Mayo Clinic – Diverticulitis is usually diagnosed during an acute attack. Because abdominal pain can indicate a number of problems, your doctor will need to rule out other causes for your symptoms.
Your doctor will start with a physical examination, which will include checking your abdomen for tenderness. Women generally have a pelvic examination as well to rule out pelvic disease.
After that, the following tests are likely:
Blood and urine tests, to check for signs of infection.
A pregnancy test for women of childbearing age, to rule out pregnancy as a cause of abdominal pain.
A liver enzyme test, to rule out liver-related causes of abdominal pain.
A stool test, to rule out infection in people who have diarrhea.
A CT scan, which can identify inflamed or infected pouches and confirm a diagnosis of diverticulitis. CT can also indicate the severity of diverticulitis and guide treatment.
One of my previous posts, “bad breath”, was so well received that I am emboldened to deal briefly with another important, if politically incorrect, topic; Constipation.
I have anemia, and take regular IRON, which produces constipation. A high fiber diet solved it. My bones have also been thinning over the years into Osteopenia, a deficiency of Calcium. I Increased my calcium intake with some CALCIUM citrate powder, and developed one of the worst episodes of Constipation I have ever had, in spite of my high fiber diet.
Stopping the Calcium leaves me with the osteopenia worry, but was a great relief. Many other medications can cause constipation. Ask your Pharmacist for a list.` Hypothyroidism, and a variety of autoimmune, intestinal and neurological conditions have constipation as a symptom.
As I struggled with something that should be automatic, I worried about possibly pushing out a hernia, ballooning out one of my colonic diverticula, or developing hemorrhoids. These are all complications of constipation, not to mention the big waste of time. Regularity is much to be desired.
If you have regular SLEEP and EXERCISE a low Calorie density, high fiber diet, and are not taking a lot of drugs and supplements, you most likely don’t have constipation. If you have constipation, you might consider examining your sleep, diet, exercise and medications. If you don’t want to change your habits and medication, try METAMUCIL and drink lots of WATER.
Your large bowel, or colon, is at the end of the Gastrointestinal tract. It starts on the right side of your abdomen, where the small intestine empties into the caecum. This is also where the Appendix bulges down, looking like a little finger coming from the caecum. The 5 foot long large intestine is the final processing area of your food, after the nutrients have been absorbed.
The Colon contains virtually all of the microbiome, reduces the volume of the fecal matter, and propels it to its final destination. The propelling muscles are an inner circular ring, and 3 outer longitudinal strips. These outer strips of muscle do not completely encircle the Colon, allowing for protuberances of lining membrane and circular muscle to balloon out into prominences called Taenia.
It is in these weakened areas, especially where blood vessels penetrate that little herniations form over the years. Diverticulosis occurs in 50% of people more than 60 years of age, and in almost everybody more than 80 years.
Diverticulosis is a condition where pressures up to 120 mm or mercury, generated by the colonic muscles gradually push out little pouches of lining membrane called diverticula. Nobody knows why some people get an INFLAMMED diverticulum.
Age, of course, is a factor, as are Obesity, diabetes, smoking and poor diet; a tendency toward inflammation is common in all of these risk factors. Comparing diverticulitis with Appendicitis is an interesting exercise. The symptoms are mirror images of each other. Appendicitis occurs on the right side.
Diverticulitis usually occurs on the left side, except in asian people. The asian DIET seems to favor diverticula on the right side. When asians immigrate to the U.S. and start eating more Red meat and fewer vegetables, the diverticula shift to the left side.
Signs of Diverticulitis include gastrointestinal symptoms, such as pain, tenderness,nausea, cramps, constipation, and Fever. Rectal bleeding can sometimes occur. Treatment includes antibiotics.
If the condition worsens, serious complications, such as abcess may develop and require surgery. As usual, Prevention, including diet and exercise, is better than Treatment. A HIGH FIBER DIET is the best prevention.
–Dr. C.
Article #1 to read – Diverticular disease of the colon: New perspectives in symptom development and treatment
Article #2 to read – Management of Colonic Diverticulitis | Effective Health Care Program
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