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Diverticulitis and constipation
Digestive Health | Last Active: 1 day ago | Replies (50)Comment receiving replies
Hi @karyn23,
I've experienced various forms of diverticulitis as well. Some have sent me to the ER for antibiotics by infusion with meds to take home. Other times, the episodes have been milder. I have found that bed rest and keeping my diet liquid (or at least soft) has helped it to resolve in a day or so.
The important thing about diverticulitis, of course, is not getting constipated. How we do this is different for each person. I've found that adding Benefiber and a spoonful of olive oil to my morning coffee (or any hot drink) helps a great deal. Other people may take MirLax or Citrucel. I've found that Metaumcil is too gritty and doesn't work well for me, but you can give it a try. I also limit my intake of roughage and only eat cooked or canned fruits and vegetables. Soups are a great way to get cooked vegetables in your diet.
How often do you have these episodes? Have you had a colonoscopy to rule out any other cause?
Replies to "Hi @karyn23, I've experienced various forms of diverticulitis as well. Some have sent me to the..."
Thanks for the information. Yes, I have had two colonoscopies and they did not show any other cause. The episodes are fewer now and I handle them the way you do.
The first gastro dr I used gave me the fodmap diet but did not tell me that I needed to be tested for celiac first. After I was on the diet for 2 years, I asked him and he said I would have to eat wheat for a period of time to make the test accurate. At that time I was really struggling with digesting everything so I decided just to stay off gluten and worked with a nutritionist.
I have been slowly adding back foods as I have gotten better. Gut issues are so important and typically such a long illness that affects so much of our lives. I sympathize with all who deal with it.
I'm sorry I am sooooo slow to reply. I can't keep up with online conversations! I've recently had a colonoscopy and a CT scan, which both looked good. I would have thought I had a flare up just prior to these tests, so now I'm not sure. Since I thought I was heading into a flare - persistent left side pain and ache (but still very low on pain scale) - I put myself on a liquid diet for three days. The GI doc thinks this likely did the trick -resulting in those good test results. And I felt better after the liquid diet. I do metamucil twice a day. I'm going to try adding olive oil to coffee - great idea! Thanks! And thank you so very much for sharing your experiences and diet - much appreciate hearing what works for you.
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I have ADDED fiber using Organic India Ground Psyllium Husk mixed with about 1/4 cup of water, whisk it in that small amount, slam it, and then follow with at least 12 oz of liquid quickly. It creates a bowel movement which is very slick and easy to move while also scraping the walls of the intestines to remove biofilms.