What can I eat for a diverticulitis flare up?

I think the doctors and dietitians should all close. The real experts are the people on these sites who have 1st hand knowledge of what life is like to live with something as difficult as some of these things people ask help for on here. I take it you have something similar or diverticulitis? I have something similar called diverticulosis which I believe is the same sort of thing. I am fuming though - my doctor thinks it's a joke and my dietician thinks it's easy to play it down. I could cry, just a dietary sheet online as to what to cut out. I am vegetarian with allergies and don't know what I eat but then to top it all I get told it could take up to 2 months to see a Dietitian, in the meantime I do what? How can I tell what is high and what is low fibre? I'm just so confused 10 years with so called ibs, to be told no we got it wrong. Please that's why I asked for help on here. Thanks for replying.

I would take your diet sheet to your doctor and explain that you don’t understand it and that you are very concerned and anxious. If you don’t get help, tell your doctor that you will see someone else.

However, I don’t understand why it will take two months to see  a dietician if you already have one.

The thing I worry about with diverticulitis is infection, absesses, and perforation. I check and make sure I'm not fevered. I had a low grade after coming home from the hospital. That is why they give us antibiotics to take care of infection when white counts go high. They did a CT scan with Contrast for me that showed the inflamed diverticula. I am taking two antibiotics right now and they are tearing my stomach up. I wasn't given a diet or anything to follow and my first attack was years ago. Now I have several other conditions to have to worry about as well. It's maddening.

To be honest Pippa I feel like making a formal complaint about this as I feel someone has got to answer why my health is so bad. I have in the last while just felt so ill. I think all health professionals are absolutely useless. My diet is as stripped back I can get it and yet I am still struggling. I now give up. I have seriously asked my doctor and Dietitian to take my bowel out and replace it, I asked at the hospital too. A dad with diverticulitis and grandfather with bowel cancer you can now understand my fear. My doctor is useless too her answer? It's nothing serious - it's bad enough if I can't eat isn't it? I will see my doctor and very soon. I'll let you know what they say to that!

I rang my doctors a weeks wait for an appointment. Rang to see if I can start the process of making a formal complaint for my misdiagnosis 10 years ago. Hopefully this will help.

If you are reacting to the antibiotics, ask your doctor to change them for something else.

Did you have a colonoscopy to confirm you have diveritculitis? 

I have had a camera up, a camera down, a ct scan most recently, punch biopsies, a milk test and 24 hour probe test for acid. The ct scan said diverticulosis. I am just unsure what the difference is between this and ibs and what to eat full stop. I've now started a complaint procedure as I have always thought the initial diagnosis was wrong. My grandfather had bowel cancer and my dad had diverticulitis. Can't hospitals see that link? Flare up a little easier, but not much!

Diverticulitis and IBS have similar symptoms so they can be confused.  It is possible however to have both conditions.  On the other hand, IBS is functional and doesn’t show on scans and is normally only diagnosed when all tests are negative.

Diet wise, you could continue eating the things you normally eat if they don’t cause flare ups and avoid the things that you know are trigger foods. Diet sheets tend to give general advice and don’t take into account individual circumstances.

When I was given an IBS information leaflet, I found that most of the tips didn’t apply to me and I found my own solutions worked better.

Last year I made a complaint about the dodgy blood test I had three years ago which led to permanent neuralgia and IBS. The nurse who caused it and the Practice nurse who laughed at my complaint both got the sack!  At least I got closure even if I am still in pain.  I think a complaint often helps people to come to terms with a medical mistake.

Hi Pippa, I am already 1 step ahead of you. I will be making a formal complaint as I don't see this as a joke. I will sue them if necessary as they have made my health awful for 10+ years all because it was better to misdiagnose me with ibs, like diagnosing people with a virus! I will let you and Kim as she's responded too how I get on next week and with the complaint.

The very best of luck to you.

 

I honestly have no idea what to eat either and no idea what caused this latest flare up. I am feeling a little better but I have pain anytime I eat and have to eat to take the meds. Ugh. How are you feeling?

I have taken flagl before but it just makes me so sick. I try to eat with it but that hurts. I'm also on Levofloxacin. It's hard because I have medicine allergies.

Tell your doctor about your medicine allergies.  There may be something that is mild enough for your stomach but strong enough to deal with the diverticulitis.  My stomach reacts to a lot of medications too so I have to tell my doctor and dentist every time before I am given anything.

And you. X

Hi Kim missed your last message only got it now, got some counselling today and feel like rubbish but always do before seeing her. My doctors will only offer anti depressants for this though.

What can you take for the neuralgia? I got told amitripyline only - I'm allergic to it!

 My doctor wanted to try me on amitripyline too but  I had heard so many horror stories that I decided not to take it.

I had tried milk thistle for 4 weeks but got no benefit so I decided to come off it.  However, I was told by a chemist that you need to be on it for longer so I thought I would try it again for more time.  If it doesn’t work, I’ll try a heat wrap because heat does help with the pain.   I think a lot of these topical creams and supplements only reduce the pain at best for only a few monutes if at all so I suspect there isn’t much I can do about it. It’s just so annoying that the injury could have been avoided had the nurse known what she was doing.

Thanks Pippa I'll never trust a doctor again, I'll try the heat wrap thanks.

Hope it works.

Thanks u(Lloyd let you know.

Hi Pippa quick update, I have got my formal information through and I can now start to make a complaint about the hospital, doctors and dietitians service. Let see what they think to that eh?

You are doing the right thing since you were messed about for so long.

I tried nurofen heat wraps today but I can still feel the pain. To be honest, there is nothing medical you can do for neuralgia. Heat wraps are best for joint and muscle pain only. I think the only heat that works for me is hot Italian summer weather.  

Thanks Pippa it's a shame you don't live nearer! We could meet for coffee.

Whereabouts do you live out of interest?

 

Hi Pippa I live in a boring little place called Leicester in the Midlands it's flat and dull!

A boring dull flat little place called Leicester! It's in the Midlands.

Im in the states and I ate a burrito with beans and cheese in a flour flat taco shell and I'm not over my flare yet and my abdomen hurts. I'm hoping none of the little shells on beans get stuck. Any ideas what I can do to make sure they don't??

I have tried to look up information on this but I can't find anything on it.  The advice is very conflicting. At one time doctors advsed avoiding nuts, foods with shells. and beans in case they got stuck.  Now the advice has changed and most doctors suggest that you can eat these products because there is no evidence that they can get stuck.  It is now thought, that some of the old 'avoid' foods can actually help the colon because of their high fibre content.

I am not surprised that you have found dietary advice confusing.  I think because everyone is different, there is no one size fits all diet and that the diverticulitis diet has to be tweeked to fit the individual.

I'm in Eastbourne, East Suusex.  Eight years ago I used to live in Scotland.

A bit far for a quick catch up. I'm really sorry to say but I've misread the letter. My sister read it and noticed the word NO before the diverticulitis. Feel like a fraud now on here but still doesn't get away from the pain I have! If I carry on talking to you would you be offended? Sorry Pippa, sorry Kim too! Just feel thick, do have dyslexia diagnosis though so may explain misreading of letter. Just 1 little word and it makes a difference. Apologies again. Thanks. X

That's ok. I think it all goes together.

Thanks. I mean it

Don’t worry! Anyone can make a mistake.  I misread paperwork quite a lot because of my Aspergers.  However, not having diveritculitis must be a relief.

Hurray let's eat cake!

Sorry about mixing up the conversation with Pippa and you l, I replied to a message you left for her not me. Just been told like a wally I misread the letter thankfully I don't have diverticulitis, just inflammation called diverticulosis! Treatable with soluble fibre apparently. I hope so just had enough now just want to be as well as I can.

I read up on diverticulosis which are multiple pouches in your colon which are not inflammed and don’t usually cause symptoms.  However, some people experience, cramping, bloating, gas and irregular bowel habits.  But it is unknown whether these symptoms are caused by the pouches or by co existing IBS. If soluable fibre helps, that’s very good news.

Ah I see, I wondered what it was when I got the letter. I had my suspicions that it wasn't diverticulitis but knew something was always wrong somewhere. Had to push for tests to begin with. I am glad it's nothing like bowel cancer but just wish they'd tell me what to do then I won't have to really go to the doctors. It will be good regardless of the result my doctors are now forced to do something. They can sort out soluble fibre and what I take. My dietitian can sort out my diet properly. That's all I ever wanted.

Im happy for you Sam I hope they give you some answers.

You are so right. I guess it just depends. I do worry about the skins tho. I don't have much luck with that type of food. Especially right now. Everything seems to cause me problems.

Both of these conditions look similar so it’s easy to confuse them.  I was mixed up too and thought they were the same thing until I googled it.  Hopefully, you will finally get it sorted.

If unsure, you could always remove the skins from fruit and vegetables.