Hi Everyone, im new here and just found this group by accident searching for help. I started with my div attack on dec 20th , I phoned out of hour doc and was told to just take buscapan to ease my gut and all will be well. since then I have continued with the pain, and syptoms. and then phoned my doc when he opened dec 27th, he has instructed me to take buscapan and macrogal and eat high fibre meals.. I am still in pain but it is easing very slowly and I am at my wits end and feel that no medical person is taking me seriously.i am sleeping around 14hrs a day and feeling drained .
having read some posts here a few people say to stop all eating and go on a liquid diet for 48hrs... does this work ? and should I just be eating probiotic yogurt etc and herbal teas... any help would be really appreciated. for info I had an attack about 4 yrs ago and have been clear since then. thanks
Hi Rob, you have my sympathy. Buscot and may help but yes, the 48 hours fast works for me
If you are running a fever or having bleeding, you probably need an antibiotic. Otherwise, yes, try a liquid diet for a couple days, then soft diet - NO FIBER yet! Soup, jello, broth, mashed potatoes etc. Then gradually very gradually add other foods. Stay away from much fiber for a few weeks. After my last flare, I immediately started on two probiotics, and I think those have helped me more than anything. I also now take two Fiber Con pills. Be patient - it is a slow recovery and you think that you will never feel good again. It takes a good two - three weeks to start getting a little back to normal. Then you can start adding more fiber, gradually, but stay away from seeds, nuts, corn, popcorn. I have had three attacks, about 3 - 4 years apart. After this latest one, I realize that the key is recognizing the symptoms early on and immediately do the diet change. Best of Luck - you will get there! Let us know how you are getting along.
Hi Dee thanks for the kind words and info. I have no bleeding or fever , but feel drained and sleeping a lot of the time and my mind is racing with ifs, and buts. I am just eating probiotic yogurts for now and herbal tea.. when I can get to the shops I will look at getting some yakult or pro biotic drinks. thanks and ill keep updated
thanks for the info ken.. ill see how the liquid diet goes and failing that I will fast for a few days. thanks
Hi Rob i am in the process of a diverticulitis flareup. The 48 hr fast is the way 2 go. Just drink clear liquids & u can have jellos. I am on 2 antibiotics because i have infection. On the third day you can start introducing bland foods. Let me know how u fare out & have a Happy New Year as best you can
Dee is 100% right. If the pain gets worse you MUST see a real doctor, not just a phone call, in case you have an infection which needs antibiotics. Once you have settled down in a few weeks time you should consider taking a daily stool softener like Metamucil (Fybogel in UK). This is a soluble fibre supplement which keeps the stools softer, easier to pass and keeps you regular. It helps prevent matter getting trapped and causing another flare. You should also keep a food/lifestyle diary to see if foods, activities or stress trigger pains. You can then eliminate them as much as possible. I have been managing this disease for almost 17 years now and management is a way of life. It doesn't stop me doing anything. Hope you feel better soon.
You shouldn’t have been told to eat high fibre meals during a flare up in fact the very opposite! Go on a very bland diet and when better then start upping your fibre so that you don’t get constipated.
Rob,
Was you on antibiotics 4 years ago? Have you had medical test done that showed the DD?
Hi, yes i have been diagnosed with DD years ago when in hospital and had scans etc done. I was given antibiotics then as the pain was unbearable. It is only with this bout of DD that i have looked for help outside of my doctors as they dont seem to care , and seem to have given me wrong advice and caused this episode to be worse.
If your pain is intense ,there may be a possibility that you have a perforation. Not GOOD. but a doctor needs to confirm this, by pressing on your "Pain" Don't want to scare you ,but I went to the out of hours surgery, based in the hospital grounds, and he admitted me straight away, put on drips ,because there was an abscess as well, Fortunately the drugs halted the inflammation ,and I escaped a theatre visit. SO, go and SEE a doctor , A.S.A.P