Diverticulitis some things that work for me
Posted , 20 users are following.
I have been dealing with diverticulitis attacks on and off for 14 years now. There have been periods of time when ive had alot of symptoms, pain, and repeated attacks. I have been hospitalized during 2 attacks and have taken many prescriptions of awful antibiotics including flagyl and cipro. At this point I have gone long periods of time with good health, being very active and no symptoms so I thought i would share some information that may be helpful.
When I am symptom free some things that help me feel great and remain symptom free for long periods of time are:
Eating oatmeal (rolled oats) every day
Eating yogurt regularly
Eating slowly and chewing my food well
Eating small portions of food and more often
Drinking alot of water
Eating portions of pineapple regularly or daily ( pineapple has enzymes that help digestion)
Avoiding nuts, seeds and vegetables that are hard to digest like broccoli, cabbage, peppers, and foods that have a thick skin or shell
Removing skin from sausages or hot dogs
Having small portions of foods that I should avoid to fill the craving (when needed only)
No popcorn
Avoid eating fried foods often
No raisin bran or crunchy cereals, brown rice, or whole grain rice
Avoiding foods with cornmeal. (Many things and many snacks have cornmeal which can irritate the bowel)
Taking metamucil every day
Making a protein shake(in a blender) with foods that would be hard to break down but are healthy
Staying active and exercising
Getting good sleep when I'm able
Reducing stress
7 likes, 36 replies
sherry1957 Julia1040
Posted
Hello everybody, Yes I came here to get answers. I just got dianosed with this horribly painful disease. It started Sun afternoon after eating a bunch of popcorn. Nausia started right away and I vomited. Then the pain started in my belly. The next morning I had blood from my anus. Off to the doc. now I'm on a liquid diet till at least Fri. followed up on Fri. I'm still passing blood clots. Is this normal? My stomach is very bloated and extremely sore. Get this I never had constipation or runs! I don't eat meat or junk food. I was eating very healthy! Why did this happen to me? Waiting to talk to people who knows what's going on.
Guest sherry1957
Posted
Hi Sherry
Sorry to hear you have joined this painful club. What you are describing sounds totally typical of an attack - pain, bloating and bleeding. Were you prescribed antibiotics? Have you been referred for a colonoscopy or CT scan? They are the usual methods of diagnosis, once the acute stage of the flare up has passed.
So yes, passing blood is normal and may continue for some time until the infection and inflammation subsides. It scared me silly the first time it happened, but several people on the forum have also experienced this. The liquid diet is the best way to go to give your insides a chance to heal, then you can slowly start to introduce bland foods like white bread, plain yogurt. There are posts here which give more details. They also explain soluble (good) and insoluble (best avoided) fibre.
Rest, a painkiller that your doctor considers appropriate for you, and a hot water bottle are your friends until the acute stage is over. Also the pills might make you feel unwell, but they are necessary to clear the infection. You might be lucky and find the pain and bloating subside quickly, but some of us experience both for several weeks or even months.
Like you I followed a healthy diet and loved my veggies, but it seems some people are just more susceptable than others. I was told my colon had extra kinks in it - guess I was born that way - and they've never been able to do a colonoscopy, just a scan! But this disease can be managed and you will start to feel better. I have lived with it for 15 years, and providing I watch my diet, can do anything.
Most people get benefit from taking psyllium husk powder 1 or 2 times a day in water. The most common brand names are Metamucil or Fybogel, depending where you live. They can be sourced online or your doctor may prescribe it. It makes you BM larger, softer and easier to pass - no straining! Some of us also take pure Aloe Vera juice daily, and probiotics to help with digestion. I am a new convert to both.
You will find this forum a goldmine of information from people who understand what you are going through - we've all been there, done that, got the T-shirt! Feel free to ask me any questions - I'm happy to relate my experiences if it helps, but I'm not a medical person. Best wishes
sherry1957 Guest
Posted
Guest sherry1957
Posted
Hi Sherry
Glad to hear you are getting the right treatment and follow up. I'm guessing you are USA based, unless you are a night owl! I'm in the UK.
The liquid diet is no fun - I had chicken consomme, apple juice and herb tea. I managed to lose 10 pounds in 8 days, but it soon all went back on! You will be glad to slowly wean yourself back onto more solid food and reintroduce fibre, but I found it actually took time for my appetite to return. Then I followed a semi liquid diet for a couple of months until I felt more confident with more solid food. By that I mean sloppy porridge, well blended home made soup, mixed vegetable puree with steamed white fish, yogurt. Also small portions so I didn't overload the system.
This may not necessarity work for you, as you seem to be vegetarian, with a liking for nuts. Something else I did on the advice of my dietician was go gluten free. I soon realised gluten and full fat were my main triggers and it was best to avoid them. For others it is nuts, seeds and pips. So you might need to be careful with raspberries, strawberries etc. I can't recall anyone on the forum mentioning a reaction to lentils or vegetable protein like soya.
Do feel free to come back once you have seen your doctor. I always remember the questions I should have asked, when it is too late! All the best.
52331 sherry1957
Posted
Sherry get on the Metamucil ASAP. It acts like a laxative and will speed up the processing of fecal matter through your colon. You will go more often but that's the only downside from my perspective. I've been on it six years straight and no flare ups and pain free. Your body will let you know what foods work in your body. Some folks say nuts and seeds are not good. I never have issues with them since taking psyllium everyday. Keep the faith and don't let this disease get you down. You can manage it and go on living a normal life.
shelley_18973 Julia1040
Posted
Thank you so muck for this post I was diagnosed 5 weeks with a Ct scan was in hospital for a week on antibiotics and sent home with no advice on what to eat , had to go back to the doctors two weeks ago for more antibiotics then it was Christmas which has been a nightmare ! I've returned to work in a care home kitchen but I'm still in pain taking movicol which doesn't seem to work and I'm still going for about 4-5 days between bowel movements seems when I rush around to go to work I don't go 😞. I'm waiting for my colonoscopy which is on the 18th of January but I'm just so tired all the time I only work part time but they are 11 hour shifts and I'm wiped out for two days after feel like I'm in a nightmare . So glad I've found this group as I've still been eating the wrong stuff which is obviously why I'm still ill !!
designergirl12 Julia1040
Posted
I will definitely get pineapple. As my gallbladder is sluggish sometimes.
silvermine311 Julia1040
Posted
Guest silvermine311
Posted
Hi Mike
Sorry to hear you have joined the DD Club. This post from Julia1040 is excellent for advising you about your diet. Everyone is different and it's a case of trial and error, I'm afraid. I suggest while you are coming to terms with everything, you keep a food diary and see if you can identify your trigger foods. Hopefully not your beer - I've not found anyone on this site who has reported that problem!
You mentioned fibre pills. In the USA most people seem to take a fibre supplement, Metamucil, which you buy in powder form over the counter, mix with water and chug it down quickly (before it turns to slime!!). I have the UK equivalent Fybogel which I take twice a day. It bulks and softens the stools and clears you out regularly. You might find increased bowel movements, but that's better than retaining stuff and developing more infection. Or as you have no bowel symptoms, just leave things alone!
Regarding the pain - I'm afraid that sometimes takes a time to clear - from a few weeks to months. It takes time for the insides to heal although you sound like you are trying all the right things. In my case, my last flare was August and I have only been pain free since Christmas, apart from the odd twinge when I eat the wrong thing. Otherwise I used pain killers (check with your doctor for a suitable one) and a hot water bottle. If you are getting the swamping pains which come over you in waves, you might also need an anti-spasmodic. Best wishes
sandy06089 Julia1040
Posted
Hi everyone. Thankyou for the post - it really is a struggle to find information on this disease. And from this forum i can now see that everyone has it in very different ways.
Long story short, i have no formal diagnosis but i recently started an elimination diet to try and see if my troubles were caused by a particular food group (I suspected dairy and/or gluten).
But on the 7th day of the diet I woke with the familar pains in my side. I was devastated and went to work feeling miserable. Normally i would have stayed at home and worked but I had done that the week before and didn't want to seem like a sook. Then mum messaged and suggested diverticulistis. It was like a light went on. It's no diagnosis but i'm sure thats me! Individually the symptoms aren't so bad but together it all made sense. My level of fibre increased quite rapidly on the diet, which in hindsight was a bit stupid and probably made me ill....but now it all makes sense!?
So - I am continuing with the elimination food and now reintroducing things to see what, if anything, might trigger it. I am also taking a food/health/bowels diary. I will then go back to the doctor again and see what they think. Previously my test (ceoliac etc.) showed nothing and I was refere to the gastro specialist before xmas. He booked me in for a colonoscopy but that's not till June!?
Do these things open and close at all....I don't want to change too much in my diet in case it throws the results of my colonoscopy in June. From what I understand though it's a physical problem and diet just helps avoid irritating it, so if i find a diet that works it will relieve the symptoms but they will still find it in the colonoscopy?
Thank you again for all the tips on the forum too.
Guest sandy06089
Posted
Hi Sandy
This may help you to understand Diverticular Disease. It is a condition in the colon, particularly the sigmoid colon, where small pockets called Diverticula bulge out of the colon wall. Many people have this condition, it causes them no problem, and it is known as Diverticulosis. There can be an added complication where the bowel itself becomes thickened, irregular and does not work so well in expelling the stools, but it is possible to have just the pockets without the thickening.
Sometimes bits of food can become trapped in these pockets and set up inflammation and infection. Sometimes this is accompanied with swamping pains, fever, bloating and bleeding. The pain is usually on the lower left side, but can be just below the tummy button, or even on the right hand side. That is why it sometimes gets confused with appendicitis.
Once you have diverticula, you have them for life - they don't go away or close up - so a colonoscopy will find them even if the symptoms have gone. However, as I am sure your doctor has told you, the symptoms could also be caused by other conditions, like IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) or Colitis. IF you have some form of Diverticular Disease, and you have pain, it suggests to me that you have an infection which aught to be treated. The last thing you want is to develop an abscess or other nasty complication.
I was appalled to hear you have to wait 6 months for a Colonoscopy, which along with a CT Scan is the only way to confirm the diagnosis definitively. Where do you live? I live in the UK and got my Colonoscopy through in 2 weeks, and my CT scan the week later (OK I was being tested for suspected bowel cancer), but even so 6 months is bad. If you can afford it, or have sufficient insurance, I suggest you go privately, for your own peace of mind. It is always easier to deal with a condition, once you know, rather than worry about what it might be.
You seem to be doing the right thing in keeping a diary and seeing what works or does not. You might like to consider the supplements suggested by various people on the forum. I am prescribed psyllium husk - a stool thickener, softener and mild laxative made from plant seeds, which helps to keep my system cleaned out and reduces the risk of bits getting trapped and become infected. I also take pure aloe vera juice twice a day. It is a natural treatment for infection internally and externally. If you have ever been to the Canary Islands, it is quite an industry. Finally I take a daily probiotic drink. Since starting these last two 2 months ago, my pain had reduced to zero with the odd twinge, and my movements are as regular as clockwork. But I have been diagnosed with severe DD.
I am not a medical person, this is just my experience, and I would suggest you really need a diagnosis one way or the other, and your doctor's input. As you say in your post, we are all different and have to find what works for us. Good luck and best wishes.
sandy06089 Guest
Posted
Hi Felina,
Thank you so much for the quick response. My family history includes a sister with Ulcerative Colitis, Dad with Dermatitis Herpetiformis and Grandma and Uncles all off gluten and some off dairy and soy. DD is a whole new thing for us so I am very grateful for the explanation.
I am an Aussie but now live in London so was very surprised myself at the wait for the colonoscopy - particularly as I have bleeding. I've heard the NHS has troubles but that seemed a little too far away? It's my first real experience with the health care system....
Given the family history my first instinct was food however the Doctor said the blood test showed no sign of ceoliac disease. But I thought perhaps it was an intolerance (hence the diet). I can't remember what she said about my WBC though?? Something in my results were a little elevated but I can't remember what now? I will ask her that and also see if I can't get an earlier appointment....i looked at private insurance but the cost is prohibitive.
I will keep up with the food tests and my fibre intake and see what work. Hopefully keep it all under control until it's confirmed either way.
Thanks again for the help.
Guest sandy06089
Posted
Hi Sandy
I was a London girl, but now live in Devon! Do you have a GP? If you have bleeding as well, you could try and see if they could get the Colonoscopy quicker for you. Or even a Virtual Colonograph which is non-invasive. If by WBC you mean white blood cell count, then elevated means infection somewhere in your system. Another bit of information for your doctor.
Hospital Consultant referrals are notoriously slow if the Consultant does not think it life threatening. My GP did not hesitate and sent me for bowel cancer testing under the two week remit. I looked at the cost of having done privately but it was over £2000 in London! In my area that dropped to about £1500.
I hope it all works out for you. Best wishes.
petalangel Julia1040
Posted
Hello everyone, well this has been a mine of information to say the least! I had my first attack and was hospitalised at the begining fo December and a 2nd flare up started last week. As it happened my follow up with the consultant was due just 2 days after my flare up started. I'm 64 otherwise healthy and exersice in the form of 3 spin clasess a week and cycling when it's not raining here in the UK. The consultant thinks that my colon is 'floppy' due to having a hysterectomy 30 years ago! Things that do confused me. Is when I'm told to Eat plenty of fibre, how much is plenty when you follow a healthy diet anyway. Drink more water, again, I drink loads of water, at least 8 glasses a day. On doing my own research into fibre rich foods, most of the things on it have caused problems for those eating them here! e.g. Popcorn is fab for fibre but causes pain to some.
The Consultant upset me and I have become quite depressed because he said 3 or 4 times that if we couldn't sort out my contipation (always hit and miss my whole life) that they would end up cutting my open and I would have a bag. Tears are stinging my eyes as I write this. My first thought was 'no you won't because I'd top myself first' He also said that if I feel the first signs of a flare up I must go immediately to the GP and get antibiotics, I reminded him that to get a GP appointement would probably take 2 weeks and he's promised to write to the GP and tell them if I ring for antibiotics they are to give them to me without seeing anyone. We'll see how that one goes!
So after reading all the posts it does seems that we truely are individuals and what causes pain in one, doesn't in someone else. I'm currently taking 2 packs of Fybogel once a day, antibotics and a suppositary daily which I absolutely hate because it causes cramps. Also, I'm to take Senna if required. The thing is, if I do have a good bowl movement in the morning do I still need to do the suppositary? is it to clear even more out further up to colon? I have no idea. I already follow a 5.2 diet (eating normally 5 days and then only 500 calories on the other 2) and currently doing 16.8, (no food for 16 hours and then only eating in an 8 hour window), so this should aid the healing process by not processing food all the time. Anyway, thanks for reading and any more information/suggestions appreciated.
janice94869 Julia1040
Posted
I am new to this and your comments sound really helpful. I was in hospital in December for suspected diverticulitis but i have not had this confirmed yet and i seem to be struggling to get a confirmation via the doctors.
I have just had an ultrasound scan and am waiting for results.
Did you get diagnosed with this straight away and if so , what test did they do to confirm it ?
My doctor suggested a high fibre diet which i have done but the symptoms have never fully gone away . Some days are better than others.
How long did it take for you to have some completley pain or niggle free days ?
Also, have you seen or been referred to a dietician or has your diet been a trial and error over many years ?
A few people suggest the Metamucil or Aloe Vera Juice - was this recommended by your doctor ?
Also, are there any type of excercises which have proved better or safe to do ? I am very nervous of irrating my lower stomach so am unsure what excercise is safe.
You seem to have a very sensible approach to this so any advise you have would be appreciated.