Here's to your improving health.

Cautionary tale though......my mum was diagnosed with diverticulitis for about the last ten years. Recurring stomach problems were the norm. She was living on barium meals for the duration and hospitalized about five times, due to the pain being so severe. She had numerous scans,all came back clear. And she was sent home with the " How to live with diverticulitis" leaflet, again and again and again.

She collapsed in February this year and was rushed to the same hospital that had been merrily discharging her for the last ten years.
Her blood counts showed extreme levels of toxins. She was operated on immediately and given a 20 per cent chance of not surviving the op.
Thankfully she did survive the op. They found that a metre of her small intestine had twisted and the blood supply cut off. This meant she had to have the 'dead' metre of intestine removed. The toxins were due to the gangrenous gut.

Six months later she is fitter than she has been for years, The consultant said the gut had been perforated and slowly twisting for years....she didn't have diverticulitis at all. The problem stemmed from adhesions that grow sometimes after stomach surgery. Hers has been put down to scar tissue from a caesaerean she had 40 yrs ago.

The Lancet published a plea to GP's asking them to refer all patients complaining of recurring stomach probs, for investigative surgery. Apparently most twisted bowels are a direct result of scar tissues from previous surgeries. But because the gut is always moving and kinking it isnt something that will show on a scan. And of course investigative surgery costs money, so it isn't offered. The Lancet report goes onto explain how the chances of a patient surviving the procedure following a twisted bowel is not good. They either don't survive the op or are left with an ileostomy or full colostomy. My mum was 'lucky' that her section of intestine was not in the worse place, and they resectioned both of the new ends of intestine together.

She is no longer being treated for diverticulitis, as she never had it after all.

I have just reread this and it does all look sombre, but I just want Liz to be aware that if he has ever had stomach surgery, ask the doctor about the possibility of adhesions.

I hope he makes a full recovery and is out of the hosp in no time.