I'm a woman, 50 yrs. old, suffering with diverticulitis attacks recently.?

Question

I would love to hear from some people who can tell me what type of diet they follow to keep attacks from recurring so often, and what they do for the constant "ache" in that lower left area. It's so uncomfortable -- of course not as bad as the pain from the attack, but the regularity of the aching is bothersome.

Answer 1

The key to controlling this disorder is to consume an adequate amount of fiber and lots of qaulity water. You need at least 30 grams of fiber each day. You may prefer to supplement your diet with a bulk product and/or a stool softener that contains methylcellulose or psyllium, since these do not promote as much gas formation in the colon as other sourses of fiber, especially wheat bran. Drink at least eight-ounce glasses of water daily. Herbal teas, broth, and live juices can account for some of the liquid aids in keeping the pouchlike areas clean of toxic wastes, preventing inflammation.
Eat a low-carbohydrate diet with high levels of protein from vegetables sources and fish. Do not eat grains, seeds, or nuts, except for well-cooked brown rice. These foods are hard to digest and tend to get caught in the cavities of the colon wall, resulting in bloating and gas. Also eliminate from the diet dairy products, red meat, sugar products, fried foods, spices, and processed foods.

When an attack or pain begins, give yourself a cleansing enema using 2 quarts of lukewarm water and the juice of a fresh lemon. This helps to rid the colon of undigested and entrapped foods and to relieve pain.
To relieve pain, massage the left side of the abdomen. Stand up and do streching exercises.

Answer 2

I've had a friend who suffered for years, she basically cut out all nuts, especially peanuts, eat a lot and I mean a lot of veggies, had an 1/2 Grapefruit every morning, tried to stay away from anything made with Wheat, unless it was Whole Wheat, ate Rye Bread, Bran Bread. Every morning she had one glass of water with Metamucil and 1 tablespoon bran, followed by another glass of water. Plus she drank 8 glasses a day on top of it.
She lived liked this for 20 years and had maybe one attack a year, but then they decided to have her bowel re-sectioned and since then she's hardly had a problem.
I hope this helps you. For the pain she swears Extra strenght Tylenol is the best.

Answer 3

diverticulitis can happen on it's own or as a bi-directional disease of something else. my first question is have you been tested for hepatitis c? hcv can cause a disruption in all sorts of bodily functions.

I had IBS, but it was due to HCV infection, another person had diverticulititis due to his HCV infection.

Even though my friend did not repsond to antiviral chemotherapy for his HCV, his diverticulititis has improved emmensely.

My IBS very seldom shows face anymore.

Yes, diet can help, keep a food diary and right down the foods you eat and then you can gather enough info on what gives you a flare up.

My other suggestion is simply get tested for liver disease-mainly HCV regardless if your blood labs show an increase in your ALT and AST levels or not. With HCV's natural course in some folks the ALT and AST levels do not have to be elevated-the virus is still there doing its damage such as causing diverticulitits.

good luck!


good luck!

Answer 4

You need to be taking a fiber supplement and drinking lots of water. You need to avoid undigestible cellulose like corn and celery. You especially need to avoid any kind of seeds, like poppy seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds etc.
You might discuss a prescription for Dicyclomine for the discomfort, it is not habit forming and helps many with chronic abdominal pain from cramping.

Answer 5

I had this recently.. I was advised to stay away from things like corn and seeds.. I used hydrocodone for the pain....

Answer 6

predisone max pack.