good luck on getting advice from anywhere! all you can do is keep careful watch on what your eating and keep a record if you have a flare-up as to what you might have eaten that's not the usual fare...I myself cannot have corn, in any form,,,,even green peas bother me. in fact, except for high fiber cereal in the morning, I only eat apple sause, or apples with no peelings for fruit, stay away from raw vegies because they really bother me. I take Metamucil for most of my fiber and drink 4 to 6 cups of fluids..i have also found that if I try to pick up anything heavy or have the slightest straining when I go to the bathroom, it can set me off,,anyway, good luck to you...you weill be the best manager of your diserase.

The reason it is so very confusing is because everyone is different and has different triggers. I learned from a wonderful forum that knew absolutely everything. A really nasty troll drove us all away. It was such a shame. So many people would visit that forum that we heard it all. People also were thinking what you ate the night before caused the attack. If you think about the time it may take for a piece of food to get stuck in a pocket------then get red, then get inflamed, then get infected, then at last, get infected enough for you to feel it. A group of us figured minimum 3 days, max, probably around a week depending on metabolism.
I'm not sure how this works, but it was proven to me stress is my trigger. I'm definitely not alone with this trigger either.
I eat everything, but have cut the amount of salads and I stay mostly away from raw broccoli, which I love..
A lot of people say they do better with not so much fiber.
If you really want to eat a lot of fiber, seems everyone's gut likes soluble fiber as oat bran and oat meal rather than insoluble fiber such as raw broccoli and kale.

Doris is absolutely right, you have to learn to listen to what your body tells you it likes and doesn't like. If I feel a twinge, I will go to a liquid diet.

A wonderful source for information on Diverticulosis and Diverticulitis is The Mayo Clinic website.
Good luck

Gem I have read several of your posts and I was wondering.. Do you do the liquid diet before it gets infected? Before antibiotics are needed? And does it flush out the colon? is that what it does? and thank you for everyone's respond.

Hi maryann,
When you eat fiber the colon works hard. when you eat or drink a clear liquid diet, the colon does not work, just clear liquids gives the colon a chance to rest and heal from the attack.

Everybody is also different with how severe the attacks are.
I blow up like a basketball----that is it. I know I am lucky, but it would also sneak up on me. It has never made me miss even a day of work.
Diverticulitis can have deadly consequences, so please do NOT do as I do. I have found if I catch my attack early enough that I start healing as soon as I go on the liquid diet. Since the crazy Dr wouldn't give me antibiotics, if I go liquid diet and take a couple of doses of aspirin (my miracle drug) I can get along without the antibiotics.
I had a bad Dr. and she wouldn't refill my prescriptions without
another, yes another colonoscopy----this time with NO insurance.
I got home from that crazy ladies office and started to Google.
I found a wonderful forum---this was about 7 years ago. They had
5000 posts on Diverticulitis attack recovery.... I started reading every post and got filled with wonderful information that I swear saved my life. I found some really good friends that helped so many people.
About 4 years ago a nasty troll came along and wouldn't let anyone post. It was so sad----we just all left. Now no one goes there and the people there, really don't know much.
The only thing I found out on my own was eat small meals or that can bring back the painful attack.
I wish you the best

No popcorn. No hard seeds, like sesame. No nuts with husk such as walnuts. Raw is best I am told, not roasted. Corn kernels can be a problem. Cooked veggies easier on colon than raw. No large meals. Limit beef. Careful with spices. So many things.

I tried doing everything right, but 6 years after diagnosis, my colon split open after an attack. Had emergency surgery, resection with coloscopy. Had sepsis throughout body. Almost didn't make it.

After my experience, I would suggest to anyone with severe diverticulosis or attacks, think about surgery before an emergency happens. I think it would be much easier than what I went through.

I've had 4 attacks in 2 yes. Antibiotics have helped. I'm scared to death of another one. Colonoscopy scheduled. Yikes!!!

I have had to stop eating popcorn entirely, while it's not always an issue, I think we all have our separate triggers for the condition!