diverticulitis

javalava

I've just come out of hospital after 10 days, having been diagnosed with diverticulitis. I had no idea I had this and have always followed a high fibre diet, with plenty of water. So long as I've been in charge of my food, I've never had any problems, but going on holiday is a different matter. I'm slightly overweight (BMI 26) so MFP has told me to keep to 1330 calories a day. However, what I'm really counting is fibre, which MFP gives as 15 per day. This is not enough and by eating plenty of fruit and veg I am going over this by 5-10 each day. Why, oh why, is this shown as a big red minus when it's actually an excellent thing! Would like to hear from other fellow sufferers for encouragement, etc.

Nikstergirl

You can change those settings to accomodate your needs. Mess around with the settings until you get what you need and you won't have the big red numbers. Otherwise, just ignore them, MFP isn't perfect, but it sure helps!

robin52077

I manually changed mine to 25.
15 by default is too low.
Recommended is 25 for women and 30 for men.

javalava

Thank you Nikstergirl. Checked out the help topics and found out how to do it, so have now set it at 25, so much more relaxing when looking at screen now.

StrengthIDidntKnow

I updated mine manually, my dr likes me to get about 35 a day.

PJilly

I know firsthand how not fun diverticulitis is. I've had three attacks, but the first was the worst. I thought I was going in for an appendectomy, but I woke up having had a bowel resection. Not fun! That was a long time ago, and I've had a couple of less serious bouts since then, but they still were no picnic. The restricted diet/activity and large doses of antibiotics take their toll. I aim for at least 25 grams of fiber a day now. Knock on wood, I've been doing well for quite a while now. I think losing the extra weight probably helps too.

Has your doctor given you the green light to eat that much fiber yet? It's good for keeping diverticulitis at bay, but when you're experiencing a diverticulitis attack, they tell you to avoid fiber and to introduce it slowly.

Best wishes to you! :flowerforyou:

Supermel

My father suffered from bouts of this. He found he was told to avoid small seeds and nuts as they would get stuck in the folds. This was a few years back so perhaps they have changed how they handle it. He also found bacon and popcorn to be avoided.

javalava

I was on IV antibiotics the whole time in hospital and water only for 4 days, then 1 day of + tea (I am English!), then 1 day of + soup, then back on (hospital) food. I'm waiting for things to calm down and then I'm having a colonoscopy - probably about 3-4 weeks time. Now I'm at home I can eat what I like but obviously need to be sensible and seem to have a craving for spinach and yogurt, as well as soup and potatoes. Luckily I quite like cooking.