High fibre post op - diverticulitis to consider

[manymules 2]

Hi. I'm hoping someone can advise. I'm still waiting for my very first appointment with the dietician at the START of the gastric sleeve process but there is quite a while to wait apparently as they're short on dieticians. Sigh.

So in the meantime, it's just me and google....and you guys.

As well as the weight that kept piling on over the years, I've also developed diverticulitis in the last 18 months (bitty bits of food getting stuck in colon, getting inflamed then infected), and in the last few months it turns out that I'm riddled with candida (yeast infection). Happy Days. :/

Both of these require careful changes to my diet (on top of my high protein/low carb changes for the future gastric sleeve).

For the candida, I'm reading fairly stock standard low carbs but also NO GRAIN AT ALL. Many Beans are out too because of how the tummy needs to work harder breaking down whatever it is. ... I'm still reading. Extremely limited on fruits because of the natural sugars. Certain vegetables that are still lower carb but off the list for candida. OK. I figure I can work all that into my life. ......but.....

For the diverticulitis, it's all about high FIBRE. It needs the beans. It needs the grain foods but the right ones. The absolute bugger that I've been up against since last year is that with diverticulitis is that I'm meant to avoid seeds, nuts, whole grain, skins of fruits ........basically things that end up getting trapped in my colon.

So that really messes with my high Protein and high FIBRE fixes in my diet. I'm so confused. I realise this is a problem for a professional to help me untangle and I will patiently wait my turn to see the dietician.

My question for you all IS related to this post. I promise. My fibre content of my food has since been whittled down to "poo powder".....the lovely term I give to the metamusils of this world. .....the powder that we mix with liquids and drink to add bulk to our poo so we can poo better. Apparently (says doctor) it's safe to use and won't teach the bowel bad habits like getting lazy. I'm now taking it twice every day and seriously considering upping it to 3 times. Ugh.

Here is THE QUESTION.

If I have the gastric sleeve and my stomach will be that much smaller with all the careful increasing of consistency that will be required. ...WILL my tiny tummy be able to drink the poo powder in the volumes that I'll need, while still keeping the protein high enough?

I'm really concerned that my diverticulitis will cause me problems. It's not just about getting uncomfortably constipated. If I don't poo, I get intense pain from infection because it hasn't moved through fast enough.

Any experience or advice would be very much appreciated.

Thanks .

EDITED by moving entire post from 2 year old post to here on advice from inner surfer girl. Thanks for that prompt.

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[Heather I 500]

My husband got diverticulosis in 2012 and is diabetic, so all the vomiting (crazy! Like 24 hours nonstop where he couldn't catch a breath to puke again!) REALLY made an impact on us (could have stroked out with sugars all over the place). He needs to be on a low(er) carb diet due to diabetes and avoid sugars and carbs, but like you has to balance it all out.

This is just HIS situation, FWIW, I went to the dietician with him (after he vomited a week almost a week nonstop and lost 30 lbs in a week! Seriously, he looked like the Auschwitz pics when he got home -- face totally sunken and shriveled.)

Anyway, I digress, his dietician recommended kefir every day for the high probiotic count, Greek yogurt for yet more Probiotics, and she said they don't know WHAT causes diverticulitis/diverticulosis, that there was a study done on cadavers and, basically, everyone has the diverticula inherent in their body, but they don't know exactly what triggers some people to flare up and others to have no issues.

My husband LOVES nuts and apples (fruit with skins,) and many other so-called no-nos. His dietician said she's a big believer in if it hurts/causes vomiting/cramping/diarrhea/etc., stop. She doesn't discount anecdotal evidence of people saying things like popcorn or nuts do them in, but she said give them a try slowly, one at a time, and see what causes problems.

Well, like most guys, he didn't adjust his diet at all in terms of removing items, but he faithfully starts EVERY DAY with kefir and 2-4x a week has a really high quality Greek yogurt. It's been almost 4 years and he's had zero issues.

So, again, I'm no dietician, but those were the guidelines given to him by his NUT who specializes in diabetes.

Also, again, anecdotally, my brother-in-law is from Poland, where they eat tons of cabbage and pickled vegetables. Ever since coming to the States, my BIL has had TERRIBLE GI issues. My sister makes her own kefir and has started cooking the Old World way with all the cabbage/pickled food he is used to, and voila, his GI issues are GONE.

Kimchee (sp?) is a pickled Korean cabbage, I believe, and it's getting tons of great buzz for GI digestion stuff, too. I cringe, but my old boyfriend loved the stuff. Again, maybe adding some of these Probiotics will aid you? I forget who is on here is a vegetarian, maybe JamieLogical? But anyway, there's a couple vets who are vegetarians, and they are making the legumes work for them in terms of Protein. Maybe pick their brain, or start a vegetarian thread?

Good luck! Hope your NUT gets back to you quicker.

[MissMac 163]

I had chronic diverticulitis for over ten years prior to my sleeve surgery in December 2013. About a month pre-op, I ended up in critical condition in the hospital for eight days with ischemic colitis. The doctor told me later that he thought he was going to lose me.

My docs went ahead and cleared me for the sleeve. I gotta tell ya, I have not had one flare-up of colitis since my surgery, and that was 2 1/2 years ago. I follow a standard post-op diet and lifestyle and feel better than I have in decades.

[manymules 2]

MissMac, what an ordeal. It's promising to hear you say that since surgery you've not had a flare up. My gp says this is a likely scenario too but I need to understand the mechanics behind it. .....more research. Really good to know.

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[manymules 2]

Heather I, yes quite a similar scenario. That's useful, and I like the idea of looking at it like a vegetarian would need to in terms of sourcing all Protein from veges......thereby getting the fibre at the same time as the Protein . Definitely food for thought.

Probiotics, yes. We've always moaned about the cost of the unsweetened natural yoghurt that I absolutely adore. And couldn't see much cost benefit in sachets for the easiyo set ups. Duh!! Dopey here hadn't thought about making my own yoghurt simply using dregs of the last brew. It took my chemist to mention it to me. ....as probiotic capsules are not in the budget. So just a couple of days ago I found a complete easiyo set up for $6 from the local op shop and am practicing. So happy about that.

Kefir came up when I was looking into systemic candida. I'd forgotten to follow that line of thought so thank you for bringing me back to it. Just before replying I had a quick squizz at a couple of sites. I'll look more into it. If it's more like a yoghurt in consistency I'd give it a go. If it's more like a milk consistency I'd likely gag. I've been a milk baby for over 40 years and am so proud of myself for culling the quantity of milk that I drink. It's a massive achievement and shows dramatically on the scales. Whenever I've tried any other "milky" substitute. .....I gag. I'm used to the sharp tang and texture of natural yoghurt. I'll definitely go do some research and have a play.

Kefir does read like a power house food though.

Many thanks, Ladies.

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[manymules 2]

Hmmmm ......and re seeds and nuts etc. ......surely if I grind them up and sprinkle them on food instead of eating a handful of them. ....surely that wouldn't mess with my bowels? ? Back to the diverticulitis websites again. ....now that I feel I'm no longer in a position to simply AVOID these things. Fibre is fibre, and Protein is Protein. When I'm needing both in large amounts, I need a little bit more flexibility. Definitely time to start experimenting a bit.....but ugh.....I can almost feel the tummy and back pain already.

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[borg/assimilated 576]

I am 15 months post WLS and have not had any issues with diverticulitis. I used to have flare ups periodically and needed to be on those two nasty antibiotics when experiencing those painful symptoms. I eat nuts, seeds, berries, apples, popcorn, all without any repercussions. I do make sure I eat Greek yogurt every day and I take one Florastor (very expensive) probiotic daily. I do not use Fiber supplements and don't need them. Based on my experience I think the WLS improved the climate in my bowels.

I have also heard great things about keffir.

[Heather I 500]

My sister makes her own kefir, kinda like Irish soda bread -- you just need the starter and then can keep adding to it to make a new batch. Kefir is much more yogurt than milk tasting, to me, so that bodes well for you if you aren't into the milk thing.