What Is The Recovery Time After Having Surgery For Diverticulosis? And How Painful Is It?

Before you jump to conclusions and consider the recovery time for diverticulosis, it’s worthwhile to evaluate whether or not you will need surgery for your condition. You should remember that diverticulosis is one of the three strands of diverticular disease that many of us have without any discomfort, primarily because there are no symptoms that accompany the diverticular present within the intestines.

Should you start to experience constipation, diarrhoea, a bloated sensation, wind, or encounter blood in your excrement, this can be a sign that you are beginning to experience diverticulitis. At this point, it’s recommended that you get further advice from a medical professional, who will be able to conduct a full check-up and what the next step forward should be. Usually, surgery for diverticular disease is necessary if you are continuing to have bouts of diverticulitis that are continuing to worsen, and a colonic resection will normally be the surgical technique chosen.

Typically, the recovery time for a colonic resection can be as much as 12 months depending on how resilient your body is. However, if you can’t afford to take this much time off work, your doctor may be able to offer a laparoscopic surgery that has a considerably lessened recovery time in comparison. Even though this may seem more appealing as a result, it’s important to bear in mind that there may be some circumstances where such an approach to treatment would not be in your best interests as a patient. When your previous health is taken into consideration, there is a chance that laparoscopic surgery may not be recommended for a reason, and this is where considering a second opinion will allow you to make a judgment on which way to alleviate diverticular disease.

Diverticular disease refers to symptomatic and
asymptomatic disease with an underlying pathology of colonic diverticula.
Predisposing factors for the formation of diverticula include a low-fiber diet
and physical inactivity. Approximately 85 percent of patients with diverticula
are believed to remain asymptomatic. Symptomatic disease without inflammation
is a diagnosis of exclusion requiring colonoscopy because imaging studies
cannot discern the significance of diverticula. Fiber supplementation may
prevent progression to symptomatic disease or improve symptoms in patients
without inflammation. Computed tomography is recommended for diagnosis when
inflammation is present. Antibiotic therapy aimed at anaerobes and
gram-negative rods is first-line treatment for diverticulitis. Whether
treatment is administered on an inpatient or outpatient basis is determined by
the clinical status of the patient and his or her ability to tolerate oral
intake. Surgical consultation is indicated for disease that does not respond to
medical management or for repeated attacks that may be less likely to respond
to medical therapy and have a higher mortality rate. Prompt surgical
consultation also should be obtained when there is evidence of abscess
formation, fistula formation, obstruction, or free perforation.