bungi61

[bungi1961]

I have been suffering with Diverticular Disease &IBS now for 3/4 years as I have told you before Oh now it's beyond me as what 2 do now about it I have a yakult 1st thing in the morning on an empty tum I am afraid to eat most of the time as I am forever scared as 2 what will come out of me when I do and 2 be honest I just can't go on like this any more I even missed my Mum's funeral and yes I do keep going Doc's about 2 colonoscopies 2021 colon scan earlier this year taking all sorts 4 it Mebervine Buscopans co-codamol 4 pain( chronic) propranol 4 anxiety had phone consultation with someone from LIFT about it and the Doc only gives me a 10 minute slot I have kefir 2 take but never know when 2 take it let alone how much of it 2 take ETC (i.e like 10/20 mins before I try andeat) or if these probiotcs are a waste of time and money I have 2 wear these paper pants each day as it can go from constipation 2 nasty watery stuff the next time and it can come on without warning and after those colon exams give fodmap leaflet shoved out the hospital and more or get on with it like I know what I am doing!!! had phone call from the dietician and more or less the same totally fed up with it all any HELP PLEASE???

[Frasina]

I don't have the answers you need but I think many on here will fully understand that it is frustrating not knowing which way to turn. I tried FODMAP about 4 years ago but did not find it helped much although others do swear by it. Maybe others can share something that will be helpful.

[Boxroad]

What sort of foods are you eating? I can’t eat any seeds grains etc that can get stuck in the diverticulitis pouches, white bread and mashed potato helps, do you keep a food diary? I have been keeping a food and toilet diary for three years now and it show me that it’s the food I ate two days before that gets my ibs and food ate 5/6 days before if it’s the diverticulitis playing up, have you looked into fibres there are two fibres soluble and insoluble one will make stool looser while other will firm it up more, I take the seeds out of tomatoes and skin cucumber and take seeds out, I don’t ear rice as that gets stuck in the pockets,my biggest issue is tap water I can not tolerate drinking tap water at all, I was on bottles spring water for nearly 10 years but now we have a third tap that filters out all the chemicals from our mains water and it been ok, when I saw a dietician she told me a lot of people with ibs can’t tolerate tap water due to chemicals added by the water companies to kill off all the bugs, when I started on bottled water it took a few attempts to find one that suited my stomach as all bottled spring water comes from different places so it has filter through different things like sand, rock, limestone, chalk etc and it’s about finding one that suits you, some bottled water is just mains water that has been bottled so you need to read the labels.

[Hidden]

If you have been diagnosed with diverticular disease you won't have IBS. They have the same symptoms but IBS is not a disease, it is the label Dr's give us when they have no idea what we have.

Diverticular is usually associated with insufficient fibre in your diet. To be absolutely sure consult a Dr or a dietitian for the appropriate diet and help. I would imagine anxiety is playing a big part at the moment. Try a product called Rescue remedy but only the non alcohol ones, I prefer the pastilles.

When I get it bad I stop eating as long as I can to give the stomach lining time to heal, living on cups of tea. Different cause but same symptoms. I usually go 3/4 days then start with grilled chicken and may be boiled eggs or occasionally grilled fish, all in small very portions until reactions are gone.

Once back on track I usually start the day with bran and canned fruit or just milk.

shredded chicken wholemeal sandwich for lunch.

fish or chicken for evening meal.

I get through 6 cups of tea a day, don't touch coffee or alcohol and stay away from fried food or fast food. Generally never eat from prepared shop food preferring to know what is in my food. Home made and cooked foods without spices and very few herbs. I generally have smallish meals so I don't overload the stomach. Once I get sorted I try to stick to my diet. Doesn't mean I'm fixed, just that I'm minimising the severity and frequency of events.

Cheers

[bungi1961 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for your reply I eat yakult 1st thing in the morning on empty tum as many cups of lactofree milk 7/9 de-caf tea I have a water filter system in my house I skin and take seeds out off things like cucumber tomatoes kiwi take the skin of my carrots as much as I can eat gluten free pasta with a few herbs and parmesan cheese broccolli I use asafoetida spice chicken thighs and white sauce or sweet and sour sauce with basmati rice and I haven't eaten fried foods or take away food for many years well before this nasty stuff started I am naughty with buying frozen fish in batter/fish fingers the same white fish and add tuna in spring water and drain it as best as I can bought kefir drinks/ yogurts(never knowing how much to have of that!!!!) keep a food diary as best as I can and on propranol for anxiety at the moment it's all trial and error OH I do wish that Doc's could come up with something to help us all and I can stop wearing these paper pants

[Hidden]

A lot of what you eat wouldn't help and I don't thing deseeding food would help the fibre content. From my experience and we are all different in what we can or cannot tolerate. Tomatoes, cucumber, spice, the sauces and batter always give me hell while I have wounds in the stomach. To be frank everything does but there is a limit to how long I can go without sustenance. You have to start with bland foods and yes they don't taste the same but what do you want, to get better or not? Bland foods and no accoutrements. Do some research on your ailment and medications. I usually check the NHS UK medicine list for side effects and put up with my dietitians advice, she knows better than me, I hope.

Cheers

[bungi1961 in reply to Hidden]

thank you very much 4 your reply as I am fairly new to this forum and it is startling to know just how many people have this problem where as it is normally all about cancer ( had that also breast) before all this but not going into that OK

[Hidden in reply to bungi1961]

The unfortunate situation for most is we will never fully recover. The best we can do is manage the problems as they flare. It is not pleasant to have to sideline all the foods that we have come to love. But if we truly want to get the best of a bad situation, all the stops have to be pulled out. I can't stress enough how strict I have to be to manage my health. At the end of the day it falls to me to do anything and everything I can to bring changes.

Bear in mind medicine is not an exact science.

Cheers

[Corneater in reply to Hidden]

Hi Hidden

I have to take Laxido daily but still I can rarely pass anything myself. A bowel specialist put me on to the Peristeen system over 18 months since and whilst it has taken a lot of getting used to and adjusting it to myself I find it better than never “going” at all. This system certainly impacts on my life, I.e. it’s very difficult to make arrangements or travel the same as I used to and often I have to rest after I’ve used it. However, with adjusting my diet and laxido I find I only need to use it every other day now and usually I feel normal on the days I don’t use it. I’m going on the theory that 1/2 a life is better than none. Basically it’s an enema system and it seems to be the only thing that works for me. (Not that anything else other than the usual laxatives and the latest wonder drugs such as Constella and Prucalopride) has been suggested to me. Has this ever been suggested to you?

[Luisa22]

In a really bad diverticulitis flare up it's best to eat plainest bland foods like white rice cooked well, mashed potato, steamed chicken or fish, white bread and toast, maybe soft boiled eggs, bananas, anything super easy to digest and not too fibrous.

But when the flare up passes, like DC39 said, eating more whole foods like brown rice, wholewheat pasta perhaps, and veggies might help keep things healthier down there and keep your bowels moving gently and naturally. Constipation is the enemy of diverticulosis and when those tiny pouches get inflamed and blocked with matter that hangs around in the colon, that's when diverticulitis can start.

So can you eat more veggies (when your bad flare up subsides)? I have found some veg to be okay for my gut generally, such as green french beans, spinach, young kale leaves, Pak Choi, tenderstem broccoli tops, carrot sometimes etc. But I always steam my veg. Different people tolerate different vegetables I think. Some fruits might be good too like stewed apples or pears? Perhaps grapes too?

Bananas are usually okay (though they don't suit me. But I may be the only one they don't!) They are usually easy to digest fruit. But they always made me "go" slightly. Well now that's magnified, and bananas I find too laxative for me.