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Diagnosed w/Diverticulitis--vegetarian, eat lots of fiber, water, exercise, how did I get this?

Posted , 10 users are following.

BarbaraKemR
BarbaraKemR

Hello. New to the board here. Had previously been diagnosed with diverticulosis thru colonoscopy, though nothing notable with that. I would be the poster child on how to eat to NOT get diverticulitis. Have been a lifelong clean eater, mostly salads, greens, beans, protein smoothies, no meat, no white anything, water is my drink of choice, exercise at least 5 times a week, and am at a loss as to how I ended up in the ER yesterday after a CT confirmed diverticulitis.

I had some vague left lower quadrant pain, about a 2-3/10 in severity. So nothing severe. Notable in the last few days. Funny, or coincidental, that I just polished off about a pound of roasted brussel sprouts in the days prior. I am used to eating fiber and the very worst thing that happens is a little tummy rumbling. I have never had an issue with going #2, daily and very easily.You just know when your body is not right, so I went to the ER.

What caused me to be suspicious something was way off was the fact that I had to use the restroom to go #1 so much that I thought there was something wrong with my bladder. I had a low grade fever on a Friday night 99.5 with chills. Took a Tylenol and felt better. Had some sweating during the night and the next morning I could not stop going to the restroom #1. So went to the ER. CT scan confimed divertiulitis.

They wanted to keep me overnight for IV antibiotics, which I declined because of the covid pandemic going around. I chose to go home on Augmentin for 10 days and follow up with my GI.

Also in reading, I read that Augmentin may not heal up my bout of diverticulitis. It does not seem like it is a very severe case as compared to the symptoms of some of the others on here. So fingers crossed I do not have to get on the 2-antibiotics that wreak havoc on the gut.

I am looking for any information as to heal my gut going forward. Currently on liquids for a few days and will add soft mushy things thereafter.

After reading some of the posts and learning about the benefit of fiber to the diet, I am at a loss as to why I got this in the first place when my diet is exactly what they recommend. I am leary of eating a good healthy, fiber filled diet when that did not seem to keep this disease at bay.

Anyone else have this issue and could this be hereditary? My father has a Zenker's diverticulum (in the esophagus), that fills up with food.

I will be following up with my GI ASAP. Maybe another colonoscopy?Can you have a colonscopy during a flare?

Best probiotic?Do they help?

Thank you so much for any information and insight you may have for those who are further along than myself in this.

0 likes, 20 replies

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  • sandiishealthy
    sandiishealthy BarbaraKemR

    Edited

    Hi there I'm so sorry you are going through this. Your story is very similar to mine. My father has it. I had it. And yes I was told it can be hereditary. I'm not a vegetarian however I've never been constipated ate small amounts of red meat no pork at all. No crap food or drink either. My father had an abscess that was drained and required no surgery. I think he was too old for surgery. I was told also I had diverticuli. But I never had problems til 15 years later. Then all hell broke loose. I had 2 abscesses and so much scar tissue that I had to have surgery as my sigmoid colon was closing up. I had surgery and now I feel fantastic. Best thing I ever did. You are doing everything right. Don't change your lifestyle. Just change it up a bit when you have a flair. The others are right something might have just triggered this episode and you may never have another. I wish a speedy recovery for you and feel free to message me with questions.

    • BarbaraKemR
      BarbaraKemR sandiishealthy

      Posted

      HI Sandy. Thanks for your reply. So glad to know that the surgery was a great success for you--just in case down the road if it comes to that.

    • cathy38059
      cathy38059 sandiishealthy

      Posted

      BarbaraKemR- Good to hear! I've had 4 flare-ups since January and think that it's time to consider surgery. Was your surgery laparoscopic? How long did it take to resume normal activities and normal eating?

    • sandiishealthy
      sandiishealthy cathy38059

      Posted

      Hi there, yes my surgery was laparoscopic. I had 4 incisions however I also had a longer cut just above the pubic bone of about 5 inches. I recovered quickly and I was 60 at the time. I had my surgery on the Monday, was out by Thursday and grocery shopping on Friday. I walked kinda slow though. They had me eating regular food the next day after surgery. As far as back to regular activity such as exercise and such it was the usual 6 weeks. After my 6 week follow up appointment. It's been a year for me as of this past May 15. My bowel habits are so normal now going 2 to 3 times a day after meals. Almost textbook like lol. Some interesting facts though, I get tighter BM's to the point of almost constipation sometimes. Which is interesting because I was told that I could possibly be the opposite due to the surgery. So I have to drink lots of water and eat 3 prunes every day. And prior to surgery I had NEVER been constipated. I can eat whatever I want. Although I don't eat pork or much red meat and no diary or gluten as I have other sensitivities. Feel totally normal now. I have no regrets having done the surgery. Keep in touch. Ask lots of questions. I'm here if you need.

  • LauraEF
    LauraEF BarbaraKemR

    Edited

    I was recently diagnosed with DV and have surgery this Thursday to have part of my colon removed. I'm a nervous wreck but these boards give me hope. I've been on the Keto diet the last 35 days and feel fine. I do have to stay away from anything that gives me gas. So far I've found that beans, cauliflower, white and red onions, taco seasoning (gluten free is ok), and lemon pepper can set off a flare. I am lactose intolerant so I stay away from all forms of dairy, though certain hard cheeses are ok. Coconut milk and almond milk seem to upset my bowels as well. I can't have any creamy soups at all, though tomato and chicken and veggies are ok. Low carb tortillas kill me which sucks, but I just wrap everything in lettuce leaves now. My food diary is a life saver.

    Thank you for your post. It's comforting to know I'm not alone.

    P.S.- My GI literally told me the reason I have DV is simply bad luck. There is nothing I could have done to prevent it.

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