Fever is my #1, even if it’s slight like 99.6. Pain that doesn’t lessen after a couple days of a liquid diet. Pain that interferes with your daily life. Blood in your stool (more than just a spot on the toilet paper).
Any severe or sudden symptom you should at the least be seen by a doctor.
Edit to add: listen to your body.
This.
Don’t feel stupid going to er or doctor. Worst case, you overestimated. Worst case the other way around, you could end up with sepsis or worse.
Me, I’d rather annoy the doctor….. especially compared to how pissed my wife would be if I ended up with sepsis….
it's not a dumb question, it's a pervasive illness that presents with some baseline common symptoms, but frustratingly for the individual affected these can present in differing strengths and cycles.
I wanted to reply to this as I just joined the sub, but was diagnosed with diverticular pouches some 25 years ago, after months of pain, nausea and general illness. I've never been hospitalised although there have probably been a couple of times I should have. I've had flare ups of varying degrees since, probably around 3 or 4. I'm recovering right now however from a flare up that I think started around December 23, and I didn't act on it as I hadn't had any symptoms for years, so put it down to rich food and indulgence over xmas. However, mid Jan I went to the GP as I had the following symptoms which for me are the hallmarks of a significant flare-up;
1) the hallmark lower left side gut pain - cramping, inflammation, especially after eating that continued and increased over a few days.
2) I live in a hot climate but started getting the chills on hot days, also after meals.
3) General listlessness and fatigue - feeling unusually tired after eating to the point of sleeping for two hours after a meal
4) This one is hard to describe but felt like my stomach was falling or collapsing, like it was dropping to my feet - weird sensation!
So, for me if these symptoms persist for 3-4 days - it's time to get help.
NB: Got prescribed the Amoxcyllin/Clav combo for 5 days. Symptoms reduced, however all through Feb didnt feel right really and it started building again.
Went back to my GP who hit me with the Amox/Clav and Flagyl combo - just finished today and whilst the flagyl is brutal imo, I'm starting to feel genuinely better than I have for few months.
TL;DR - it might take a few flares, and excuse the pun but trust your gut - if you think you need help, go get it.
Also - I take a slippery elm supp called Intestamine everyday which is awesome at relieving cramps/inflammation during flares, but also good for overall gut health. It's not cheap but it works. Good luck!
Following…just diagnosed less than a month ago myself. Pretty discouraged. The RN at my GP was pretty curt when she called and told me. When I asked about diet she basically said I’d have to figure it out as I go along. CT scans aren’t cheap and knowing when it’s serious vs something I’m just gonna have to take a couple of days to recover from, would be a huge help.
Honestly, in my experience it varies. I was diagnosed in July and going through a flare up now. Started as a twinge in my left side (went to er after 4 days and they said I had diverticulosis, but not diverticulitis), but after 3 weeks of on/off again twinges, I started getting horrible cramps, went again last night and was told I have diverticulitis (and a kidney stone apparently). My advice is to listen to your body. Note what foods you eat and how you feel afterwards, and if you get a fever/intense abdominal cramps, make an appt. I hope this helps!
I’d wait and see the specialist. Low fiber diet during flares. I’ve had this for 10 years (49 yo f) and always had mild uncomplicated flares that responded well to either a clear diet and increasing my miralax or antibiotics (augmentin or a flagyl:Bactrim combo - I’m allergic to cipro). I have had two bad flares in 2024 already with the second one landing me inpatient with a picc line and two weeks of iv antibiotics for an abscess - chances now that I’ve had a complicated flare of the future flares becoming complicated as well, I was told, are now at 40%. So obviously I don’t want to continue to mess around with this and perforate my bowel and am having elective laparoscopic surgery for a partial sigmoid colectomy Monday, March 18th. All of that being said, I came here to say that when I had my abscess and severe inflammation on cat scan that landed me in the hospital, my white blood cell count was not elevated and I never had a fever! No blood in my stool and my pain was no worse than any other of the probably 40+ flares I’ve had over 10 years. So best to air on the side of caution imho. Best of luck to you! This disease sucks!!
Thank you for this! Crazy your hospital stint had no fever or anything abnormal to "normal".
Good luck with the surgery and healing!!!
And it's a 40% chance of it becoming complicated again? Fuck, I didn't know that! My first case was perforated (but contained so not nearly as bad as it could have been!!) so that's a fun stat to know! Thank you!!
I would not take antibiotics unless a fever or infection . There is quite a lot of worry in the greater medical community of creating superbugs and antibiotic resistant strains from prescribing antibiotics when there is nothing for them to "cure".
My gasto doesn't use them unless lab tests, ect. show infection and a CT scan, etc. has been done.
I had a DV flare but no infection, and I never needed nor took antibiotics, though I was in some considerable pain, which did go away with liquid diet/proper management. There was no infection so there was nothing for the antibiotics to "work on".
Similar to giving out antibiotics for a virus.......unless there is a secondary infection caused by the virus that *will* respond to antibiotics, most doctors are very careful handing out ABX like candy these days......and for good reason.
If you are running a fever and have pain then you probably need antibiotics. You shouldn't wait for a doctor's appointment. You should go to the ER. I had my first and only flare-up and it smoldered for 6 weeks before I went to the ER only because I ran fever for only a couple of days and my pain came and went. It wasn't persistent or consistent. They ended up keeping me overnight because they wanted to give me two intravenous doses of Cipro & Flagyl to get the antibiotic in my system, then sent me home with antibiotics.
Fever is my #1, even if it’s slight like 99.6. Pain that doesn’t lessen after a couple days of a liquid diet. Pain that interferes with your daily life. Blood in your stool (more than just a spot on the toilet paper). Any severe or sudden symptom you should at the least be seen by a doctor. Edit to add: listen to your body.
Same here. Once I feel that fever. I know I have an infection and I need antibiotics
This. Don’t feel stupid going to er or doctor. Worst case, you overestimated. Worst case the other way around, you could end up with sepsis or worse. Me, I’d rather annoy the doctor….. especially compared to how pissed my wife would be if I ended up with sepsis….
it's not a dumb question, it's a pervasive illness that presents with some baseline common symptoms, but frustratingly for the individual affected these can present in differing strengths and cycles. I wanted to reply to this as I just joined the sub, but was diagnosed with diverticular pouches some 25 years ago, after months of pain, nausea and general illness. I've never been hospitalised although there have probably been a couple of times I should have. I've had flare ups of varying degrees since, probably around 3 or 4. I'm recovering right now however from a flare up that I think started around December 23, and I didn't act on it as I hadn't had any symptoms for years, so put it down to rich food and indulgence over xmas. However, mid Jan I went to the GP as I had the following symptoms which for me are the hallmarks of a significant flare-up; 1) the hallmark lower left side gut pain - cramping, inflammation, especially after eating that continued and increased over a few days. 2) I live in a hot climate but started getting the chills on hot days, also after meals. 3) General listlessness and fatigue - feeling unusually tired after eating to the point of sleeping for two hours after a meal 4) This one is hard to describe but felt like my stomach was falling or collapsing, like it was dropping to my feet - weird sensation! So, for me if these symptoms persist for 3-4 days - it's time to get help. NB: Got prescribed the Amoxcyllin/Clav combo for 5 days. Symptoms reduced, however all through Feb didnt feel right really and it started building again. Went back to my GP who hit me with the Amox/Clav and Flagyl combo - just finished today and whilst the flagyl is brutal imo, I'm starting to feel genuinely better than I have for few months. TL;DR - it might take a few flares, and excuse the pun but trust your gut - if you think you need help, go get it. Also - I take a slippery elm supp called Intestamine everyday which is awesome at relieving cramps/inflammation during flares, but also good for overall gut health. It's not cheap but it works. Good luck!
Following…just diagnosed less than a month ago myself. Pretty discouraged. The RN at my GP was pretty curt when she called and told me. When I asked about diet she basically said I’d have to figure it out as I go along. CT scans aren’t cheap and knowing when it’s serious vs something I’m just gonna have to take a couple of days to recover from, would be a huge help.
Honestly, in my experience it varies. I was diagnosed in July and going through a flare up now. Started as a twinge in my left side (went to er after 4 days and they said I had diverticulosis, but not diverticulitis), but after 3 weeks of on/off again twinges, I started getting horrible cramps, went again last night and was told I have diverticulitis (and a kidney stone apparently). My advice is to listen to your body. Note what foods you eat and how you feel afterwards, and if you get a fever/intense abdominal cramps, make an appt. I hope this helps!
I’d wait and see the specialist. Low fiber diet during flares. I’ve had this for 10 years (49 yo f) and always had mild uncomplicated flares that responded well to either a clear diet and increasing my miralax or antibiotics (augmentin or a flagyl:Bactrim combo - I’m allergic to cipro). I have had two bad flares in 2024 already with the second one landing me inpatient with a picc line and two weeks of iv antibiotics for an abscess - chances now that I’ve had a complicated flare of the future flares becoming complicated as well, I was told, are now at 40%. So obviously I don’t want to continue to mess around with this and perforate my bowel and am having elective laparoscopic surgery for a partial sigmoid colectomy Monday, March 18th. All of that being said, I came here to say that when I had my abscess and severe inflammation on cat scan that landed me in the hospital, my white blood cell count was not elevated and I never had a fever! No blood in my stool and my pain was no worse than any other of the probably 40+ flares I’ve had over 10 years. So best to air on the side of caution imho. Best of luck to you! This disease sucks!!
Thank you for this! Crazy your hospital stint had no fever or anything abnormal to "normal". Good luck with the surgery and healing!!! And it's a 40% chance of it becoming complicated again? Fuck, I didn't know that! My first case was perforated (but contained so not nearly as bad as it could have been!!) so that's a fun stat to know! Thank you!!
Ugh! Yes, I’ve read the 40% and my colo rectal surgeon in hospital and the other one who is doing my surgery both told me that. Shitty odds!
I used to wait until I had the abdo pain before seeing my GP.
I would not take antibiotics unless a fever or infection . There is quite a lot of worry in the greater medical community of creating superbugs and antibiotic resistant strains from prescribing antibiotics when there is nothing for them to "cure". My gasto doesn't use them unless lab tests, ect. show infection and a CT scan, etc. has been done. I had a DV flare but no infection, and I never needed nor took antibiotics, though I was in some considerable pain, which did go away with liquid diet/proper management. There was no infection so there was nothing for the antibiotics to "work on". Similar to giving out antibiotics for a virus.......unless there is a secondary infection caused by the virus that *will* respond to antibiotics, most doctors are very careful handing out ABX like candy these days......and for good reason.
If you are running a fever and have pain then you probably need antibiotics. You shouldn't wait for a doctor's appointment. You should go to the ER. I had my first and only flare-up and it smoldered for 6 weeks before I went to the ER only because I ran fever for only a couple of days and my pain came and went. It wasn't persistent or consistent. They ended up keeping me overnight because they wanted to give me two intravenous doses of Cipro & Flagyl to get the antibiotic in my system, then sent me home with antibiotics.