Diverticulitis Support Group

Diverticulitis is a common disease of the bowel, in particular the large intestine. Diverticulitis develops from diverticulosis, which involves the formation of pouches on the outside of the colon. Diverticulitis results if one of these diverticula becomes inflamed. Diverticulitis most often affects middle-aged and elderly persons, though it can strike younger patients as...

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/ Diverticulitis Support Group

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Chrisdiver
Chrisdiver

Hello fellow diverticulitis sufferers! What does a flare-up mean? If I have mild discomfort in the abdomen, a couple days of straining for a bowel movement, or another day with gas, or diarrhea. Does it always mean I'm going to end up on antibiotics or in the hospital eventually in the near future? Istick to a very plane boring diet. Literally every day for the last 6 weeks I eat bran flakes cereal with fat free milk every morning, a bowl of soup with Saltine crackers well cooked carrots, and a pear without the skin for lunch, and plane skinless chicken breast sometimes with a slice of Baby Swiss cheese on it and pasta for dinner. If I'm still hungry late at night I have a small bowl of Frosted Flakes with fat free milk. Before this recent bout of discomfort i ate 2 Keebler fudge striped shortbread cookies, is that really what's giving me problems? The rest of my life I will never be able to eat sweets? I have given up all red meat, I miss having pizza, and  french fries, cheese curls and anything fried but I cannot imagine my life without cookies? Is there anything sweet we can have?

koftheheart
koftheheart
Chrisdiver- go to a site called diverticulitispainfreefood.com they also have a support group on facebook(great people with lots of info) Its all about food combining-no more boring diet!!! I have been on this plan now for a little over a month. I am still trying to figure out my trigger foods. They have a book with lots of recipes in it also. A flare-up is when yes you start to get pain, believe me I know when I get one it gives my what I call a pining sensation always in the left lower groin area. Cheese is a big no-no! especially when you are combining it with pasta. Believe me get this book you won't be sorry
GeorgeGray
GeorgeGray
A flare up of "diverticulitis" is nasty and means severe pain in the abdomen, nausea and fever. I have been labelled as having "diverticular disease" and have never had this in over 6 years since diagnosis (although I clearly had problems in that area for several years before).
You have what I have by the sound of it which is now labelled "symptomatic uncomplicated diverticulitis." It's basically in terms of symptoms identical to irritable bowl syndrome and the doctors manage it the same.In fact we both may actually have late-onset IBS it is hard to tell them apart as most people in the West over 50 have diverticulae
I take mebeverine (an antispasmodic) occasionally when it gets bad and it helps. I have tried the FODMAP diet which it is now accepted by clinicians can help some people with IBS. It helps me but doesn't in any way eliminate the symptoms. However you really need to see a hospital dietitian to be put on it, as I was, in order to get the best value out of it.