symptoms of diverticulitis

by M Hannon
(Ireland)

Lower groin pain and sometimes radiates to back with low grade temp, have this for 6 months and have been to casualty and had MRI mrcp abdomen cat scan, colonoscopy and ct colonoscopy and all it has shown is three pockets of divertitcolitis, so I'm at loss totally and would love answers or any help would be grateful.

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Dear M Hannon,

Thank for using our free online resource on abdominal pain.
I am sorry to learn about your troubles with lower right abdominal pain that radiates to the back sometimes, with associated low grade fever, on going for about 6 months.

It's important that you have had this investigated and confirmed as symptoms of diverticulitis.

Diverticulitis, which as you may now know, is the out pouching of part of the wall of the colon (along the weak areas where the blood vessels enters the colon, creating several finger-like projects out of the wall of the colon or large intestines - diverticuli) which then gets infected and inflamed.

These extra "bags" of blind loops become a lurking place for bowel bacteria and recurrent infections.

Unfortunately, this condition affects as much one out of every three persons above the age of 60 in the United Kingdom, including Ireland! It is also found in people less than age 60, but less frequently.

As you've perfectly described, the symptoms of diverticulitis include:

• A lower left or right abdominal pain that could spread to the back, with associated
  
• Fever
  
• Feeling nauseated
  
• Poor appetite
  
• Feeling generally unwell
  
• Loose stools or
  diarrhoea
  
• Passage of blood and sometimes mucus in stool

Diverticulitis is more common on the left side but certainly does happen on the right colon, as it is in your case.

I can see that this condition is affecting you in several ways.

Treatment of diverticular disease without infection (called diverticulosis), is mainly by changing your diet to a high fibre one - whole meal bread, pasta, more dried fruits and vegetables, etc, as well as the use of medications referred to as antispasmodics, like mebeverine tablets, 135mg three times daily. Are these options you've explored when you are not feeling unwell?

As you must have been told, any time you are feeling unwell with this - fever,loose stools, etc, it means there is on going infection and you mustn't stay at home without seeking immediate medical attention, as this is an emergency. You will almost always need intravenous antibiotics for such symptoms of diverticulitis. In some cases, a surgical operation may be required to remove a diseased diverticulitis.

I hope I have not bored you with too much information.

Please do not hesitate to come back with any specific question you may have and we shall do our best to provide as much help as possible. Meanwhile, why not discuss with your doctor on what next, if this condition is weighing down on you so much. A review by surgeons may be necessary.

Thank you again for sharing your thoughts and concerns with us here at abdopain.com.

Good Health To You.

Dr Edema
Abdopain.com