Diverticulitis Symptoms

Diverticulitis Symptoms

What is diverticulitis? This is a question that, honestly, people don’t tend to ask until doctor mentions this term during an exam. While seeing a doctor is always important, it’s equally important to know more about any potential colonic diseases that can come up before they are an issue. This article aims to prepare you for and inform you of one particular disease – diverticulitis, an infection of the colon. It is vital that you are made aware of your colon and what can happen to it, and what these maladies have in store for you. By reading this, you will become more knowledgeable of diverticulitis symptoms in general.

What does the colon do?
If you don’t know what the colon does, or what its role is, then you are not alone. Many people do not. The colon is simply an organ in your digestive system that removes water and sodium from your waste before it is expelled. The organ itself is divided into sections – the narrowest part, the sigmoid colon, contains the muscles that actually contract and send the solid waste into the rectum. When your colon is healthy, then the digestive process can work as it should. The problem comes when something keeps it from operating like it should.

What is diverticulitis?
Diverticulitis stems from a broader set of symptoms – diverticulosis, which is the name for when diverticula are present in your colon. Diverticula in turn are pockets that are formed in the lumen, or inner lining, of the colon. These can become filled with mucosa and feces, and when fecal matter is trapped in them, then pain can result. Fecal matter is by definition dirty; any time it comes in contact with anything that isn’t protected by special membrane, infection can easily result. If infection sets in, then this condition is called diverticulitis.

What are some diverticulitis symptoms?
Your basic diverticulitis symptoms include abdominal pain and cramping. Unlike with diverticulosis, the pain you’ll experience often is sharper and more severe, resembling menstrual cramps in women or an abdominal muscle tear. This is because the fecal matter or bacteria causing the infection aggravates the colon and makes it swell.

Other important diverticulitis symptoms include bleeding, specifically indicated by blood in the stool. The bleeding is a sign that something inside the colon has ruptured or become torn, which is a prime indication of diverticulitis or perhaps other, more serious conditions such as colon cancer.

It is important to your health to examine diverticulitis symptoms as they develop, because as I mentioned above, they could be indicative of something more serious. But diverticulitis in and of itself is serious enough, since infections in your colon pose a direct threat to your well-being. This is why you should see a gastroenterologist as soon as possible. He or she can perform a colonoscopy and examine your colon for polyps, diverticula, or other malformations that could be dangerous. If you keep a close eye on diverticulitis symptoms, and see a doctor as recommended, then you should be able to pursue treatment and deal with the subject appropriately.