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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.
While your diverticulitis is effectively treated, it's not technically cured because the sacs remain. As long as you still have diverticula, they can get infected again. However, following a high-fiber diet often prevents future diverticulitis attacks.
Uncomplicated diverticulitis
Your doctor is likely to recommend: Antibiotics to treat infection, although new guidelines state that in very mild cases, they may not be needed. A liquid diet for a few days while your bowel heals. Once your symptoms improve, you can gradually add solid food to your diet.
In most cases, even complicated diverticulitis resolves quickly and completely with treatment. Diverticulitis shouldn't affect your overall life expectancy. Only in the unlikely event of a bowel perforation or a ruptured abscess would you be at risk of life-threatening complications.
If antibiotics are given for uncomplicated diverticulitis, consider amoxicillin/clavulanic acid or an oral cephalosporin plus metronidazole if the patient can take oral therapy. If intravenous therapy is needed cefazolin, cefuroxime, or ceftriaxone, all plus metronidazole or ampicillin/sulbactam alone can be used.
Home remedies for diverticulitis that may be recommended include following a liquid diet, increasing your intake of fiber and anti-inflammatory foods, avoiding red meat and high-fat foods, cutting back on alcohol, exercising, and trying certain supplements.
Diverticulitis Recovery Timeline
Recovering from a flare-up of diverticulitis could take as long as two weeks. 1 The first few days of recovering from uncomplicated diverticulitis at home will include following a liquid diet, resting, and using recommended medications for pain relief.
Diverticular disease is regarded as a chronic condition, which requires lifelong management. Flare-up attacks may or may not occur following the first experience, which largely depends on a person's state of health and how well measures to prevent complications are maintained.
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.
Diverticular disease is caused by small bulges in the large intestine (diverticula) developing and becoming inflamed. If any of the diverticula become infected, this leads to symptoms of diverticulitis. The exact reason why diverticula develop is not known, but they are associated with not eating enough fibre.
Yes, fermented turmeric and ginger may be helpful. As I've mentioned in previous articles, both of these herbs have great anti-inflammatory properties, which may alleviate inflammation from diverticulitis. Ginger has anti-spasmodic properties and can be helpful in preventing and treating nausea.
The researchers think the up and down motion of running and jogging may decrease colonic pressure, cause food to move more quickly through the digestive tract, and stimulate defecation, all of which are associated with a lower risk of diverticular complications.
If you are having a flare-up, your doctor may put you on a low-fiber or clear liquid diet for a time to give your digestive system a chance to rest and heal. Some low-fiber foods to consider during a flare-up include: White bread, white rice or white pasta. Processed fruit like applesauce or canned peaches.
Practice changer. Tell patients with diverticular disease that they can eat nuts, corn, and popcorn without fear. There is no truth to the long-held belief that these foods increase the risk of complications.
What is the treatment for diverticulosis? Once diverticula form, they do not disappear by themselves.
13 However, if you're having symptoms of diverticulitis, look for lower-fiber options, like applesauce. Bananas are another good source of fruit fiber. They also have a lot of potassium and can be especially helpful if you're recovering from a stomach upset. If you're prone to constipation, avoid unripe bananas.
Symptoms of diverticulitis are more severe and often start suddenly, but they may become worse over a few days. They include: Tenderness, usually in the left lower part of the abdomen. Bloating or gas.
Mild colonic diverticulitis can be treated without antibiotics.
Doctors often diagnose diverticulitis using a computed tomography (CT) scan of your abdomen and pelvis. It is best to perform the scan with intravenous (IV) contrast when possible. Many centers will also ask that you drink a form of oral contrast. Both contrast materials make the intestinal tract easier to see.
The infection in diverticulitis results from normal colonic flora released into the peritoneal cavity through a colonic perforation. This is, therefore, a polymicrobial infection. The most common organisms cultured include anaerobes, such as Bacteroides fragilis, and gram negatives, such as Escherichia coli.