diverticulitus

[fionajohnston]

sorry for above spelling but i was wondering if any-one had any advice or tips on what to avoid/eat to prevent attacks

my 80yr old relative has attacks weekly sometimes 2 or3 times a week imodium stops it once it's started but i'm hoping to find a list of things she can avoid or take to prevent the attacks obviously any herbal or vitamins we'll check with Dr it's ok with the rest of her medication

[guardpig]

Experiment. One food at a time!.  Imodium is invaluable.

OH found switching to green tea helped(but then he always drank tea without milk).  He tries and avoids anything with pips be it jam, raisins, fruit,  tomatoes.  However what works for one doesn't necassarily work for others. The brufens set it off too.

[captainbovine]

my mother suffered from it, and was told by the consultant not to eat anything with a hard skin on it...ie peas, beans, or anything with pips on it, like strawberries, raspberries etc.

sorry if that's his favourite foods but it may be worth a try, I think their thinking was that those skins/seeds would be tough to break down and could linger in the gut?

[dairyview123]

Fiona as guardpig says one food at a time is the best way, ive suffered with this for 20 years and can lead a normal life by knowing what upsets mine.

My GP gave me fybogel to take when it became inflamed and I am never without them, stops the symptoms within 20 minutes. Its not often I have to take them but when I have eaten something I know will upset me its my safeguard.

My father has had bowel cancer twice and the last time he had to avoid peas and beans with skins or pods on, also sweetcorn. Tomatoes do seem a number 1 trigger, with me its also lettuce and any member of the squash family, melon marrow etc, lots of veg I avoid, all green stuff and any onion family. Anything with mint in is really bad too, this is supposed to be a remedy but one I avoid. My IBS is all food related but some suffer with stress which has the same effect.

There are loads of things I avoid but too many to put here, maybe your gran can write down everything she eats and if it has an effect after eating, you might see a pattern forming.

Good luck with helping her out.

[bitsnknots]

Fiona, my mum has diverticulitis.  She can eat the flesh of tomatoes but not the skin or seeds.  She can eat peas so long as they are of the mushy variety.  Jacket potatoes are alright so long as you don't eat the jackets.  Sweet corn is another no no.  Also, blueberries, grapes, raspberries and the like are not allowed.  Wholemeal bread is also better than white bread.  Nuts are another thing to avoid.

Hope that this helps.

[merc1_clocks]

I suffer too...& it really is a case of trial & error, & keeping notes, till you find yourself, what aggravates it.

Good Luck for your relative...it is manageable

[petitecalicocat]

I agree with all thats been said so far especially about avoiding nuts & anything with seeds in.

I have been treated for IBS for a while but its getting worse so Dr sugested it may me diverticulitus ....at teh moment im keeping a food diary 🙂

Hope your relative can get it under control .

[bitsnknots]

Another thing my mum does is that she peels fruit such as apples, plums, nectarines and peaches.

[fionajohnston]

many thanks for replies i'll pass them along i did suggest keeipng a record but she can't see how food she's been eating all her life can be the problem!! and won't believe the Dr can't cure her .                                                                                                                            

[dairyview123]

Fiona I think our bodies change with age, and that part of the body has a lot to cope with. If the acid is upset that deals with food the lining becomes inflamed hence the pain.

Up to the age of 40 I could eat anything, I worked on the land and used to eat iceburg lettuce as we cut them, they were so sweet I could not resist them, now I cannot touch even the smallest amount, its like poison to me.

I hope you Nan will come to understand that.

[*elphaba*]

Like others have said,  nuts, sweetcorn, anything that may be expected to remain in hard bits in the digestive tract are a real trigger for pain and problems.

Fibre is hugely important, soluble and insoluble, so if you can get her to have, say, shredded wheat for breakfast (assuming its not complicated by wheat intolerance)  or proper porridge  (not the instant stuff that hits the bloodstream like a stampeding buffalo)  with maybe some apricot halves, or sultanas etc on top that will help.

Fibre is not the enemy of diverticular disease, quite the opposite, but it should be the RIGHT fibre for the person, s no big changes.

It should go without saying, but she needs to monitor her temperature because the deiverticular pockets can provide the perfect conditions for bacteria....... so keeping healthy generally with lots of vit c, B12 and calcium is important x

[aernethril]

Just to add whilst many find fibogel to be really helpful, it can be too strong. So something like Laxido may work better.

Spinach is another one to avoid, including chard and similar tough leaf vegetables.

If she doesn't want to have too much wheat, you can now get Oatabix - same as Weetabix but made with oats or Oatabix flakes - like cornflakes.

There's a book by Jan de Vries: Stomach and Bowel Disorders - he trained under Alfred Vogel (started the herbal remedy company of the same name) and has worked to change the attitude of mainstream health care about digestive disorders and illnesses.  If you can get a copy from your library it might be worth a read - it's not very complicated or boring - just some helpul advice.