Diverticulitis Support Group

I wanted you to know what I do when I get hit with an attack. If you can find my first post here today under my messages, then you will see that I have been dealing with acute diver. around 3 times a year. For over 8 years.
After experimenting, I have found that I need to avoid popcorn, nuts, and seeds I am ok with strawberries. And tomatoes.

But I am experiencing the 3rd day of an attack now. Because I ate popcorn? Ate celery without cutting it up into little pieces (it is stringy)? because I lifted something heavy five days ago? Because I had eaten a few nuts a week ago? WHO KNOWS!!

So, now that I know what is wrong with me, I immediately go on a liquid diet. Water, tea, decaf. coffee, OJ with calcium and D (no pulp), grape juice, cranberry juice, broth.

BUT THE REAL TREATMENT THAT ALWAYS WORKS for me is raw garlic and Kyodophilus. I stay on the liquid diet until the pain is gone...2,3 or 4 days maybe. I chop up a clove of raw garlic into the broth. One or two cloves per day. When I can try food, I usually scramble an egg and eat the chopped garlic with it, and a little ketchup. It is delicious. If the pain comes back, I ease off and go back to liquids. See, the point is to heal the colon. Respect the body.

I have thought about surgery. But the above seems to work. Until I give in and have popcorn. Then I get an acute attack. I do not go to the doctor for the acute attack. I make sure the fever does not go over 102,and that I do not vomit. Then I would see the doctor. But once I start my home treatment, I immediately get better within a day. My fever this time only got to 100. Because I immeditaly started home treatment.

I am wondering if I truly have diverticulitis or is it diverticulosis?? I have never had blood. My Diagnosis was an educated guess by the doctor. The cat scan showed thickening of the sigmoid colon near the rectal area due to supposedly diverticula.. So, then I had a sigmoidoscopy which showed lots and lots and lots of HOLES! Which, I guess are the outpouchings. I was appalled...but the doctor said he had seen much worse. Hmmmmm.
I agree most doctors do not know much about this condition or how much diet can affect. My doctor said to eat anything I wanted...just increase the fiber when I had healed. But I KNOW popcorn flares mine up again.
Posted on 12/13/08, 01:12 pm