Colonoscopy and diverticula

[fh2000]

There is a thread about colonoscopy. I thought I start a new one because of diverticula.

First colonoscopy at age 53, 8 years ago. 4 polyps removed.
2nd one 5 years ago. 1 polyp removed and also diverticula (he included 3 pictures) found.
Last month, I did the 3rd one at now 61. 2 polyps removed and looks like more diverticula found (6 pictures of these).

My next one will be in 5 years.

Polyps were all benign, but doctor told me not to include seeds, nuts in my diet. If I develop symptoms such as abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, change in bowel habits, call my primary doctor. DW took all my nuts away.

I guess, there is no cure for this. How likely does one develop a diverticulitis by eating seeds and nuts? Google search has some mixed reviews with this.

 

[Walt34]

DW took all my nuts away.

I guess, there is no cure for this. How likely does one develop a diverticulitis by eating seeds and nuts? Google search has some mixed reviews with this.

In my case, fairly likely. I had gotten into the habit of buying a big bag of frozen berries, which included raspberries (which I enjoy a lot!) and pouring some of that in a bowl, nuking it for a few minutes, and then a dollop (well, lots of dollops) of whipped cream. Made a great breakfast for many weeks.

Then I started having abdominal pain that moved lower and then began to be more painful. Knowing that abdominal pain can signal lots of things, some of them very bad, I went to the ER. Turned out to be diverticulitis. A round of antibiotics for 10 days fixed me right up with results after day one.

And DW took away all my berries and almonds.

With all my health issues the last couple of years I'm finding out why married guys live longer. Whenever I want to do anything that is not on the Dr.'s "approved" list I get yelled at.

 

[braumeister]

Interesting. I've had four colonoscopies, with a couple of polyps removed during two of them. Diverticula have been noted on the report every time, but without comment. I understand getting enough fiber in your diet can help avoid diverticulitis, so I make an effort to consume enough fiber, but no idea what else would be good to do. I've never had a problem related to this that I know of.

 

[Walt34]

Interesting. I've had four colonoscopies, with a couple of polyps removed during two of them. Diverticula have been noted on the report every time, but without comment. I understand getting enough fiber in your diet can help avoid diverticulitis, so I make an effort to consume enough fiber, but no idea what else would be good to do. I've never had a problem related to this that I know of.

Same here, that's why I was kind of surprised that berries and nuts are now "forbidden" foods. I thought they were good for you but apparently in my case I carried things a bit too far.

 

[FIREd]

My mother ended up in the hospital with diverticulitis maybe 10 years ago. She now follows a pretty strict diet - no nuts, nothing with seeds, strings, thin skin, etc... she does not eat raw fruits or vegetables anymore. She sometimes has flare-ups requiring a course of antibiotics when she deviates too far from her diet.

 

[HadEnuff]

In my case, fairly likely. I had gotten into the habit of buying a big bag of frozen berries, which included raspberries (which I enjoy a lot!) and pouring some of that in a bowl, nuking it for a few minutes, and then a dollop (well, lots of dollops) of whipped cream. Made a great breakfast for many weeks.

Then I started having abdominal pain that moved lower and then began to be more painful. Knowing that abdominal pain can signal lots of things, some of them very bad, I went to the ER. Turned out to be diverticulitis. A round of antibiotics for 10 days fixed me right up with results after day one.

And DW took away all my berries and almonds.

With all my health issues the last couple of years I'm finding out why married guys live longer. Whenever I want to do anything that is not on the Dr.'s "approved" list I get yelled at.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-...pert-answers/diverticulitis-diet/faq-20058333

from the above linked mayo clinic article:

"In the past, doctors recommended that people with small pouches (diverticula) in the lining of the colon avoid nuts and foods with small seeds, such as tomatoes, cucumbers and strawberries.

It was thought that these tiny food particles could lodge in diverticula and cause inflammation (diverticulitis). But there is no scientific evidence that seeds and nuts cause diverticulitis flares.

In fact, eating a high-fiber diet — which may include moderate amounts of nuts and seeds — may reduce your risk of diverticulitis.

If you have diverticular disease, talk to your doctor or dietitian about the kinds of food to eat and whether there are any you need to avoid."

 

[MRG]

DW took all my nuts away.

.

That happens man. Sorry!

I have the same history and I guess I'm lucky it didn't hurt much. I'm talking about the diverticulitis.

I have the same issue. I don't know any more than you, fiber helps. I'm not sure if seeds and nuts cause it or make it worse.

 

[braumeister]

FWIW, I eat a LOT of nuts and seeds. Always have. But despite all my diverticula I've never had a problem. I can't help but think all that fiber I eat helps.

 

[Tetto]

This is quite accurate; there’s no real scientific correlation to seeds/nuts etc and flare ups of diverticulitis. It’s anecdotal at best, but it also seems to be good common sense and is why docs say it. I had the flare ups and suffered excruciatingly from diverticular disease. Finally had enough after ending up in ICU Christmas Eve 08, scheduled surgery for three months later and had entire sigmoid colon section removed. All told, 9 inches were removed. Never felt better after that!

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-...pert-answers/diverticulitis-diet/faq-20058333

from the above linked mayo clinic article:

"In the past, doctors recommended that people with small pouches (diverticula) in the lining of the colon avoid nuts and foods with small seeds, such as tomatoes, cucumbers and strawberries.

It was thought that these tiny food particles could lodge in diverticula and cause inflammation (diverticulitis). But there is no scientific evidence that seeds and nuts cause diverticulitis flares.

In fact, eating a high-fiber diet — which may include moderate amounts of nuts and seeds — may reduce your risk of diverticulitis.

If you have diverticular disease, talk to your doctor or dietitian about the kinds of food to eat and whether there are any you need to avoid."

 

[JoeWras]

Interesting. I've had four colonoscopies, with a couple of polyps removed during two of them. Diverticula have been noted on the report every time, but without comment. I understand getting enough fiber in your diet can help avoid diverticulitis, so I make an effort to consume enough fiber, but no idea what else would be good to do. I've never had a problem related to this that I know of.

+1. Same exact story for me.

The only comment was, "Yeah, they are there, we'll check in 5 years (for my polyp follow up). Otherwise, carry on."

 

[CardsFan]

I have had one DV attack (d@amned if I am going to try to spell it every time). 2 days of anti-biotics.

The canned literature I got all warned against nuts, seeds, etc, but the doctors all said it was NOT really a concern. The surgeon basically told me high fiber, including seeds and nuts, is the best deterent to future attacks. She said most people "of a certain age" have the "small pouches", and what causes an attack (i.e an infection) is really not clear.

If you have several attacks, then removal of that part if the intestine is the best solution. But you haven't had one, and may never.

I would stay aware, just in case, but not worry about it.

 

[Livefree]

I've had 2 colonoscopies so far and the last one, two years ago showed Diverticula. They advised me to eat more fiber. Wish I had listened, because this past February I had my first infection resulting in Diverticulitis.

I now watch what I eat and take fiber pills (Citrucel) daily. Lots of water, fruit, limit fried foods etc.

Haven't had an infection since, but have had flareups, when the diet goes bad

 

[MRG]

I eat seeds and nuts on a regular basis. Probably an ounce daily. That's a good portion, 10%, of calories.

 

[LOL!]

I don't think seeds and nuts cause it, but you don't want hard fragments of seeds and nuts to get stuck in the pockets and stay there. That would be bad.

One can have fiber that is not hard and makes the intestines work. Oatmeal for instance. One can also eat chocolate which is a laxative and gets pushed out rather quickly, too.

 

[donheff]

Good thread. I get more info on the back and forth here than in the minute it takes the doc to give me my results. This time I too had a benign polyp and they saw one small diverticula so I am going back sooner than I would have. No diverticulitis yet but my mother had an awful experience so I am concerned.

 

[braumeister]

I just happened to notice that this thread is in the Travel forum.

Maybe one of our kind mods could move it to the Health forum?

 

[Meadbh]

I just happened to notice that this thread is in the Travel forum.

Maybe one of our kind mods could move it to the Health forum?

Well, they do talk about “bowel transit time”!

 

[fh2000]

I just happened to notice that this thread is in the Travel forum.

Maybe one of our kind mods could move it to the Health forum?

The thread was created under 'Health and Early Retirement', and still there. Mods did not move it.

I think I saw briefly too what you witnessed by clicking 'New Posts' at the top row. It only showed it under 'Travel' one time. If you go directly to 'Health and Early Retirement' you will find this thread.

It maybe because how the database index was constructed for 'New Posts'. Sometimes I am not even seeing threads showing up there.

 

[Chuckanut]

The Mayo Clinic comments are a great example of why we need to be careful about health recommendations. Avoiding little seeds seems to make perfect sense, but it doesn’t actually provide a benefit for most people with diverticulosis. The same was true of eggs. They are full of that nasty cholesterol so don’t eat them often. Makes sense except that ingested cholesterol doesn’t seem to cause the problem after all.

This stuff is a lot trickier than we think.

However, we are individuals so if if works for you, then keep doing it.

 

[Taxman59]

I have DV (agree that the spelling is onerous) and was initially told to avoid nuts. After much reading and many movies (with the obligatory popcorn), I asked the Dr why no nuts. Recent studies had shown a correlation with stress and bouts of DV. I had some pretty severe bouts and was about to get 18 inches of my colon removed when I gave notice. The surgeon decided to hold off on the surgery, and I have been symptom free since. No stress has been the "cure" for my DV, along with an increase in my fiber intake.

 

[fh2000]

Update of my colonoscopy cost:

I finally received the approval from insurance. I had already met the deductible for 2017. My portion is 30% and looks like Hospital is free to me because it is a preventative procedure. Doctor did remove 2 polyps therefore the cost is likely for that.

From	Billed	Allowed	Member responsible
Hospital	$8,230.00	$1,513.00	$0.00
Doctor	$406.00	$343.00	$103.00
Pathology	$279.00	$215.00	$65.00
Total for me			$168.00