If you’re not familiar with this condition, it’s caused by diverticuli inflammation in the colon or large intestines. Diverticuli are small sacs or pouches formed on the colon due to improper diet and various risk factors like age and others. Although people with this condition will not present any symptoms, inflammation and bursting will start showing diverticulitis symptoms.
Here are some of the symptoms people don’t really take seriously since they can be mistaken to other problems:
- Fever: Most of the time, fever is usually linked to pulmonary conditions like colds or flu. However, fever is also a sign of possible infection or inflammation inside the body. Diverticulitis, as mentioned above, is an inflamed diverticulum so infection is present. With infection present, then fever is also expected from this condition.
- Localized abdominal pain: Abdominal pain is one of the common diverticulitis symptoms mistaken with other conditions. For localized abdominal pain and tenderness, people would think that it’s just regular cramps or acute appendicitis attack. However, if this pain is felt in other sides of the belly apart from the lower right side then you can say that it’s diverticulitis.
- Constipation: This is also among diverticulitis symptoms linked to other conditions felt in the gastrointestinal area. One of the things to take note on this condition however is the possible cause of constipation. For example, constipation that occurs after eating something will indicate that it’s possibly caused by the food you ingested. This is most especially for people with lactose intolerance after taking in dairy products. But if it just occurred without any food intake then it’s probably caused by diverticulitis.
- Nausea and vomiting: Again, these symptoms may be related to GERD or other gastrointestinal problems. Most of the time, vomiting and nausea caused by GERD is usually accompanied by heart burn so without this additional symptom may point to diverticulitis as its cause.
One of the thing you must remember is to get immediate medical help once you encountered serious diverticulitis symptoms. At this time, physicians can provide the best treatment option not only for the diverticulitis but for the complications. These symptoms and complications include possible peritonitis and mucus strains or abscess formation. Abscess formation is where you can feel mass on your belly if you feel it.
These are some of the diverticulitis symptoms a person may feel. Although it can be linked to other digestive problems, it’s still important to take note of other symptoms that go along with it to rule out other problems. Hence, you may have this condition once you experienced the symptoms above all at the same time. Better start avoiding this problem and diverticuli by taking diet filled with high fiber foods.