Posted by IsoM on January 28, 2003, at 20:32:06
In reply to Anyone know what helps Diverticulitis??, posted by NikkiT2 on January 28, 2003, at 11:58:48
Nikki, there's no quick solution, not one that'll have your father-in-law fit & ready in 3 weeks, but while resorting to surgery may end up being the solution, I'll suggest another to try.
Years ago, it used to be thought that a person needed to stay on a low-fibre diet. It's understood now that the lack of fibre is what's caused it in the first place.
He needs to go on a soft-fibre diet initially, & slowly increase the amount of fibre eaten. Too much fibre taken too fast will cause cramps & gas plus make the diverticulitis worse. Psyllium fibre is good to add at first (& can be stayed on forever) - it's the stuff Metamucil is made of.
He needs to avoid any foods where small bits might get lodged in the 'pockets' like nuts, breads or foods with whole entire grains or seeds like wheat, oat, flax, sesame seeds, & poppy seeds. It's the grain or seed not being thoroughly ground fine that's the problem. Something like sesame seed butter (tahini) is fine, for example, but not whole sesame seeds.
Over a period of a few weeks, he can slowly eat more fibre rich foods. Soluble fibre like oat brain & the pectin in fruits are good, but wheat bran can be harsh.
I don't know how much water your father-in-law drinks but many older people don't drink enough & it contributes to the constipation.
Two last suggestions:
1. Acidophilus bacteria.
You can buy them in a health food store or a pharmacy as capsules with anywhere from 1-3 billion bacteria per capsule. It's the equivalent of eating lots of yoghurt. They'll help keep his intestinal flora in the right balance & help ward off developing infections in the pockets. A normal stool is composed of billions of dead intestinal bacteria - the way it's supposed to be.2. Slippery elm bark. It comes in a powder & it's made from the inner bark of the slippery elm tree. It has amazing healing abilities for the digestive tract from anything from diarrhea to nausea to constipation & on. I even am using a small amount added to the diet of my cat with renal failure - it's soothing on her queasy stomach. I love making a night-time drink from hot milk, honey, malt & the powder. It's the ultimate comfort food for me. It would be very helpful & soothing for your father-in-law.
poster:IsoM
thread:137945
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030125/msgs/138040.html