5 months and then had the resection surgery.
I recall that GI doc scaring me by saying that after a few attacks in the same area it's like a timebomb waiting to happen and that with each attack the lining gets thinner making a perforation a very likely occurrence.
I don't mean to scare you, just sharing my own personal experience with you.
If you have any questions feel free to ask, I will be more than happy to answer any concerns you may have regarding the surgery and what to expect.
(((HUGS))) ~ Ivory
Should I Have a Resection? 
