So, you’ve coped with an episode of diverticulitis, but now you’ve been left feeling down in the dumps and full of anxiety. Friends and family might say to you, ‘But, shouldn’t you be happy now that you’ve shaken off that infection?’ Well, it’s not quite that simple…and here’s why.
Our gut is full of bacteria. Some of this bacteria is harmful and can cause infections or stomach bugs such as diarrhoea (US: diarrhea) and vomiting, but most of this bacteria is actually beneficial. It helps us digest our food and absorb important nutrients from it. This bacteria also help us produce chemicals that our body needs to work. One such chemical is serotonin.
What is serotonin?
Serotonin is a chemical that affects our mood. It helps us feel happy and relaxed. 95% of our serotonin is produced by bacteria in the gut. Serotonin helps us sleep well, have a healthy appetite and improves digestion.
When we get an infection/diverticulitis, we often take antibiotics. These antibiotics kill most of the bacteria in the bowel. Even though, this gets rid of the nasty bacteria causing the diverticulitis and helps us recover from the infection, it also kills the good bacteria in our gut. This means our serotonin levels drop dramatically leaving us feeling sad, and anxious. It’s bad enough dealing with diverticulitis, but without our body’s ‘happy chemical’, we may feel even more miserable.
It’s for this reason that repeated use of antibiotics is associated with depression and anxiety. So, don’t worry if you’re feeling this way. You’re certainly not alone. Talk to a friend or family member about how you feel or ask your doctor how you can try to support your bowel as it recovers from infection and improve it’s health.
If you need some extra support, why not join us at the Diverticulitis Support Group on Facebook today?
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Tummy Trouble 