Diverticulitis Dilemma: Why Surgery May Not Guarantee Relief

Patients and surgeons navigate murky guidelines about whether to have surgery and what to do if surgery isn’t successful.

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Christin Yeoman’s mind was tormenting her with conflicting emotions as she faced emergency surgery to remove 11 inches of her colon.

She was frustrated that antibiotic treatment hadn’t worked on her diverticulitis, a disease that causes inflammation or infection in diverticula or pouches that can form in the colon. A mom with two young children, she was scared about a long, painful recovery. Despite her fears, she was hopeful that surgery would be a cure for the disease that kept interrupting her life.