View Full Version : Diverticulitis and Acid shoulder pain?
I have managed to work my self up pretty bad again. Here is my last week.. I started having some pretty bad lower left side pain. I have diverticulosis, and normally it never bothers me. But on my birthday, I developed an infection in it. I am now being treated for the diverticulitis for 10 days so far, with two different antibiotics, a lot a day. Now, while my bowels are getting much better, I have developed a lot of acid? I burp alot, and have indigestion alot now. Lot of stress at work too. So I have started some other med, a proton pump inhibitor (?) protonix... Today is my first day of that 30 day run. Yesterday and today I now have some sort of pain, a dull ache in the center of my back, on the right shoulder blade.
Can that be caused by the indigestion/acid? I keep fearing that I have some sort of bad terminal disease happening in there. I came from the second dr visit yesterday, and she says it is progressing nicely, and extended the antibiotics for another week. So I felt pretty good for an hour or two. Then palpitations, anxiety, etc. You all know the drill. :(
Maybe she missed something worry..
My question is can antibiotics cause your stomach to be acid? I am all over the place, constipated, to very loose, no blood tho. ( whew) Lots of Acid, but it is my first day on the acid reducer. Mixed with anxiety I do get fearful as my mind wanders. The right side shoulder blade ache is the most worrisome for me. The shoulder pain started after I had already left the Dr. office, or I would have just asked her.
Sorry to ramble on, I don't really have anyone to discuss it with.
Hi Cindy, antibiotics can cause upset stomach which can result in excess stomach acid. Stress is another cause. I had a colonoscopy 4 weeks ago and they found a few small diverticulose. I have been experiencing extreme bloating, belching, acid reflux and back pain along with the odd chest pain and pain between the shoulder blades and right shoulder. I am also suffering with a full bladder feeling. I was so concerned that I had a scan on tuesday of my kidneys and bladder, along with urine analysis all was clear apart from my bladder being in spasm. Stress & anxiety can cause this to flare up. It`s a nasty circle, you feel rough, worry, which causes more problems. Try and stay calm & positive
it sure is a nasty circle... it just is hard to connect my abdomine to my shoulder blade. I did some searching on here, which I should have done prior to posting, and found that my issue is not that uncommon.
This is such a reassuring resource.
:)
Shoulder pain is classic with diverticulitis. OH has recently had (after suffering for years) a v. successful colon resection. Over the years he had many tests for angina, all negative. The day after the operation he experienced severe shoulder pain and mentioned this to the surgeon ( our French isn't the best)! but was reassured it is perfectly normal, something to do with pressure/referred pain/ nerve endings.
Hope this reassures you somewhat.
Just want to chime in and reiterate what everyone else is saying about it being common to experience weird referred pain all over with different issues.
Also, I know that the antibiotics for diverticulitis are pretty hard on your system in the first place, so that can cause a whole host of new symptoms like the acid.
Is it Flagyl and Cipro or some combination like that?
In any case, I'm glad your gut is feeling better -- sometimes a good thing to help with acid is some plain foods like bread or saltine crackers, things to settle your stomach.
Also, are you taking a good probiotic? These strong antibiotics are notorious for killing off the good bacteria and sometimes taking a good probiotic alongside can help alleviate some of the side effects.
Keep feeling better! I just learned I have diverticulosis, so I'm pretty much living in fear of every little sensation I feel in my lower left quadrant, dreading developing an infection. :\
Hang in there!
Yes, I am STILL on Cipro and a second, Metronidazol. Maybe you are right, I can't recall ever taking anti-botics for this long, 17 days, and ever taking more than one at a time. My BM are all over the place, feel constipated one day, defiantly not the next day. It infection itself was not really a big deal, hurt for a few days, but then subsided pretty fast on the antibiotics. But to make sure that is knocked out, Doc put me on a longer run of the antibiotics. It seems to me, that my intake is no where near my output? But then again, I am eating mostly soups and soft stuff.
I know that my stressing out about all this, helps create the acid too, and I am taking protonix to counter that, but still have the ache between my shoulder blades. Then above the kidneys, then on the upper left abdomen, then the left side, then upper right, etc. Right where the colon makes its big turns, upper right and upper left. It moves all over the place. I need to calm down, and just go with it I guess. It helps that you noted that others have had referred aches all over, as I have been chasing these aches all over, and each time it moves, I start thinking that I have some new, uncaught disease. What makes me the most frustrated, is knowing that I do this to myself, obsessing, and even though I know that, I still do it...
I was first told about the diverticulosis a few years ago, and 99% of the time, I never know it's there. I think the majority of people have this condition, and it normally causes few problems. How I got an infection, I don't know.
That is what is new to me, and I expected to be well by now, not still sore and crampy. My wife thinks that I have not given it enough time to heal. I wish I knew more about how long it takes to heal from the infection, and if it is the antibiotics that are making me feel bad too. But I know way better then to Google it. Been down that road.. Bad idea.
I have diverticulosis and knowing that it didn't feel like a big deal to you freaks me out because I have sensations in that area (I also have bad IBS) and so now I'm even more scared that maybe I have an infection too!
Well, after a couple of days it was much better. If you think that you do have an infection, diverticulitis, and not diverticulosis, you do need to see your doc and get started on the antibiotics. It is not a big deal when treated. I started to get feeling much better, within the first 72 hours.
I have had the diverticulosis for a long time, with no issues. This was my first go around with diverticulitis, and it seems that was not a huge issue either, when treated. But I didn't know what to expect so much, and I get really stressed about it. I do still feel crappy, but I think most of it is because I get myself worked up about it, and make it worse. Remember, alot of anxiety is created and felt in the belly area. You feel bad, then have more anxiety, feel worse, have more anxiety, and you get the picture.
If you do have an infection, they can fix that pretty easy, but you have to see them to get the attention.
yeah, the problem is that IBS symptoms and diverticulitis symptoms are pretty much exactly the same ... so it's difficult to differentiate between the two unless there is fever from infection.
i also have an ovarian cyst in the same area ... so i'm just kind of a mess right now!
the pain in my lower left comes and goes ... i'm just hoping it's not the beginning of diverticulitis.
i hope you feel better soon!!
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