General Chat

friend after several months been diagnosed. However in spite of constant pain has to wait until end of January for a camera test. The weight is falling off her, as she eats very little now.

Anyone had this and can offer some advice please? Had various medications from GP but so far nothing has really helped.

Well they need to go back and see their GP then .

She has been - like a revolving door!

Have you looked at the NHS web site? they say A high-fibre diet can often ease symptoms

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Diverticular-disease-and-diverticulitis/Pages/Introduction.aspx

Roy

She could try over the counter Kaolin nd Morphine if she not on other meds,or any that wont cause reactons.....******* But ask chemist,*******,,,,not to be taken over a long period of time though,but may help when at a peak....can only be bought 1 bottle at a time ,*****and maybe questioned if using the same chemist twice. in a short period of time***

*******Its a legal home medication for upset tummies********

She has suffered from severe constipation all her life and starts off the day for as long as I have known her - over 50 yrs with Al-Bran.

Will check on the Kaolin mix - thanks Kay and Roy.

If I remember rightly,kaolin and morphine is for diarrhoea ,so if she is constipated I would think that lactulose is the best option.I have had diverticulitis when working in a very stressful job and not eating at regular times...it is very painful.
Lactulose is not a laxative but helps soften stools.

Chris, Starting the day with a bowl of Al Bran is not the same as having a high-fibre diet

Roy

At the moment she has been told by hospital to eat white bread, fish, chicken - no meat.

That is all I can remember.

Well if that is what the hospital has told her , then that is what she needs to do , not try umpteen remedies whacked on here by people that know nothing about her .

Just that she has been on that diet for about a month with no improvement and I just wondered if anyone who had had this condition could say what helped them. She has come down 2 dress sizes and heading for the third - must look like a walking (when she can) skeleton.

White bread? Not the best option i would have although you can get high fibre white bread but even the ones Ive seen are still quite low in fibre compared to other sources at abt 2.6g per slice

My wife has a long standing similar problem and any bread appears to make her symptoms worse

Roy

Edit, As aivlyS said, her doctor is the best person to help

Hi Chris,Son in law has this complaint.He is on medication but he also eats white bread.In the intestine gaps or loops appear.IHe is not allowed to eat nuts or granary bread as the pieces get caught in the loops and get infected and makes it worse.

My sister suffers badly with this I know little about the condition, I thought it was like gowd Icant think of the name of it now, but its a like IBS and flares up, my sister can not eat bread.

This may help to explain why the hospital told her to eat white bread, fish, chicken with no meat

http://www.wwl.nhs.uk/Library/All_New_PI_Docs/Audio_Leaflets/Dietetics/Low_Residue_Diet/FT2_low_residue_diet.html

Roy

Amazing - evidence that someone else has this - and has symptoms.
I was diagnosed with diverticular disease October 2011, after a year or so of various annoying, slightly worrying, but not painful symptoms.
After the diagonostic colonoscopy, I had colonic spasms, and ever since my colon has been very sensitive - not to food, but to stress.

I've never taken a laxative in my life - because I've never needed one (so that's one definite cause out the window)- but know one of the worst things for the condition is constipation, so anything above paracetamol for pain relief is dodgy.
- kaolin & morphine could possibly cause more pain.
Some websites say more fibre - others less -and some contradict themselves. You friend will have to find her own way.
BC's Wheatgrass could be a help.
I find stir fries are very 'cleansing' as well

I personally can't LOSE weight
If your friends losing so much weight, Chris, the doctor should do something about it.

Mine's caused by stress - work overload at work. Had my first bout of diverticulitis in November - work decided it was home related stress, nor work related (handy that!) - even though I'd been off with work related stress in January and s*d all has been done.

Sooo more stress as I pointed out the error of their ways - but the doc had just written 'stress' and they wouldn't take my word for it when I said it was work related.
I had to ask the doc to provide a duplicate certificate, which he willingly did - and he stated (bless him) 'work related diverticulitis & stress' - thereby blaming the whole episode on work :-D
Being treated like some child who'd lied to mummy on the sick note for school, rather than a 56 year old who knows why she's ill just about sums up how the hierarchy at Hampshire County Council view their admin!! :-0

I'm not on medication, so constantly have a small amount of discomfort, which increases as the stress rises, but medication & I, don't gel well.
I was on 2 antibiotics for the diverticulitis for a week - and my line manager wondered why I wasn't at work :-0
These antibiotics had wonderful side effects, and I suffered from every one during that week - but only for a short time, but at the end of the first week, my doc signed me off for another 2 weeks.

Sorry, I've rambled, but many people have diverticular disease and have no symptoms. The symptoms suffered and the cause of them are incredibly varied, and there's no way to 'cure' it, just learn to cope.

........but just try telling your employers they're the cause and it's fingers in ears and 'la la la' and desperate attempts are made to blame home life or your ability to do the work!!!