A week ago today I was in the ER having a cat scan and other tests. They thought they were going to have to admit me for emergency surgery. Fortunately, nothing had ruptured.

I've been told for years not to eat nuts, popcorn, seeds, etc. However, my DH's dr. said,after his colonoscopy, that they'd rethought that and were allowing it. Well, I'm rethinking this guys advice. I've been trying to eat about 1 oz of almonds/day. I chewed and chewed and chewed. I guess I won't be doing that again. This was the worst bout I've ever had with it!

Does anyone else have this problem?

Hello,
In 2002 I was admitted to emergency with severe stomach pains. I went into surgery with what they thought was appendicitis, it turned out that when they got into my abdomen my bowel had ruptured, my belly was full of pus and poo, I nearly died and was a VERY sick girl for about two weeks. Luckily I pulled through.

I had not known that I had diverticulitis until I woke up from the surgery. My grandmother has always suffered from it and couldn't understand how I didn't know I had it. Apart from being constantly constipated, I had no other signs of it.

Nana on the other hand constantly gets pain and won't eat anything with small seeds in it or on it, she removes the seeds from tomatoes, cucumbers etc and only eats nuts sparingly.

I on the other hand have never worried about what I eat. I do however worry about whether if I get it again I will know ahead of time. I asked if I needed a colonoscopy on a regular basis and was told no, I hope they are right. The 7 minutes it took for my bowel to rupture were the worst, most painful 7 minutes of my whole life, I would gladly deliver all three of my girls one after another rather than have my bowel rupture again.

I think if you have pain after eating nuts etc it may be wiser to steer clear of them.

Take care,
Jennylee

hi...
i too suffer from diverticulitus but have never been hospitalized.....popcorn, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, kiwi.....anything with the smaller seeds seems to set mine off...i can have walnuts, almonds, and such with no problem but the last time i had sunflower seeds i thought i wasn't gonna make it....

take care cindy

I was admitted to the hospital last August with extreme stomach pains and they sent me into surgery thinking it was appendicitis, finding out it was diverticulitis instead. I was luckier though than Jennylee. I had gotten there before my colon ruptured. Wow, you are one lucky lady. The surgery went fine but then I developed a reaction to the anibiotics they were pumping into me. I don't ever want to go thru that again. I was out of work for a month afterwards.

My doctor told me to stay away from all seeds, nuts and corn. And I have. But I didn't know that the skin on fruits and veggies are also tabu. The Dietician at HyVee grocery store told me that yesterday. But I have go admit that I have been eating grapes for the last few weeks with out any problems.

I do have problems when I eat any fried foods. Like fried chicken, french fries and the like. Sausage also gives me problems. Not sure why.

My friends laugh at me because I know how much fiber is in almost every food.

Diverticulosis is what those of you without pain seem to be describing. Essentially, with this condition, you have small pockets along your intestines that can fill causing blockage and discomfort. Many people have this but, because not everyone has issues, we have no idea of truly knowing what percentage of the population it affects.

Diverticulitus is when the diverticulosis pockets become infected. This is what most people associate with the severe pain and cramping, although both can be painful.

Sad to say it, but nuts are probably no longer a good idea! My friend went into the emergency room with diverticulitus and was told no nuts, seeds or popcorn.

There are actually several reputable websites with information about this condition.

Jennylee...wow I also had a bowel rupture in 2002, and I also didn't know I had diverticulosis until then. Mine ruptured at home and I called my hubby to come home from work and take me to ER. I was in ER (screaming) for 4 HOURS before even seeing a doctor! They did an enema on me in Xray and then took me to surgery. I already had peritonitis so the doctor had his arm in me up to his elbow cleaning me out. There's no way you will catch me eating nuts, seeds, strawberries, popcorn, etc...and watch out for sesame seed buns...you can start to eat a sandwich without thinking about it!! Diverticulosis can be heredity or caused by a number of gastrointestinal problems...just about everyone over 50 has it to some degree. Take care