# Diverticulitis, anyone?



## 13357 (Aug 12, 2006)

Hello All,New member here! It's been 2 weeks since my diagnosis. Through an Internet search, I found this group and the website. Thanks to all who are responsible for it being available to those of us experiencing these intestinal discomforts. Making it possible to network with those like us, makes for some very, very helpful exchanges. I, for one, thank you and bless you all!Anyway, I was scheduled for a colonoscopy on a Monday and was diagnosed the same day by my physician after suffering the weekend with extreme pain in the left lower quandrant of my abdomen. I got a CT scan the same morning and the diagnosis the same morning. My wife and I had changed our diet about 6 weeks earlier. We began to eat brown rice and chicken and occasionally, very lean red meat like flank steak and pork loin. The leaner the better.My wife has been waging a war for many years trying to lose weight. Through all of the diets and books she's been through, one day, she came upon yet another book! "UltraMetabolism", by Dr. Mark Hyman. In the book, he imparts the startling assertion that it is the food we eat and the K-I-N-D of calories we eat that puts on or takes off weight."What has this to do with IBS and diverticulitis?", you may well ask.Well, after reading the book, I came away with the conclusion that I could very well be allergic to certain foods that just may be responsible for my condition. So yesterday, I went to a collegue of Dr. Hyman's, here in San Diego. He too is an MD, but instead of prescribing more antibiotics that kill both good and bad bacteria, he began to inquire about what I ate. Several tests later, I discovered that I'm experiencing an allergic reaction to gluten and most other wheat products. I also don't digest dairy very well. The list is longer, but you get my point. The doctor also diagnosed me with insulin resistance and something called "leaky gut syndrome".I have been given several "plant based" suppliments to take. I have sworn off all dairy [sigh!] and wheat products for the next 6 weeks. I have made a promise to eat more fruits, veggies and rice based products. Did you know that there are "rice based" macaronies and pastas that taste very much like the wheat kinds and are better for you, if you have IBS, colitis or diverticulitis? Yes, I may have to give up a lot of food that I once loved; sourdough bread, ice cream, wheat crackers, rye bread and crackers, pasturized cow's milk and everything made from it. Giving these things up for the next 6 weeks and then reintroducing them into my diet slowly is certainly worth the effort. If I begin to have alergic reactions again, it's GOODBYE to that food group! I'l know that my body cannot matabolize it and that continued use will severly hurt me or kill me.The conclusion he made was that if I were to eliminate these foods from my diet for the next 6 weeks, I should notice a marked increase in healthfullness. My experience with asthma should diminish or disappear completely, my on-again-off-again experience with IBS should also subside.Having suffered with that bout with diverticulitis 2 weekends ago is something that I hope I never have to experience again. At the time, I had no idea what the pain was; I thought it was gas! Little did I know that, left untreated, I could have gotten peritonitis, when the bowel is punctured and the contents of it begins to flow into your abdomen. I was told if medical assistance is not sought within one hour, shock and then death follows.I have too much to live for, NOT to follow this physicians advise! I am 56 years of age. I want to live life for at least another 56 years. I mean it! When I got as close to not having a life at all, as I did 2 weekends ago, I began to take a whole new view of what it is that I eat, OR, just what it is that I eat is eating me!So, that is my story. I am coming off the "low residue" diet and reintroducing more fruits and veggies into my diet. I was amazed at just how little information there is on the Internet on what to eat and what not to eat while experiencing IBS and diverticulitis. I found two or three sites that sounded reliable, as well as the info I got from my physician.It is my prayer that I have helped you with what I have written here. But, you already know that you are not alone! I look forward to hearing from others who are just diagnosed, still suffering and those of us who are still recouperating. May we all come together, share what we know and be a help to those whom we may never meet, accept on the pages of this wonderfull group!!Stay well and happy, each and every one of you. I'll be watching...Alain...San Diego


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## Peony50 (Aug 2, 2000)

Alain-Hello-just happened upon your old post about diverticulitis...which I again have after surgery years ago...but I can't seem to get good info from the docs about what to eat or do..have you had any more trouble? what advice did you get???Thanks


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