Diagnosis of Diverticulosis

Diverticulosis is often unsuspected and discovered by an x-ray or intestinal examination performed for an unrelated reason. The doctor may see the diverticula through a flexible tube (a colonoscope) that is inserted through the anus. Through this scope, the diverticula may be seen as dark passages leading out of the normal colon wall.
The doctor also may do a barium enema (an x-ray that reveals outpouchings in the walls of the colon). If rectal bleeding occurs, the doctor may take a special x-ray (an angiography). In this procedure, dye is injected into an artery that goes to the colon so that the site of the bleeding problem can be located.

Treatment of Diverticulosis

If the patient has diverticulosis with no symptoms, no treatment is needed. Some doctors advise eating a special high fiber diet, consisting of fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, whole-grain breads, cereals and bran.
Additionally, adding a fiber supplement (such as Metamucil or Hydrocil) to the diet, and avoiding certain foods with small seeds, such as strawberries, raspberries, whole cranberries and nuts is helpful in treating diverticulosis.
Patients experiencing bloating or abdominal pain may benefit from anti-spasmodic drugs, such as Librax, Bentyl, Donnotal and Levsin.
If this condition turns into diverticulitis, bedrest, antibiotics or hospitalization may be needed. The vast majority of patients will recover from diverticulitis without surgery. Sometimes, patients need surgery to drain an abscess that has resulted from a ruptured diverticulum and to remove that portion of the colon. Surgery is reserved for patients with very severe or multiple attacks. In such cases, the involved segment of colon can be removed and the colon can then be rejoined.

Diverticulitis diet: What should I eat?

Diverticulitis occurs when small, bulging pouches (diverticula) in your digestive tract become infected and inflamed — causing severe abdominal pain, fever and nausea. Treatment of diverticulitis depends on the severity of your symptoms and whether this is your first attack. Mild cases of diverticulitis can be treated with changes in diet, rest and antibiotics. Severe cases may eventually require surgery to remove the diseased portion of your colon.
During a mild attack of diverticulitis, your doctor may recommend a clear liquid diet or a low-fiber diet. This helps the area of infection to heal.

Diverticulitis diet
Foods allowed on a clear-liquid diet include:
Plain water
Fruit juices without pulp
Broth (bouillon or consumme)
Gelatin
Popsicles without bits of fruit or fruit pulp
Tea or coffee without cream
Foods allowed on a low-fiber diet include:
Enriched white bread
White rice or plain pasta, noodles or macaroni
Low-fiber cereals
Most raw, canned or cooked fruits without skins, seeds or membranes
Fruit juice with little or no pulp
Canned or well-cooked vegetables without seeds, hulls or skins
Tender meat, poultry and fish
Eggs
Smooth peanut butter
Milk, yogurt or cheese without seeds or nuts
Desserts without seeds or nuts

Once your symptoms improve — often within a few days — you can gradually increase the amount of fiber in your diet. Start by adding about 5 to 15 grams of fiber a day to allow your digestive system to adjust to the higher fiber intake.

To prevent attacks of diverticulitis:

Eat more fiber. High-fiber foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains, soften waste and help it pass more quickly through your colon. This reduces pressure within your digestive tract. Aim for 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day. If you have a difficult time consuming this much fiber every day, consider using a fiber supplement, such as psyllium (Metamucil, Nature's Way) or methylcellulose (Citrucel).
Drink plenty of fluids. Fiber works by absorbing water and increasing the soft, bulky waste in your colon. But if you don't drink enough liquid to replace what is absorbed, fiber can be constipating.

Taking a natural anti-inflammatory like Serovera AMP will help reduce inflammation within the intestin.

Exercise regularly. Exercise promotes normal bowel function and reduces pressure inside your colon, decreasing your chances of forming diverticula.

Diverticula....Diverticulosis....Diverticulitis

It is not unusual for people over the age of 55/60 to have diverticula....better known as small bulging pouches. They are usually are located in the digestive tract. This is called diverticulosis.
When they become infected or inflamed, it is called diverticulitis.

Diverticula: These are the small pouches that develop when weak spots give way to pressure. The pouches are small at first and grow larger over time.

Diverticulosis: Normally occur in large intestines. Can form anywhere. Includes esphogus, stomach and small intestines. These pouches normally don't cause any problems, you won't know you have them.

Diverticulitis: The inflammation or infection of the pouches normally located in largeintestines. The pain from an attack normally is severe and comes on quickly. It normally feels like appendicitis, except the pain is on the left side.
Sometimes a person will have mild pain which will get worse over time.
Person may also have abdominal tenderness, fever, nausea, and constipationor diarrhea.

Diverticulitis symptoms

Diverticulitis symptoms, which indicate that pouches have formed in the colon and have become inflamed or infected, can include some or all of the following:
abdominal pain
fever
nausea
vomiting
chills
cramping
constipation
tenderness around the left side of the lower abdomen (most diverticula, or pouches, occur in the left side of the colon because this is where the pressure is highest).
If you have diverticulosis, where the pouches have formed in the intestines but haven't been infected or inflamed, then you may have no symptoms to speak of, or you may have mild cramps, bloating or constipation.
It is important to remember that digestive symptoms such as constipation can be due to many different disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), celiac disease and Crohn's disease, and so it is important to have your symptoms diagnosed by a medical doctor.

What is diverticulitis

Diverticulitis occurs when small pouches bulge out from weak points in the intestines, forming 'diverticula', which then become infected or inflamed. It is sometime described as being similar to a balloon of air bulging out of a bicycle tire.
The pouches alone, without any infection or inflammation are quite common, and if you have just the pouches then you suffer from diverticulosis.
If you have the pouches plus the inflammation or infection then you have diverticulitis.
Approximately 10% of people in the US who are 40 or over suffer from diverticulosis, and then around 10 to 25 of people who have diverticulosis will go on to develop diverticulitis.