Diagnosed Diverticulitis, Explosive Diarrhea, Cramps, Blood And Mucus
Question: I ate and drank a lot last night. In the morning I had some cramping and explosive diarrhea. I also drank coffee on an empty stomach after the diarrhea episode. A few hour latter I had blood and mucus in my stool. I am only getting a little light cramping once in a while in the lower part of my abdomen now . I have been diagnosed with diverticulitis. That was extremely painful when that happened, but obviously now I'm worried. What should I do?
Hi XXXXXXX
Thanks for the query.
As you have already been diagnosed with diverticulitis I feel that this could be the same, because of your symptoms of initial diarrhea followed by blood and mucus in stool, associated with cramping abdominal pain which is typical of diverticulitis.
It has a recurrence rate of 3% per year. So this could probably be the condition.
I suggest you consult your doctor who had earlier diagnosed diverticulitis in you. You will need a complete evaluation as done the previous time which includes USG abdomen, Barium studies, Sigmoidoscopy in addition to the routine blood and urine tests.
I hope my answer has been adequate and informative. If you have any follow up queries I will be available to answer them.
Thanks for the query.
As you have already been diagnosed with diverticulitis I feel that this could be the same, because of your symptoms of initial diarrhea followed by blood and mucus in stool, associated with cramping abdominal pain which is typical of diverticulitis.
It has a recurrence rate of 3% per year. So this could probably be the condition.
I suggest you consult your doctor who had earlier diagnosed diverticulitis in you. You will need a complete evaluation as done the previous time which includes USG abdomen, Barium studies, Sigmoidoscopy in addition to the routine blood and urine tests.
I hope my answer has been adequate and informative. If you have any follow up queries I will be available to answer them.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
The thing is that I don't have any pain like I did the previous time. It was just the one episode with the diarrhea when I felt any pain or cramping. I don't feel sick and have no pain I'm just worried about the stool and slight crampy feeling once in a while. It is not just the one area that was acutely showing problems the last time. It is just the lower part en total. Should I contact my doctor tomorrow?
Hi XXXXXXX
Thanks for writing back to me.
As you previously had Diverticulitis and the symptoms were almost the similar I had to suspect the same. It could also be due to other things like dysentery etc but I can't tell anything more than this. Because I have to examine you get few tests done and couple of imaging studies.
So it's better to consult a doctor, get a physical examination and follow his advice.
Wish You Good Health and speedy recovery.
Thanks for writing back to me.
As you previously had Diverticulitis and the symptoms were almost the similar I had to suspect the same. It could also be due to other things like dysentery etc but I can't tell anything more than this. Because I have to examine you get few tests done and couple of imaging studies.
So it's better to consult a doctor, get a physical examination and follow his advice.
Wish You Good Health and speedy recovery.
Note: Revert back with your health reports to get further guidance on your gastric problems. Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar