rechelle's lifelyrics

According to my family care doctor, this is a condition that still has many mysteries associated with it.

I don’t claim to have all of the answers, but I believe my story can be helpful to others who have diverticulosis and have suffered the pain and searched for answers when it turned into diverticulitis.

I had all of my babies in the comfort of my own home, surrounded by family and friends who loved me and supported me through those hours of pain and labor. This is not an article advocating that everyone should do what I did, but rather to help you understand where I’m coming from.

About a month after my 2nd child was born, I had my first experience with the pain of diverticulitis. I can tell you it was worse than labor because I was able to easily compare the two by having the experiences so close together. It lasted 3 days and 3 nights, and I had a low grade fever and several other symptoms that manifested (later) what it was. Several people came to pray for me and take care of me and my two little babies during the day while Ray was at work. About 7 similar episodes and almost 9 months later, I felt something pop in my lower right abdomen and then the poison went across my abdominal cavity like a hand of fire that intensely burned every organ it touched. I was very sick. I knew that if I lived through it, it would be the hand of God that saved me because He had more plans for me. Miraculously, my body began to expel all of the poison over about 9 days, and I was healed.

At some point, I learned diverticulitis is a possible postpartum complication.

Through the years, I had bouts of this affliction, but understood very little about what was happening inside my body.

Then in 2020, I passed out from the pain, and Ray called the ambulance. I agreed to be transported to the ER even though the pain had subsided by the time they arrived. This was when I was officially diagnosed with diverticulitis. This was when I could reflect on previous encounters with the same pain and symptoms to identify patterns. I started trying to learn more about what causes the problem and what to do in response to symptoms, but I still felt like I had more questions than answers about recognizing a case or exactly what to do when I finally realize “here we go again.”

When I figured out that I was having yet another episode of diverticulitis over the weekend, I read through my journaling of past experiences to remember what worked and what didn’t. (One thing I want to say here is how helpful it is to have good records of illness events.)

Rather than bore you with all of the details, I just want to give you my takeaways from my blood test results, research, and observations over the last 5 days.

• If you’re unsure about a recommended plan or procedure concerning your body, don’t be afraid to ask questions or to say “no thank you.” I think I developed this confidence because I already endured pain and affliction way worse than in recent years without seeking medical attention.
• Make sure you are looking at test results and getting answers for terms or indicators you don’t understand. By analyzing my blood test results from Tuesday, I learned how hard my liver has to work to produce C-Reactive Proteins. In following the recommendations of current dietary advice for episodes of diverticulitis, I unintentionally became extremely undernourished and ended up adding more burden on my liver!
• On that same note, many times in the past when I would feel the pressure and beginnings of pain in my abdomen, I would have a little wine to relax my body. Now that I know how hard my liver has to work for inflammation and/or infection, I have learned to avoid alcohol altogether until my gut is performing in a normal way. (No localized pain in lower abdomen combined with bloating, constipation, or diarrhea).
• Regular exercise is hugely important in managing diverticulosis so it doesn’t become diverticulitis. I rolled my ankle a few weeks ago which hugely impacted my exercise routine, and then the week prior to this recent experience, I was spending hours each day working on paperwork. I didn’t feel like I “had time” to do my daily Pilates routine or get out and walk for 30-plus minutes.
• Finally, it is more important than ever to maintain my high fiber diet – especially when I’m doing more sedentary work for longer periods of time throughout several days. Last week was so busy, we went out to eat several times and I kind of forgot how much my body needs consistency in my diet!

My doctor said there are a lot of new studies in recent years that have caused people in the medical field to go away from recommending antibiotics for diverticulitis. He agreed with my assessments, and told me there is no scientific proof that things like popcorn or seeds are “bad” for people with diverticulosis. Deep down, we all understand that too much of anything in our bodies at one time is bad. We should also realize not enough diligence toward maintaining a healthy diet and exercise regimen compounds more problems than just the one I’m talking about today. These 2 concepts should be great motivators to be well by living well to the best of our ability.

(Link to https://www.123rf.com/photo_26362722_diverticulosis-and-diverticulitis.html for the image in this post.)