Diverticulitis Advice

Thank you. I am sharing this in the hopes that it might save someone from the same fate my mother (and our family) endured. I know my mom would want her experience to bring about something good.

No condolences necessary. It has taken a toll, but I am okay.

I don't know why other tests weren't done. It may be because she didn't have any insurance, and no means to pay for it. =( I know she tried to stick to a certain diet, and when she would be in pain she would blame herself for not following the diet closely enough. Then she would try harder. I just can't imagine what she went through. A tumor the size of a football, in her side. It's just mind blowing.

It's all just so crazy. In my family, on both sides, we tend to have very long lives. Hitting 100 is not uncommon. Reaching 90 is almost guaranteed. So it is a double shock to have lost both my parents long before their time. My dad also died from medical negligence. He had a heart cath done at a hospital that was not able to provide the medical services necessary if something went wrong... and something went wrong. Plaque was dislodged and caused a series of strokes. If the hospital had the necessary medications to counteract it, my dad would probably still be here as well. As it is, I lost my dad at 67, and my mom at 70. It's still hard to believe that I don't get another 20 years with them.

Anyway... I just want people to take control of their own health. Be a pain in the butt to the doctors and hospitals and clinics. Ask questions, demand answers, demand proof, and do your own research. No on can advocate for your health as well as you can. Listen to your body more than you listen to your doctor's, and if the two of them aren't in sync, find someone that can help you. A few years ago I began to experience horrible pain in my pelvic area. It felt like the worst possible bladder infection a person could have, combined with pulsating muscle spasms. Some times I could barely walk, let alone stand. Pain killers did nothing for it. Over the course of 9 months I saw 5 different doctors, was in the ER twice,and had more tests than I could count... and still no one had an answer. I felt like I was going crazy, and I felt like no one believed me. That is, until I saw a gynecologist that discovered a cyst between the bladder and the vaginal wall. Urethritis. That's what I had. Such a simple thing to find and fix, and no one had even checked. I had even seen a bladder specialist for months and he never found it. After the gynecologist found the problem she put me on high powered antibiotics for a month. In two weeks time the pain was completely gone. For 9 months I suffered, and no one advocated for me. I had to learn how to do that for myself, and I'm glad I did. I knew there was a problem. I just had to find the person that could give me the right answers, and that took awhile. I'd hate to think of what it would be like if I had given up and resigned myself to years of pain instead.

Don't give up. Don't give in. Find the truth. You'll be glad you did.