Diverticula are small, bulging pouches that can form in the lining of your digestive system. They are found most often in the lower part of the large intestine (colon). Diverticula are common, especially after age 40, and seldom cause problems.
Diverticula are small, bulging sacs or pouches that form on the inner wall of the intestine. Diverticulitis occurs when these pouches become inflamed or infected. Most often, these pouches are in the lower part of the large intestine (colon).
Key Points. Diverticula rarely involve the stomach but are common in the duodenum and small bowel. Most diverticula are asymptomatic and are detected incidentally. Complications include bleeding, perforation, and malabsorption resulting from bacterial overgrowth.
Diverticulosis is a clinical condition in which multiple sac-like protrusions (diverticula) develop along the gastrointestinal tract. Though diverticula may form at weak points in the walls of either the small or large intestines, the majority occur in the large intestine (most commonly the sigmoid colon).
Texture: Diverticulitis can cause diarrhea or constipation, causing the stool to be especially loose or firm. Frequency: The frequency can also be affected if you experience diarrhea or constipation. Effort: Stools may become more strained or painful.
After you go home, you may have diarrhea on and off during the first month. It takes about three months for the bowels to learn their “new normal.” You'll need to avoid heavy lifting for six to eight weeks to prevent a hernia.
Diverticulitis Recovery Time
If your condition is being treated with antibiotics, you must take them fully and as directed by your doctor. This can take as long as two weeks. But, you'll begin to feel better in as short as 24-hours.
If you don't treat it, diverticulitis can lead to serious complications that require surgery: Abscesses, collections of pus from the infection, may form around the infected diverticula. If these go through the intestinal wall, you could get peritonitis. This infection can be fatal.
Laterally, minimally invasive surgery has been utilized in the management of this disease and recent data suggests that localized colonic perforation may be managed by laparoscopic peritoneal lavage, without resection.
Most of the time, diverticulitis is uncomplicated, which means that inflammation and possible infection are the extents of the problem. It heals easily with the right treatment.
“Generally speaking, inflammation from diverticulitis can cause scar tissue formation and breakdown of the colon wall, and if the colon wall develops a hole, then an abscess will form,” warns Will Bulsiewicz, MD, a gastroenterologist and gut health expert in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.
For complicated cases of diverticulitis in hospitalized patients, carbapenems are the most effective empiric therapy because of increasing bacterial resistance to other regimens. Potential regimens include the following: Ciprofloxacin plus metronidazole. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole plus metronidazole.
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.
Most people with diverticulitis recover completely. But, at its most severe, a pouch can burst open, spilling fecal matter directly into a person's bloodstream. This results in an immediate risk of developing a blood infection called sepsis, which can be life-threatening.
Diverticular disease and diverticulitis are related digestive conditions that affect the large intestine (colon). In diverticular disease, small bulges or pockets (diverticula) develop in the lining of the intestine. Diverticulitis is when these pockets become inflamed or infected.
Diverticulosis: What to Eat. 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. Beans and legumes, including black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas and lentils.
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.
Blood in your stools. Fever above 100.4°F (38°C) that does not go away. Nausea, vomiting, or chills. Sudden belly or back pain that gets worse or is very severe.
Diverticulitis can usually be treated effectively. In straightforward (uncomplicated) cases, antibiotics often aren't needed. Surgery is only necessary if the inflammation is so severe that it could lead to complications.
For most people, diverticulitis won't affect their life span.
Summary. Using a heating pad, taking Tylenol (acetaminophen), and resting are all strategies you can employ at home to soothe diverticulitis pain fast—or at least faster. Home remedies used for diverticulitis are more often used to improve symptoms over some time and prevent future attacks.