The Case of Diverticulitis and Kidney Stones
by Chris Hendricks
The Case of Diverticulitis and Kidney Stones
Meet Chris Hendricks, a survivor of diverticulitis. Lucky for us, Chris is now working with us learning to be an herbalist. He is an associate here at Healing Waters Clinic & Herb Shop in St. Augustine, FL. Diverticulitis (digestive disease) is small little sacs on the inner lining of the intestine that become infected and inflamed.
Chris’ Story
“After thanksgiving in 2009, I ended up in the hospital with diverticulitis. I was in the hospital for a month in extreme stomach pain. After a visit to the ER, I was admitted to the hospital where I was put on an IV and not allowed to eat or drink anything to let my gut rest. During that time, I went thru various tests where the conclusion was the only thing to do was surgery.
The doctor wanted to take out 6 to 8 feet of my intestines. He told me this was the only way to treat this problem and that during my healing process I would have a colostomy bag for 6 months to a year if nothing went wrong, but if there were any complications, I could have it for the rest of my life. I said no to this knowing there had to be another way.
I had recently started working at Healing Waters Clinic as an apprentice and on my return to work I asked Laurence if there were any other options, I was put on a high fiber diet, less red meat, more greens, and brown rice, whole oats, and seeded vegetables, all cooked.
From there, I started using Dr. Christopher’s Lower Bowel Formula to help tighten and tone the bowel — after two months of that, I took a Chinese formula called Yue Jue Wan for an additional two months. I then stopped taking them. I went back to my old eating habits, and had no more flair ups from the diverticulitis, but ended up with kidney stones. Spent a night in the ER with them and returned to Healing Waters and started a formula called Stone Free, they cleared up after a month or so, the kidney stones, that is.
Over two years later, I still wasn’t taking the herbs. I had a flair up of diverticulitis, which put me in the hospital, again. When I was there the doctor did his tests and said the inflammation of the intestines was so small, I didn’t need to worry about it anymore. I can’t tell you how good I felt about not having 6 to 8 feet of my intestines taken out because of diverticulitis.
This perpetuated me forward in my studies on how herbs can and do heal. To this day I am still amazed at how a couple of months or in some cases years, an herbal treatment can heal the body. This is one of the many reasons I decided to become an Herbalist.” Chris Hendricks, 2012
The herbs Chris took can be found at our Herb Shop.
What is Diverticulitis?
They are small pouches on the lining of the colon or your large intestine. They bulge out through weak spots in the lining. When you have a lot of them, they call it diverticulosis. There are about 10% of the population over 40 years of age that have diverticulosis. Although, it is more common in older people, there are people as young as 20 years of age that suffer from diverticulitis.
Most people don’t even know they have a problem until they start experiencing cramping pain in the lower abdomen, bloating, and constipation. Some people are misdiagnosed with other conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome and stomach ulcers. They cause some of the same symptoms. Check with your health care professional if you think you have diverticulosis.
There are other symptoms you can suffer if the condition flairs up such as a severe pain suddenly comes on in your lower abdomen. It will intensify with cramping, nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, or a change in bowel movements.
There are complications that can lead to life threatening conditions from bleeding, infections, small tears, and blockages in the large intestines. These types of complications always require treatment to prevent them from becoming worse and causing serious problems.
These complications can lead to abscesses, perforations, and peritonitis, which are more dangerous to have and difficult to treat. When you have diverticulitis, it can become infected, and you may develop perforations. They can leak pus into the abdominal cavity, and you develop a condition call peritonitis. Peritonitis can make you externally ill with vomiting, fever, nausea, and severe stomach pains. It requires surgery immediately to clean the cavity and remove the infected part of the large intestine. If you don’t have this treated, it can be fatal.
There are other conditions you can develop when you have diverticulitis. All of them are unpleasant and can take many months to clear up. If you think you have diverticulitis, you should see a doctor and start taking herbs to clear, tone and heal your colon.
Here at Healing Waters Clinic, we are firm believers in herbal remedies. We have seen too many people healed of un-healable conditions. Give us a call at 904-826-1965 or you can order herbs at our Herb Shop 24 hours a day.