In about 95 out of 100 people, uncomplicated diverticulitis goes away on its own within a week. In about 5 out of 100 people, the symptoms stay and treatment is needed. Surgery is only rarely necessary.
Mild cases of diverticulitis are usually treated with antibiotics and a low-fiber diet, or treatment may start with a period of rest where you eat nothing by mouth, then start with clear liquids and then move to a low-fiber diet until your condition improves. More-severe cases typically require hospitalization.
After you go home, you may have diarrhea on and off during the first month. It takes about three months for the bowels to learn their “new normal.” You'll need to avoid heavy lifting for six to eight weeks to prevent a hernia.
“Generally speaking, inflammation from diverticulitis can cause scar tissue formation and breakdown of the colon wall, and if the colon wall develops a hole, then an abscess will form,” warns Will Bulsiewicz, MD, a gastroenterologist and gut health expert in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.
Eating more fiber can help prevent future attacks. If you have bloating or gas, reduce the amount of fiber you eat for a few days. Once these pouches have formed, you will have them for life. Diverticulitis can return, but some providers think a high-fiber diet may lessen your chances of a recurrence.
For most people, diverticulitis won't affect their life span. Many people don't even know they have diverticular disease. Only a small percentage will have symptoms, and an even smaller number will have complications.
In chronic diverticulitis, inflammation and infection may go down but never clear up completely. Over time, the inflammation can lead to a bowel obstruction, which may cause constipation, thin stools, diarrhea, bloating, and belly pain.
Complications of diverticular disease
Abscess – untreated, diverticulitis may lead to an abscess (a ball of pus). Perforation – a weakened pocket of bowel wall may rupture. The contents of the bowel can then seep into the abdominal cavity. Symptoms include pain, high fever and chills.
Once treated, most people start feeling better within a few days. Approximately 20% of patients will have another flare-up, or recurrence. This usually happens within 5 years.
Once diverticula form, they do not disappear by themselves. Fortunately, most patients with diverticulosis do not have symptoms, and therefore do not need treatment.
Well-tolerated fiber sources include tender cooked vegetables, canned or cooked fruits, and starches like cooked cereals and whole wheat noodles and tortillas. Between flares, eat a wide variety of foods as tolerated. This includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and low-fat and nonfat dairy products.
Treatment often involves intravenous nutrition to allow the bowel to rest, which typically resolves the disease within one or two weeks.
The goal of treatment in diverticulitis is to let the colon rest until the inflammation resolves. While some patients can be managed at home with oral antibiotics, analgesics, bed rest, and a clear liquid diet, hospitalization is required for those with severe symptoms.
Once a person has had diverticulitis, as in your situation, the risk of another episode increases substantially. Age and previous history are the two key risk factors. Diet may also play a role, but its influence isn't as clear-cut as the other two.
Diverticulitis is an intestinal disease that can cause fatigue in some people. The fatigue may be caused by infection, inflammation, or sleep disruption due to pain. It could also be related to nutritional deficiencies such as anemia, dehydration, medication side effects, or surgery.
CAUSES. The most commonly accepted theory for the formation of diverticulosis is related to high pressure within the colon, which causes weak areas of the colon wall to bulge out and form the sacs. A diet low in fiber and high in red meat may also play a role.
You can have diverticulosis for years without any complications or problems. If one or more of the diverticula become inflamed, however, that condition is diverticulitis. While diverticulosis usually doesn't lead to any discomfort, diverticulitis can be quite painful.
When stress is added to the overall picture, the problem of diverticulitis becomes an issue. This is due to the body impulses that will immediately address stressful situations by shifting the oxygen and blood from the digestive tract to the brain and muscles.
Recurrence of acute diverticulitis is common, and—especially complicated recurrence—causes significant morbidity. To prevent recurrence, selected patients have been offered prophylactic sigmoid resection.
Diverticula are common and associated with ageing. The large intestine becomes weaker with age, and the pressure of hard stools passing through the large intestine is thought to cause the bulges to form.
Targeted interventions, including an anti-inflammatory diet, adequate fiber and hydration, exercise, stress management, probiotics, and supplementation with demulcent herbs, butyrate, and magnesium, may help decrease symptoms and improve diverticular disease.