Hi, I have a nasty nagging pain in the lower left side of my stomach. I've had it for 2 weeks with horrible diahorrea. Last Friday I was prescribed antibiotics for diverticulitis but they haven't worked. I've been cold and shivery and felt really poorly since this all began. I went back to see a different doctor on Monday and he just said it wasn't an absess and to keep taking the antibiotics. On Wednesday I was still feeling very ill with this pain in my left side so went back again and saw yet another doctor. He said it wasn't diverticulitis and is going to send me for an ultrasound scan but it's going to take about 6 weeks. I really don't know what to do. I have still got the pain and having diahorrea also feeling pretty ill. I've had a blood test come back this week which was clear and not showing any infection. I don't have a temperature although I feel shivery and feverish. The urine sample I gave was clear. Have any of you had diverticulitis and had these symptoms. My husband is really worried and wants to take me to accident and emergency but I don't want to be a nuisance. I really don't know what to do. Any help would be much appreciated, thank you.
Pain in lower left abdomen - Diverticulitis/IB... - IBS Network
Pain in lower left abdomen - Diverticulitis/IBS? Please help
You should ask for a colonoscopy as there are many bowel diseases
I had diarrhea for about 3 montgs before I had my colonoscopy and gastroscopy to diagnose IBS
Thanks for your reply cricketqueen. I had a colonscopy some years ago and was very allergic to the prep. so cannot have another one but have had a CT Scan. I've had stool samples done but nothing seems to show up. I was diagnosed with Diverticular disease some years ago. I saw a gastroenterologist earlier in the year and he said it could be IBS. I feel so ill and cannot go out, I spend most of my days in bed with a hot water bottle and it's getting me down. I just don't know what to do really. Thanks for taking the time to reply.
I'm sorry you had a reaction but I'm sure there are other preps now and they will have improved
Hope you get a diagnosis soon
Thank you so much, if I ever get to the bottom of all this I'll let you know.
Just to let you know, Cricketqueen, that my husband took me to A&E this afternoon as I felt so ill. They were amazing and took lots of blood which came back clear. The gave me pain killers, anti-sickness medcation and Hyoscine-N-Butylbromide intravenously to help with the pain in my stomach. They didn't think it's diverticulitis but more likely to be Bile Acid Malabsorption due to having my gall bladdder removed and I need to get some medication to sort things out long term. Many thanks for your help and messaging me. I am very grateful you took the time to answer me early today when I was so worried.
I think a lot of people have BAM and you may get some advice in thisgroup
Hope you're feelingbetter
I didn't know there was a BAM group, have not gone down that route yet so thanks for the info. I am feeling a lot brighter this evening thank you. They have given me some tablets to take over the weekend which will help and I'll go on from there. This is such a helpful group to belong to, many thanks again.
Try taking probiotics especially if you've just had antibiotics as you need to re-balance gut flora. I take SYMPROVE which is live bacteria, every morning. Go easy on dairy, gluten especially wheat, fruit and tea/coffee which are gut irritants. Hope things improve for you but yes definitely have more tests
Hi Natcat, Thanks for your reply. Due to the diahorrea my diet has been reduced to white bread, mashed potatoes, chicken, chicken soup, salmon and eggs. I expect I'm eating too much wheat but cannot have gluten free as it contains additives I cannot tolerate. Cereals and porridge seem to make things worse. I have tried probiotics in the past but they didn't seem to help my stomach much. Anyway, I'm very grateful for your help and like you said, I will have to have more tests.
Try taking out the white bread and see if it is the yeast affecting you? Good luck and stick with it
Thanks Natcat, I will try and cut out the white bread but it's difficult to know what to substitute it with as I can't eat gluten free bread. All gluten free food contains horrible additives to mak
e them more palatable. I will have to think of alternatives.
I take ordinary probiotics every day and I'm sure this helps. You may still have episodes but it helps enormously. Also I avoid too many greens, especially cabbage and sprouts.
Hello and thank you Mary for replying to my message. Yes, thank you, I also take probiotics and have to avoid sprouts, cabbage etc. also Coleslaw really causes me problems too. I have to be see so careful what I eat
If you have diverticulitis this is a pocket of traped wind etc the pain is from your left illiak being streched. it wont show up on blood test UNLESS it starts to get inflamed and you should let your husband take you to A and E. You need to have the sigmoid AND YOU ARE NOT BEING A NUSANCE !
Every blessing S x
Hi Pain57, Thanks for your reply and info. and kind reassurance, it does help such a lot when people reply when you are feeling so poorly and ill. I am not one to make a fuss and it's diffcult to know what constitutes as an emergency. Many thanks once again for your very kind reply.
Just a quick note Pain57, to say thanks very much for your messages. I took your advice and also Hippylongstocking's too and my husband took me to A&E this afternoon. They were amazingly helpful and took lots of blood to test which came back clear which I was thankful for. They didn't think it was diverticulitis but probably Bile Acid Malabsorption as I've had my gall bladder removed so I need to get some medication to try and sort that out now. They put a line in my arm and gave me paracetamol, some anti-sickness medication and also some Hyoscine-N-Butylbromide to help with the pain in my stomach. I felt a lot better when I came home but will need to get some long term medication for the future. I am so grateful that you encouraged me to go to A&E and that I was not being a nuisance - we don't like making a fuss however ill we feel. I wasn't sure if I had a blockage or something, it's so hard to know. Many thanks again for your very kind message, much appreciated x
Hiya pump do you suffer pain everyday and where is your pain?
Hi Kathmax, I have had diahorrea off and on with all over stomach pains since January. It was decided I had IBS/Diverticular problems/Bile Acid Malabsorption. I've had several lots of antibitoics over the months and sometimes have had a few good spells. But nearly 3 weeks ago this pain started in the lower left side of my abdomen so I went back to see my Doctor who said it was Diverticulitis and I was given another lot of antibitoics but they didn't work and I've been really very poorly ever since, just wanting to crawl into bed with a hot water bottle. The pain was worse some days but never really went away. Now I am taking Buscapan 4 times a day it has eased thank goodness but I'm a long way from being myself but feeling better than yesterday. I will keep going back to see my doctor until I get myself sorted out. Thank for your message.
Hi Pump 37. So glad you went to Aand E; was soooo worried for you.
Next time you feel poorly AWAYS remeber you are NEVER a nuisance and medics allways want to help you
You are speacial and you are loved
Every blessing S x
Hi Pain57, I found it totally amazing that people like you and others on this site are prepared to reach out and comfort others like me when we are so worried. It has been such a comfort to receive so much helpful information and kindess. I think it was just what I needed to convince me to get myself to A&E and they didn't think I was wasting their time, they were marvellous. I would never go to A&E unecessarily but there comes a time when you feel so worried and cannot take any more pain without finding out what the cause is. Many thanks again, your message helped me so much, you'll never know how relieved I was to get your message and so much help. Thank goodness for Health Unlocked, an amazing site. Take care and many thanks again x
I hope you start to see an improvement soon. I went to my GP with similar pain but constipation and I'm still suffering nearly 2 years later. I've been offered no diagnosis, no medication to help with symptoms other than laxatives. So I think waiting 6 weeks for a scan is not that bad.
Having said that you know your body better than any doctor and if you're worried then I would take that trip to A&E. If your husband is only home at the weekend I'd definitely go with him.
Really good luck with whatever you decide and you're very welcome to contact me if you have any more questions or even if you'd just like to chat.
Liz
Thank you so much Hippylongstocking, how kind of you to get in touch. I'm sitting here feeling so ill and thinking that I perhaps I will have to go to A&E soon. I have put it off all morning. I know this can't be normal to feel so ill as I'm usually such an active person, love being outside and used to be so strong but I'm now reduced to a wreck. I feel so weak and poorly. Will let you know how things are going and thanks again for being so kind.
That's quite all right Pump321. I found reading the posts on here and the response I got to my first post helped me feel so much better. I'm glad I've passed that on to you. I was so relieved to discover that I wasn't the only person with these symptoms and I wasn't over-dramatising things. I'd started doubting my own sanity. I thought I was being over-sensitive with the pain. I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders just reading the posts on here.
Do get yourself to A&E and please let me know how you get on.
I've been battling the health system for 2 years trying to get this sorted out and there's no way I want to see anyone else go through what I have.
Really, really good luck and I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you! 
Hi Hippylongstocking, Well, after your encouragement and advice (also from Pain 57 too) I decided I must seek help and my husband drove me A&E earlier this afternoon. They were amazing and took me very seriously. They examined me and listened to my history etc. and took loads of bloods samples. They put a line in my arm and gave me an intravenous painkiller, some anti-sickness medication and some Hyoscine-n-Butylbromide to ease the spasms in my stomach. It did help such a lot and I was really grateful for their help. They don't think it's diverticulitis causing the problem but Bile Acid Malabsorption because I've had my gall bladder removed. So I've got to get some medication to try and sort that out.
I'm so sorry to hear that you are suffering the same kind of symptoms only with constipation, the pain is awful. I can only sympathise with you, it's a nightmare either way isn't it? It's such a shame you have not received any help whatsoever and are still struggling on after 2 years. Have you ever been referred to a gastroenterologist? If not I think I would actually ask to be referred to try and get some help. It's so hard to struggle on alone with these debilitating problems. As you said, it is so helpful to receive support from others on this site rather than struggle on alone and worried. I was so relieved to think that you and others took the time to help and advise me, I was so grateful to find the messages.
Please let me know how you get on. I really hope you are able to get some help before too long. It's not fair to have to suffer like this. Take care and thank you so much again for your kindness and understanding x
Hi just wondering if you ever got diagnosed? I think I have the same problems and I am not getting anywhere with the doctors. It has been almost 7 years now and I am losing hope! Thanks
Hi Charlie2w, I just found your message in my email box and thought I would reply to your question. I never did get a diagnosis after being ill for so long with the most awful stomach pain etc. One specialist tried to put me on some medication for Bile Acid Malabsorption but I told him I couldn't take it because it contained Aspartame because it gave me migraine headaches but he wouldn't listen so I couldn't take it. After that I was on my own again. I decided to go gluten free and amazingly things did start to improve gradually. It was a slow return to normal and it has taken all this time to be able to eat vegetables and normal food again without worrying about how my stomach would be affected all the time. I am now actually eating wheat again which seems like a miracle. I personally think it was either diverticulitis or I had a really bad case of food poisoning in the beginning that triggered the whole thing off. I did have to have many courses of antibiotics (2 different lots together) for many many months in the end. Thankfully I am feeling a lot better now but it knocked the stuffing out of me for a very long time. I do hope you find a solution to your problem. I can remember just how ill I was and didn't think I would ever get better.
Thank you so much for replying I really appreciate it. I'm glad to hear you are much better! Just out if interest did you ever have any lower abdominal pain? I find that any pressure on my abdomen triggers the pain (I can no longer wear trousers or skirts etc) is this anything you have experienced before?
Hello again, Yes, I had the most awful lower abdominal pain often radiating to the left lower side which I think my GP thought must be diverticulitis so that's why he put me on antibiotics for so long. They made me feel awful and upset my stomach as well so I was in the most awful pain and felt so so ill. I was in bed a lot of the time, just slept on and off, I was so weak having so much diarrhoea, just completely knocked out with the pain etc. I had to take immodium just to get to the doctor's surgery. I lost a lot of weight as well I remember and my tummy was so sore . It was a total nightmare looking back on it all. I felt so let down in many ways as nobody seemed to be able to help me. My husband had to look after me as I was an invalid really. I hope you are able to find an answer to your problems as it is certainly a terrible thing to have to live with. Have you tried Buscopan from the chemists or Colpermin capsules. I tried anything and everything to try and get some relief. I did have a Sigmoidoscopy in the end which didn't throw up much except a couple of polyps. Good luck, I wish I could be more help.
Hi I am a sufferer off diverticulitis I have had this three times in the last 18 months. I also suffer from ulcerative colitis and it sounds like you have also ulcerative colitis but I am no doctor. If I was you I would go to A&E and you will get a correct diagnosis that day. Right now I have been in hospital twice this year with diverticulitis and I thought that this 3rd time I had another bout of diverticulitis and my doctors give me antibiotics and for five weeks I have a pain in my left hand side. One week ago past Sunday I've got a ambulance to come and take me to hospital and once I was admitted and they done the tests it was a flare of my ulcerative colitis and I am on my full dose of asacol 40 mg of steroids and enenamas. The symptom that you have sounds like it could be more than diverticulitis. So it may be a good idea to go to the hospital and get them to do the tests and get the correct diagnosis. I'm so sorry to hear how your feeling so ill but I feel for you and understand how you're feeling as I have been through this so many times. I wish you well and hope you get over this soon. Good luck
Hi Jan, Thank you for your message yesterday. I am so sorry to hear that you suffer from ulcerative colitis and have had so many problems too. It certainly is a nightmare trying to cope with all this pain and living on a knife edge not knowing how your bowels are going to behave from one minute to the next.
In the end I did go to A & E yesterday afternoon as I didn't know what else to do. They were very good and took lots of blood which all came back clear. I had a urine test and that was clear too. After listening to my history they decided that because I have had my gall bladder removed I was probably suffering from Bile Acid Malabsorption and would need some medication for that. They didn't think it was diverticulitis. They put a line in my arm and gave me some pain killers, anti-sickness medication and Buscopan which did help a bit and relieved the acute symptoms somewhat. I have an appointment with my GP on 1st December so will have to go from there. I had antibiotics all last week but they didn't help much at all. I just wanted to thank you so much for responding to my message. It is such a comfort to know that when you feel so ill and desperate that some kind person who knows what it's like will get and touch and give advice. It really does help. My grateful thanks to you and all the others who helped me yesterday. I hope you are having a good spell at the moment . Good luck and many thanks again.
Hi you are more than welcome. I also have had good advice and help from the site. The people are so willing and caring and want to help if they can. I also this year have had a Vertoplasty done on my sine and the nerves cut so I am also recovering from that on top off flare of my colitis. With so many things that I have had all in one year, I have nearly lost a whole year of my life. But I feel I'm on the way to recovery. I have to see my colitis specialist on Monday. I spoke with the secretary and he was very good fit me in before his clinic starts on Monday. I am very lucky to have good doctors and specialists around me. You must stand strong and make sure they get to the bottom of what's wrong with you and on the right medication. I truly truly wish you well and hope that you soon will not have to encounter what you're going through. Take good care 🙏👍
Hi Jan, You sound as if you have had a pretty horrendous year having so much to contend with. Colitis is bad enough without having to be completely out of action having Vertoplasty carried out on your spine etc. I do hope you are beginning to get over it and it will help you to a full recovery.
I will keep pursuing my problems until I get sorted out, I don't want to live like this as it's very debilitating.
Once again Jan, thank you so very much for your kind concern. I really hope your appointment goes well on Monday with your Colitis specialist and sincerely hope you have a much better year next year. You take care too.
I also wish you all the best and for you to get well soon. But I would also like to send get well wishes to all the people on the site and out there to get as well as they can be and I hope that 2017 is a better year for you and lots of people that are feeling 100%. From the bottom off my heart ❤️ I send you all good feeling and to get well. Jan 🙏👍😘❤️️
I have diverticular disease, and if the pains are constant and regular phone 111 they will arrange an appt at the hospital as soon as possible. I ended up in hospital with an attack of diverticulitis and was kept in for two days. There was a small access. This happened after having a colonoscopy . But saying that I still get pains in my side . On and off . But not constant .
Can I ask you my doctore are hopeless
I changed doctors three years ago because I wasn't getting
Anywhere, finally diagnosed with Ibs , just been to hospital
And dr said I need to have a colposcopy (finally) to rule
Out Ibd - he didn't mention Divicular is this constant pain? Treatable? Manageable?
Thankyou
I expect you've read through all the pinned posts above from last year. I was having a very bad time then but had many many courses of antibiotics and over a period of 18 months I've improved quite a lot but have to be so careful with my diet even now. It might be a good idea to have a colonoscopy. IBS / IBD can be very painful and unpleasant. I had a lot of pain down in the lower left side of my abdomen which indicated Diverticulitis but I also had pain all over my stomach as well which moved around. It made me very ill and I am only just recovering very gradually. I had a sigmoidoscopy which just showed up a polyp which was taken away. Many months afterwards I had a CT Scan with iodine which didn't show anything wrong with my bowel. It's best to keep going back to your Doctor until you get some help and get it sorted out. Good luck.
Hi, I have a lot of diverticular, which showed on a colonoscopy two,years ago. Sometimes it flares up and the pain is bad. They become inflamed. And you need antibiotics. But having said that I seem to have constant little pains in my left side . I take Buscopan . It keeps the bowel still . It’s an ongoing thing . And I don’t think there is much you can do. Unless they decide to,operate . But only if it gets really bad like an abscess or something.
I have to be very very careful with my diet and can only eat very few things after having nearly two years of diverticulitis flares. It has made me so nervous now and I have suffered for so long I find it best just to eat very plain food with no spices. My diet consists of plain cooked chicken, poached salmon, potatoes (mashed or baked), eggs, chicken soup, toast, bananas and lately have been introducing a few carrots. I had such terrible diahorrea for so long it honesly just about wiped me out and made me so ill and the pain was horrendous. I know I need green veg. in my diet but even the doctor said that peas are risky and he's not sure about brocolli. I cannot imagine sprouts or cabbage would be a good idea and dare not touch lettuce as I really don't want to risk going back down hill again. It is a very difficult problem to know what to eat to be sure. We are all different and some people can tolerate more than others.
Hi, was wondering if you eat brown bread or white. And do you have cereal at all. What about fruit. ?.
Hi Patmary, I used to eat wholemeal bread but have been eating white for the last couple of years now as I'm just not sure about wholemeal at the moment. I can only eat bananas. I am really nervous about cereal, I'd like to eat porridge but not sure about it. I just stick to toast for breakfast and a little honey. I don't have a lot of butter only in mashed potatoes as I have high cholesterol. I feel it's best to stick to what seems to work and not risk another flare up.
Hi just a note on the point you made about allergic to the prep I had a reaction to moviprep and they gave me picolax instead which was fine
Hi thank you for your post. It was the Picolax which was so awful for me and I won't be able to take it again. Pleased it worked for you.
I am seeing a different gastroenterologist on Monday. Very nervous. I saw him several years and stopped seeing him because I thought I was ok. He is kind of patronizing as well. I got diagnosed with Diverticular disease a year ago on a CT scan. Constipated now and pain in lower left side from straining. It is good to hear how others are dealing with this. I am hoping the gastro dr can shed some light on what I am experiencing.
I am sorry to hear you are experiencing problems again when you began to think you were ok. I've had problems for well over two years with Diverticular problems and what they finally said was IBS as well. It's been a nightmare of chronic diarrhoea all this time and not being able to eat anything much at all. Finally I decided to go gluten free about a month ago although the gastroenterologist said I was not a ceiliac (sorry cannot spell that). I am so much better now and not eating wheat seems to have helped such a lot. I just though I would tell you as I began to despair of ever being able to lead a normal life. I do hope you get some help on Monday and the Gastroenterologist is not too patronizing. Good luck ..
So sorry to hear about your ordeal. Thanks so much. I hope my gastroenterologist is not either. If it gets really bad with him tommorrow, I will just walk out or stand up for myself.
Yes, if your gastroenterologist is not being very helpful I think you have every right to stand up for yourself or just walk out. I think that's what we should do more often. I have seen three altogether and none of them have been very helpful. I went privately for all consultations so it cost me fortune but I was so ill I felt I had to do something. One of gastroenterologists was so arrogant and spoke down to me throughout the whole consultation. I told him I had difficulty taking Picolax for colonoscopies as I am allergic to it and he said go on the internet and find something else to take! I would have thought he could have tried to find something that may have helped me. He didn't look at me whilst I was talking either, very distracted. Also he said that NHS Bowel Tests (the home kits) were just a waste of time and not reliable which I know is just not true! I know many people who have been diagnosed correctly through these tests. I was so upset when I came out and my husband was furious at the way he treated me. I should have walked out and complained. I wouldn't put up with that kind of treatment ever again. Thinking of you.
Sorry to hear about your problems, I would go to accident and emergency at least you will get a definitive answer and not be fobbed off by different doctors each time, let me know how it goes as I suffer with the low left pain sometimes brings me to tears
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