Recurrent Diverticulitis

I was getting my attacks every couple of months and the solution was a six inch resectioning of my colon. It’s not minor surgery and expect recovery time to be 2 to 6 weeks. For sure go see a gastronomic doc and then speak with a surgeon. Best of luck to you.

Simply put, you must change your diet. You must take 2-4 weeks off from high fiber when you get diverticulitis. Stay on a bland diet; from the BRAT diet ease into a low residue diet. I recommend drinking lots of bone broth for its healing properties.

My naturopathic doctor once sold me Berberine to calm my gut and I keep that on hand to use during a bad spell (of diverticulitis).

Once your bowels are operating properly and regularly you can re-introduce fiber, but you should generally avoid raw fruits and vegetables. If you’re doing well and having regular bowel movements, you can splurge on a peeled apple or pear, but it’s to be considered a treat. Eat canned/cooked fruit instead of snacks and desserts. I usually have frozen Maine Wild Blueberries and 1/2 banana on yogurt for breakfast. Be mindful of getting a balanced diet. I always have a green and an orange vegetable with my big meal which I take earlier rather than later. Avoid large servings of meat for sure.

Start taking Metamucil every day for the rest of your life. I take 2 capsules in the morning and 3 in the evening because that works for me.

Despite my best efforts I have diverticuli throughout my large intestine so I try to be very mindful of my BM’s and take a break from high fiber when things are backed up as well as taking Miralax to clean out the pipes. I take magnesium every night and before I resort to the Miralax I will also take one during the day for a couple days because sometimes that works. Don’t forget to keep busy and moving every day; inactivity doesn’t help with the smooth flow of life.

The worst thing you can do is wind up in the ER and on heavy duty antibiotics. They work against the natural balance of your gut microbiome and it’s a very long time getting straightened out. In fact, I take a daily probiotics capsule and I drink a bit of kefir and a few bites of kimchi almost every day.

You will learn the hard way what triggers your diverticulitis (rib eye steak, too much salad, raw veggies and certain fruits…). Avoid the doctors and get it figured out for yourself before you let them open Pandora’s box with surgical remedies.

Can I have Oatmeal with unsweetened applesause and almond butter for breakfast, Greek Yogurt with unswettened applesause for lunch, then cooked vegatables (broccoli ,sweet potatoes, white potatoes) with chicken or salmon for dinner. Been using Aloe Vera gel fresh from leaf and a probiotic and resistant starch as a prebiotic . Im gonna add Kefir .What are you thoughts on my approach as I eat the same thing every day? HELP!!! I know I dont want a bowel resection

To me, your food choices sound good. I would suggest that you switch things up from day to day for balance and variety. There are many sources for recipes and meal plans for all stages of healing and health maintenance.

It’s a miserable condition when your diverticuli are infected and you’re in pain, so don’t forget that and be mindful of what you eat. Keep moving through each day to keep your digestive system moving.

Don’t forget that there is enough stress “out there” so please don’t self-inflict this health concern as a worry upon yourself. You can steer this ship! Smile and remember that it’s easy to stay healthy and happy.

I have very bad diverticulosis, and severe diverticulitis when I had my burst bowel and colostomy placed, so they had to take my sigmoid colon during resect surgery. I eat, every single morning for years now, oatmeal with cinnamon, raw honey, blueberries, strawberries and half banana and I was told by every single type of doctor that it was fine. I originally had walnuts in it but have cut out nuts. You also might need to cut out strawberries. An egg or tuna for lunch with lettuce and oil (not vinegar) and for dinner portion your ingredients. Please make sure you are meeting your daily vitamin requirements. Keep seeds, nuts, small hard things of any type (I think creamy peanut butter would be fine) out of your diet Be careful with supplements especially those with iron because they will make constipation worse. Try to get vitamins through diet. And drink lots and lots of water. I also take gas gel caps almost every night because I sometimes get gas back up that prevents stool from coming out.

They couldnt avoid the colostomy by reconnecting the colon(Somehow???) or connect it to the ileum portion of the colon? Ive heard of other ways to avoid a colostomy?????? Thank you for diet tips!

He went in three times with the stapler and said he couldn't find any healthy bowel to connect to....so I guess he had to go higher. You can imagine the hemmoroids I had!!!! In almost every scan I show bad diverticulosis. Don't know why. Also have have non alcoholic fatty liver disease. No clue. Genetics ?

Drinking plenty of water is excellent advice. Avoiding seeds and nuts, despite what you may often read, is also advised.

This surgery was in 2015, when I was also diagnosed with chronic leukemia. Had a stroke two months prior. To this day. Eight years later. I can't figure out if this doctor saved my life or destroyed it when my bowel burst. He was a good surgeon when he was younger. Terrible bedside manner lol. But as he got older he slipped up and I think, thank goodness, that he finally retired.

Just because almond butter is derived from a nut, as long as it doesn't contain little fragments of nuts you should be ok. That's why in a prior post I said strawberries might not be good because of the tiny black seeds on them. Think of anything that could catch in a "pocket" or perforate a "pocket" and don't eat it!