In about 80 out of 100 people, complicated diverticulitis clears up within a few weeks of having treatment with antibiotics.
If you don't treat it, diverticulitis can lead to serious complications that require surgery: Abscesses, collections of pus from the infection, may form around the infected diverticula. If these go through the intestinal wall, you could get peritonitis. This infection can be fatal.
Symptoms of diverticulitis may last from a few hours to several days. They may last longer if it's not treated. These symptoms may include: Tenderness, cramps, or pain in the belly.
Diverticulitis can be a serious, and even a potentially life-threatening complication. Health problems that can arise from diverticulitis include: Rectal bleeding. Abscesses and fistulas.
Blood in your stools. Fever above 100.4°F (38°C) that does not go away. Nausea, vomiting, or chills. Sudden belly or back pain that gets worse or is very severe.
If your diverticula keep getting inflamed, your bowel may get narrower or get blocked. You may have constipation, trapped wind, bad tummy pain and a swollen tummy. You may also feel sick or be sick. You may need bowel resection surgery to remove the damaged or blocked part of your bowel or to correct a fistula.
If your symptoms are mild, your GP will treat it at home and you should recover within 4 days. Further tests will be needed if you have no previous history of diverticular disease. If you are unwell, your GP may refer you to hospital for blood tests and investigations.
If you have a severe attack or have other health problems, you'll likely need to be hospitalized. Treatment generally involves: Intravenous antibiotics. Insertion of a tube to drain an abdominal abscess, if one has formed.
How long does a diverticulitis flare-up typically last? After starting treatment, most people should start to feel better in two or three days. If symptoms don't start to get better by then, it's time to call a healthcare provider and get instructions on what to do next.
Diverticulosis. You can have diverticulosis and not have any pain or symptoms. But symptoms may include mild cramps, swelling or bloating, and constipation. These symptoms can also be caused by irritable bowel syndrome, stomach ulcers, or other health problems.
Symptoms of diverticulitis
However, the pain associated with diverticulitis is constant and severe, rather than intermittent. It is most likely to occur if you have previously had symptoms of diverticular disease, and develops over a day or two.
Mild diverticulitis infection may be treated with bed rest, stool softeners, a liquid diet, antibiotics to fight the infection, and possibly antispasmodic drugs.
Even among those who do develop diverticulitis, most recover uneventfully, typically after seven to 10 days of oral antibiotics. And fewer than one in five experience a recurrence.
Give it time, approximately 6-8 weeks, and your colon should start to function more normally. When a long piece of colon is removed, however, a faster transit time may be a permanent side effect of the surgery. Nausea is common after surgery. Be sure to take your pain medication on a full stomach.
Untreated, diverticulitis can be serious, leading to issues such as bowel obstruction and fistula. Get the information you need to lower your risk for these problems and other comorbidities.
Historically, surgery was advised after two attacks of uncomplicated diverticulitis and after one attack in patients younger than 40 years [16].
Management of Diverticulitis
When a flare-up (diverticulitis) occurs, your physician will most likely recommend an immediate transition to a restricted-fibre or fluid diet and physical rest, and is likely to prescribe antibiotics, possibly antispasmodics, and pain medications.
Symptoms of diverticulitis may include abdominal pain and tenderness, fever, nausea and constipation and they often are irregular. While patients can develop severe complications from diverticulitis that require surgery, doctors have taken a more conservative approach to treating milder cases.
Dealing with diverticulosis
Once the sacs develop, they don't heal on their own, and they don't go away. We can cure diverticulosis by performing surgery to remove the sacs. But if you don't have symptoms and an infection doesn't develop, there's no reason to treat the condition at all, much less undergo surgery.
Surgery usually isn't necessary in people who have acute diverticulitis. But there are exceptions: If abscesses (collections of pus) have formed, and treatment with antibiotics isn't successful, surgery is unavoidable.
Once you developed diverticula, they are unlikely to go away. Bleeding and inflammation are two common complications of diverticulosis. Diet plays an important role in the prevention of the progression of diverticulosis, but will not be able to reverse the process.
However, you should seek immediate medical attention if your symptoms are not going away or you are feeling worse, such as having increasing pain, fever, bloody stools, or abdominal bloating with vomiting. Treatment depends on whether you have uncomplicated or complicated diverticulitis.
You may still tire easily for several months as your body finishes the healing process. You should be sure to rest whenever you feel fatigued. You may be able to resume normal activities after 4 weeks, but should expect to take time off from work for 4-6 weeks.
Stay with liquids or a bland diet (plain rice, bananas, dry toast or crackers, applesauce) until you are feeling better. Then you can return to regular foods and slowly increase the amount of fibre in your diet. Use a heating pad set on low on your belly to relieve mild cramps and pain.