Diverticulitis Support Group

From the tone of your post, it doesn't sound like you have any pain. Yes?

So you have been diagnosed with diverticulosis. It becomes diverticulitis when it gets inflamed or infected.

At best, what you can expect is that you should be paying attention to what you eat (if you haven't been already).

You should maintain a "high fiber diet" (Google it for details). Drink plenty of water. The idea is so your bowel movements (BMs) are easy. (I suspect the higher volume of material moving through the colon also serves to keep things (seeds, etc.) from hanging up.)

Browse around this site. Read these threads and read members journals.

People experience this in lots of different ways.

If you have not yet had diverticulitis (pain), then it might be wise to see the doctor if and when you do get pain just to verify what it is (and you may need antibiotics).

Not everyone who has diverticulosis gets diverticulitis. So you may just need to add some fiber to your diet.....

Hi Mary Ann,
My husband just had his surgery last week (May 6th)2008. He's had three attacks since Oct.07. Fortunately, it never went into a bad infection to warrant a colostomy bag. He did have to be on meds and antibiotics quite a bit since Oct. Also, he could not keep his job due to the attacks. They literally knock you down, you cannot function.
Alot of people over 50 yrs old have diverticulosis and never know they have it. It is only when it becomes infected (Itis) that you need to be concerned. If you let it go and the pain worsens, you could end up having a colostomy bag put on you for a month or so while you are being fed antibiotics and then surgery.
My husband had the laperscopic surgery. Less intrusive and a quicker recovery. He is in excellent shape for a 45 yr old man. However, this surgery really has knocked him down. It has been over a week and he is still in alot of discomfort.Thank god for pain killers. Granted, it's only been a week. He cannot lift or push 5 lbs for 3 weeks.
We know that in the long run, this was the best choice he made (surgery) due to the attacks and three visits to ER, it will be worth it. He spent 6 days in the hospital (St Josephs) in Orange Ca. Had the best doctor too. DR Teddy Coutsoftides. We were very lucky to have him as everyone you spoke with could not say enough good things about this man. Has the best bed side manner. He told my husband, he will never have this again for the rest of his life. I use to watch my husband on the floor in a fetal position in terrible pain. The pain he is going through post surgery is not fun, however, if we had too choose which road to take, surgery was the right one.
Just keep in mind, you need to watch what you eat. No small seeds, nuts, stuff that can get "caught" in the these "pouches" that have "slits". I did see my husbands pics after his colonoscopy prior to surgery. They look like a knife cut about 1/2 inch long on your intestines. You need fiber in your diet. Going to the bathroom can be very painful if you do not have the fiber. I hope yours never turns into what my husband's did. You could live the rest of your life and have no attacks. But with some insight on what to know and look for, will only benefit you.
This type of disease can go undetected for a long time. It's when you are forced to go to ER and they do a cat scan. Too finally have a name to the dreaded pain was really a relief. Good luck!

From seaside757's handle, we must be neighbors! I am 7 weeks post-op from lap colectomy. The first week is the worst, trust me. After 3 weeks I was back at work with only minor discomort around the largest incision at my navel. Now, I have NO pain or residual effects and I only wish I had it done months earlier. Also, my docs told me the seeds/nuts thing is an old wives tale. No scientific evidence that it makes a difference. If you keep having attacks of diverticulitis, don't hesitate to have the surgery when it's still minor. If you wait too long, you can develop abscesses and fistulas which are emergencies. And the more colon gets infected, the greater chance of a colostomy, which is not fun. Good luck!

PS: A high fiber (35+ grams per day) diet IS recommended to prevent diverticulitis, unless you are having an acute attack, then you need to scale back to soft/bland or clear liquids to give the bowel a rest. You can google these diets...there are lots of examples on the internet.

scout said "Also, my docs told me the seeds/nuts thing is an old wives tale. No scientific evidence that it makes a difference. "

My family doctor told me to avoid nuts and I was fine - for a while. I had a colonoscopy and the Gastroenterologist said "you should be able to eat anything you want if you get 35 grams of fiber a day."

He was dead wrong. At least with my case. Peanuts get me every single time. NO EXCEPTIONS. - And they're my favorite food :-(

I agree with the person who said peanuts get him everytime. They get me everytime too as does sweetcorn. I have just had my first "bad" episode which resulted in 2 lots of antibiotics and I have never felt so ill and in so much pain ever. If staying away from nuts helps i'll do it