How to Treat Diverticulitis Pain

If you are living with diverticulitis pain, you know just how miserable it can make you. When people talk about such pain and discomfort, they largely are referring to abdominal pain that is the result of inflammation and infection of growths on your colon and intestines known as diverticula. However, there are other symptoms associated with this condition, too, and they can be just as uncomfortable to live with. Such symptoms include nausea, vomiting, rectal discomfort and bleeding, fever, and more. When you visit your doctor seeking treatment for diverticulitis pain, he or she likely will prescribe a course of antibiotics to treat the infection and inflammation. However, there are some steps that you can take at home to lessen the discomfort as well.

  • Enema. Some of the diverticulitis pain that you feel is the result of undigested or partially digested food that is having trouble making its way through your system. Using an over-the-counter enema kit is often a good way to get things moving again, so to speak, and this can often provide you with fairly quick relief from your symptoms.
  • Diet. Many people who suffer from regular diverticulitis pain will find that following a special diet that consists of plenty of high-fiber foods as well as staying properly hydrated with fresh water throughout the day works wonders for their pain and discomfort. This diet often will provide only minimal help with discomfort at first, but as you stick with a high-fiber diet regularly and avoid any foods that you find can trigger an attack, your attacks and episodes of recurring pain will truly decrease in both number and severity.



  • Exercise. Exercising is a great way to stimulate your bowels and to avoid the incidence of constipation. Your goal in treatment is to keep food from sitting for too long in your intestine, and you will find that getting about 20-30 minutes of exercise each day will ease your pain.
  • Surgery. While the above options often work well to help many people with this condition manage their symptoms and their pain, others need to seek a more substantial treatment. There are two different types of surgery available as treatment, and both involve a re-section procedure. For some people, this is an elective surgery. For others, surgery is a treatment that is the result of a true medical emergency. Even if surgery is performed, however, you likely will need to make some dietary changes to decrease your likelihood of a recurrence.

As you can see, there are a wide variety of treatments available to you for treating diverticulitis pain. Some, such as enemas, offer immediate relief. Others, such as surgery, will offer more long-term relief. Still more, like diet and exercise changes, are designed to offer you a long-term way to manage your condition and keep pain at bay. If you are currently having an attack, be sure to visit your doctor for immediate treatments that may include antibiotics and discuss the option of an over-the-counter enema. Then, consider how some of the other options for treatment can be worked into your treatment plan.

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