Diverticular disease can be excruciatingly painful when its colon lining becomes inflamed or infected, often requiring rest, low-fiber diet or clear liquid diet and over-the-counter pain medications like ibuprofen or acetaminophen for relief.
Most cases of diverticulitis respond well to rest, low fiber or clear liquid diet and over-the-counter pain relief medication like ibuprofen or acetaminophen.
Diverticulitis treatment options are changing. Physicians now often recommend liquid diets designed to promote hydration rather than antibiotics for acute cases.
What is Diverticulitis?
Diverticulitis, a gut ailment, wreaks havoc on one’s life with chronic symptoms and dire complications. Novel treatments are emerging, like the symbiotic pairing of probiotics and mesalazine. Researchers discovered that this combo spurs remission in 88% of patients over a two-year span.
Anti-inflammatory medication, namely mesalamine, enters the picture for sigmoid and colonic diverticulitis, curbing recurrences and alleviating symptoms in chronic sufferers. While guidelines are cautious, some advocate for its employment to ease the torment of ongoing disease.
For mild and uncomplicated episodes, a liquid diet reigns supreme. Nourishing the bowels and permitting recovery, it eventually welcomes solid fare. This approach triumphs in the majority of individuals afflicted with uncomplicated diverticulitis.
Antibiotics take center stage in the infection-fighting arena for uncomplicated cases. Nevertheless, contemporary guidelines hint at their dispensability in mild instances.
Importantly, there’s no magic pill to deter diverticulitis relapses. Severe bouts may demand hospitalization or surgical intervention. The realm of research delves into uncharted territory, exploring fresh avenues for combating this ailment, including the potential benefits of probiotics.
New Treatments for Diverticulitis
Alternative or Emerging Treatments
Those suffering from diverticulitis will typically receive pain medication and antibiotics from their physician to combat an infection, in addition to advice regarding liquid diets as a means of giving your colon some restful relaxation time.
Your doctor will collect a stool sample to ascertain the cause of your symptoms and analyze it using computed tomography (CT) scanning or ultrasound technology. CT or ultrasound images can help identify areas of inflammation, fistula or abscess in the colon and where bleeding may be taking place. A radiologist may use CT scanning technology to inject dye into blood vessels supplying your colon, so they can see where blood loss is happening.
Antibiotics kill the bacteria responsible for your infection, but they may also harm beneficial gut bacteria that play an essential role in maintaining health and balancing out inflammation in your digestive system. Probiotic supplements taken after finishing antibiotic treatment can help restore these “good” bacteria to help boost the effects of treatment and ease symptoms more effectively than ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve).
Acupuncture involves inserting thin needles at various strategic points on your body in order to achieve relief of pain relief from diverticulitis pain relief more effectively than over-the-counter pain relievers such as Ibuprofen or naproxen (Aleve).
Acupuncture involves inserting thin needles into strategic points along your body so as to relieve pain more efficiently than over-the-counter treatments such as Ibuprofen/Naproxen/Naproxen/Aleve.
Antibiotics
Diverticulitis can be painful, but there are ways to manage the condition without antibiotics. New guidelines suggest internists treat most cases of uncomplicated diverticulitis in an outpatient setting without prescribing antibiotics unless patients are immunocompromised or medically fragile.
Diverticula are pouches that form within the colon walls due to straining during constipation. Over time, these pockets may tear or become inflamed – leading to diverticulitis, with symptoms usually including abdominal pain, fever and changes in bowel habits.
Old treatment paradigms for diverticulitis required prescribing antibiotics like metronidazole or fluoroquinolone; now researchers suggest amoxicillin-clavulanate as a more appropriate choice, since these drugs don’t carry as high a risk of resistance and adverse side effects; as well as this change being spurred on by new evidence supporting nonantibiotic approaches for treating diverticulitis.
Bowel Resection with Colostomy
Depending on the severity of cancer, surgery may involve surgically extracting diseased portions of colon and rejoining them (colectomy). Or they might connect the top end of intestine to an opening in your abdomen called a stoma in order for stool to leave your body. Stomas typically reside on the right side of the abdomen. They can either be permanent or temporary depending on your circumstances.
After becoming healthier, often a colostomy can be reversed; however, the stoma may need to remain permanently.
Before surgery, your stoma nurse will educate you about using and caring for a colostomy bag and surrounding skin. They’ll also advise against eating foods which cause gas formation and unpleasant odours – such as cabbage, beans and onions; charcoal tablets or anti-flatulent treatments might be used to reduce these issues further.
Surgery
Emergency surgical intervention may be necessary in cases of perforated diverticulitis, including bowel resection with colostomy, abdominal wall reconstruction involving coloanal anastomosis or sigmoidectomy or ileocecal resection. The choice of procedure will depend upon patient comorbidities, severity of disease and presence or absence of intraabdominal fluid accumulation.
Sigmoid diverticulitis has an increased rate of complications when compared with other forms of the disorder, especially sepsis risk. Most cases, however, can be managed non-operatively with antibiotic therapy and liquid diet to promote hydration.
DINAMO-study results demonstrated that, for mild diverticulitis treated in an emergency department (ED), outpatient treatment without antibiotics was no worse than treatment with antibiotics in terms of hospital admissions reduction.
Consistent with the mounting body of evidence supporting non-drug treatments for diverticulitis in most patients; however, gastroenterologists should maintain a higher index of suspicion when dealing with immunocompromised individuals or those suffering from serious co-morbidities.
What Lifestyle Changes Can Help Prevent Diverticulitis Recurrence
Diverticulitis, a fiery ailment, strikes when the colon’s pouches swell and ignite. It brings agony, fever, queasiness, and disrupted bowels. Here are life adjustments that combat relapse:
Diet
To halt diverticulitis and its comeback, embrace a high-fiber regime. Bran, whole-wheat pasta, apples, pears, raspberries, beans, sweet potatoes, avocados, and veggies are fibrous allies. Introduce fiber gradually to dodge bloat and ache.
Aim for 25-30 grams daily. Hydrating with eight cups a day helps soften stools and prevents constipation. In times of flare-up, stick to clear liquids, then ease back to regular eats.
Exercise
Routine cardio curtails repeat bouts of diverticulitis. Opt for gentle workouts like walking, swimming, or yoga. Studies reveal exercise enhances digestion, eases stress, and boosts overall health—bonuses for diverticulitis sufferers.
Stress Management
Stress heightens diverticulitis by diverting blood from gut to brain and muscles, leaving the body defenseless. Hence, stress control thwarts relapse. Meditation, deep breaths, and seeking help are stress-busting strategies.
Healthy Lifestyle Adherence
Men who commit to healthy living, shunning risky habits like excessive red meat, adopting fiber-rich diets, and staying active, witness lower diverticulitis risks. Choose wisely to prevent relapse.
Consult a doctor before revamping your diet or exercise. Safety first.
