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When to start fiber

Posted , 9 users are following.

randy58931
randy58931

Hi everyone,

So happy to find this group.

Had 3 attacks last year. Augmentin & low fiber diet slowly took care of the first 2. No fever just abdominal and lower back pain.

3rdattack came 3 weeks after 2ndone. Augmentin  & low fiber diet and blood work. No infection. Still had some pain 2 weeks later but CT scan showed nothing.

This round started 6 days ago. Pretty severe abdominal and lower back pain. Started Augmentin & low fiber 5 days ago. After reading some posts here I also started probiotics and colace. Didn’t seem to be getting better so I started a clear liquid diet yesterday. (Probably should have started on day 1)

Feeling better today. Still some pain but not as severe. Now some questions if I may. (Finally)

When I stop the clear diet in 2 days & if there is still some pain do I start introducing fiber? I remember lingering pain for a while last time.

How much fiber do you introduce? 2 grams & bump it up 2 grams a day?

Not a big eater so I would like to start using Metamucil. Have been eating a couple fiber gummies a day before attack.

I refer to these painful episodes as attacks but I never get a fever so I’m not sure if there is any infection. Can you get pain with no infection?

Thanks

 

0 likes, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • ellen_46197
    ellen_46197 randy58931

    Posted

    Hi randy I have pain with no fever a lot my GI says even if you don't have infection it's due to inflammation I don't hardly do any fiber maybe someone will chirp in Good luck to you

  • george21373
    george21373 randy58931

    Posted

    Yes , you can still get pain without infection. I had my lower intestines removed because of diverticulitis, but they didn’t get it all . I take Metamucil every day, diet is extremely important. I still working on the diet , I missed another week of work because of the bleeding and pain . Good luck and find a good dr .
  • j_09263
    j_09263 randy58931

    Posted

    I had been getting by on potatoes no skin, rice chewed realy well, pasta with a little olive oil and mashed carrots for a good month. I upped my fiber too fast yesterday and paid the price but at least I am not constipated 😉

    I have been trying to follow Dr. McDougall's Starch Solution minus most of the highet fiber foods and I have to say I feel better. Potatoes are a wonderful food. I am out of pain after almost 3 1/2 months.

    Julie

  • madeline27614
    madeline27614 randy58931

    Posted

    No no fiber for several weeks.  Soft foods for several weeks and then start fiber slowly.  I personally can’t tolerate lots of fiber and can’t tsje Metamucil.  I use Miralax to keep myself open.  Good luck it will take time to heal.
  • jayne63223
    jayne63223 randy58931

    Posted

    After 6 weeks today, I’m finally feeling more normal. The illness put me down. I lost a lot of strength that I’m gaining back now. My dr is not a believer in what you eat makes a difference  ie seeds nuts etc but said to laid up on fiber. I take Probiotics n Metamucil daily   Many foods I use to enjoy now turn my stomach namely red meat and wine too. I eat Raisin Bran crunch for breakfast and bananas. Just now after 6 weeks feel like drinking one cup of coffee.  Lunch is a turkey or chicken sandwich. Drinking more water with Propel since I don’t love plain water. Dinner I eat lots of broiled fish, salmon, pasta   I not eating anything with seeds n miss Caprese salads but not enough to go through the last 6 weeks again.  Hope this helps. I’m 62 female given birth 3x and this is the worst illness I’ve ever had!!!  
    • ellen_46197
      ellen_46197 jayne63223

      Posted

      I agree I'm 60 and never dreamed I would b flat on my back doubled over Always healthy and active My doc says eat like you ate before you got sick She also doesn't believe food is the cause Glad your getting stronger

    • randy58931
      randy58931 jayne63223

      Posted

      Not sure how to reply to everyone who took the time to chime in so thanks to all.

      So when the pain starts do you start a liquid diet with no antibiotics since there might not be any infection?

      Do you start antibiotics if pain doesn’t subside after 2 or 3 days on diet?

      Wait a week or so on soft diet?

      Do you take any Metamucil during the soft diet?

      Just trying to figure out what works & what doesn’t since I’m new to this.

      Some of you mention a month to 6 weeks. Do you have some pain that entire time? Should I be concerned with lingering pain that’s not severe?

      Thanks

    • ellen_46197
      ellen_46197 randy58931

      Posted

      Hi Randy how severe is your pain? By the third day of my pain I was doubled over and had to have help getting into my car and driven to hospital doctors said don't wait that long cause your colon can rupture and bile will enter stomach and other areas this can be life threatening I would say if pain is not unbearable start liquid diet for 2 or 3 days then soft diet drink lots of water I try to take Metamucil every other day Every day caused diahrea I am about 3 weeks since infection cleared and some days still struggling with intense pain last 3 days good It truly is about diet with me I take probiotic daily walking helps Good luck hard disease to figure out Thanks to this forum I am working thru it

    • randy58931
      randy58931 ellen_46197

      Posted

      Hi Ellen,

      Hope your 3 good days keep going forever.

      It's day 3 of liquid diet and pain is 80% gone. But a previous attack  the pain seemed to linger on for 2 weeks. Didn't do liquid diet last time. Are you still on soft diet 3 weeks after infection cleared? Do you start the Metamucil right after the liquid diet?

    • jayne63223
      jayne63223 randy58931

      Posted

      Randy I had an attack where I broke out in a cold sweat, went down to floor and started throwing up. I thought I had E. coli. Stomach hurt down low for couple days. I had eaten caramel corn prior. Couple weeks later I start feeling bad. Within the hour I had the shakes. Went to bed n slept. Woke at 4am with pain, fever, cold sweat and vomiting bile   Went to ER   CT confined Diverticulitis. Was admitted with IV antibiotics. Came home with Augmentin. Stopped 3 days early n had fever for 10 days 99.7. Went to gastro said infection was smoldering. Put me on Amoxicillin n Flagyl which gave me nausea. He increased 4 extra days since fever continued   I took those for 14 days. It’s bedn 6 weeks today. I’m a lot better but tire easily n some foods gag me to think about them. I really have not felt great since February. I even told my husband who is a retired urologist I thought I needed bloodwork to see if something was off   Now, I don’t know if I should eat tomatoes n foods with seeds. I can live without popcorn and nuts. Sickest I’ve ever been and not knowing where I might be if this hits again is scary 
    • ellen_46197
      ellen_46197 randy58931

      Posted

      Hi Randy and thanks for future blessing! I did soft diet for 16 days and I finally got GI appointment doc told me I should never go more than 10 days on soft food, she said that my pain abdominal lower back leg and buttocks was malnutrition? The next day I started real foods again adding one or two things a day small meals but still haven't ate red meat among other foods I love I drank a small vanilla shake last week and it brought me to my knees for 3 days I hope you start feeling well again try not to lose to much weight I lost 22 lbs and have only managed to gain 2 back look like a crackhead 🍁

    • ellen_46197
      ellen_46197 jayne63223

      Posted

      Hi Jayne I love tomatoes and spaghetti sauce I didn't try sliced tomatoes but did eat a small plate of spaghetti and just like the vanilla milkshake I paid for it will not try again!

  • Guest
    Guest randy58931

    Posted

    I think from reading these replies and other posts on the forum, everyone reacts differently to the disease and every doctor has differing advice.  It makes it so hard to know what to do for the best, but basically you have to find your own way and what works best for your body.  As a rough rule of thumb I would say no fever usually means no infection, just inflammation, but that can be just as painful and your insides need a rest.  I follow the 2 day clear liquids only and that usually does the trick.  But if the pain does not ease or gets worse, it's time to see a doctor.  I've only had 6 proper flares in 17 years, needing medication, but frequently had niggles.  After my last major flare in 2016, the pains lingered on for almost a year, and I have only been totally pain free in 2018.  I identified my trigger foods by elimination then reintroduction.  I can't take gluten, full fat.  I am also very careful with spices, nuts, seeds, pips, skins, removing them where I can.  I blanch tomatoes to skin them, then remove the pips, just leaving the flesh.  Unlike others I can have small portions of red meat and I am able to have meal replacement drinks.  Which just goes to illustrate how different we all are.  The other trick is to stick to small meals, and not overload your insides.  I also take a daily Fybogel, prescribed by my doctor, a probiotic drink, and pure Aloe Vera.

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