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recent diverticulitis attack

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paul_34196
paul_34196

I had my first ever case of diverticulitis recently and was admitted to hospital with a local perforation . Was on iv antibiotics then released after a week .

I have been doing research on the net looking at the causes of diverticulitis and it seems to say that it could be due to undigested parts of food being trapped in the pouches that cause inflammation .

It then recommends a high fibre diet to prevent this .

But in my case I have ibs and a fast intestinal transit time .

If I eat certain kinds of food like certain fruits and vegetables I often see these foods in my stools for example if I eat potatoes with the skin on I see pieces of potato skin in my stool . Also blueberries I see the skin in my stool . If I eat apples even without the skin I have small pieces of apple in my stool . There are a few other examples too .

Now here is my concern some literature says it's can be undigested food particles that get stuck in the pouches that can cause diverticulitis and the inflammation . But I have been told to eat a high fibre diet to avoid constipation as this is what caused diverticulitis so what do I do because if I eat fruit and veg it will prevent constipation but it will also mean food particles in my stool .

I spoke to my surgeon in the hospital and told him about my ibs and food particles in my stool but he said that has does not cause the diverticulitis and inflammation and said it's the constipation and hard stools that cause it .

I don't know who to believe and what to do as I don't want this condition to come back as was admitted to hospital through A + E as I had it pretty bad severe pains in left hand side and fever.  CT showed diverticulitis with a local perforation so pretty serious and I was in hospital for a week on iv antibiotics. 

So does anybody have any views on my concern

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • christine63572
    christine63572 paul_34196

    Posted

    Hi Paul I was only diagnosed in May after a colonoscopy so im new to this. I take fybogel every night which is a fibre and it has helped me, it helps keep your stool soft and easy to pass. Although not constipated my stools at times were a bit like pellets which could get caught in a pouch now I take fybogel I do not get any pellets so hopefully nothing will get trapped,  I do eat a lot of fibre but  need to add to it as I have been told that constipation (and hard stool is considered constipation) can cause diverticulitis.
  • susan95516
    susan95516 paul_34196

    Posted

    I never eat skins seeds or red meat I skin all fruit I also have IBS so I have a lot of food I can't eat I find having fybergel and branflakes on a morning keeps me going I also drink plenty of water. It's a lot of trial and error when it comes to food A food diary is a good idea hope this helps 

    • paul_34196
      paul_34196 susan95516

      Posted

      I never have constipation as I have ibs and my bowels move quickly I can have five to six bowel movements a day so not really worried about constipation .

      I'm more concerned about bits of food like in veg and fruit that I see in my stool whether it is this that can cause a diverticulitis attack 

  • christine63572
    christine63572 paul_34196

    Posted

    I would be worried about passing skin as this may stick to a pouch and cause infection so personally I would remove skins from fruit and potatoes but as I mentioned earlier to all this I am new to it all and still learning myself but somebody on this brilliant forum who has had DD for a long time will be able to give you advice, good luck and best wishes.
    • susan95516
      susan95516 christine63572

      Posted

      I don't have skins seeds fizzy drinks I peel everything even tomatoes I try to take my time eating so I can digest my food. Having had five children I used to gulp my food down. 

  • Guest
    Guest paul_34196

    Posted

    Hi Paul

    Like others on this forum I remove skins like potato, apple, pear, tomato, pepper.  I make my own veggie soup and I blitz it until smooth.  I also cook my veggies well, sometimes making a puree like carrot/swede/parsnip, and always chew my food well.  Like you I have 3 - 6 BM a day, partly due to Fybogel, but I've always been more loose than hard.  I've had this for 16+ years and found my main problem is caused by certain foods.  I kept a dairy to identify them and now avoid gluten and full fat.  But everyone has different trigger foods.

    Hopefully if you can find out what to avoid you may avoid a further attack, at least for a good few years.  I went 6 years between attacks 1 and 2, and then a further 4 years.  However you clearly had a nasty bout, and it will take you weeks, possibly months before the pain fully subsides.  This is disconcerting, but normal as your insides heal.  It is 15 months since my last big flare, and I just get the odd twinge now - most days I am pain free. 

    Most doctors do not suffer from DD so give the standard advice.  However we on this forum have the 1st hand experience.  It sounds to me that constipation/hard stools is not your main problem, and it may be the type/preparation of your food you should look at.  Best wishes.

    • paul_34196
      paul_34196 Guest

      Posted

      I went into hospital through A + E was admitted into a ward had ct scan which confirmed diverticulitis with localised perforation . I was put on IV anti biotics for a week then released. A surgeon closely monitored me . After a few days of the anti biotics the pain started to subside and by the end of the week I was completely pain free and have been like this since last week when I left hospital no pain .

      This is my first ever attack never had pain before so do I know what has caused this flare up as it's the only one I have ever had ?

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