Just questions

  About 2 weeks ago I awoke in the middle of the night with severe pain in my left side, not wanting to bother my doctor in the middlle of the night, I waited till morning and then called him. I was sent to ER and they diagnosed diverticulosis and I was put on an anitbiotic for 10 days, I finished that about 3 days ago and now I feel better but I am a little nauseated and when ever I go to the bathroom and have a stool I believe that I may be bleeding from my rectum. I am not sure where the blood is coming from. Any suggestions?
Dear Nancy,
The pain that you experienced could have been secondary to diverticular disease (diverticulosis or diverticulitis) but there is no
objective evidence to state that with certainty. Diverticulosis (the presence of pouches on the outside of the colon) can present
with constipation, diarrhea or rectal bleeding and diverticulitis (inflammation of the pouches) usually presents with left sided
abdominal pain, fever and an elevated white blood cell count. Now that you are feeling a little better after antibiotics,
you may benefit from a colonoscopy to look for a cause of lower gastrointestinal bleeding and to document the presence of
diverticula (pouches that form on the outside of the colon). During an acute episode of diverticulitis, a CT scan of the abdomen
and pelvis is the best test to look for inflammatory changes or an abscess, fluid collection or sinus tract. Good luck to you.
This response is being provided for general informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice or
consultation. Always check with your personal physician when you have a question pertaining to your health.
If you wish to be seen at our institution please call 1-800-653-6568, our Referring Physicians' Office and make an appointment
to see Dr. Muszkat, one of our experts in Gastroenterology.
HFHSM.D.-ym
*Keywords: diverticular disease