im getting worse- with oa and overall health- however my two tries on plaquenil resulted in diverticulitis- two atacks landed my butt in hospital.
just wondering if any of you battle diverticulitis?? if so do you tolerate plaquenil??? these types of meds slow down the immune system and hence make you more suscepticle to infections, which is what diver. is....
why does life have to be so complicted???? aaahhhhh
????? lori
I have diverticulitis but take Cellcept instead of Plaquenuil. I don't take Cellcpet because of it but its just what my rhumy thought was a better idea. I can't say its any better as I'm still suffering from digestive issues.
I am wondering if you have talked with any doc about the cause of the diverticulitis??? It is an infection of a diverticula. A diverticula is basically an out pouching of the wall of the intestine. This outpouching allows food to get stuck in these pockets as it is passing through the GI tract. As the food sits in these pockets and doesn't get moved or cleared out by the peristalsis of the intestine it starts to decay and ends up being infected.
Diverticula is a very common condition in our country. We eat too many processed foods such as cakes, cookies, hot dogs, way too much meat, etc and we don't eat enough roughage or fiber. It is the fruits, vegetables, whole grains that help our bowels to move the food through faster. When we eat too much processed food the food is hard to move and the intestines have to work really hard which results in the little outpouchings. The muscles acturally get weak in the wall of the bowel and the out pouchings then occur. Basically we are a constipated society who has to strain too hard to have a bowel movement.
When a person has a bowel disease which makes it difficult to eat enough fiber and roughage they are at higher risk for the diverticula. My hubby has Celiac sprue and colitis and has such a touchy gut. If he eats fiber he suffers bigtime. Alas, he eventually developed the diverticula and has had quite a few cases of diverticulitis. We have learned a lot about what foods to avoid and he is doing much better.
Now, I have done a lot of research over the years as a patient and as a registered nurse and I can't say that I have ever heard of anyone having a problem taking any of these AI drugs because of their diverticula. Maybe there is something I don't know or don't understnad. I am wondering if you are seeing a gastrointestinal doc and if you have talked this over in depth with him. Good luck. Irish ;D
I don't eat anything that is processed hardly. My rule is to never buy anything with a barcode.
Irish,
i have talked with the Gi and neither him nor rhuemy or gp can give me an answer as to if the immune suppreansts make me more suscepticle. diver is an infection like youu said when stuff gets stuck inthe diverticula...
i may give it another shot- im clearly getting worse with oa.
lori