During a diverticulitis flare-up, soft, low-fiber foods like bananas, applesauce, white rice, plain pasta, eggs, tender meats (chicken, fish, turkey), and yogurt help rest the gut; transition from clear liquids to these easy-to-digest options as symptoms improve, avoiding skins, seeds, and high-fiber items until fully recovered, then gradually reintroduce fiber for prevention.
Clear Liquid Diet
For managing mild diverticulitis pain or symptoms at home, your healthcare professional may recommend eating only clear foods and clear liquids for a few days. Examples of clear liquids that you can have include: Chicken, beef or vegetable broth. Fruit juices without pulp, such as apple, cranberry and grape juices.
Signs that diverticulitis has become more serious include severe abdominal pain, chills, shaking rigors, weakness, headaches and dizziness. If you feel any of these symptoms, contact your doctor or call 911, as it may be a medical emergency.
A high-fibre diet can often ease symptoms of diverticular disease, and paracetamol can be used to relieve pain – other painkillers such as aspirin or ibuprofen are not recommended for regular use, as they can cause stomach upsets. Speak to your GP if paracetamol alone is not working.
While no specific foods are proven to trigger diverticulitis attacks, a diet rich in high-fiber foods can help maintain digestive health and reduce the risk of complications. High-fiber foods soften waste, decreasing pressure in the digestive tract. Examples include: Fruits.
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.
If you have diverticular disease, it means you have pouches in your bowel wall that are causing symptoms. These include tummy pain. Diverticulitis is when these pouches become infected or inflamed. Symptoms can come on suddenly and can be much more severe.
One of the most common diverticulitis symptoms is abdominal pain on your lower left or right side. Diverticulitis pain can get worse when you sleep or exercise. The pain might be managed with changes in diet and medications.
When diverticulitis leads to sepsis, look out for these specific symptoms:
Clear liquids and low-fiber foods are the best options for relieving diverticulitis symptoms. Dairy products and other protein-rich foods can help with healing and your recovery during diverticulitis flares. It's a good idea to add more fiber to your diet after you've recovered from a diverticulitis flare.
Some studies show 5 days of antibiotics can work for mild diverticulitis. For example, a study in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology found similar results for 5-day and longer treatments. These studies focus on patients with: Mild to moderate diverticulitis.
Lifestyle and home remedies
Good Food Guide
Cater says people with diverticulosis can benefit from eating fiber-rich foods, including: Whole grains, such as quinoa, bulgur, teff, barley, popcorn, oats, shredded wheat or bran cereals, and whole grain breads.
Liquid diets until acute symptoms resolve (e.g. severe pain, fever) While it's not recommended to stay on liquid diets long term, liquid diet for a couple days when symptoms get really bad can help alleviate symptoms by resting your digestive tract. Some good liquid foods to include in your diet are: Water.
During the acute phase of uncomplicated diverticulitis, “bowel rest” through a clear liquid diet is advised with a goal of patient comfort. If a patient cannot advance their diet after three to five days, a follow-up appointment should be scheduled immediately.
Common symptoms of diverticulitis include:
Constant abdominal pain that lasts for days, typically on the lower left side of the abdomen (although some people experience it on the lower right side) Nausea and/or vomiting. Fever and/or chills.
Common alternative conditions that can clinically mimic diverticulitis include small bowel obstruction, primary epiploic appendagitis, acute cholecystitis, appendicitis, ileitis, ovarian cystic disease, and ureteral stone disease.
Diverticulitis perforation is a medical emergency with symptoms like sudden, severe abdominal pain (often lower left), high fever, chills, rapid heart rate, nausea, vomiting, and a rigid, tender abdomen, as bowel contents leak into the abdominal cavity (peritonitis). It requires immediate medical attention, with signs of worsening infection like difficulty breathing or confusion signaling sepsis.
They found that the optimal time for elective resection was after the third attack of uncomplicated diverticulitis and that the probability of surgery after the first hospitalized attack was the same after three attacks.
Honestly, recovering from diverticulitis might take up to two weeks. In the initial days of recuperating from straightforward diverticulitis in the comfort of your home, you'll be on a liquid diet, taking it easy, and using the prescribed medications for pain relief.
Recurrent attacks of acute diverticulitis carry the risk of gradual scarring and fibrosis with the sequela of forming a stricture. Diverticular disease rarely causes complete obstruction.
Always see your healthcare provider to be sure. You should seek emergency medical attention for diverticulitis if you experience one or more of the following: Blood in stool. Excessive vomiting or severe nausea.