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Diverticulitis treatment
I’ve been battling diverticulosis/diverticulitis for a long time now and this past June got horrible cramps in the lower abdominal area. After many phone calls to my gastroenterologist, where I didn’t feel like I was being taken seriously, she finally put me on Augmentin and I ended up taking it for 6 weeks and then had a colonoscopy. The findings were inflammation and spasms in the sigmoid colon area and diverticulosis throughout the colon.
In asking her about diet, she gave the “standard” answer of stay on low fiber for a couple more weeks (I’ve been doing this for a couple months now), slowly add in fiber. I’m so frustrated with that and I want to know what to eat and if there are supplements that will help with inflammation and healing. She took some biopsies and it will be another week before I get the results. She’s already suggested the possibility of a colon resection which seems a bit overkill at this point.
What I’m dealing with right now are multiple bowel movements throughout the morning, and frequent urination because of the inflammation. What’s frustrating is not being able to just get out and do “normal” day to day activities. Any suggestions on diet, etc. would be greatly appreciated!
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Yes Thank You so much 🙂 my primary care Dr. diagnosed and I have a GI appointment Oct. 14th. I have a plain water cracker with Augmenting, or at my “meal time” / also am now able to eat a plain baked chicken filet and plain white bread, clear broth. Trying plain low-fat yogurt to promote the good bacteria / 1 Tbl. so far. I think I’ll wait a couple more days to progress food. I’ve had a trip to Rome planned since February, and still going to try to go. Just need to watch diet, and rest well. Cross my fingers!
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1 Reaction@ashum1, great plan! Rome will be wonderful.
I am interested to hear what you learn at your October 14 doctors appointment. I hope you come back here and post an update.
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2 Reactions@jlharsh I thank you sincerely. I am a retired nurse, and the advice I gave over my career included diverticulitis. However, it doesn’t compare to experiencing it,
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3 Reactionshad another attack last week-I get flare ups often ( but no antibiotics-just self manage with heat and antispasmotics)--but had to take meds this week ECH!-doctors differ in how long, and how much!! I also get other side effects like yeast and body aches from the meds!
So meds Cipro and Flagel for 7 days? 5 days? 10days?
(no Augmentin--gave me C-Diff last time)
What do you do?
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1 Reaction@mtpeony - I moved your post here so that you could talk to many others already talking about diverticulitis treatments, like @ashum1 @jlharsh @alh4 @donna2023 and others.
I'm sorry to hear you had another attack last week and are getting differing input from doctors on how long to take medications and how much to take. How confusing. Having to deal with side effects like body aches also is unpleasant.
When you mention that doctors differ in their prescriptions for meds for a diverticulitis flare up, mtpeony, do you mean a difference between your primary care doctor and your gastrointestinal specialist? Or your previous and current gastrointestinal specialists?
@lisalucier
hi--protocol from differnt gastro doctors and on line with sites like "Annals of Gastroenterology" etc !!! Very unsettling that there has been no definitive approach or research.
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1 ReactionThanks for the tag @lisalucier. Hi, @mtpeony. It sure sounds like you are having a difficult time managing your diverticulitis.
I initially had difficulties being consistent with lifestyle, food as medicine and staying active. However, I am doing better and now realize just how much I would prefer taking opportunities to improve, manage well during my stable times so I don’t have to spend my life managing a crisis. Either way, it’s a lot of work! Once I had this down it became much easier for my GI to make treatment recommendations. The pain and swelling in my sigmoid area has sure improved.
I am not sure what all I have going on in my gut but we are figuring it out. I am learning that once I finally have started feeling better I can better tell what helps, what hurts. Until then, nothing I did seemed to help. It took a while of doing what my doctors recommended before I felt tons better. I spent quite a bit of time blending my food or skipping meals to feel better. Now I eat tons of whole grains, fruits and veggies. I was told 30 minutes of exercise daily is what my gut needs to get things moving and funny thing is, I can routinely tell it takes 25.
Here is what I found from Mayo Clinic:
- Your healthcare professional is likely to recommend a liquid diet. When symptoms begin to improve, you can gradually increase solid food, beginning with low-fiber foods. When you're fully recovered, you can resume a regular diet with high-fiber foods. A fiber supplement may also be recommended.
- Exercise regularly.
- Eat a high-fiber diet. A high-fiber diet improves the movement of waste through the colon. Fiber-rich foods include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seeds and beans. Cut back on red meats and sweets.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Drink plenty of fluids. Fiber works by absorbing water and increasing the soft, bulky waste in your colon. Drinking fluids improves the movement of waste and prevents constipation.
- Quit smoking and limit alcohol use. Smoking and heavy alcohol.
What symptoms do you experience during your flares? How well do feel like your bowels move food through your system?
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