Hi:
I'm new to this board (although active on the Prostate Cancer Board).
My wife's been told she needs to have the laparoscopic colectomy due to recurrant uncomplicated diverticultis. She's had 5-6 mild to moderate uncomplicated attacks which were always managed with Flagyl, Levacquin and Bentyl.
Now her Gastroenterologist advises surgery after her colonoscopy last week showed the affected area of the sigmoid colon which was inflamed as if she had diverticulitis although she recently recovered from the last bout.
We've made appt's with two colo-rectal surgeons one of whom is the chief of colo-rectal surgery in one NY's leading hospitals and is reputedly one of the best in the city.
I'd appreciate some feedback on what she has to look forward to:length of hospital stay, period of recovery, is the recovery difficult or painful.Also should I hire a private nurse for the first day or two since floor nurses are often understaffed and not quickly available for comfort care. Our Dr. minimizes the procedure as do most Dr's not wanting to scare you out of going through with it.
Anything anyone who's been through the procedure can tell me would be appreciated. We'll probably elect to have it done in Jan or Feb depending on the top surgeon's schedule and recommendations.
Thanks for any information you can offer.
Bob

Thank you so much for your helpful reply. We had our first consultation with a local but well regarded colo-rectal surgeon today whom our gastroenterologist recommended highly. We got the best possible news.
After thoroughly reviewing her records, CT Scans and colonoscopy report as well as a physical examination he concluded that surgery wasn't necessary or approprpiate at this time. He wasn't impressed by her CT scans or the mildness of her "diverticulitis" attacks or symptoms and wasn't even convinced that some of her attacks were really diverticultis but rather IBS which is often mistaken for the former. He felt at this point her situation was too ambibiguos and therefore the risks of the surgery outweighed the potential benefits.
He also told us of a test which can rule out a diverticulitis attack. He said the next time she experiences abdominal discomfort to take the Bentyl with a Librium and hold off the anti-biotics for 24 hours. If the pain disappears without the anti-biotics its definitely not diverticulits. If the symptoms get worse and are localised to the left side go on the levaquin & flagyl immediately. He also reassured us its safe to go ahead with our planned trip to Cabos next week and not to worry as long she takes along her meds.
When we get back we'll see what the NY surgeon has to say and we hope he agrees with our first opinion. Needless to say we're very elated and hopeful
Thanks Again..