Personal Stories

The first I knew I had Diverticulitis, was, when, I was woken up at 1.30 am on 11/11/2010 with extreme burning pain in my lower right abdomen, then came the diarrhea and bleeding. I was awake all night unable to sleep because of the constant pain and going to the toilet. At 8am I phoned my local surgery and asked for a Dr to call to my house. The Dr came a couple of hours later and said I had Gastroenteritis and gave me tablets for the cramping pains. The pain and bleeding/clots continued until the afternoon. I phoned again for another Dr to call. She came about an hour later and said I need to go to the hospital. I arrived at the hospital at 7 pm, then had to wait in the assessment room full of other patients. I had blood tests and a rectum exam, chest x-ray and a scan of my abdomen. I had been in the assessment room for about 4 1/2 hours when I suddenly felt strange. I got up and went out to look for a Dr because I knew I was going to pass out. I told the Dr what was happening and someone fetched a chair for me to sit down that is the last thing I remember. I came around and was being taken on a trolley to a cubicle. The Dr told me I was unconscious for a minute. I did not feel a thing when they lifted me on to the trolley. I had a lot of other tests carried out and was finally taken to a ward at 5 am. I was put on a drip and fed antibiotics through a vein in my arm also potassium which was very low. My white blood count was also high. I was in the hospital for 8 days.
I had to return to the hospital 6 weeks later for a Barium Enema, when the inflamation had cleared up. My consultant told me it was Diverticulitis but wanted me to have scan to confirm it. I had the scan one month ago, so I am now waiting for a letter from the hospital for the results. I am still having pain and loose bowels a couple of times a week. I am not sure if I am taking too much fibre or not enough. I have pain whatever I do. I feel sorry for anyone who has this condition.

I was diagnosed with Diverticulitis four years ago.

My surgeon decided to treat me with anti biotics during an attack, to see if I could live with the problem without having to have surgery.

This resulted in having to carry a course of anti biotics at all times in case of an attack. At this time, I suffered attacks on average - twice yearly, which was manageable.
I also took great care to avoid nuts, seeds, and any food likely to cause an infection.

At the beginning of last year, I decided to really challenge myself, by praying to have a completely healthy body.

I practice Nichiren Daihonin's Buddhism, and have practiced for 27years.

Over the years, I have challenged many huge obstacles in my life, and because I have experienced so much positive proof in many areas, I knew I could challenge my health issues.

In April I suffered an attack as I was arriving at the airport, about to travel to Prague. I was afraid, as on this occasion, I was passing blood.

I immediately contacted my surgeon who told me to take my course of anti biotics, and to visit him for a colonoscpoy the moment I arrived back in London.

The examination was successful with no sinister developments, and we decided to give it more time before considering surgery.

I am a figurative painter, and in July, I was studying at the Academy of Realist Art in Toronto, a very rigerous course of an extremely high standard. Good health was paramount.

Unfortunately, I suffered the worst attack ever, and imagined being rushed into hospital.

I was miles away from home, and felt very vulnerable, and it was at this time that I really put my practice of buddhism to the test.

I chanted to avoid going into hospital at all costs, and to find a cure somewhere in the world.

I googled the internet, again and again, until quite suddenly I fell upon Serovera AMP 500.

Listening to the testomonies from other sufferers, I decided to give it a try.

It was at this time, that my surgeon had decided to arrange for me to have surgery the moment I returned from Canada in the Autumn, provided I was able to keep it together until then.

I was taking Serovera for just two weeks when I began to feel better. In fact, the moment I started taking the product, I could feel a battle going on in my body, and I instinctively knew that my body was responding positively to the Serovera.

I returned from Canada a new woman, and although I still take the full dose of five am and four pm, I have avoided surgery and my surgeon was amazed with my progress.

Health has been an issue for eighteen years, having suffered with the early stages of cancer,and a troublesome benign tumour on my left kidney, but I can honestly say that I feel healthier and stronger than I have for many years, and I know I owe my success to my strong prayer, and the fact that I discovered Serovera.

Please email me should you want to ask me any questions, I would love to be able to help other sufferers. jennyannemorrison@gmail.com.

Good luck everyone - get well.

Hello everyone I had a flare up 4 months ago on my left side and went to the hospital.they said i had diverticulitis.Im only 34 years old and like jessic my concern was like omg its common for 40 to 50 year olds to get it. Im real scared, my doctor is not really helping me any . I have alittle discomfort on my left side from time to time and Im afraid its going to be severe one day. I have two children and a husband and i fell like this disease is stopping me from having fun with my family Because of my discomforts.I told my doc i still have discomfort but he tells me its in my head im making it happen and wont give me pain killers tylenole dont help Prune juice does help but i get alot of gas which puts more discomfort on my left side. i got a colonoscopy and they said i had mild div ,no cancer and no crohns but it dont feel like mild div.Im glad theres people i can talk to.i felt i was alone in this.Im just sorry all of you have it and ill pray for all of you.I was thinking to myself just do surgery but My gas doctor said they wait for three flare ups before they go to surgery because they want that to be the last thing they want to do.If anyone would like to email and talk and is scared feel free to email me im a good listener ty for listen to me and god bless all of you.

Lilmystry03@aol.com I forgot to put the address in my last story lol Feel free to email me anytime...im 34 and have diverticulitis.

IM A 23 YR OLD FEMALE MOTHER OF 3. IM PREGNANT WITH MY 4TH CHILD AND NEVER HAVE EXPERIENCE AS MUCH PAIN AS HAVING A DIVERTICULITIS ATTACK. I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT GIVING BIRTH IS PAINFUL BUT COMPARED TO THE PAIN OF A DIVERTICULITIS ATTACK, CONTRACTIONS ARE A WALK IN THE PARK. I HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM SINCE APRIL OF THIS YEAR AND HAVE BEEN IN AND OUT OF THE HOSPITAL EVER SINCE. ITS SO HARD FOR ME BEING PREGNANT AND NOT BEING ABLE TO HAVE REGULAR PRECEDURES DONE BECAUSE OF MY PREGNANCY. IM MOSTLY OUT OF THE HOSPITAL FOR NO MORE THEN 5 DAYS AND GET ANOTHER ATTACK AND HAVE TO GO IN AGAIN FOR 5-6 DAYS AT A TIME. THIS IS SO HARD FOR MY FAMILY BECAUSE I AM MOSTLY IN THE HOSPITAL MOST OF THE TIME. MY CHILDREN CRY SO MUCH FOR ME THAT SOMETIMES I JUST DONT WANT TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL BUT THE PAIN IS SO INTENSE THAT I CANT HELP IT AND HAVE TO LEAVE MY CHILDREN AGAINST MY WILL. I AM SO TIRED OF MY SITUATION AND HOPING TO DELIVER MY BABY SOON SO THAT I CAN HAVE INTESTINAL SURGERY SOON AND HOPING AND PRAYING TO GOD THAT THIS EPISODE OF MY LIFE WILL BE OVER SOON. JUST HAVE FAITH IN GOD!

On August 1, 2010 around 10:00 P.M. I was getting ready for bed all of a sudden I felt a sharp pain on my left side I thought it was gas, so when my daughter came home around 11:00 P.M. I sent her to the store for Gas X thinking I had gas, I took the Gas X with no relief...The next day I went to the doctor he said, I should go for a cat-scan it sounds like Diverticulitits. Buy that time the pain was so bad it hurt to breath. I got the results right away and was put on antibiotic for two weeks it's been 8 days and I am starting to feel better but now I am so scared to eat food. I am getting ready to order Serovera AMP 500. I do not want up coming episodes of this disease ever again. I keep saying to myself I am only 41 years old why me. But reading everyones stories, it's not just me...This site absolutely encourages me to try Serovera AMP 500 I don't want surgery. I'll try it and keep everyone posted on how it goes...

I had diver. 7 years ago was in hospital 5 days with antib .Been good till may of this year 2010 thought it was bladder inf, pain got worst right side never thought of diver again. Had mild case they sent me home antib 10 day .Went back on my reg diet no seeds or nuts tho 4 weeks later other attack. took some antib i had left been 3 weeks still have light pain on both sides cut out caffine choloate eating very bland lost 6 pounds saw doctor other day one more attack wants me to do surary im scared im 50years old dont know where this comes from i feel for all of us who suffers no answers from any one

I was laying in my dorm room at Ramstein AFB Germany. I was getting really bad abdominal pain so i called my supervisor and told her that it felt different than normal pain. So she called the german EMT's and they came out and thought it was my apendix. I was transported to Landstuhl medical center about 30 min down the road from Ramstein AFB. They ran tests on me all night finally came and told me i had diverticulitis. I was like what? They admitted me to the ward and tried to treat me with antibiotics for 2 weeks. During that time i had 2 instances when a pain shot through my body down my stomach and i couldnt walk. The second time they decided to take me to surgery. When i woke up from surgery they had taken out part of my large intestine. I was alright for a day and even talked to my family. Turned out the whole time my body was going into shock. They put me out to put a tube in me to help me breath and i did not wake up for 2 weeks. Turns out my body when into septic shock and they had to keep me sedated because of everything that was happening. I blew up to 340 bls because of the septic shock. I was told i had flatlined twice and they had to do emergency surgery right in the ICU twice because the infection had spread to my cologne. I was on life support with a capiter and 6 cheast tubes. When i woke up my dad was there. They had called him when i was in a coma and told him to come over to Germany because they did not think i was going to wake up. I also had a colostomy bag when i woke up. I was eventually medivaced out of Landstuhl to Keesler AFB. I was there for a couple of weeks and eventually went home to Georgia where i was on medical leave for 8 months. They had to reconstruct my abdominal wall after having a colostomy bag for 3 months and not having any stomach muscles. All they had done before i left Germany is sew my skin back together. I also had to wear an abdominal brace until they sewed my muscles back together. It was a really long recovery but it was good to come out surviving that experiance. I still have several diverticuli in my stomach and the doctors just told me to make sure i eat right.

Wow there are a lot of us out there! Each of our stories is a little different, but overall there is one thing that rings true for each of us. This disease of diverticulitis has had such an impact on our lives that we have taken the time to write about it. After reading 65 entries, I realize that I may not have it so bad at this point. I was diagnosed 4 years ago after I had a complete hysterectomy due to being diagnosed with cancer, including cervical cancer. After recovering from that (It was one of the best times I have had with my husband, who was laid off at the time. We would sit on the porch in the morning enjoying our coffee, and visit with my parents in the afternoon. It made me realize how nice retirement might be.) I returned to work. Of course I had returned for my check-up before I went back and complained to the obgyn that my left side really hurt. I was told I exercised too soon..even though he told me I could. I ended up leaving work after a week and a half and being sent to the hospital by my nurse practioner (who I contacted because I no longer trusted my obgyn).

She sent me for a catscan after actually listening to me, and diagnosed diverticulitis. I was given Imipromen(sp) and Flagyl for 20 days. It took a while, but it finally did the trick and I felt like I had more energy than I had ever had! I also lost some weight and returned to work. Then wham, at Christmas 6 months later, it hit again. Then again in May, and again in July. Each time I took the antibiotics. I would get more bloated. I was sent to a gastroenterologist who did a colonoscopy. The report was very confusing; it said I had diverticulitis and if I had any more bouts that year I should have a resection done. What? So I began to search on-line for answers. I discovered Serovera AMP, then when it came out, the Probiotics. Has it kept me pain free, bloat free, no. Has it managed this illness so I can function, yes! I spent three years eating rice, yogurt, and applesauce...........and ended up in the hospital last summer after collapsing at a store where I was with my daughter. Scared the heck out of her as they took me away in the ambulance. Diagnosis was very low vitamin D levels; I was put on mega-dose weekly by my nurse practioner. I then requested to go to a nutritionist to try and come up with some other diet; her suggestion was fresh fruits and vegetables (which were my favorites before all this). If I could eat those and be okay, wouldn't I? Anyway, she offered no solution. In the mean time, I kept taking my Serovera AMP and probiotics. As I ate less and less, I did not lose weight, in fact I began to gain back the weight I had lost. Part of this was due to inactivity........I had stopped doing Pialtes and ballrrom dancing because I had no energy and it hurt!!!! Recently, I have decided that this disease has affected my family, my job performance, and my joy of life long enough. I stopped talking about how I feel to anyone........hard to do when you feel the dead weight in your side and the nagging pain in your groin. I then began to start exercising, at first just a few leg lifts on each side, and this week Pilates every other day. We actually went dancing and it was great! I also have spent the last few years sleeping more on the couch than in bed, as this disease makes me feel so isolated and feeling like I don't want to be near anyone, even though I love my husband very much.

I now have made myself be there, and even when I am a little uncomfortable, I find that having relations relaxes me and makes me feel emotionally more connected! In other words, attitude is a lot of the cure. The other parts are taking Serovera AMP and Probiotics, and then also finding out what foods work for you. Sounds like we are all a little different in that area. I can no longer tolerate any raw fruits (except a bananna occasionaly), and also have to cook all vegetables. I find that when I am having trouble with constipation, if I mash califlower or eat boiled cabbage, it helps. The trick is to do it for a day or two, then back off. Otherwise I end up with pain from going too much. And no, a little bit does not give me really bad gas. I also find that if I feel like I can't go, don't push! That causes the groin pain and the left side follows suit. I try and drink enough water; with my job it is a little tough, but I am learning how to make that happen. Currently I am due for my routine colonoscopy, and just had a catscan. I also stopped taking the antibiotics over a year ago...........when I took them it would make it feel better for a little while, but then I would end up having residule effects from the antibiotics a month or two later. It even gives this as a warning on the drug information sheet! I would then feel like I needed the antibiotic again. Then the vicious cycle would continue.I also have considered having the surgery, but at this point have been advised by friends and two doctors to avoid this, which is what I have been doing since I just had major surgery when this all started. I was also tested at the beginning of all this for Celiac Disease and told by the specialist that she was 99% sure I had it, but tests were inconclusive.........so on her advice I have also been gluten free for the past four years, which has for me meant less fiber.....until recently when I started cooking veggies mentioned above. I just wish that it was less expensive to take the Serovera; that it was covered by prescription. I don't understand why something that clearly helps can't be approved by the Food and Drug Adminstration.....and no side effects! I think we all need to lobby for a cure to be found, for more research to happen. While this is a disease we can "live" with, it clearly has affected all of our quality of life! I start each day with a prayer and end it with thanks for living another day. I will keep praying for a cure and a relief for all of us from the pain, isolation and frustration this can cause. I truly am not making light of all that most of you have already gone through..........on the contrary, I hope this can be of help in some way to someone. Blessings.

I was diagnosed with diverticular about four years ago. It followed several years of abdominal pain and erratic bowel movements. It took a barium enema to clinch the diagnosis. Last summer (2008) I had an attack of diverticultis. I didn't realise it at the time and, thankfully, after a week of fever,stomach cramps and constipation I improved by giving my bowel a rest by refraining from eating. About seven weeks ago I had, what I thought, was the mother of all attacks. I went to see my consultant, after a few days in bed. He gave me some anti biotic and slapped my wrist. He firmly told me that I should immediately go to my ED if I ever had those symptoms again. I never made a full recovery from that bout and then early last week I had another one. My wife took no time in reminding me of what the doctor advised. We went to the ED. Within four hours I was on intravenous anti biotic and pain killers. A CT scan confirmed diverticulitis. Luckily I was discharged a few days later. The docs reckon that if the problem carries on then an operation, to remove the offending piece, is the way forward.

Just found this site and think it is great. I have suffered with right side pain since having gallbladder removed in 1991. Have had colonoscopy every few years with nothing showing up. Last one showed leasion in lower right side. It would come and go. For last four months seems pain was there all time, but used to it and not paid to much attention. A couple weeks ago it revved up to a unbearable pain radiating from groin to rib and finally across entire back at kidney level. Went to gp and was tested for kidney infection-none-found tenderness in right lower side as well. Suspects diverticulitis and put me on amoxicillin. After two days pain eased up to almost gone. Starting yesterday the pain is back, not the breath taking type, but constant. this site has been so informative for me. Thank you all for sharing.

Hi, Ive just been diagnosed with this at 36 as have been bleeding for months now, and had loads of tests. Not sure how bad mines is, the doctors seem to think the bleeding is from piles (I had 2 banded a few months ago but didn't stop the bleeding). I have very smelly gas (sorry!) I can cope if its just the piles and a little bit of diverticulosis, but I think I've had this for years. About 6 years ago I had a sudden cramp and very temperature. I went to the doctor the next day as the stomach cramps were fading and he sent me to hospital for tests regarding my appendix. Nothing showed up so was sent home. Also, had a couple of bladder infections, which I was told is unusual for a man. Problems with my guts years ago were put down to IBS without any examination. And I even went to the doctor 4 years ago as I thought I might have been bleeding a bit but he just dismissed this as nothing to worry about. Now, I have been bleeding 7 months now, and although I can be pretty confident it isn't the big C as have been checked in that department, if I'd known this might happen, either with piles or diverticulis, I would have changed my diet years ago. As it is, I have now - brown bread, fruit and veg, but may be too late to stem these problems. Mad thing is my dad has just had surgery for bowel cancer, which was successful so looks like problems in the rear could run in our family, although the scottish diet may not help that.

I had my first attack of diverticulitis in June,I am 59 and I never had any symptoms before. I was having a nice day, my husband and I had gone for a short ride and grabbed a coffee and when we returned, I started getting a nagging pain in my left side and a back ache. I thought I was getting a bladder infection. After a couple hours I started getting more pain and I went to bed and tried a couple heating pads and Tyneol, which didn't help at all. It felt like I had swallowed a bumblebee and it was trying to get out. After a terrible night of pain and no sleep, I called my doctor and I got right in to see her and she gave me a prescription for Cipro and a shot and sent me to the hospital for a x-ray. I had a temp and she gave me blood work also.After all that running around I just wanted to go home and go to bed as I was just worn out. With the antibotics she had given me I was feeling a little better, but I had no appetite at all. My pain was still there but not so intense, I couldn't sleep on my right or left side and I had to sleep on my back, which I hate, even the bumps on the road would hurt my side and I would hold my side to try not move it at all. The next day, off I went to the doctors again for another check up to see if the "bumblebee" had left and it was still there and she sent me to the hospital for a Cat scan, so I had my husband drop me off for the test, not knowing that you drink this nasty stuff and have to wait a couple hours,my husband had left and here I am the hospital thinking, this really stinks...now what. So I sat and drank all of it and went outside and to my relief, my husband was out there, I took him home which is 30 minutes away, as he had to be home to be there for our granddaughter got off the bus and I went back alone, which I didn't want as I felt really terriable and I had my scan done and then they sent me to a surgeon right afterwards and he said he had good news and bad news, the good news was that he thought he knew what I have, "diverticulitis" and explained what that was and the bad news was that he wanted me to stay at the hospital for about 3-days and have a IV and antibotics so I would get rid of the infection. Of course, I agreed, but I wanted to cry as I was all alone and was afraid what was happening to me. But I put on my brave face and followed them to my room. After they got me settled, I called home and told my husband that I had to stay. I spent only day and half there and started to feel alot better, my blood count came back up to where it was suppose to be and no fever. I still had no appetite at all, I could care less if I ever ate. After I left the hosptial I was on Cipro and Flagyl, for 10 days. I think the medicine made me dizzy and I couldn't focus well. I really was happy to get off them. It's been 4 weeks and I still feel really fatigued and I am trying to eat more fiber and drink a lot of water and I still have some feelings of pressure in my left side and diarrhea. As I never had this, I am not sure what your are suppose to feel. I feel somewhat bloated at times and I just don't have the get up and go as I used to. After reading all these stories it has helped me understand some of this diverticulitis and I will be going in this month for a colonscopy. Each day I hope I will feel like I used to and get back on my feet, I have lost 20 pounds and I am trying hard to stay active. I thought I was active before but I didn't eat the right food, I am taking Metamucil daily and hope that will help me.Thanks for all the storys as I was looking for some personal experiences to help me see what others are going through. I hope everyone gets feeling better soon. I never thought I would have something like this. Your stories are a inspiration to me.

Hi, Well like others I thought I just had gas with pain on the right side, I stopped eating but after 4 days I had to call an ambulance (quarter to 12 sat night!), they took me off in so much pain I could no longer walk. Eventually I had emergency resection of sigmoid colon for perforated diverticuli. Had a few calls since then - in fact I'm not good right now - I'll hang on until tomorrow & then ask for antibiotics....Been 5 yrs since the first attack, would recommend regular colonoscopy - and always carry broad spectrum antibiotics on your travels...

I am a 42yr old male in pretty good shape. I am not obese, nor even overweight and have an excellent high fiber diet. Ha, what a cruddy couple of weeks it has been. The mother in law was visiting and did some cooking. I ate a bit of her dinner (beef soup) and started feeling punk a bit later. It got worse the next day but I still thought I had the stomach flu. Well Monday at work I had a sore left side. I didn't worry to bad till a sharp pain bowled me over. Well, after spending the evening in the ER with lots of drugs, ct scans, and tests the ER said I had accute diverticulitis. I am just coming off my 10th day on the BRAT diet. My doctor has given me a long term diet almost mirroring my normal diet. Hope it doesn't come back but I really have to wonder where this came from in the first place. Folks are right, it is hard to explain to the people at work why I was layed up for so long. Most folks asked me if it had something to do with scuba diving and the ones who have actually heard of diverticulitis kept telling me horror stories about their 86 year old aunts, uncles and grandfathers who now use colostomy bags.

I have had Diverticulosis for atleast 10 years confirmed by a Colonoscopy. Last night while working, I made the biggest mistake and ate about one cup of popcorn with almonds and peanuts. About 4 hours later unusually (but not for me) I got excruciating lower right side abdominal cramps so bad that I couldn't walk. Thankfully, a co-worker rushed me to the ER and by the time the tech took my blood pressure (160/101 because of the pain), I went the most explosive diarrea with extreme gas! I couldn't even get a CT scan. For two hours they gave me 2 bags of Sodium Chloride and I went to the bathroom that way 10 times! Finally, the cramping subsided along with belly tenderness and they sent me on my way. I had no fever luckily and no elevated white blood count (which indicates infection) but I am on Amoxicillan and Flagyl because I cannot take Keflex because it causes abdominal cramping. I will take it easy and eat as light as possible for the next few days until my belly can handle it. The Doctor said it is rare to have right side cramping but does happen. I am still swollen today and intend on going to work today. The last attack that I had was 8 years ago while eating crushed hot peppers on a hoagie. It all makes sense now.

Hello..

About 5 months ago my mother became very very ill.. she was tired all the time.. got very constipated and just all together did not feel well.. or get better at that. She went to a family doc who did blood work and yada yada yada... they came back to tell her that she just had a virus. and that it would eventually go away. WELL a month later.. guess what.. still sick!! soo she goes back to the doc.. same thing!! (really.. how many viruses did they think this woman was catching!) So finally after talking with family and friends about it she went to the ER. They did all sorts of test and found inflammation. well finally.. she went to a different doc. they did a ct scan and found that she had diverticulitis. She tried the antibiotics and had to keep meeting with the doc to check on it. She just today had to have surgery to get the bad parts removed. I have never seen my mother in so much pain.. which scared me.. but I know she is on her road to recovery! The hospital staff has been amazing to her as well! However, I still find myself at home not being able to sleep because I am so worried about her.. any sort of reassurance on the matter would oh so help me out!!! I must say tho.. all of your stories have def helped!!!

Today is Saturday March 28th and I have just returned home from a 4 day stay at the emergency room. I'm 26 and was diagnosed with Perforated sigmoid diverticulitis... This is very confusing to me because they tell me it only happens in older people. I'm scared, and they are talking about surgeries and all types of other things that don't sound very good. I have always had problems with my stomach, and am very confused as to if the diagnosis is correct! If anyone has any thoughts or comfort they can offer me please contact me. Help someone who is very scared that I could have a very serious ordeal at my age.

Hi,

This is Kumar from India. I been suffering from Acid Reflux problem for 4 years now and tried many medicines but of no use. I used to get burning pain just one side of the throat and it is miserable condition which I cant explain.It hurts like anything and in the back of the mind I am prepared to pay anything to get rid of this disease, such was the intensity of the pain. One of the doctors asked me to do meditation to control the acid and mentioned no good medicine to acid reflux.Luckily one day I went through some articles on the internet and found some one suggesting AloVera to cure the same. Then following the links I found the details about Aloe mucilaginous polysaccharides and then started searching for the product and then I came to know about Serovera product. I ordered one bottle initially and to my surprise it works with ih hours of use. I personally get the result ( at least the burning situation is healed in 2 hours time).

I am using it as directed on the bottle and I am happy now. I am planning to use this for some more time till it is completely cured. May be any year.

Aloe mucilaginous polysaccharides is wonderful drug and credit goes to the creator.

I was 26 when I was first diagnosed with Diverticulitis. I had no idea what was wrong with me. It was a Tuesday when I started to not feel bad. I could not use the bathroom and I thought at first I was just blocked up somehow. I guess I figured that the next day I would feel better. The symptoms got worse and worse through the week. Like all good sons do, I called my mom the nurse, and told her that something was wrong with me. My parents told me to go to the doctor. So being a typical guy I decided to wait it out. The bad pain set in on Friday night, it was at this point I knew something was very wrong. I stopped eating at that point because nothing was coming out and I didn't want to add anything else. When Sunday rolled around the only thing that had changed was that the pain was no longer bearable. That evening I took my temperature and it was up to 104. I called my folks and they came and got me and took me to the ER. After waiting in the ER doubled over for a couple of hours they saw me. My white blood cell count was up very high. They put on on some pain meds that made such a difference. The doctor came in and told me that I needed a CT scan. He said that he thought that I could be having appendix issues. After I drank the lovely flavored cocktail of Barium and Gatorade everything changed. Those of you that have done this know what I'm talking about. I went in for the scan. After about an hour or so I was told that I had Diverticulitis. I was put on bed rest for a week and was given Cipro and Flagel. I have had about six attacks since then. Infact I am on meds now treating attack number 7. My doctor says that it's colonoscopy time. So when I heal it's time for the scope. I do not have a bad diet. I take in lots of fiber and take a fiber supplement. My problem is cashews. I have dedided now after all these attacks that I like cashews but they don't like me. I will be taking them out of my diet from now on.

Hi,I am 43y/o female that had surgery about one week ago, they removed about6-8cm of my colon. Yes, I ate popcorn and three hours later I had abdominal pain. Two days later went to a local doctor and we knew it was the diverticulitis that had kicked in. So she started me on Cipro. Saturday afternoon I couldn't take the pain and went to the ER where I got some pain meds and schedule for a CT on Wednesday.Monday still not any better so started me on another antibiotic Flagyl. Called DR. and she said I needed a CT now, Tuesday, I couldn't wait. By 2pm that afternoon I was having surgery. My pouch had opened up inside and they needed to clean up the mess. They told me that I might have to have a colostomy bag but got lucky. I am off of work for 4weeks and going crazy because I can't do anything. My father, who is 72 has to pick my up if I need to go somewhere, when my husband is at work. My husband has been a big trooper through all of this. I have learned that I will not eat stuff I am not suppose to eat.

I'm 25 years old and since i was about 15 i had pain and doctors told me i had IBS. 2 years ago i had terrible pain on my right side i went to the hospital were i was admitted with suspected appendicitis. after 5 days of test the doctors said they couldn't find the problem but as my white blood cells were high they would perform keyhole surgery to see if there was anything wrong. i was told i would be in surgery for 1 hour and would be able to go home the next day. i woke up and found i had been in surgery for 6 hours i had a big scar down my stomach. i had to have a right hemicolectomy as i had a diverticula abscess which had got tangled up with my apendix. i was in alot of pain after the op and in hospital for two weeks. i had alot of problems with stomach pains for about a year after but now i hardly ever have pain.I think from what i have read that i'm young to have diverticulitis and i hope i don't have problems in the future.

I was diagnosed with diverticulitis in June 2005 after a night of excruciating abdominal pain and a visit to the ER. I was on antibiotics for two months and despite massive amounts of these drugs my sigmoid colon abscessed and perforated my colon. To say the pain was unbearable is an understatement. If help was not available, I would have chosen to die.

I ended up with a hospital stay of 16 days and then home for four weeks to reduce the inflammation in the colon. Followed up by a two foot resection of the sigmoid colon. Fortunately I do not have a colostomy bag.

I am a 46 year-old woman and am a healthcare professional. I tire very easily now and feel exhausted almost every night around 6pm. I exercise, ride a bike, etc. I have always been very athletic. Don't smoke. Not overweight. Does anyone else have this exhaustion?

I've just found out through a barium enema that I have diverticulitis. I am concerned as my doctor says it's in the large bowel and the colon. I didn't seem to get much advise from my doctor, but I go back to the hospital in May as a follow-up. I have been given mebeverine tablets to take when I need them.

I don't understand when people say they have had several attacks. My pain is in my left side constantly and my stomach is bloated constantly. The pain is like a ball of wind under my left ribs. I have had these symptoms for seven months now.

I don't drink a lot of fluids which I have been told I must, and I'm wondering if it's through eating a lot of bread which is my main diet. Besides fruit and veg has anyone got any dietary tips.

I was recently diagnosed with diverticulitis. I am 41 and have always had bowel issues, although nothing that has affected my lifestyle at all. Even now I have had my second bout of pain from the diverticulitis and the antibiotics clear up the pain by day three.

However I had a scare about five days into my antibiotic treatment as I passed blood, about a tablespoon, at the conclusion of a bowel movement. It hasn't happened since and my doctor tells me that it is a symptom of my diverticulitis. He also told me not to be concerned about the bleeding unless it continues. Has anyone else had bleeding like this?

For years I suffered with upper left flank back pain. I went to the doctor time and time again, and I was told it was my back, but then I lost a lot of weight. One night I just doubled over in pain, went into the ER and a surgeon decided it was my appendix. The next day I was still no better.

After a few more days the surgeon decided to take a look at my bowel, and when I woke up he said I had had a severe attack of diverticulitis. I have had an attack now for over a week, I know it was probably something I ate last week. It has been helpful reading some of your stories, as I was never told exactly what I could or couldn't eat.

I just got diagnosed with diverticulitis last night. I have had five attacks within the last one to one-and-a-half years and never saw anyone about it because the pain would only last about two days. But after having an attack just last month and another in the past couple of days, I was annoyed enough (and doubled over enough) to go to the ER.

By using the internet, based on my symptoms, I had narrowed it down to an ovarian cyst or diverticulitis. After having a trans-vaginal ultrasound, the possibility of an ovarian cyst was ruled out. So it was onto the CT scan w/contrast.

I had to drink three large glasses of some substance that they mixed with peach iced tea - still tasted yukky, but it was tolerable - anything to get rid of the pain. They gave me Toridol in an IV and three Tylenol tablets orally.

The CT wasn't bad either, and it was quite a relief to finally have an actual diagnosis for the pain and learn that it wasn't cancer. I do know that one of the things that I am guilty of is not drinking enough water - I am so busy that I often let myself get dehydrated. Now my concern is having to pay close attention to my diet and trying to figure out the food triggers for this pain. Wish me luck.

Hi everyone. My sister has diverticulitis, and has had all the tests, and was on antibiotics by IV. Her first attack was early in December, and she has been in and out of the hospital since then. She is now at home, and is not improving that much.

I have been searching on the internet for things that might help her. Has anyone tried aloe vera, and has it helped? What about papaya? She told me that she doesn't seem to be healing that well, and I would like to know if anyone had tried aloe vera or papaya, or any other treatment, as to help the intestine to heal. Any information will be appreciated.

She eats small meals through the day, and finds that this is better than trying to eat a full meal. She is allergic to milk and rye, she has soya milk, and uses this on cereal, and is going to cook with it. I have found some recipes for cooking with soya, and am going to send them to her. Thank you.

I also have diverticulitis and this is my second bad bout. No pain meds helped me. I just came home from the hospital and now have to see a surgeon. I am 56 years old and need to have surgery. If anyone has had the surgery please let me know, thanks.

Update...Well, I had the surgery. I had a foot of the large bowel and a foot of the small bowel removed. He said it was really bad. I came home on a Monday and was rushed back Tuesday from my incision opening up. I had an infection and I was really sick. Well it's been three months now and I have this terrible pulling on both sides of my belly. I've got to go for a catscan to see what's up.

I am 44 year-old mom of a 15 year-old. I woke up in agonizing pain a few days ago and went to the ER and was diagnosed with diverticulitis. This has been one of the most painful things I have ever experienced!

I am on two different kinds of strong antibiotics and drinking water like mad. I also am very bloated. I cannot get constipated because I am being treated for an anal fissure due to hard BMs. I am thinking this is stress-related? Does anyone else think that this could be stress-related? Also my mom, and grandmother and uncle all have this. Is this something that runs in families?

I am a 32 year-old mother of three small children. I just spent five days in the hospital fighting my second bought of diverticulitis. My doctors have mentioned the surgery and I am looking for any input from others who have had it done.

I have been suffering from diverticulitis for many years. I have just had a colonoscopy, which has shown up severe evidence on my left-hand side. My symptoms are not so much pain but feeling flu-like symptoms, tired, bloating and constipation.

My surgeon in now wanting to take out part of my bowel and I would like some feedback on this operation. I have also had 10 bladder infections in the last six months, could this also be connected? I look forward to some helpful advise.

I was diagnosed with diverticulitis approximately three years ago after several short stays in hospital and loads of tests. Like most people on this site I was told to go away with a high fiber diet. Great, I thought, until the next time.

I was also given antibiotics which helped. Great, I thought, I can live with this once in a while. But this attack has now lasted eight weeks and five lots of antibiotics later things don't seem to be getting better.

My doctor has not mentioned surgery and I would not be keen anyway. I have found it a very lonely disease (and hard to explain to work etc). I have found the site very useful, thank you to you all for your stories - I now know I'm not alone.

I have suffered from IBS for 15 years and now have diverticulitis. I have now had my first bad attack and it has lasted for three weeks. The pain on the left lower side is very acute which is driving me insane. Painkillers and antibiotics have been of no use.

I am scheduled for a barium soon. Is there any cure for this terrible and painful illness, as I do not want surgery? Please help.

I was diagnosed in November of this year with diverticular disease. I have undergone both a sigmoidoscopy and a barium enema, but I do not get the results of the enema until 3 January 06.

The only thing that really concerns me is that I am experiencing most of the pain on my right lower side. I have done some extensive research and all the pointers seem to be to a condition called appendiceal diverticulitis. Is there anyone out there who has been diagnosed with this? If so, I would be grateful if you could tell me how you were cured of this if at all! Many thanks.

Hi, my name is Stan. In June 2004 I was hospitalized for four days due to high fever, bloating, and high white blood cell count. I was diagnosed with diverticulitis in August 2004.

In September 2005 I was hospitalized again, and this time I was in a bit more trouble. Again my white blood cell count was off the charts along with the fever and bloating, but the kicker was that my colon perforated. Antibiotics were not going to fix this problem.

So off to the operating room I went. Five and a half hours later I came out with an ostomy bag and seven inches shorter of colon. I spent 17 days in the hospital of which six days were spent in SICU.

Now it is January 2006 and I am scheduled for another surgery on January 4. It is time for the doctors to put humpty dumpty back together again.

I have always loved my fruits and veggies. I will have to agree with Tessa, I believe stress also plays a big role in this disease.

Hi everyone, I am in need of some advice. My grandfather who is almost 80 years old was just diagnosed with diverticulitis this year after about seven years of going through tests and hospital stays. He has been through so many doctors and tests that he has pretty much just given up on it.

He is about 6'3" tall and only weighs about 100 pounds because of this disease. The only treatment that they will recommend for him is to take antibiotics for 10 days out of every month for the rest of his life.

It really kills me to see my grandfather go through this and would like to know if there is any other treatment out there for this disease. Also I would like to add that he tries to eat a high fiber diet but most days he feels so horrible that all he wants to eat is soup. Thank you for any advice!

I have been suffering from this for a few years now. Even though I had been at the hospital for tests they could not tell me what was causing this pain on the left side of my lower abdomen. The pain was so severe I was nearly blacking out and had to fight hard to stop that happening.

In July this year I finally, after another test with newer equipment, got the results - diverticulitis. Now, after reading all I can on the internet, I am a bit happier knowing. I still have the same bad pain but not every day now, and my lower abdomen is still bloated, although I feel I have lost weight but it does not look like it.

I woke up at about 4:00am with pain in my left side. Even though I've had bouts of diarrhea and constipation, I never gave any thought to diverticulitis. I went to the ER about eight hours later thinking it was my left ovary. I've already had my right ovary and appendix removed. I thought this was going to be my ovary on my left side for sure.

Still, looking back over the years of sometimes cramping so badly and bouts of diarrhea it all added up. I'm still not sure about the fiber theory. It seemed like when I was eating the salad, raw fruit, and raw vegetables, this was when I would have the above symptoms. Just hoping I can control it without a surgery.

I was diagnosed with severe diverticulitis in June 2006. I went to the ER with pain in my lower left side, and after a CAT scan I was admitted into the hospital for three days on antibiotics. I had to continue the antibiotic for an additional 11 days.

I felt good for a while. Now it's a little over two months and I am suffering from abdominal pain again. I also have been diagnosed in the past with ovarian cysts, fibroids, IBS, spastic colitis, and adhesions from a prior surgery. Now when I have abdominal pain, I don't know which condition is actually flaring up.

So my dilemma is, when do I know it's diverticulitis and not these other conditions? Since diverticulitis can be life-threatening if it penetrates the intestine wall and goes unattended, I have to be very careful. Can anyone shed some light on this?

I have just been diagnosed with a severe case of diverticulitis. I've had bowel issues for years, lumped under the collective term "IBS" - loss of bowel control, bloating, cramping. But after weeks of pain this summer, increasing in severity, and a bout of fever, I went to my doctor who sent me to the ER thinking I had appendicitis.

I am finishing up a round of Cipro and Flagyl (plus Colace, pain medication, and Phenergan) which has kept me nauseated for the past three weeks. This condition is definitely not one to wish on your worst enemy. I am still sore and tender to touch. I've just found this website and it is somewhat comforting to know that there are others out there with the same condition.

I just returned home after a six-day stay in the hospital. I have had other attacks and never realized the severity of this condition. I am now faced with surgery, as this is my fourth bout.

I struggle with fear of the unknown. One of my struggles is the fact that my family has booked a cruise for over Christmas. The doctor has proposed surgery in November or waiting until after the cruise. So, do I do it in November and hope to feel up to the cruise? Will I be able to enjoy myself? What happens if I wait until after? What if something happens on the cruise?

We took out insurance on the trip, so losing money is not the issue. It would "just" be cancelling my family's cruise.

I was diagnosed with diverticulitis about two months ago but have suffered for years and never knew until then what was causing it. I have increased my fiber intake and fluid intake as recommended and stay away from anything with seeds, but still have bad attacks at least once a week. I am 45 and really getting tired of this. I have an appointment with my doctor this week for some more advice. I had such a bad attack last week that I thought my insides were being ripped out of me. I have an ongoing prescription for antibiotics as well. I am hoping for some more answers when I see my doctor again.

I was diagnosed with diverticulitis on July 3, 2005. The day before fourth of July and I ended up on the floor in my room with abdominal pain that was unbearable.

My mom and a couple of my friends who were at my house for the party I was supposed to have rushed me to the hospital, where I spent most of the day and night in a bed in the ER. After about 11 hours the doctor came back and told me that I had diverticulitis. But the kicker is that I'm the youngest patient he has ever diagnosed with it. I was only 21.

So anyways, I ended up spending five days in the hospital eating nothing but ice chips and getting pain meds every three hours. They sent me home with two antibiotics and a pain medication, which did not work.

Since then I have had three flare-ups. But the last time I was in hospital they gave me a colonoscopy and suggested surgery. Well I'm going to a specialist next week. Let's see what he says.

In 1988 I was diagnosed with diverticular disease and it got worse over a 10-year period, with excruciating pain and massive does of antibiotics to clear it up - and then three months later the process would be repeated.

I tried everything from Chinese medicine, acupuncture, homeopathy, and even a psychic surgeon, as well as numerous visits to see a consultant at the hospital, who told me that surgery did not always work.

In 2000 after being ill for six months on and off I was rushed into hospital with a perforated bowel which resulted in surgery, including a spell in intensive care and a temporary colostomy. In 2002 this procedure was reversed. Although I felt much better and it was not quite as painful I still had attacks which were treated with antibiotics.

To my joy, in 2003 I discovered aloe vera and Forever Freedom products and I am pleased to say that although I still have mild symptoms, I can cope with the hand I have now been dealt. So there is hope.

Well I didn't know there were lots of people with this. It is just a terrible illness, and I have got the mild form - I wouldn't like to know what the full-blown form would be like then if this is only the mild form.

Anyone else have to take clean underwear everywhere they go? How embarrassing and debilitating this illness really is, anyone else have to be as near to a toilet as possible? I must have had this for years and not known, now it is getting worse, I am scared to go out of the house!

I feel for anyone who has it worse than me, I cannot cope anymore, it makes me just want to give up. I had a barium enema but I've not had the follow-up and not had results given to my GP yet, so I don't know how to cope with the pain and the embarrassment.

I've read on websites that fibre can help but I am eating nothing but veg and fruit, I've given up bread, cheese etc, I only eat salads now, have been for two months but nothing helps, soon as it goes in, it comes out.

I have been diagnosed with diverticulitis, and I have had it since early this summer. I haven't been for my follow up with the doctor yet. I have been trying to find info so I know where I stand. My internist sent me home two months ago with "eat a bland diet..goodbye". I have an attack at least once a week. I am looking for all the advice I can get.

Update on Pat...

Since I first shared my story, I have been to see the surgeon on my follow up. He recommended Metamucil powder...follow directions...what a difference for me. The very next day! He told me powder is better than tablets.

I started out with two doses and one of the tablets just to use them up. I feel some bloating, but after several months of going till there was nothing left in my colon, I now have normal bowel movements.

I don't have any inflammation or infection, and am trying to be cautious about diet. But I hope this information can be of some help. He also said the Metamucil wafers could be used. I also have no more pain with bowel movements.

For seven years my doctors treated me for indigestion, but last year they sent me for an x-ray up my back passage and diagnosed me with diverticular disease. Every month or two it flares up and gives me violent pain in my left side and into my back.

What relief can anyone advise? The doctors gave me Mebeverine tablets to be taken 20 minutes before meals, but they don't seem to stop the horrible cramping pain. I have also increased the fiber in my diet but if I eat too much it gives me diarrhea. Please any advice would be very much appreciated.

I have just been diagnosed with diverticulitis at the age of 28 after having two attacks, the second one putting me in the hospital for a couple of days with heavy antibiotics and painkillers.

The doctors have given me the choice of having the surgery to remove the infected area, or I can continue trying to treat it with diet. I am pretty torn on the decision, so if someone has had the surgery please send me your thoughts or any info you think might be helpful. Thank you.

I was diagnosed this year with bowel cancer. Had the operation and found it was diverticulitis. My symptoms before the operation were going to the toilet about five or six times per day, a bit of blood and mucous, no pain and I could control going to the toilet.

I wish I had a second opinion as I have been worse since the operation. My operation was in August 2005 and I still get pain where the operation was performed and still going to the toilet the same, and this time I can't hold it - when I have to go I have to go.

I have had three attacks of diverticulitis in two years. I was hospitalized for two of them. I am scheduled for open surgery soon, but I am also checking into laparoscopic. Has anyone gone that route? I really don't know which way to go...open or lap.

I'm in the midst of my second attack in two years. I have no health insurance. This is the most painful thing I've ever had. All of the doctors I've spoken to give a very bleak outlook. Does anyone know anything that can be done that doesn't require surgery??

I am writing on behalf of my husband, who has just returned home from hospital after having a colonoscopy this afternoon. They fortunately did not find anything sinister, but just announced that it was diverticulitis.

No instructions or information, so I have been reading with interest the symptoms and diets from other sufferers. We have no idea how to treat this, so I shall read all I can online to get as much info as is available. Thank you all.

I have lactose intolerance, endometriosis and diverticulosis. I was diagnosed with LI in 2000, Endo in 2003 and diverticulosis in 2004. I have no idea when my first attack was, as the LI and Endo were covering it up, as I just presumed it was because of these I was suffering. I am 32. No children and a stressful work life. If aloe helps can someone let me know please?? I am confused with the diet...

My first attack was June 2004. I had a mild second attack in January 2005, and my third was in June. The doctors did a barium enema, and the results said diverticulitis.

I took antibiotics and still felt mild pain, is this normal? The doctor suggest surgery to remove part of my colon, but I'm not crazy about that as I am only 38 years old. What about aloe vera, does it work or is just a sales pitch? I'm thinking about trying it.

I am really worried, if an operation can fix it I will do it but I have heard people say it still comes back. Any suggestions.

I have been just diagnosed with diverticular bowel disease but have not been told what to do. I am a vegetarian and would like to know if anyone has any knowledge of how to manage this.

I am constantly bloated and no matter what I eat it irritates my stomach. I am limited to what I can eat and I am now almost scared to eat in case I am in pain. I am awaiting to be seen by consultants in six weeks time.

Hi I am Tessa, and I understand exactly what you are going through. I was diagnosed with the diverticulitis approx four years ago after which resulted in surgery, but even so this disease is still ongoing, and I have attacks about four to five times a year.

Bloating is a big problem. It's ironic that they say it's those who don't eat enough fibre are likely to fall into the category of developing this disease, but I loved my veg...So I'm putting it down to stress!!!!

Diet: forbidden - nuts, marmalade, sultanas, cherries etc. No skins off fruit, pith or pips, green beans, baked beans, butter beans, peas, sweetcorn, stalks of vegetables. No spicy foods at all. Hope this helps.

I am just in the middle of a a bout of diverticulitis at the moment, hoping that I do not have to go into hospital. In November last year I was hospitalised for eight days, luckily missed out on having surgery.

I have had massive bowel surgery previously for bowel obstructions (I was hospitalised for a month) which was a result of an operation for gallbladder removal which went horribly wrong. I am very tired a lot of the time, and find eating small amounts often throughout the day is easier.

Because of previous obstructions I am not able to eat any high fibre foods, so it is very limited what I am able to eat. I enjoy a lot of steamed vegetables and tinned tuna in olive oil, rice bread in small amounts and smoothies with rice milk (I am allergic to dairy, gluten also), eggs and banana for breakfast.

It is extremely hard if I want to travel etc as I also get fairly regular bouts of severe diarrhea with very severe pain. I am 55 and try not to let this interfere with my life too much, which I usually enjoy when not ill. It is really helpful to hear from other people with this problem.

I was diagnosed with diverticulitis tonight after having probably three or four attacks over the last six weeks. The first attack I thought may have been an ectopic pregnancy as my menstrual cycle had been out of whack - this was a rare possibility as I have had a tubal ligation.

I managed the pain throughout the night and then went to my GP. After an ultrasound, it turned out that I had had a 5cm cyst on my left ovary that had burst. I began to feel better over the next week, but I was constantly drained of energy and nauseated, vomiting or retching most days.

The ironic thing was that I thought I had depression, as I just seemed to lose that get-up-and-go that I normally have. In a weird way I am relieved that it is a physical illness, although it seems that it is a lifelong one. It is amazing to read through all the stories and find out what others experienced is exactly what I have been through for the last six weeks.

I am 70 years of age and I have suffered from diverticulitis for 12 years. I am able to control it most of the time mainly by watching what I eat and drinking a lot of water. The last bad attack I had was about 16 months ago, the pain was very bad and my temperature soared. My doctor sent me to the hospital where I was put on intravenous antibiotics for about five hours. That got rid of the temperature and I recovered very quickly after that.

You learn to live with the complaint, and I know when I am going to have an attack, and telephone my doctor immediately for antibiotics. I don't wait until I can't stand the pain to get treatment, because by acting quickly I can prevent the attack all together.

I have just returned from the out-of-hours doctor at Chase Farm hospital. I feel great in that he has made a diagnosis of acute diverticulitis, but I still feel like....but you know that!

I have had pain since April 2005, when I was diagnosed with a kidney infection. I took the antibiotics and the pain came back two days later. I have managed the pain basically since then on my own. In the last few months the pain has been getting more consistent, but again I just got on with it and managed it on my own.

Last week I finally got to see my doctor (again) and I told him that this pain in the same place, lower left-hand side, was getting bad. He referred me to the hospital and gave me something for indigestion.

Since last week the pain started to keep me up at night and I realised this was bad. I rang the out-of-hours doc and now I know what's wrong. All of your letters to this site just confirm what I have been going through, maybe not as bad as some of you though. I have been given Fybogel and mebeverine and some antibiotics.

I'm now gonna get started on life with a high fibre diet. I had some serious surgery last year, I'm not going there again. It's just so good to get a name at last to this worry. I did the "thought it was cancer" thing too and began to sort out my affairs, you know, insurances and all! I will still get those things in order but trust me, I'm not going anywhere!

Thanks for reading, I feel so relieved!

I have had diverticulosis for several years, and every now and again I get a flare-up, with lower left-sided abdominal pain which is sometimes so bad I can't walk easily. My own experience is that when it is really bad I have to avoid most vegetables, as they seem to irritate my colon and make things worse. Also seeds and wholegrain bread are a no-no.

I find it really helps to take it easy for a day or two, drink lots of tepid water (easier on your system than cold water), eat small easily-digested meals, and avoid stress. I always get to see my doc when I have a flare-up, and get antibiotics.

I have been home for three weeks since having an ileostomy, first stage of reversal. Has anyone else had reversal surgery? I am petrified and have not coped with this ileostomy at all well.

In July 2003 I was operating my own landscaping company. I was very busy, ate on the run, fast food Rotten Ronnies (McDonald's) mostly. I thought it was a great deal, $5 and I get change back, fantastic!

I began to have lower abdominal pain and frequent urination. I visited my doctor, and after a urine test he gave me some antibiotics. I felt better for about two months. Then I had another attack, and my doctor prescribed more pills, telling me not to worry, "It's only a bladder infection".

Little did I know my abdomen was slowly filling with abscesses. I remember crying in bed wishing I was dead, it was agony. This went on until January 2005. I had not urinated in 36 hours from my bowel pushing on my bladder.

To make a long story short I had to get a colostomy bag for six months. After six months I returned for reversal surgery, but it was unsuccessful, and I needed an ileostomy for a further three months. I then had another surgery to reverse this.

I now eat a high fibre diet (25 grams a day) and at least eight to 10 glasses of water a day. My stomach muscles are wrecked, my back gets sore often. My former family doctor I am going to file a lawsuit against, after being my doctor for 10 years.

My doctor did not realize I was in the hospital, he was there to visit another patient, when I was at my worst and thought I was going to die he turned his head and looked away. Sorry I rambled, good luck and contact me if you have any questions.

I was diagnosed with diverticulitis in 1982, and for the best part of 15 years I tried to control my symptoms with a high fibre diet. It didn't work very well, but I knew that the frying pan was my enemy.

On a holiday in Tenerife I weakened and had steak and chips, expecting a reaction. There was none. The reason was that the meal had been cooked in olive oil. Since then the only thing I avoid is vegetable oil and I rarely have any problems.

I had diverticulitis in 2004. I had over a week of constant pain deep in my left side. I was on an antibiotic and it helped, but I started passing blood. I had a CT scan and they saw that my colon had ruptured and I was full of infection!

I had surgery and had to wear an ostomy bag for three months. After the three months I had the ostomy reversed and now I can use the potty the regular way. I have cut out everything that uses to even give me stomach pain from my diet, I don't want to ever risk this condition again.

I have lost over 65 pounds and feel better. I cut out all corn, seeds, beef, and stuff with hulls. These things always uses to hurt my stomach. I also switched to lactose-free milk because I am also lactose intolerant. I don't want to ever get this stuff again. E-mail me, I would love to talk with you and hear your story and diet ideas.

I am 28 and I have a lot of the symptoms that you have all spoken about. Like some of you they always check my ovaries. But I have diarrhea all the time, as well as being constipated and feeling like I have a large ball of something in there, with side pain, and the constant fatigue, as well as worsening with the onset of my periods. Sex is just way too painful during this time.

I too have blood in the stools, and they always tell me my white cell count is extremely high, but never once have they checked me for anything like diverticulitis, or anything to do with my bowels. My husband and now the doctors seem to think I am an over-exaggerating hypochondriac!

Yes they have done an endo-vaginal ultrasound and found nothing. I constantly seem to end up with vaginal discharge, and feeling like I have a yeast infection! So am I crazy like I am beginning to feel or is anyone out there feeling my PAIN I'm even taking anti-depressant because of this!

I had a bad couple of years feeling bloated and lacking energy, knowing I needed to do something but not being able to. I was getting bowel spasms from diagnosed Irritable Bowel Syndrome and alternating between diarrhea and constipation from the rear end. All lovely stuff.

Last November I got a bad pain in the lower abdomen and went to the local hospital, and after a scan they found a small perforation of the bowel from repeated bouts of diverticulitis, so surgery was required. The surgeon was concerned about my weight so after a week in hospital on broad spectrum antibiotics and fasting he sent me home to try to heal there and for me to lose a few ounces!

The following week the same pain came back so I went back in where the doctor said he would need to do the surgery straight away. He went in and found a lot more wrong than was previously thought. The diverticulum were covering about 40cm of my sigmoid colon and I also had a benign tumour on my rectum, which needed to come out. All in all a pretty major operation.

I had an end colostomy formed on my descending colon which failed and needed a revisit to the OR to be closed off and a new transverse loop colostomy formed which is what I have today.

Everything is going fine and I am seeing a specialist colorectal surgeon in a bit to have the colostomy reversed and return to normal waste functions. I am told that my diverticulitis is gone now and I feel fantastic. I can't remember feeling as energetic and as pain-free as I am now. A bit drastic the methods but here I am and fine.

Well, I have some advice. I have suffered with painful diverticulitis for the best part of 10 years. Like most men I told myself it would go away and never took it serious.

In the past week I ended up in the hospital as I went to my family doctor with a new symptom - when I urinate I passed gas from my penis when I finished. This kinda scared the hell out of me.

I ended up in the hospital within one hour with a hole between my bladder and my bowel. I now have to wait for a couple of weeks for the infection to be dealt with, and then major surgery. This is a result of diverticulitis that I ignored for years. The advice - see your doctor when you first get the pain.

I was diagnosed with diverticulitis about a year and a half ago. I was able to get by the bout with Cipro and Flagyl. A surgeon recommended surgery after a CT scan and a barium enema study. I put it off.

I had another attack just prior to Christmas. Again, a course of Cipro. But it's taken longer to recover this time. The bottom line seems to be this: diet and stress, I believe, have everything to do with this disease. I also think that attacks could be minimalized and, maybe, ultimately stopped completely. I don't know for sure though.

What I do know is there is a lot of contradicting information out there both from the medical community and the natural healing side. So I, like so many out there, am seeking the truth - I'm sure, not unlike other severe diseases, that this could be controlled or even cured WITHOUT surgery, but rather diet.

I don't know what the answer is and I don't totally trust what's on the internet - and you shouldn't either. Be skeptical, but be diligent. Let's ALL find a real solution that works. I know it's out there! Peace, love to fellow sufferers.

I am a 26 year-old healthy man. I had been suffering from really painful aches on the left side of my abdomen that felt like it was moving down to my groin for around two years when an extreme attack came. My doctor diagnosed kidney stones but tests proved this wrong.

After two days I was submitted to hospital and exploratory surgery was carried out as it seemed that I had an unknown illness. I was told that my colon had burst due to diverticulitis. I was also told how rare this was for someone my age, hence the reason for the misdiagnosis.

I now have a section removed from my colon and a stoma/colostomy bag. I'm currently awaiting the reversal. The pain has gone from the stomach and I am just grateful that the pains in my stomach have gone and it is all repairable.

Hi All,

I've just been reading ALL your stories and I'm amazed at how brave you all are. I'm off for a colonoscopy on Friday to see if I have the diverticulitis that the consultant suspects. My story may seem a little irrelavant to begin with...

I'm 29 and in 2000 I was diagnosed with Endometriosis on the left side of my womb and abdomen which was incredibly painful but treatment made me depressed. After going back and forth to my GP and several on off years of treatment and anti-depressants I chose pain management instead. The depression lifted and I was soon feeling more like myself. The pain management continued and over the last eight years due to the pain fluctuating I have been treated for various water infections or told it's just the Endometriosis', then they would try and offer me the same treatments I was on previously. Eventually I stopped going to the Doctors and continued with the pain management as best I could. In Novemeber 2007 however, the pain increased more than was normal for me. My lower back had been hurting and I had very slight, but noticeable (if only to me) swelling of the left side of my tummy, it also felt strange, more like jelly than the right half. Is this something experienced by sufferers of diverticulitis? I decided to go and see my GP, he referred me, unsuprisingly to the obs and gynae dept at my local hospital where, after a consultation and two scans of my ovaries and kidneys (each 6 weeks apart, I was given a laparoscopy.

The result was no Endometriosos at all! Not even any scar tissue from the previous diagnosis, this puzzled me as something is causing the pain, the Doctor then told me that they had found an adhesion of the small bowel to the abdominal wall but hadn't taken any pictures, they referred me to another consultant. After a discussion in January this year the new Consultant suggested that I might have or have had diverticulitis that has caused pressure on the small bowel causing it to adhere. I've been trying this high fibre, more fluid diet and to be honest I feel worse than before. I used to get the pain about once a month with increased pain during my menstral cycle but now I just feel bloated, full of wind all day everyday and increasingly tired. Is this likely to settle down as my body adjusts? So here I am today looking towards my colonoscopy on Friday and hopefully some answers.

Your stories have been inspiring and I do share many syptoms with many of you. However I don't suffer with diarrhoea but have been treated in A + E for constipation. I will update you on what I find out on Friday.

HELLO TO ALL, I HAVE SUFFERED WITH DIVERTICULITIS FOR 3 YEARS NOW. I HAD SEVERAL ATTACKS AND YES TWICE IN THE HOSPITAL ADMITTED FOR 3 TO 4 DAYS. I FINALLY HAD TO HAVE THE SURGERY PREFORMED TWO YEARS AGO, I HAVE SINCE FELT BETTER UNTIL RECENTLY I STARTED BLOATING, AND LOWER LEFT PAID AGAIN, IT IS VERY VERY DIFFICULT FOR ME TO FEEL THIS WAY, ESPECIALLY WHEN I HAVE GONE THROUGH SURGERY. I CHOSE TO RIGHT TO TRY TO HELP ANSWERING ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING OR THINKING ABOUT SURGERY. I EXCERSISE DAILY I EAT WELL I TRY TO DRINK LOTS OF WATER, I DRINK WINE 1 GLASS EVERY TWO DAYS, I EAT LOTS OF VEGGIES AND FRUITS, AND WORK OUT DAILY. IM A FULL TIME EMPLOYEE AND MOTHER OF 3 TEENAGERS I AM 41, NOW IF PEOPLE SAY THIS IS RELATED TO STRESS THEN IM ASSUMING HALF O THE WORLD WOULD HAVE DIVERTICULITIS, TELL ME ONE PARENT, EMPLOYEE AND WIFE WHO IS NOT UNDER STRESS. I PERSONALLY THINK I HANDLE MY LIFE WELL AND I DONT FEEL I AM STRESSED COMPARED TO OTHER PEOPLE. I HONESTLY THINK DIVERTICULITS IS SOMETHING THAT UNFORTUNATELY WE THE PEOPLE ARE BORN WITH AND IT EXPANDS THE OLDER WE GET. UNFORTUNATELY IT IS PAINFUL AND FRUSTERATING ALL I COULD SAY IS IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING SURGERY, AND HAVE HAD SEVERAL ATTACKS YOU HAVE TO BE PREPARED TO ACCEPT THAT YOUR DIVERTICULITIS MAY RETURN, IT HAS FOR ME, AND I REFUSE TO HAVE SURGERY AGAIN, NO WAY, IT WAS VERY PAINFUL AND TO THINK THEIR IS NO GUARANTEE, IM WILLING TO ANSWER OR TALK TO ANYONE WITH THIS PROBLEM. MY SYMPTOMS ARE LOTS OF GAS, BLOATED, LOWER LEFT PAIN AND MY LEFT LEG HAS PAIN GOING DOWN. I GET VERY VERY BLOATED, I WOULD LOVE TO SHARE MY STORY WITH PEOPLE AND HAVE PEOPLE TELL ME WHAT THEY EAT. THANK YOU FOR READING MY STORY. EMAIL ME WITH ANY QUESTIONS OR ANSWERS. THANK YOU

Four years ago I was taken into hospital for diverticulitis which had almost perforated my bowel. I was on holiday in Italy when I started to bleed and in excruciating pain. Upon return home, I immediately went to my G.P. who referred me to see a Consultant. As I had private health care, I was seen and operated on within 2 days. For four years I was back and forward to my G.P. with pain, bloatedness, wind, constipation and diarrhoea. My life seemed to resolve around the loo and my G.P. said that I had irritable bowel syndrome. I just put up with it, but the flare-ups made me miserable. After the surgery, a small hole in my navel led to a fissure which had to be packed daily and was getting bigger. After three months, my Consultant took me back into hospital where a section was opened and cleaned out as I had contracted MRSA. Some four years on, the symptoms are back, I have just been to my G.P. who has confirmed that. I am a very active women, who works full time, eat healthy and try not to let things get me down, and am at a loss why this very debilitating condition is back. As far as the surgery is concerned, I was fortunate that my Consultant could re-join my bowel, but if I knew that to go through all the post op discomfort with the surgery genrally and added to that the MRSA, I would not have had it done. The problem now is, am I going to end up with yet more surgery which would upset me immensely, as the mere thought of it frightens the life out of me. If anyone has found aything to take other than the usual Mebeverine that helps, I would be truly grateful.

I started getting cramps and pain under my rib 4 years ago, I saw my local GP only to be told it was just Cholic, I'm 47 years young now, 43 when I started to get this pain. This lasted for 4 weeks, then I started getting these odd sore throats and acid reflux and the Diarrhoea. went to the local GP only to be told it was a virus, and this increased over 4 years! Last Year (2007) I went to A & E about 20 times, it was the same pain, under my right side under my rib, according to me GP it was nothing to worry about, then on the 21 st attack I collapsed at home we rang for a Doctor and a Paramedic turned up to assess the situation, I begged for pain relief only to be told "Sorry I'm not qualified to give you anything", so we had to order a taxi. I was in hospital for a week while they conducted tests, they found that my gallbladder was so full of stones it was a miracle I could stand, I was put on a strong morphine drip to ease the pain, after August 2007 I had my gall bladder out, everything seemed OK till January 2008. Now I have had Diarrhoea every other day, then bloating and trapped wind and pain in the same area where the gall bladder used to be. When I went back to see my local GP it was pointed out that I've made far too many appointments to see doctors. From the other stories I have read it seems that I'm suffering from Diverticulitis so I have made a private appointment to get this sorted out, hopefully.

Hi,ive just been told i might be suffering from diverticolitis.Having yet to see a consultant,im still at the early stages. Reading all these stories has really been informative,as the symtoms of bloating,left side pain,severe cramps and fatigue correspond with the possible diagnosis. I felt that nobody really could understand the sense of despair one feels as an attack comes on,i just thought it was IBS and that was that.Now im prepared and ready to fight this annoying and unpleasant disease.Everybody sounds so brave and i know that i can beat it too. Thankyou for sharing your stories and tips,im not so afraid now. Looking forward to go to war!

40 year old male with no history of digestive troubles. Decent diet and reasonably fit. 4/12/08 I was out in the field all day with daughter and dog for some dog (hunting) training. Felt great. 4/13/08 Woke up feeling aches, early afternoon chills with a bit of fever, and by evening felt abdominal pressure. 4/13-14/08 Late night- early AM excruciating pain - really 'crazy' bad doubled over pain that made me dizzy and nauseus and drenched in sweat. I felt very gassy but nothing was moving. 4/14/08 Morning wife convinced me (it wasn't hard) to call doctor. Set appointment for late afternoon. Doctor thought it might be bad constipation or blockage. Very tender belly. He sent me to hospital for xray and blood work. Just got to hospital in time for xray and lab. Doctor said no blockage, prescribed laxative, sent me home. He called back several times in evening to inquire and was getting more worried because lab work showed infection. He called at 22:30 and told me to be safe should go to emergency room for cat scan. Drove myself. Arrived 23:30, ED doctor guessed it might be perforated diverticulitis. I drank contrast, and around 3am on 4/15/08 did ct scan. Doctor immediately saw 'free gas' = perforation = emergency surgery (=crap bag). 4am call to wife to say 'goodbye???' (scary). 5am surgery. Advice: If doctor offers epidural - TAKE IT!!! Woke up in recovery room. Doctor said 4-6 inches of sigmoid removed. He thought things went well. I stayed 7 days in hospital and was standing by first night. Lots of walking. Digestive system shut down for 4-5 days. Occasional morphine but not much pain. Tearing off tape with hair etc. almost tickled compared to previous pain. Back at work on 5/5/08. Still not used to bag. One surgeon said 12 weeks, my doc said he prefers closer to 24 weeks. For those of you who had surgery, how long was it before the plumbing was reconnected? My father had same thing when he was in mid 60's and after almost dying, he has been pain/symptom free for over 10 years. I really hope that I will suffer with bag for next few months, and then be done with it! Did I mention that if the doctor offers the epidural, that you should take it?

My husband is never one to complain, he never moan's when he's got a bad cold or as he puts it "Bad guts!!" In march of this year he got up complaing of a stomach ache, i must admit he looked very rough, i surgested maybe he would like to see the doctor, normally he would nod his head in a no gesture!!, but this time he told me yes! that was it, i knew then he must be hurting quite a bit, i rang the doctors and the receptionist got an attitude with me until i practacly yelled down the phone that my husband was in pain and needed to see someone! we were told to take him straight down to the doctors which we did, our g.p then asked my husband to hop on the couch so he could examine him, by this time my husband was really sweating and our g.p just said you need to be in hospital i think you may have burst your appendix, not wasting a second more off we went to the hospital, again by this time not only was my husband in alot of pain he was very snappy at me, we got fast tracked to the a & e as soon as he was in a bed, a lady doctor came to examine him, she needed to do a rectal exam on him and he was very reluctant!! but he was in so much pain he allowed them to do what they needed to do, we got to the hospital at 7.50pm 18,3,08 by midnight the decision was taken to operate on my husband, we were told if your husband wakes up with his appendix missing then we know he did indeed have appendesitus [sorry my spellings not great!!] but we were told if his appendix were still there when he came round then they,d found something, as my husband was wheeled into surgery he asked the doctor, "Please have a good look cuz i'm in pain", after being reassured he was put under and he was in theatre for quite a long time, the following morning he asked the nurse "have i still got my appendix?" and she assured him he had, We found out my husband had Diverticlitis alot of his colon was very swollen and several fistulas are in his colon, they operated by laprascope, had it not been for that i truely believe he would have gone on thinking he had problems with his "guts" since the surgery [which was just to look in!] he has had a barium enema which he was not impressed with! he had an endoscopy on friday and hes got to have a c.t scan, the doctor was quite alarmed to find his upper g.i tract is also swollen and red hence the reason he has to have the c.t scan, the doctor has explained that my husband could be fine for maybe two months or possibly years, but she has not given us any advice on what he should eat etc, i have however noted that when he goes to the loo it is a truely horrible smell, this i told my husbands surgeon, again apparently this is normal in diverticlitis, we would really welcome any advice right now, we've cut out all the bad foods and he now eats a balanced diet, yet he doesn't see his doctor for another several weeks, she did say that if he has another flare up they will have to remove that part of his colon, i would be very grateful of some advice right now as i see my husband suffering, not as he was then but he still gets pain, does anyone else get this?

I'm a 58 year old male and have for the last 9 months suffered from attacks of diverticulitis. To date I have now had 7 admissions to hospital, each lasting around 5 days. This has been for IV antibiotics and pain control. I have to say that the pain from this condition has not been quite as bad as when I have, in the past, suffered from renal colic (kidney stones), but its pretty close. Morphine is of course the ultimate solution but I am finding reasonable pain control at home with the use of a Tramodol/Paracetamol cocktail. The presence of diverticulitis, both in the lower left section of my intestine and the upper middle section has been confirmed by both CT scan, Echo scan and Colonoscopy (I think thats the correct term, shoving a camera up there). This last procedure was the most painful experience, at one stage I felt like taking a swipe at the guy shoving the camera where it didn't want to go! Currently they are wanting to give me a Barium enema examination but I have refused to have this done. One of the problems that I have is that my local hospital which is the areas A & E admission unit will not operate to resolve the problem. This is because I am also type 1 diabetic and have ischaemic heart disease with two stents fitted. They keep on saying that my chances of surviving the surgery are not good and I would require a period in intensive care after the operation. I suppose thats if I survive!! However, I have been referred by my GP to another local hospital, this unit does not have an A & E though, but is specialist in many forms of surgery. In fact its where I had my stents fitted. It turns out that they are now using key hole surgery for this condition and have put me on the elective list for treatment. So hopefully during the next few months I will have the damaged sections of intestine removed and be able to get on with my life.

I was diagnosed with diverticulitis disease in August 2007. I had severe pain on my right side with a high fever. This lasted for about three days. My brother thought that I had appendicitis, so I went to the ER. I was admitted to the hospital for five days. I was given cipro and flagl through an IV. My white blood cell count was very high. The doctors suspected diverticulitis, but my pain was on the right side. I had a colonoscopy which confirmed the diverticulitis. The doctor told me to eat more fiber. I like to eat vegetables and fruit. I eat oatmeal, beans, and other foods which contain fiber. I do not eat red meat regularly (three or four times a year). I do not smoke. I drink wine sometimes. I am fairly active. I will be fifty this year. I drink lactose free milk since I began to bloat after eating dairy products. Usually I eat whatever I want. I eat spicy food sometimes. There are no side effects for me. I had my first sharp pains on the left side in January 2008. It went away about two days later. I felt extremely tired. I started reading about the seriousness of diverticulitis. I used to keep jars of peanuts in my car for snacks before I was diagnosed. I do not buy peanuts anymore. I eat them once in a while and I chew very slowly. I eat popcorn sometimes. I had some popcorn last night while watching The Dark Knight at the movies. I think I ate too much. I felt cramps at the movies. I felt bloated, tired, nauseated and constipated all night. I do believe that if something is trapped in a diverticula pouch. it will cause an episode for me. I'm usually very careful when I eat popcorn. Usually I am pain free. I cook with olive oil and canola oil. All of the stories are very insightful and helpful.

My husband saw a gastroenterologist in 2005 and was diagnosed with diverticulitis after a colonoscopy. He had to be admitted to hospital once in 2007 for 3 nights, on drips, antibiotics etc, and had a scan. He was also working abroad in Zurich Jan 07 when he had to see an Emergency doc who wanted to admit him into hospital, but he took antibiotics/tramadol/paracetamol and returned home. He has since been having many attacks with a repeat prescription for antibiotics/paracetamol & Tramadol. He saw the Gastroenterologist again this summer, for another colonoscopy - he removed another polyp and said the diverticulitis was still there and inflamed. He talked to us about having an Elective operation by Laparoscopy to remove the affected sigmoid colon, and refferred us on to see a surgeon. He then explained the Op to us and advised us to have it rather than risk having an emergency operation where they cut straight down the middle of your abdomen/ open surgery, and risk having a Ileostomy or colostomy bag, this would take about 3-4 months to heal/recover from. My husband went in for a private Elective Op last wednesday, (Laparoscopic Anterior resection), he was in Theatre for 3hrs, & recovery room for 2 hours. He was in the Hospital for 3 nights and is now at home resting. He has a sick note for 4 weeks. He was able to eat and drink as he pleased. Little and often, and things seem to be working ok. He has a few very small slits where the Ports and camera are put into the abdomen and a small cut very low down where they remove the infected sigmoid colon. We were so pleased to find out they do this operation, as there was no way we wanted the open surgery and possibly a bag. We will be seeing the Surgeon in 2 weeks for a follow-up to check everything is ok. Also looking forward to being able to eat and drink as he pleases.

Hello everyone, 2 days after my 32 birthday I made an emergency trip to my doctors office in extreme pain. After having 2 c-sections and my gallbladder removed over the years I've become use to abdominal pain, but this was like nothing Ive ever felt before. During that visit, my doctor had a feeling that it was diverticulitus and sent me for a CT scan to be sure. The next day after chugging some very nasty flavored liquid (which gave a strong after taste of what I could assume chalk must taste like) the scan confirmed his feeling. After 10 days on an antibiotic and a low fiber BRAT diet.

I was fine again. But now 1 month later its starting all over again. I have been eating healthy since 2003 when my gallbladder was removed and even better since my pregancy with twins in 2007. I have never been constipated, actually I always have been regular, sometime too regular. My doctor referred me to a gastroentrologist (spelling may be way off)which has set up an appointment for an upper GI and a colonoscopy. I now wonder if this issue is why I have not been able to lose any of the pregancy weight, ( again from twins, so thats been doubley depressing) and the fatigue that has increased over the last few months even though all the boys sleep through the night. My concern is I am only 32, most of what Ive read state this is common over age 45-50 and primarily a diet issue. As this doesnt fit for me, I was wondering if anyone may have had the same experinces with this? Thank you for sharing your stories... it helps knowing Im not alone in the frustrations of this issue!!

I'm 30 years old. Ive had diverticulitis since I was about 13. I used to break into sweats when trying to go to the toilet, and have massive pains when i did. Recently thou, I've had two serious attacks of diverticular which resulted in me being in hospital both times. Normally if i have an attack, i can handle it with pain killers, but this pain was a lot worse, with no pain relief working. I spent ten days in hospital before being released with oral anti-biotics to take. I have to have surgery to remove the infected part of my colon, and this had to be done before i try to have children, as if i had another attack while pregnant, the results could be fatal for us both. So I've only been out of hospital a few days, but i lost almost 6kgs while i was in there. This is not a good thing for me, as i normally only weigh 55 or 56kgs. Now i have a massive bloated stomach, on a tiny frame! I look like I'm 6months pregnant! I'm still taking the medication for another few days, and I'm hoping my stomach will de-bloat itself soon. My grand mother had this condition, but i must confess to enjoying the take out lifestyle a bit too much. Ive changed my diet, so I'm not eating much meat (except fish), and although i still fell like a truck had hit me, I'm happy to be home, and am looking forward to getting my figure back.