First Diverticulitis attack, need help please

We always miss our Mothers; bless them.  I am not aware that diverticulitis is hereditory; but my grand-dad had major abdominal surgery time after time and died when I was four; if it IS heriditory; maybe it missed a generation.  I often wonder.  Re your meds etc......and of course pain.....if you can keep with your liquid diet for a few days; that is great to give everything a rest.  Then introduce BLAND food...I find things like scrambled eggs; soft boiled eggs; clear soups; lightly done white toast; white rice (in small amounts) chicken; fish.  Beware of wholemeal foods while you are having pain and things are inflamed (though the idea to have a high fibre diet once you the pains have gone).  Antibiotics can affect the microflora of the gut for months or even years; so when the meds are finished - take a pro-biotic.  I am in England and get Acidophilis from Holland and Barrett stores - the higher the dose the better; and keep them in the fridge.  I take the 20 billion ones.  Also - having had this simply beastly diverticular disease since 2006; you need to avoid all seeds; nuts; pips and skins.  They can lodge in the pouches and fester til an infection breaks out in 7 to 10 days! I do not even eat bananas as the centres are full of little seeds (can quarter them and eat the outside unseeded part if you want).  So not more strawberries; rasberries and blackberries for the likes of us - EVER. And of course peas and pulses have skins; so they are out too.  You may find that some foods you had before now result in an almost immediate reaction - with me garlic has me doubled up within three hours.  Some people cannot tolerate onion.  This is not an infection (which takes days to brew) it is a reaction to certain foods or spices - many cannot cope with the borasicas - cabbage; brocolli etc (windy veg).  It is a matter of trial and error really as it seems no two sufferers are the same and a whole raft of foods can spike a painful reaction in some; whilst not affecting others.  Main tips are:- No seeds; nuts; pips or skins.  Be wary of "windy" veg and try in moderation.  Keep to liquids when inflammation and pain is bad.  Keep to a bland and low fibre diet while you are still in a delicate state.  When you are well have a high fibre diet and maybe supplement that with a fibre drink like Fibogel sachets.  Good luck; and turn to these pages for help; advice and plain old you-are-npt-alone support.

Dear Ecalibr.......You should be a Knight in Shining Armour with that name I think!!! I do not eat a lot of meat; never have really - but I am fine with lamb chops; roast beef and pork; sirloin steaks; on the odd times when I have them.  As I say; it is trial and error.  Peeled apples and pears are fine; as are melons with seeds removed (dont think anyone eats melon seeds do they?!)  But its a big NO forever to strawberries; kiwi; blackberries; rasberries; etc - I thought I would crave them; but hey we are all adults and we have lived long enough to know what a rasberry tastes like....personally I could do without anything to avoid the pain that goes with a flare up!  I have been known to peel large strawberries so I can eat the unseeded inner part and feed the pippy outers to a "normal" person!!! And have fed the pippy inners of a kiwi to someone else so I can have just a little of the fleshy part.  So there are ways round some things.  There is a lot of stuff on these pages and I always seem to be replying to new folk to the site with the same sort of answers; but if I can help anyone then my job is done!  I had a really bad spell from Nov 14 to July 15 where I was ill more than I was well with ten bouts in ten months; and then I found the high dose Acidophilis which I now take EVERY day (keep in fridge) and I have had NO bouts since last July!!! I feel blessed and have regained my life.  As I say; I will not even eat a banana now - had done as until I looked at a dried banana I had not realised they have hundreds of seeds in them!!  Let your gut heal; and when you start to eat more normally; try the meat; you could be fine, as I am.  It is all so individual as to the reactive food types.  I live in Suffolk in England; where I have just had a short walk with my dog who can only walk short distance now despite being only 7 next week; as he has an arthritic front leg poor chap......so we all have our health issues; even the dog who is a seven stone bullmastiff cross without even a grey hair.

I have had the antibiotics that you are taking and apart from being violently sick with the flagyl (metronidozole) tablets and having to have liquid - or the drip in hospital; and sometimes feeling sick and very tired; I have been OK for the most part.  I can now tolerate the metronidozole pills if I have a little something solid to eat with them; an egg or a piece of buttered toast...don't try taking these meds on a totally empty stomach as they do make you feel sick or be sice.  Hope you are feeling better soon.  Drink lots of water; rest all the time; sleep a lot and keep as still as possible in a stretched out position as you dont want to be sitting and squashing up your insides.

Sorry to hear your mum died. Its horrible loosing a parent. I do totally think the diverticular disease runs in families. Me, my mum and her mum all had it. Young too, before 40. There's recent research showing two types of diverticular disease. One has a type of chronic inflammatory change to colon. The other type is one that has the typical pockets but the carrier remains symptom free. There's an thought its an auto immune condition so this means the inflammation is provoked by disturbances to our immune system. Your guts are swollen from the inflammation and this is causing pain. The guts are very sensitive and unfortunately the inflammation takes time to settle. I normally have a drink youghurt every 3-4 hours whilst on antibiotics or if I have diarrhea. You need to replenish the good bacterias or you can end up with secondary infections and more problems. Good luck.

Sorry to hear your mum died. Its horrible loosing a parent. I do totally think the diverticular disease runs in families. Me, my mum and her mum all had it. Young too, before 40. There's recent research showing two types of diverticular disease. One has a type of chronic inflammatory change to colon. The other type is one that has the typical pockets but the carrier remains symptom free. There's an thought its an auto immune condition so this means the inflammation is provoked by disturbances to our immune system. Your guts are swollen from the inflammation and this is causing pain. The guts are very sensitive and unfortunately the inflammation takes time to settle. I normally have a drink youghurt every 3-4 hours whilst on antibiotics or if I have diarrhea. You need to replenish the good bacterias or you can end up with secondary infections and more problems. Good luck. By the way, two big separate studies has shown antibiotics to be of no use in diverticulitus. Google it. One was done in Sweden and another in new Zealand. In Sweden they don't prescribe antibiotics. If required they will admitt you and put you on gut rest for up to 6 weeks on iv fluids only. In UK some of the more up to date physicians won't prescribe either. Note this is only in uncomplicated cases of diverticulitis. Complicated cases will require surgical intervention and without fail intravenous antibiotics.

Hi Guys,

I’m beginning to think I was improperly diagnosed. My core symptom is not going away at all. I’m going to share my symptoms in hopes that someone else suffered just like this and can reassure me that I’m on the right path. This is really beginning to freak me out. 

I took all these symptoms to my PCP/GP and he ran tons of blood tests including for infections, hernias, pancreatitis, appendicitis, kidney stones, ulcers, GERD and Celiac Disease. Everything was good/negative so he referred me to the GI that diagnosed me with Diverticulitis. He didn’t do any of the tests I thought he would have normally done so this is why I’m wondering if I was misdiagnosed. Thank you so much!

Symptoms

- Constant dull ache in my lower left abdomen around the waistline/pelvic since Thanksgiving.

- Burning sensation at the bottom of my ribs in the front and the sides, but not all 4 areas at once and not constant. Only occasionally.

- Finger poke pain diagonally up & out about 2-3” from belly button on both sides, but not at same time and not constant. Only occasionally.

- Not acute pain more like pressure & discomfort, almost like there’s something inside my belly.

- Pain seems to disappear when sleeping on my back. Standing is decent too, sitting or bending over is when it’s worse.

- Seemed to feel full during or immediately after eating, started eating smaller portions which had little to no impact.

- No back or flank pain. 

- Normal stool, no blood. No diarrhea nor constipation.

- No pain when urinating. Normal color.

- Don't drink alcohol, no drugs & don't smoke.

- No vomiting.

- Not nauseated.

- No fever.

- Not tired.

- No shortness of breath.

- No pain when taking deep breaths.

- No groin pain.

- No pain when lifting, coughing or laughing.

- Can belch and pass gas and not doing any more than normal.

- No extra headaches, suffer from migraines though.

- No loss of appetite.

- No pain anywhere else.