Back Among the Living..but Barely

Ozarkgal

Ozarkgal

Senior Member
Location
Deep in the Ozark woods
I got home last night from a 2 day stay in the hospital...sparing all the gory details, I had bleeding diverticula. I didn't know one could lose that much blood and still be among the walking. After having several horrendous bleeding bouts starting Thursday night, hubby took me to emergency on Friday morning and after several tests, they really couldn't pinpoint the exact source of the bleed.

Got to come home last night, still feeling weak, but the bleeding has almost stopped. I was told to take it easy for the next few days, great advice since I have the strength of an ant pushing a lawnmower uphill!

Anyone else have diverticula disease?
 

Welcome back Ozarkgal, so sad to hear about your illness, glad you're back home. :girl_hug: There was a fellow at work that had that. He didn't go into detail, but he said that he was constipated a lot, and the doctor recommended that he take something like psyllium husk or Metamucil. I think that the contents of the colon starts to push through the colon walls, because it is not being eliminated. Here's a bit more on the subject...http://www.natmedtalk.com/f74/21328-diverticular-disease-diverticulosis.html
 

Thanks SeaBreeze...I am supposed to be on the Metamucil, but I slipped and quit doing it. Not very good about any kind of pills or potions. You can bet I won't be slipping up anymore. I have had this problem for several years, but never to this extent and am going to try my damnest not to wind up back in that situation again. I have to think high fiber forever now!
 
Never had it but I know how you must feel...I lost 40% of my blood after a prostate biopsy two years ago. Bled down the toilet for half an hour, passed out cold twice and had three ambulances and three hospitals in one day...nearly died and spent three days in hospital just getting over the biopsy...went back in a few days later and was told I had cancer...
 
Ozarkgal said:
I got home last night from a 2 day stay in the hospital...sparing all the gory details, I had bleeding diverticula. I didn't know one could lose that much blood and still be among the walking. After having several horrendous bleeding bouts starting Thursday night, hubby took me to emergency on Friday morning and after several tests, they really couldn't pinpoint the exact source of the bleed.

Got to come home last night, still feeling weak, but the bleeding has almost stopped. I was told to take it easy for the next few days, great advice since I have the strength of an ant pushing a lawnmower uphill!

Anyone else have diverticula disease?
Click to expand...

Sorry for the scary ordeal Ozarkgal. Haven't heard of that before, but after some needed R & R, do they advise a colonoscopy? ... Or maybe you've already been through the motions of one while in your hospital stay. ?? Take care and put your feet up!
 
Archer said:
Never had it but I know how you must feel...I lost 40% of my blood after a prostate biopsy two years ago. Bled down the toilet for half an hour, passed out cold twice and had three ambulances and three hospitals in one day...nearly died and spent three days in hospital just getting over the biopsy...went back in a few days later and was told I had cancer...
Click to expand...

Oh my Archer, you've been through quite a bit there, sorry to hear of your diagnosis...hope you're doing okay. :love_heart:
 
Ozarkgal said:
Thanks SeaBreeze...I am supposed to be on the Metamucil, but I slipped and quit doing it. Not very good about any kind of pills or potions. You can bet I won't be slipping up anymore. I have had this problem for several years, but never to this extent and am going to try my damnest not to wind up back in that situation again. I have to think high fiber forever now!
Click to expand...

I take it daily for hemorrhoid issues, helps a lot. Just remember to follow it up with at least a full 8 ounce glass of water. I mix it in a small glass, then refill the glass at least two times to wash it down (and help rinse the glass, lol).
 
Oh Ozarkgal, that's terrible to have to go through that! Take it easy and let the ganstas do the work!

And Archer, glad to hear you are clear. My brother went through the same thing and had his removed too. Says he hasn't regretted that at all and is feeling fine these days.
 
Terrible news! I'm glad you are home and hope you'll be feeling like your old self again soon. Rest and recuperate. Rest and recuperate.
 
Thanks everyone for the good moral support. Archer, I'm glad you survived your ordeal. My situation was not any where near as life threatening as yours, but when you are quickly loosing blood and you are conscious to see it, it's a very panicky situation.

I had a colonoscopy two years ago, and they did not want to do another one for fear of puncturing something. I had an upper digestive tract scope and a nuclear scan on my lower GI which revealed no ulcers or bleeding outside of the gut or colon. This was a wake up call. I have to mind my P's and Q's now and listen to the nagging, and I told you so's of my husband, brother, friends and doctors about slowing down and taking better care of myself.

It's hard when the brain tells you you're 30 but the body disagrees.:banghead:


Words of advice..think fiber in your diet!
 
Pleased to hear you are on the mend Ozarkgal look after yourself. I am always asking when in certain shops if they sell new bodies, some say they are out of stock and others say they will order them, but i never see any on the shelf, {wouldn't it be great if you could} As for you Archer look after your back and hope the pain is better .:bowknot:
 
Jillaroo said:
Pleased to hear you are on the mend Ozarkgal look after yourself. I am always asking when in certain shops if they sell new bodies, some say they are out of stock and others say they will order them, but i never see any on the shelf, {wouldn't it be great if you could} As for you Archer look after your back and hope the pain is better .:bowknot:
Click to expand...

Yeah..I actually asked that once in a shop...this was all they had left on the shelf
images
:lofl:
 
Relieved to hear you're back on deck Ozarkgal, that would have been scary.

Metamucil was the 'dose of the day' for Mum, she too had Diverticulitis. It needs constant attention but she made it to 91 with it,and it sure wasn't c.o.d., so it's controllable.
Thanks for the wake up call, like you I tend to let these fibre and vitamin concerns slip and then pay dearly for it later.

Stay well. :)
 
Ozarkgal said:
I had bleeding diverticula.
Anyone else have diverticula disease?
Click to expand...

Ozarkgal,

I am sorry to hear that you have been ill, I never heard of
such a severe bout of Diverticular Disease.

I was told several years ago that I have it but can manage it.

It is fairly common in "Older", people and more so in men, who
tend to get it more often than women under the age of 50 years.

Here is a link to the National Health Service site that explains
what it really is and how to deal with it.

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Diverticular-disease-and-diverticulitis/Pages/Introduction.aspx

I hope that it helps and gives you some pointers on how to
deal with it.

Good Luck.

Mike.
 
Thanks Mike...I have had this problem for several years, although this was the most severe bout of bleeding I have experienced. The tests were pretty much inconclusive as to what actually happened, but they did rule out cancer.

They want to do another colonoscopy when I stop bleeding more to see if there is anything the other tests didn't pick up on. I intend to start managing my diet better and making sure that enough fiber is included. Surgery is the last thing I want to happen!

I know it is common among older folks, and the surgeon told me that 95o/o of the people that have complications, such as bleeding won't require surgery, however some complications are life threatening. Many people that have it are symptom free and don't even know they have it unless it shows up on a colonoscopy.
 
Ozarkgal, hope you can take it easy for as long as necessary. Wondering if you take Plavix; as I know that can cause bleeding in a higher dose.....if not, I hope they find the cause of it all.

Archer, sorry you had to go through that, but happy you're doing ok now. That had to be a very frightening experience; glad they found it when they did.
 
Anne, no Plavix, but I do take Naproxen everyday for my back pain. This is the only medication I take, along with a Prilosec. I will have to stop that and find a different med for pain management.
 

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