Recently diagnosed

Posted , 5 users are following.

I am two weeks from my diagnosis. I spent 4 days in the hospital with IV antibiotics and came home with the same in pill form. Today will be my last day on them.

Besides telling me I had an abcess and to stay away from nuts, popcorn and corn I've been left without much information about diverticulosis.

I've kept a food diary and don't eat much as I'm still going to the bathroom a lot. To be honest, I'm a bit afraid to eat (besides bland or liquid) in fear of a relapse. And I'm worried about leaving my house to do things!

Can anyone fill me in on any helpful hints - will I be able to go out with friends and eat without the fear of an accident?!!

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • Posted

    Tammy, go to the Mayo Clinic website,Gastro. They have excellent diet suggestions. When you are in the middle of a flar or recovering, I belive you need to eat lightly, a few days of clear liquids, just to give your system a rest. I have had 1-2 flares a year since 2012, each worse than the last with 3 very debilitating ones since May 24 this year. It has taken awhile to get the food thing down pat. It really helps to let your system rest. 

    My personal research tells me food does not cause the inflammation, but once it is inflamed you need to eat carefully, no fiber, but do not get constipated, lots of water,no caffeine, no white flour products. 

    This is a complicated disease, do not take it lightly.

    My GI Dr says I have chronic DIV and it is not if but when I have another flare and I am a candidate for surgery, scares me to death, he says it is much easier when not in an emergent situation, I am seeing a surgeon in 2 weeks.

    until this passed week it had been 6 weeks since I had been out, has taken a toll.

    • Posted

      Thank you for your information. I will check out the Mayo website.
  • Posted

    Hi Tammy, I have responded to similar posts and will share again, what I have learned to be most helpful. After emergency surgery to have the life threatening perforations in my intestines repaired, I did a little research.

    Though my surgeon, who wants to remove 8" of my intestines, has never told me not to take over-the-counter pain meds, I beleive they contributed significantly to my diverticulitis. I no longer take ANY ibuprofen, Aspirin, etc. NONE.

    Also, I felt the most progress in recovering when I began to take probiotics, Everyday. Not the kind in yogurt, but instead, I take the probiotic that is only found in a refrigerated area of a pharmacy or vitamin store.

    • Posted

      I did begin on the probiotic a friend of mine picked up at her chiropractor's office. And I am not taking pain relievers anymore.

      I guess I'm having a difficult time as my friends don't understand my not wanting to go out, and I am getting frustrated trying to explain it to them.

      I am meeting with the specialist next week, so hopefully I will be able to get a grip on this. Thank you for the information.

  • Posted

    One more thing I do to heal my digestive tract is regularly eat homemade both. Bone broth is made from roasting 3 lbs. Of sliced bones with onions and garlic, covered, in a 300° oven for 3 - 4 hours, then put all of that in a slow cooker with celery, more onions and garlic, 1/4 cup of vinegar, and enough distilled water to cover everything, cook the first 1/2 hour on high, then another 24 hours on low. Strain. That broth is priceless. Worth the effort. It can be eaten alone or with meat and/or veggies added. I used to remove the fat from it before eating it, but now I leave some of the fat. The fat helps to satisfy my apetite. This is something I make every week and store in the freezer, so that I always have it. It is easy to find recipes online.

    • Posted

      I agree, with what you say, have not had surgery but go for a consultation in 2 weeks,mine is chronic w/o complications, I have a consult with surgeon in a few weeks.

      i have taken ibuprofen for years for osteo arthritis , no more and am taken probiotics. I am going to check out the bone broth, thanks.

    • Posted

      I had taken ibuprofen for years due to a schattered ankle. But I agree, no more. Good luck with your visit to your Dr.
    • Posted

      I will definitely try that. I've been baking zucchini bread this afternoon and just had the have a bite! I'm feeling it now....

    • Posted

      Try acetaminophen for pain. Only ever saw one study linking it and nsaids to divertucular bleeding and all other studies never associated it with any harmful long term effects like that but did nsaid use so I figure they took it off the harmful list. And all doctors say take it over anything else whenever you need some pain relief.

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.