Sen Chris Murphy: "Just came from a 2 hour closed door classified briefing on the war, a disaster of epic proportions"

[Bluetus]

45. I'm glad you are on top of it.

I had diverticula on 4 scopes over 10 years, but nobody really gave me any useful advice, other than eat more greens and fiber.

I have no doubt that your flare-up could be from stress, and it sounds like you have had more than your share recently.

In my case I ignored worsening symptoms for 3 weeks because I had no reason to associate any of that with my diverticulosis. I had some heavy jobs the week before I presented to the ER. 6 hours later, I had emergency surgery to remove about 1/3 of the colon, followed by 9 days in ICU to clear the sepsis. That was followed by months on an ostomy to rest the remaining colon. I eventually had successful take-down surgery and can live a mostly normal life now.

I just wish somebody would have advised me that difficult, straining and painful BMs are not normal and you can be kind to your guts by doing simple things like figuring out how much psyllium (Metamucil) daily will allow your system to do its thing without unnecessary strain. In my case, I am certain it was completely preventable had I been educated about it.

I will be thinking of you and wish you steady, gentle progress. FWIW, I logged every bite I ate and every BM event for 2 years before I felt like I was really healthy again. It is a lifestyle change, but can be very successful.