Diverticulitis

I'm a 43 year old female recently diagnosed as well. Mine seems to flare when I eat a ton of raw vegetables. So I have started consuming cooked vegetables of all kinds for the most part. I will have a few raw here and there. I also get really sick when eating nuts and seeds (which I love), so I will never partake in more than a handful of those, or I get really bad pains as well. You kind of have to test foods out and see what bothers you. My husband has had diverticulitis for years and his irritants are different than mine. He has trouble with tortilla chips and popcorn, and a few others I can't remember right now. I don't think there is really a definitive answer so that's why the hospital can't give much guidance.

I haven't been diagnosed formally, but have narrowed my problems down to div. or fructans. Peanuts, popcorn, some tortilla, any whole grain as well as cheap breads (sandwich, saltines, crackers, etc). Raw veggies doesn't seem to bother me too much, typically keep it to spinach, tomatoes, green peppers, mushrooms...typical salad ingredients. Recently tried eggplant, squash, zucchini, and again no problems. Fruits are a big problem, but I keep to low fodmap and it's ok (citrus mainly).

For you, meats and fat are of course probably ok (olive oil, sour cream if lactose doesn't bother you). I can only eat PepridgeFarm Potato bread, potatoes and rice for my carb fillers. Tried other types of generic potato bread from Kroger and it didn't agree with me. Found out same type of food may have different types/levels of other ingredients...so I'm assuming that's why I'm only safe with only one brand that I know of now.

I would plan my meal around either potatoes or rice (white, brown may cause problems). I would also try to stay away from as much processed or prepared foods as you can. From there, just about any meat is ok as well as cheese. Veggies are still on the table, but only specific ones, and probably need to be cooked. Also, stay away from sauces at first. I know it sucks, but ketchup, soy, bbq, etc., might have added ingredients/spices that can be problematic. I just found that cinnamon is a trigger for me.

I also take a fiber supplement to offset the lower fiber intake. Not sure how bad you are, so until you talk to a doc, I wouldn't do this yet, as it might cause even more problems. From what I've read though, it can help prevent div., just not sure what it does to the inflammation when you have a flair up. Talk to your doc to get guidance. Also, a LOT of doctors are not that up to speed on current gastro/dietary info. Not sure if your doc is a specialist or just a gen. pract, but you might want to see a gastrologist and/or nutritionist for dietary input.

My first week I did almost nothing but chicken, broccoli, and white rice for both lunch and dinner. Breakfast was OJ, eggs, maybe some spinach and mushrooms in an omelette, with some milk and hash brown. Yes, got boring, but once I had a base line and no more episodes during BM, I was able to move stuff back in 1 or 2 at a time and see what triggered, and what levels. I've been doing this for about a year, and still have episodes on occasion when either something new is discovered, or something I know sneaks in (onion/garlic are big triggers for me and used in almost all sauces). Luckily, I'm down for only a day or less now...not 3-4 at a time, and no more blood. I spend another 2-3 days recouping, then try something else on my list I want to move back in for variety.

Finding safe foods and creating a baseline is the key. Once you have that, your diet can start expanding and hopefully get back to a little more normal life. You're going to get sick and frustrated, but eventually you'll get back to some semblance of normal.

You might also consider researching natural remedies. My colonoscopy revealed diverticula, which I've read is a pretty common occurrence. It also explained symptoms I had been having off and on over the years. I've only had mild flare-ups (nothing severe enough for hospitalization). I decided to look into what I could do to reduce the chances of a major flare and/or heal myself, if possible. I react poorly to most antibiotics, so finding a more natural solution was key.

Some of the things I do includes eating plenty of homemade bone broth, which is very healing for the gut. I cook both rice and other grains like quinoa and millet in the bone broth, as well. I also take probiotics, eat yogurt, kefir and naturally fermented vegetables. I make smoothies which include collagen protein and aloe vera juice. I regularly take turmeric and drink fresh turmeric and ginger tea, which I believe helps with inflammation. When I slack off from these protocols I start to have symptoms. On the rare occasion I have a flare-up I will take an herbal intestinal repair complex by Biogenesis. Two days on that and things are back to normal.

My MD advised me to avoid nuts and seeds, but that is a large part of my diet and doesn't particularly cause a reaction. Eating a lot of high fiber foods helps, as well. When I veer towards more high fat and less fiber, things take a downward turn. Literally.

While this works for me, I know everyone is different. Just an idea of some natural ideas that might help!

There is a site on Facebook for a holistic approach called Diverticulitis Rescue. The administrators are not anti RX but push hard to holistic because it worked for them. If I’d have done that, I’d likely have died having been in the hospital now 3x and with perforations. But her ideas are good to deal with the flare before it gets too bad and so I use both her holistic to try and manage and keep me out of the ER, and if I just can’t catch it in time then go to traditional medicine which is IV antibiotic.

I do her supplements suggestion for natural antibiotics too and that helps. It’s called Oil of Oregano and Olive Leaf Extract combined.

I started a Facebook Group looking for a cure. Everything I read is manage and / or surgery. Not find the cause, fix it and fix us in turn. It’s a $2.5Billion dollar industry. My total med claims this year top a quarter mil. And I haven’t had surgery yet.

Colonoscopy is next week. Fingers crossed