Diverticulitis

[Mgeorge]

Having PMR /GCA since May 2016 and following a strict no sugar, no salt, no alcohol, low carb diet, I have gone from 60 mgs. Pred down to 2 mgs. Pred and was just diagnosed with diverticulitis . Anyone else? Could that diet have anything to do with it? I’ve had diverticulosis since the 80s. Only my diet has changed. Looking for an answer

[SheffieldJane]

I can’t help thinking that you would be in a worse place without your valiant dietary efforts. Is Pred the only harsh med that you are on?

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Diverticulosis and diverticulitis become more common as we age anyway but it is suggested that steroids also increase the risk of developing diverticulitis

mayoclinic.org/diseases-con...

This

healthline.com/health/diver...

provides a list of things that might irritate diverticulitis - but emphasise this is for acute states, once it has cleared you can go back to a normal diet. You were avoiding some of the things they mention anyway - so I'd doubt diet is to blame.

[ClarkB]

I was diagnosed with diverticulitis in 2013 and in hospital for a week. I managed to avoid surgery, and my consultant said that I could eat whatever I liked! I tried to follow a diverticulitis diet, but have little willpower to stick at it. When I was diagnosed with Polymyalgia and osteoporosis, I have tried to make more of an effort with diet, but am still unsure what difference it makes. As a vegetarian I eat lots of pulses, tofu etc which don’t help with bloating, but are necessary for me. I try and avoid dairy products which also cause bloating pretty quickly. I find that I have actually gone off alcohol- somehow it doesn’t taste the same. A problem I find, is that when I feel unwell- weak, shaky, strange stabby feelings which can occur anywhere on my body, I can’t decide which of my ‘complaints’ are causing it. Have also had breathlessness, and a dry cough. My steroid dose is now 4mg, and would have thought I wouldn’t be getting the same sensations as I’ve had for the past few months. Until I had PMR, I hadn’t had too many diverticulitis flares which seem more frequent. I do feel now that I should take diet more seriously and also eat less. I hope that you are able to find the appropriate one for your condition too, as a diverticulitis diet differs from a PMR one, I find!

[Mgeorge]

It does differ and so far I can’t reconcile the two diets. The acute stage is still liquid diet , but sugar free, salt free, and alcohol free are hard to find. Artificial sweeteners wreak havoc with your system . I’ll find a happy medium diet and count the days til I’m off steroids ( 2 mg. now ) Thanks

[Cally55]

We are all different. I have not had trouble with the diverticulitis since starting pred! Before had frequent episodes including one requiring surgery. The low carb diet also helped, also I have given up dairy, almost, cheese is hard to do without.

I am however still at 12 mgs after 3 years for what is GCA PMR. On the lookout for an infection however! As i have reduced the pred other things have cropped up, rheumy says the low back pain that now wakes me up is probably osteo arthritis. So its win some lose some, pred has both good and bad sides!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Cally55]

I can't say it often enough: the low back pain that returns for me at lower doses of pred was blamed on lower spine "wear and tear" (aka OA) and that by an orthopaedic specialist but without any imaging being done. I continued to live with it for another year or so until one morning I was stuck, I couldn't move without excruciating pain. The local hospital orthopods realised it was at least partly muscular in origin, the spasmed muscles were so tight that joints were irritated and I had sacroilitis. Their first line approach caused a drug reaction to the i.v. diazepam so I was sent to the Pain Clinic who identified the spasmed muscles in about 2 minutes - and spent the next 6 months or so working on them and getting them as they should be. That has given me over 4 years peace from the pain until last spring. It still is far better than it was - and manageable now. I'm waiting to go back to the Pain Clinic.

Don't accept an "it's OA" assessment at face value.

[Cally55 in reply to PMRpro]

Thanks, I am wondering what to ask for, I did think the diagnosis was a bit vague without any kind of test!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Cally55]

Physiotherapists are good at sussing out muscle problems. I got a lot of help from Bowen therapy - as have others, although it doesn't work for some.

But before accepting OA you need imaging - at least x-rays but I'm no expert in proving OA. There are other causes of low back pain that can only be diagnosed with imaging and some of them can be dealt with. At least when you know exactly what it is you can look for answers.