The good news is that most stomach cramps pass and don’t require medical attention. But when the problem is caused by diverticulitis, the pain can differ from other aches you’ve had before.
Understanding What Diverticulitis Is and the Factors That May Cause It
To understand diverticulitis, you must first understand what’s going on inside your colon — not the most comforting thought but a necessary one. “Diverticulitis means that a saclike protrusion has become inflamed and generally infected. In other words, diverticulitis means inflamed diverticulosis,” explains Will Bulsiewicz, MD, a gastroenterologist and gut health expert in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. “People who develop diverticulitis will have pain in the left lower abdomen, and many will also have nausea with vomiting, fever, and a change in bowel habits.”
1. Liquid Diet
“In the setting of acute diverticulitis, patients are typically placed on bowel rest and a clear liquid diet,” says Daniel Motola, MD, PhD, a gastroenterologist with Gotham Medical Associates in New York City. “This is typically advanced as their symptoms improve over the course of two to three days.”
Clear brothsClear sodasClear soupsCoffee without milk or creamPlain gelatinSports drinksTea without milkJuice and water
2. Pain Medication
As with any condition causing inflammation and an infection, pain doesn’t disappear overnight.
3. Oral Antibiotics
For the majority of patients, bowel rest and a liquid diet promoting hydration should be enough to manage the condition.
However, the guidance states that doctors may still prescribe antibiotics for some patients, including those who are immunocompromised or medically frail. For these individuals, one of the following antibiotics may be prescribed for 7 to 10 days:
Flagyl (metronidazole)Bactrim (sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim)Cipro (ciprofloxacin)Amoxil (amoxicillin)Augmentin (clavulanate)
4. Alternative Therapies
Some natural and alternative therapies may improve symptoms, but as Dr. Bulsiewicz notes, there isn’t a lot of science-backed information available on the effectiveness of alternative medicine for the treatment of diverticulitis. “Some examples that have been purported include slippery elm, cat’s claw, marshmallow, and licorice root,” he says. “Acupuncture has been used to aid in pain control, but the concern with opting for these supplements is that there is inherent risk with each and an inadequate amount of data to demonstrate efficacy at this point.” That’s not to say you can’t go the natural or alternative route — just make sure you do so under the guidance of your gastroenterologist. “Complicated diverticulitis is defined by the presence of a more advanced disease, such as perforation, abscess, fistula, intestinal obstruction, or bleeding,” Bulsiewicz says. “Generally, those with complicated diverticulitis will be hospitalized, and there’s a much higher likelihood of requiring surgery to fix the issue, although not always.” Here’s what you can expect treatment-wise if you’re diagnosed with a more serious case of diverticulitis.
1. Intravenous Antibiotic or Pain Therapy
If you can’t keep fluids down or if you have a weak immune system, your doctor may recommend being admitted to the hospital. You’ll receive pain medicine and antibiotics intravenously while in the hospital, which involves connecting a tube to your vein. Intravenous therapy is effective because medication gets into your bloodstream and begins working faster.
2. Surgery
If diverticulitis progresses, your doctor may start discussing the possibility of surgery. “There are two scenarios when surgery is considered as treatment for diverticulitis. First, if there’s a perforation, abscess, fistula, or intestinal blockage, it may be necessary to perform surgery in order to correct the problem,” Bulsiewicz warns. “In this setting, diverticulitis is usually so severe that there is little choice but to proceed with surgery.” Bulsiewicz agrees: “Having done thousands of colonoscopies, I can honestly say that I’ve never seen anything inside the colon to suggest to me that nuts and seeds are clogging up diverticula.”
How to Prevent Diverticulitis From Recurring
Diverticulitis can be painful and scary, and may require a hospital stay, but with appropriate treatment, the colon can heal. Diverticulitis still may recur, but there are plenty of ways to stop this from happening: Be wary of using just any supplement. When it comes to supplements, there are a number of ideas but unfortunately an insufficient amount of research to validate or invalidate the ideas, warns Bulsiewicz. Additional reporting by Ashley Welch.
