Diverticulitis is a condition where you have 'pouchings' of the colon. Anatomic abnormalities may cause the condition in younger adults. Symptoms of diverticulitis include intermittent crampy abdominal pains and tenderness, usually on the lower left side. Constipation and diarrhea are common and fever is sometimes present with acute attacks. Of the total population with the disorder, only 15 to 20 percent will suffer from the discomfort and pain that can occur when the pouchings become inflamed.
Younger people are more likely to experience frequent and severe symptoms.
Antibiotics and changes in diet can relieve some of the discomfort of diverticulitis. But if serious or frequent inflammation, perforations, blockages or bleeding results, colon surgery may be the best answer. Until recently, the procedure involved opening the abdomen, removing the affected part of the colon and then rejoining the remaining sections. At Good Shepherd, doctors are now using a new surgical device, the pneumo sleeve, to improve on this procedure. Without the pneumo sleeve, recovery from standard surgery is typically five to six weeks.