Hi I was 45 and at first I got a mild pain in the lower left abdomen, which became sharper and more frequent; it just wasn't going away. I also had very fast and runny stools. Then just a general unwell feeling, I felt tired and spaced out. At doctors they thought ectopic pregnancy, so I went to accident and emergency where it was diagnosed after physical and a scan. The doctors didn't really believe it was my first episode as it was acute with perforation/abscess. Luckily with three days of intravenous antibiotics, I was able to avoid surgery. Three years on I have not had another episode. I try to eat enough fiber and drink more water and stay clear of seeds, spicy food and I have reduced my alcohol intake.

My pain started with a tender spot under my rib on the left side. On the fourth day the pain became unbearable like I was being stabbed with a knife. That took me to the emergency room and the diagnosis with a CT scan and lab tests.

I just woke up with pain on the left side of the front of my body. Over the next 4 days it extended down into an L shape toward the center. A CT scan confirmed diverticulitis and I spent the next 3 weeks on antibiotics, but wasn't getting significantly better. When my Dr. sent me for another CT scan I was hospitalized, put on IV antibiotics for 5 days, and had 24" of my large intestine removed. The surgeon said I had an abscess, too. 6 weeks after surgery, I got diverticulitis AGAIN, and about a month after it cleared, once more, for which I'm in my 3rd week of antibiotics.

At age 63 I had for months been feeling bloated and tried Gas-Ex, etc. to no avail. Then I developed a tender spot below and to the right side of my navel and the doctor thought appendicitis. CT scan showed two inflamed areas in my colon. Clear liquid diet and IV antibiotics for 4 days in the hospital cleared it up. Colonoscopy showed pan-diverticulosis (i.e., in every section of my colon). I'm now on a high fibre diet permanently and haven't had another bout of this "complicated diverticulitis" (pus pockets)in 18 months.

I had abdominal pain, constipation, bloating, cramping, nausea and lower back pain. No one seemed to be able to find a reason for the symptoms, but a recent colonoscopy revealed that I have diverticulosis.

I am an Asian and have always been on a high fiber diet the past 50 years. I moved to the USA for permanent stay. It had only been 3 years of low fiber, typical American food. But 10 days ago, after doing aqua aerobics, I noticed some blood stain in the toilet tissue. The following morning, it was all bloody bowel movement. My husband drove me to the hospital right away. Then the doctors asked for the common signs and symptoms like any pains, bloating, vomiting, fever,.. But I have none of those. I was very strong. I had 17 trips to the ER bathroom with frank red blood eliminations. So they made me go for X-rays, a CT scan and then the colonoscopy. Diagnosis: A lot of diverticuli everywhere in my colon. The doctor who did the colonoscopy said that if I get into such a crisis again, I should just go ahead and have that colon cut out! OH NO! That day was my 57th birthday!

This year alone, I have had several flares with diverticulitis. I was lifting weights more often, and I'm starting to think this might have had an effect on my condition. This most recent one lasted 10 days, and now I am taking a medication called Flagyl.

After taking Bactrim for a urinary tract infection, which then resulted in severe diarrhea, I began today having sudden severe jabs of pain in my lower right side, occurring quite often. My physcian then prescribed tetracycline, which I have just gotten and will take three hours after having eaten dinner. The pains are very sharp.