“You have to be very aware, it limits a lot, it hurts, it generates a fever and you have to follow a series of care.”
Intestinal diverticula are small bags that usually form in an area of the left colon called the sigmoid colon. Photo: Shutterstock.
Published in EFE
Elena Sánchez is 54 years old and suffers diverticulitis. His first crisis It was a little over two years ago. He started one day with fever and malaise. She spent three days with the same symptoms, which she did not attribute to anything in particular, and which were accompanied by “a stomach ache, on the left side”
The doctor of the company where she works sent her to the hospital suspecting that it could be renal colic or diverticula.
There they did an analysis and diagnosed him diverticulitis.
Elena was very surprised because they asked her if she ate well, if she ate a lot of fat, if she was constipated.
He assures that nothing is further from his profile: “I have always taken great care of myself and I have practiced a lot of sports.”
She was hospitalized for four days with intravenous antibiotics and after a few months she returned for a colonoscopy and a polyp was removed.
They advised him to carry out a preventive policy and to be very vigilant, “because once you have it, it can reappear.”
mondays crisis
Last Christmas he had his second crisisand thus narrates the symptoms of his diverticulitis on this second occasion:
“I started with a tremendous flatus pain, like appendicitis but on the left side.”
“I was sitting at home watching television and suddenly I felt tremendous pain and had a high fever and discomfort. I could hardly even get up.”
Back to the emergency room, again admitted, again intravenous treatment.
Currently, he follows a four-month treatment, and in the first week of each month he has to take a fungicide-bactericide three times a day to clean and keep the colon in good condition.
Before the summer she has to have another colonoscopy to see how everything is.
Sometimes he says that his colon hurts him, it bothers him… but he affirms that he leads a healthy and healthy life.
“But suddenly from one day to the next it can hit you again. Why? Well, they say they don’t know.”
non-carbonated drinks
They have also recommended that you try not to drink carbonated drinks because they generate greater discomfort in that area, and that you also avoid foods that contain seeds.
As for the emotional burden caused by the disease, Elena does not hide her fears:
“For me it is a problem because I don’t know if behind this, and with the years and aging there may be a colon cancer”.
The treating doctor insists on the importance of prevention.
“Can I have a higher risk of having cancer as I get older? Well, maybe yes, but it’s not yes either. With prevention you shouldn’t have any problems.”
three terms
Three terms: diverticula, diverticulosis, and diverticulitis.
Los intestinal diverticula They are small bags that usually form in an area of the left colon called the sigmoid colon.
The diverticulosis refers to the existence of the aforementioned diverticula in the colon.
And we talk about diverticulitis when any of these diverticula become inflamed.
The specialist speaks
We talked on the phone with the doctor Ramon Angosspecialist in digestive Navarra University Clinicwho points out that the most frequent is diverticular disease of the colon, that is, diverticulosis.
It is a disease that appears with age “and with the years it increases in incidence”.
It begins to appear after 45/50 years, and at 60 “practically more than half of the people can have this disease.”
And every time, he warns, more people have it.
But in addition to age, eating habits influence, such as a diet low in fiber; sedentary life and obesity also increase the incidence.
Symptoms diverticulitis
Most of the pain is due to spasms of the colon, diverticula are usually asymptomatic.
“But what is not asymptomatic is when the diverticula become inflamed and we are already talking about diverticulitis”.
In this case there is usually a strong pain, in the lower left part of the abdomen, “that is why it is called left-sided appendicitis, and it increases in intensity as the hours go by.”
According to Dr. Angós, this intense pain is usually associated with a change in intestinal rhythm, from diarrhea to constipation.
It usually also gives a not very high fever, between 38 and 38 and a half, and may be accompanied by shivering.
Nausea, vomiting, tiredness, and bloating may be other symptoms of diverticulitis.
Diagnosis
When a person suspected of having it arrives, an examination and analysis must be carried out: “it usually happens that leukocytes rise, which indicates inflammation.”
You can also make a abdominal ultrasound.
For the specialist, this last test is “easier and faster and it looks quite good that there is inflammation of the colon in that area.”
“But the most sensitive test and the one that best determines severity, degree of inflammation, length, is a CT scan.”
pus abscesses
Besides, the diverticulitis It can get complicated, “with the appearance of abscesses of pus or a perforation, which already causes intense pain, and you can’t even touch the patient’s abdomen.”
“Rarely it can also give bleeding in the stool.”
And when the diverticulitis occurs very frequently, fibrosis or stenosis of the avalanche of the intestine usually occurs and “then surgery must be considered”.
Although for Dr. Angós the ideal is not to have to operate on the patient urgently.
“When there is a perforation, hemorrhage or strong stenosis, or abscesses that do not respond to antibiotics and cannot be drained, in that case you have to operate urgently, and it is already a risky surgery because you have to place a temporary bag to divert the gut,” he says.
Treatment
Treatment should be aimed at relieving symptoms and preventing the onset of complications.
In general, a diet rich in vegetable fiber with bran supplements and other laxatives that provide fiber relieves abdominal pain, controls the rate of defecation, and reduces abdominal distention.
Antispasmodic drugs that act selectively on the musculature of the colon improve pain by inhibiting sigma contractions.
If these drugs are not enough, analgesics (such as pentazocine) can be used, which, in addition to relieving pain, reduce pressure within the colon.
Operating table
There are “few” cases that end up on the operating table.
According to the doctor they do not reach 10/15 percent. Before, more people operated because the prophylaxis of combining antibiotics and probiotics was not known.
Another thing is a person who over time will have more crisis and is not willing and then you want to operate, concludes the doctor Angós.