Diverticulitis pain

Hi Thomas

Welcome to this forum which is a goldmine of information.  I'm guessing you are in the UK from your spelling of fibre.

I have been managing this disease and illness for 15 years, and these are my experiences.  Diverticula are little pockets in the colon.  The condition where there are one or more pockets is called Diverticulosis and is usually symptom free.  When one or more of these pockets become inflamed or infected is called Diverticulitis.  Really confusing!!!  Unfortunately once you have the pockets, you have them for life.

As Lyn98093 says, during a flare up you should only have liquids.  For me that is herbal tea, clear consomme and clear apple juice.  Once the meds kick in and the pain starts to subside I introduce things like yogurt and meal replacement drinks but absolutely NO fibre.  Then as you settle, you can start to reintroduce easily digestible and soluble fibre slowly back into your diet. I do this in the form of home made blended soup and veggie puree, mashed potato, steamed fish, sloppy porridge.

Each of us has different experiences and each has different "trigger" foods that set up a flare up and pain.  For me that is gluten and fat, for others it is things like nuts, seeds, pips, popcorn, red meat, dairy etc.  The best thing you can do is keep a food diary and try and work out what foods have triggered pain.  Julia1040 made an excellent post on diet, which others have added to.  The key is small meals!  No overstretching your insides.

Then you need to thing about control and prevention.  I am in the UK and my GP prescribed Fybogel daily, which I have taken for 15 years.  It is made from psyllium husk extraced from a plant, and comes in the form of a powder which is mixed with a large tumbler of water, then chugged down quickly before it thickens to a slime.  It is supposed to do that in your tummy, not the glass or on the way down, hence the need for speed!  It is a stool bulker, thickener and mild laxative.  The function is to keep the bowels operating regularly and easily, preventing food bits, like seeds, getting trapped in the pockets and setting up an infection.  I am from the group that advocates waiting until after the antibiotics are finished and you are reintroducing fibre back into your diet before starting this, but others disagree with this.  But it works for me, and I take it twice a day.

I also take a teaspoon of pure maximum strength aloe vera juice, available from a well known high street chain of health food shops.  This is a juice/gel taken from the aloe vera plant, and is a natural digestive aid and good for infection, both inside and out.  I was in pain for 4 months after my last flare and this helped to ease the pain for me within less than a week.  I also take a daily probiotic drink.  We have to be careful on this site over naming items and suppliers, as otherwise the moderator will remove the post.

Regarding the pain, I use a good old fashioned hot water bottle, and I also have clearance to take paracetemol when it is really bad.  I also found gentle massage by my osteopath helped relieve the muscle tension all round my tummy and pelvic area, as all of them were pretty rigid and tight from the trauma of a flare.

Whatever you decide though, you need to run it by your doctor first.  As you are 74 you can get the Fybogel prescribed free, like I do, but of course your GP will need to balance it against any other medication you are taking.  I have medication for high BP which is unaffected.

Regarding the CT scan, do keep on top of them to get a date, otherwise you will fall down the black hole, known as "administration procedures".  I was lucky because, as I was suspected of bowel cancer, I got my tests through within 2 - 3 weeks.  Others have reported waiting for weeks until the infection clears, and in one case, over 6 months.  The cost of going private without insurance is £2000 - £3000.  Depends on how concerned you are.  I found the CT Colonograpy very simple and painless, but the Colonoscopy was less pleasant.  I have posted elsewhere about these experiences!!

Please be reassured that things will ease and get better, although it might take some time.  Again we all differ.  When I was younger I could get over an attack in 2 - 4 weeks, but this time it was 4 - 5 months.  It just takes time and patience.  Another person you might wish to follow is Gigi, who is a trained nurse and fellow sufferer, based in the USA.  She has the medical knowhow.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Stumbled on a few things which have helped me.

The psyllium husks is a god send. Seems to be more than just fiber since other types of fiber dont help. So hard to be disciplined when you are in pain and feel yucky to boot.

I also do the one yogurt drink a day. NSAIDS seem to help but dont want to take them regularly..

Going through a pretty nasty bout now. The lack of appetite not being able to eat much solid food...being afraid to eat...being afraid to try to get some movement.

Could go on and on. My GP initially ordered a ct scan and referred me to a gi spec who ordered a colonoscopy. Got the colonoscopy scheduled before the ct scan.

Keep reading cold compresses but havent teied them yet.