Living with Diverticulosis

mellowjackal23 said:Any advice out there? I'm all ears!

Me too. 🙂

What kind of symptoms are you dealing with?? I'm genuinely curious... I hesitated for a long time before starting this thread... Basically, I was diagnosed with diverticulosis two years ago—at a very young age—and my doctors were actually shocked by how much of my intestine was affected..

What’s your diet like? For me, food is what's killing me and driving me crazy....

Have you ever dealt with diverticulitis?

hey,

finally someone actually reached out to me, thank God!

it’s not even my issue, it's my mom who's going through it.
she’s been stuck in the hospital for a few days now after dealing with this intense pain on her left side, and apparently, there's some massive inflammation going on.
basically, it looks like one of those diverticula ruptured and caused a whole mess of an infection.

thank God the fever finally broke, but now she's just hooked up to IVs and pumping antibiotics into her system, and they won't let her eat a single thing—not even a crumb. they're just waiting to see if things settle down or if they have to rush her into surgery.

I honestly had a panic attack yesterday because some random doctor on duty told us she had sepsis!!! but then today her main doctor comes along and says it's just severe inflammation.

I mean, what are you even supposed to believe when one guy tells you one thing and the next guy says something completely different?

Anyway, her stomach pain seems to be easing up a bit for now.

As for how she'll manage without food... I have no clue.

how does this stuff usually show up for you?

Look 😢 Yeah, unfortunately, I'm young and I've already been through all of this... Exactly what you described. It starts just like that. Ever since my diagnosis, I've dealt with several flare-ups. I can't touch anything unless it's completely boiled... Sadly, doctors don't provide any decent nutritional guidance—I've been wandering aimlessly for two years trying to find someone willing to calmly explain what I can and can't eat, or how to actually live when they basically tell me I can't have any vegetables 😢 because most of them cause bloating... so my diet has basically dwindled down to chicken and carrots 😢

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for your mom. I can't imagine how relieved she must be to have received such a heavy chronic diagnosis later in life... At the end of the day, her legs aren't failing her yet... she just needs to pray to God that it stays that way for a long time...

With diverticulosis, you can live for years without any major issues, or you could be eating all wrong without even knowing it until something terrible happens 😢
Please keep us posted on what they tell her—and make sure she asks specifically about absolutely every single food item, both what's allowed and what's strictly forbidden...

Which hospital is your mom at?

Man... I can see this isn't easy on you at all. How are you even processing all this?
They told her surgery was inevitable eventually, but now they’re going to try everything to avoid it—fingers crossed she can actually push that procedure off for a while.

We're all pretty terrified, honestly.

And then there's that hospital in San Diego.
Thank God one of the top doctors stepped up to take over her case.

Where have you been hiding?

I'll hit you up later once we know what they've decided.

Please let me know either way. I’m currently receiving treatment in Washington, D.C. The issue is that her condition will likely just continue to spiral—and honestly, once the inflammation settles, getting surgery to resect that section of the bowel would be her only real salvation. Anything else is just going to be pure misery... Believe me, I feel myself getting worse by the day. Living with this diagnosis is brutal; I have a massive amount of diverticula, and every single one is huge. My entire bowel is affected, whereas some people only deal with localized spots—which puts me in an even tighter spot regarding surgery, because they told me there are no other options besides cutting out almost everything 😢 But nobody has the nerve to operate on a 30-year-old, so everyone is just washing their hands of me for now. No one is even helping me learn how to actually live with this...

I’d be grateful if anyone else could reach out and share a similar experience.

Mom, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you. Don't let the fear take over—it isn't a death sentence. It’s just a grueling chronic illness, and the sooner they get her stabilized, the sooner she can start functioning somewhat normally.

Like I said, I was diagnosed two years ago, and in the last ten months alone, I’ve dealt with four flare-ups—three of which I had to manage entirely on my own... It's hard. It is incredibly hard 😢 I just want someone to help me find a way to live a semi-normal life without constant pain, but the surgeons won't step in while you're still "pushing through"...

Things are looking up, I guess. She doesn't need surgery just yet. But then again, she hit a fever of 99.1 yesterday and it’s back again today, so who knows? She caught a nasty cold while staying at the Mayo Clinic and now she’s coughing her head off, so maybe that's what's driving the temperature up?

Everything seemed to be settling down—her white blood cell count and CRP were finally heading in the right direction... but they ran more blood work today and I'm still waiting on the full report. All I know for sure is that her blood ketones are high... and there's blood in her urine again.

No surgery for now, hopefully.

mellowjackal23 said:Things are looking up, I guess. She doesn't need surgery just yet. But then again, she hit a fever of 99.1 yesterday and it’s back again today, so who knows? She caught a nasty cold while staying at the Mayo Clinic and now she’s coughing her head off, so maybe that's what's driving the temperature up?

Everything seemed to be settling down—her white blood cell count and CRP were finally heading in the right direction... but they ran more blood work today and I'm still waiting on the full report. All I know for sure is that her blood ketones are high... and there's blood in her urine again.

No surgery for now, hopefully.

Look, surgery is a godsend in situations like this—believe me. For her, it’s a far better option than suffering through this, because life after a massive inflammation isn't really living. 😢 You're in constant pain—stabbing, aching—you react to absolutely everything, even plain boiled food. Honestly, I would give anything to have a surgeon who actually listens to me and performs a proper exam. They told me surgery would be next after my last flare-up, but I've had three since then... and they still let me suffer. They don't seem to care about my situation at all; they claim I'm "not a surgical case"—which is obvious I will be one day if I ever even make it back to the hospital.
My CRP was never even elevated, despite having a severe inflammation... and my white blood cell counts stayed normal the whole time. 😢
Blood in the urine clearly shows the intestines have caused havoc—and in this area, unfortunately, one issue just triggers the next. 😢

Keep us posted... keeping Mom in my prayers. 👍

It’s been a minute since I last checked in here, hasn't it? Well, I've been wrestling with this condition for about 10 years now. It's honestly pretty discouraging because there were times when I was following my diet to the letter and still dealing with massive flare-ups. Lately, though, I’ve started to realize that stress and nerves are probably doing more damage than anything else—plus, of course, the food itself. I've managed to find a few dietary approaches that actually worked for me, cutting my inflammation down to maybe a 2 or 3 out of 10 over the course of a year. If anyone is looking for some guidance, just let me know and I'll send them over what I've got.

I know someone who struggled immensely until they underwent surgery to shorten their intestinal tract; essentially, the specific section of the small intestine that was constantly inflamed was removed. Since then, there have been no flare-ups or inflammation... naturally, they still maintain strict dietary discipline, focusing heavily on probiotics and avoiding various seeds, as well as heavy foods like red meat, sticking primarily to fish and poultry.

I empathize with all of you; I truly understand what you are going through.

Has anyone here undergone laparoscopic surgery where you didn't have to deal with a three-month colostomy? I’m talking about the method using a ring system that holds everything together, essentially reconnecting the colon while the incision site heals. Apparently, after about ten days, that ring just passes naturally with your stool, and there aren't any follow-up procedures required.

If you've been through this, please share your experience. I believe there’s a specialist over in San Francisco who performs these specific techniques. Feel free to shoot me a DM.

I'm 39. A bit young to be dealing with this kind of crap, so I need to be smart about deciding where to go, who to trust, and how to handle it.

Thanks in advance.

wearyangler66 said:It’s been a minute since I last checked in here, hasn't it? Well, I've been wrestling with this condition for about 10 years now. It's honestly pretty discouraging because there were times when I was following my diet to the letter and still dealing with massive flare-ups. Lately, though, I’ve started to realize that stress and nerves are probably doing more damage than anything else—plus, of course, the food itself. I've managed to find a few dietary approaches that actually worked for me, cutting my inflammation down to maybe a 2 or 3 out of 10 over the course of a year. If anyone is looking for some guidance, just let me know and I'll send them over what I've got.

I could really use some dietary advice. After fighting diverticulosis for two and a half years, my doctors are basically throwing up their hands. My only real solution right now is medication—because my entire intestinal tract is absolutely riddled with diverticula—and don't even get me started on the stress that’s killing me day and night.

My doctor, who is the only one who actually listened and treated me properly—and truly tries to help—is an internist working at both the Mayo Clinic and privately at Bates near Saint... As for radiologists, after experiencing a unique, gentle, and wonderful approach firsthand, I highly recommend Dr. Vinko Barbarić Babić at Rib. I heard all sorts of horror stories about irigographies and procedures, and I honestly thought I was going to die from the anxiety of what was coming... but that doctor is such a specialist and, above all, such a great HUMAN being, that everything felt like a joke afterward. Of course, the inflammation isn't a joke—I'm still dealing with it. I feel powerless... I just don't know what to do anymore.🙂

mellowjackal23 said:Any advice out there? I'm all ears!

Best regards.

Look, when you asked for advice, you did get a response.
I think you could have at least mentioned how things went with your mom—whether it was good or bad. It wouldn't have hurt. It might have actually helped people looking for similar advice. I even sent you a private message about this 20 days ago. I’m from San Diego too, so that would have been helpful. Doesn't matter, though. There are plenty of American forums where people actually help one another. It seems we're all cut from the same cloth. If things went poorly with your mother, I am sorry.

Greetings from San Diego.

I’m assuming you guys will be the ones to have the answer here...
Last night, I was jolted awake by this absolutely brutal pain in my lower left abdomen. It felt exactly like one of those intense ovarian inflammations. To be fair, I’d been feeling this nagging, sharp poking sensation in that same area all day long, though nothing too crazy at the time.
I ended up popping two Advil, and it took a solid two hours before things finally settled down enough for me to drift off. I feel fine this morning, but now I can't stop wondering—could that have been a flare-up of diverticulitis?

swiftcanyon64 said:I’m assuming you guys will be the ones to have the answer here...
Last night, I was jolted awake by this absolutely brutal pain in my lower left abdomen. It felt exactly like one of those intense ovarian inflammations. To be fair, I’d been feeling this nagging, sharp poking sensation in that same area all day long, though nothing too crazy at the time.
I ended up popping two Advil, and it took a solid two hours before things finally settled down enough for me to drift off. I feel fine this morning, but now I can't stop wondering—could that have been a flare-up of diverticulitis?

Have you had any previous GI workups?

swiftcanyon64 said:I’m assuming you guys will be the ones to have the answer here...
Last night, I was jolted awake by this absolutely brutal pain in my lower left abdomen. It felt exactly like one of those intense ovarian inflammations. To be fair, I’d been feeling this nagging, sharp poking sensation in that same area all day long, though nothing too crazy at the time.
I ended up popping two Advil, and it took a solid two hours before things finally settled down enough for me to drift off. I feel fine this morning, but now I can't stop wondering—could that have been a flare-up of diverticulitis?

After five years of battling this disease, I can tell you one thing: when diverticulitis hits, it hits hard. That left-side pain you're describing is right where the sigmoid colon is—that's usually where these inflammations start. My advice? If you aren't sure, go get a CRP test. If it’s elevated, you’re dealing with an active bacterial infection. In my experience, I've been doubled over in pain, only for the doctor to send me for bloodwork showing a CRP of 2... then by 6:00 PM, I'm stumbling into the ER with a CRP of 97. The pain can be brutal—a burning sensation spreading through the entire abdomen before it eventually localizes. The most deceptive part is that once the acute pain subsides—usually when you finally rest—the inflammation actually intensifies...

My recommendation: probiotics and digestive enzymes. And don't waste your money on cheap stuff—you need the best available. For diverticulosis, products like Pro-Life or Linex are basically useless water.😢 Sad, but true.

If anyone else here was recently diagnosed with diverticulosis like I was, maybe hit me up? I’d love to swap stories and see what’s working for you guys.

Since October 10th, I’ve been dealing with this intermittent throbbing sensation just to the left of my navel. If I press right near the belly button and slightly to the left, I can actually feel a hard lump about 1.5 inches wide. It’s painful when I apply pressure, too. On top of that, there's this constant, nagging feeling—like something is irritating or chafing me from the inside, almost like a stinging sensation. My abdominal ultrasound came back clear, my bowel movements are normal, but I am definitely feeling nauseous.
Has anyone else dealt with symptoms like this, or is anyone currently going through something similar???
Please help....

Hey everyone, just wanted to jump in and say hi! I’m officially joining the club with a diverticulosis diagnosis from about two weeks ago. :/ I'm 31, and honestly, my doctor looked pretty stunned when she saw the ultrasound—though she didn't actually tell me how many we're talking about or where they even are... I've bounced between different doctors, both through my insurance and private specialists, plus a nutritionist... and I'm just more confused than when I started. I've been getting back into long walks lately, and I have to say, that little bit of pain I was feeling has totally vanished for now. My nutritionist gave me a meal plan, though he did ask me to keep a food diary which, let's be real, he hasn't even glanced at yet. I was struggling with constipation, so my diet was already being tweaked for that, but still... my nutritionist basically brushed me off today so nicely that 🙄 I think I'll go hunt down a second opinion... anyway, a couple of years back I dealt with gastritis and erosive duodenitis, which I actually managed to get under control, so I'm feeling way better from that. Just when you think you've cleared one hurdle, boom, here comes another one. Honestly, the mental toll has hit me harder than the physical stuff, if I'm being truthful. I see most of you have been posting on this forum for ages... so I'm curious, how are you all doing today? Are things feeling better for you?

Henry Jackson10, I’m reaching out specifically to you because this thread seems pretty quiet, and I was also diagnosed with diverticulosis just two weeks ago—pretty much the same timeline as yours.
Back on July 22nd, I ended up in the ER at Mayo Clinic because of some intense pain on my left side and a sharp, tearing sensation toward my midsection, just below the navel. After an abdominal X-ray and seeing a CRP of 78 (I didn't even know what CRP meant back then!), they sent me home to rest and follow up with my surgeon. I actually suspected the pain might be related to two hernias I need surgery for—one in my left groin and one umbilical. I didn't have a fever during the initial exam, but by the afternoon, the fever kicked in. Once I started antibiotics, it peaked at 103°F on Tuesday, and the pain just got worse. On Wednesday morning, my surgeon sent me back for more blood and urine tests. When the results came in, my CRP had spiked to 278! She asked if I could come in immediately for an exam, so I rushed over. After another round of blood work and a CT scan, things got serious. I still didn't realize how high my CRP was or how close I was to a life-threatening situation. Then, they called me into the clinic: I needed emergency hospitalization because a diverticulum had ruptured, leaking contents into my abdominal cavity. With a CRP of 308, I was admitted right away. I spent 24 hours on IV fluids and antibiotics, and somehow, miraculously, the treatment worked wonders. My CRP dropped to 180 by morning, and the pain vanished completely within 12 hours. The doctors told me surgery wouldn't be necessary after all, but man, I was cutting it close. I spent five days on IV therapy alone, and now I'm being discharged for home care to finish my medication over the next five days (I wrap up tomorrow at 9:00 PM). I am on a very strict diet right now. I'm exploring new foods and flavors, though I'm making sure to avoid anything fibrous. For breakfast and dinner, I'm mostly sticking to various probiotics, cottage cheese (which I blend if needed), baby cereal, and fruit compotes—where the fruit is cooked until it basically falls apart and the skins are removed. For lunch, I've been prepping couscous with sautéed zucchini, boiled cauliflower (always removing the core first), and broccoli... all blended together with a dollop of cream. I also make frozen spinach mashed with potato puree, all in liquid form. I boil white bulgur, and today I'm looking forward to chickpea and tuna, which will also be turned into a mash. It doesn't look pretty, especially since I usually love gourmet food, but it tastes good! As for spices, I’m avoiding them for now. I add a little salt while cooking, and if it needs more, I'll add a pinch of Maldon sea salt before eating because the aroma is great.
I think that covers most of what you might want to know.
I’d definitely welcome any advice on how to enrich my diet.
Also, I can't forget—I just ordered a tea today to help reduce large intestine inflammation and regulate digestion. It's called Debosin, a DC tea from TravarMB, priced at $25. They actually have a shop at a local market area.