Discharge Instructions for Diverticulitis (2024)

FAQs

What is the discharge teaching for a client with diverticulitis? ›

Start with liquids only, then slowly add fiber over time. Watch for changes in your bowel movements (constipation to diarrhea). Prevent constipation with fiber and add a stool softener if needed. Get plenty of rest and sleep.

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.

Lean protein: Eggs and tender cuts of meat (think shredded chicken, baked fish, and ground beef) are usually easy to digest. Cooked fruits and vegetables: You may need to remove the skin if you believe it has caused irritation in the past.

For patients with uncomplicated diverticulitis, the ACP recommends a trial of supportive care that includes bowel rest and hydration. In these patients, complication rates, quality of life, need for surgery, length of hospital stay, and long-term recurrence are similar whether antibiotics are given or not.

Diverticulitis is associated with low fiber intake. It is important to educate the patient about the importance of following a high-fiber diet by including foods the patient has identified they will eat.

You should see your doctor if you have any changes in symptoms. You should take regular exercise, lose weight if you are overweight or obese, and stop smoking. However the studies on which these recommendations are made are not highly definite for reducing the risk of developing a complication from diverticulitis.

Diverticulitis occurs when the pouches in the colon become infected or inflamed. Dietary changes can help the colon heal. Fiber is an important part of the diet for patients with diverticulosis. A high-fiber diet softens and gives bulk to the stool, allowing it to pass quickly and easily.

Your doctor may suggest slowly adding solid foods to your diet as your symptoms improve. medicines for pain. Doctors may recommend antispasmodics or acetaminophen link instead of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). NSAIDs may increase the chance of diverticulitis complications.

What's the worst thing for diverticulitis? If you're having a diverticulitis flare-up, eating foods that are high in fiber may make it worse. During a flare-up, you should eat low-fiber foods, which are easier than high-fiber foods to digest. Giving your digestive system a chance to rest will help ease your symptoms.

In the past, people with small pouches (diverticula) in the lining of the colon were told to avoid nuts, seeds and popcorn. It was thought that these foods could lodge in diverticula and cause inflammation (diverticulitis). But there's no evidence that these foods cause diverticulitis.

Is chicken noodle soup ok for diverticulitis? ›

When you follow a clear liquid diet, do not eat any food by mouth. Water: Drink plenty of water to ensure you stay hydrated. Broth: Warm broth can be soothing. Avoid soups that contain solid foods (i.e., noodles or meat).

You can add vegetables to the foods that you are eating or have soup, salad or cooked vegetables on the side; Increasing your fiber intake slowly; And taking in enough fluids along with the high fiber foods. Go for water, seltzer, club soda, and herbal teas.

Our understanding of the pathogenesis and management of diverticular disease continues to improve. The use of fiber, probiotics, mesalamine, rifaximin and their combinations may be useful in the treatment of symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease, improving quality of life and preventing disease recurrence.

Stage II: This is a pelvic abscess resulting from local perforation of a pericolic abscess. Stage III: This is generalized peritonitis resulting from the rupture of either a pericolic or a pelvic abscess into the general peritoneal cavity. Stage IV: Fecal peritonitis results from the free perforation of a diverticulum.

In rare cases, a severe episode of diverticulitis can only be treated with emergency surgery. This is when a hole (perforation) has developed in the bowel. This is uncommon, but causes very severe abdominal pain, which needs an emergency trip to hospital.

Drink at least 8 cups of fluid daily. Fluid will help soften your stool. Exercise also promotes bowel movement and helps prevent constipation. When the colon is not inflamed, eat popcorn, nuts and seeds as tolerated.

You may also have symptoms such as: severe, constant tummy pain. high temperature. bleeding or passing slime (mucus) from your bottom.

Discharge instructions provide important medical information to help you manage your care when you leave the hospital. If you do not understand what you need to do at home, it could affect your health and could result in readmission to the hospital.

Inflammation of diverticula can cause severe pain, fever, nausea and changes in your stool habits. Mild diverticulitis is usually treated with rest, changes in your diet and possibly antibiotics. Severe diverticulitis usually needs antibiotic treatment in the hospital.