If you suspect you may be experiencing a flare up, there are a few things you should avoid doing in order to not make things worse. This may include booking an appointment with your GP/PCP, Gastroenterologist/GI doctor or even visiting the local A&E/ER. Seek advice from a medical professional – If you are in a lot of pain, have a very high temperature or feel very unwell, it’s a good idea to seek medical advice from a professional.Track your day using a Diverticular Disease tracker.This include brands such as Panadol in the UK or Tylenol in the US.

Take paracetamol-based pain killers to relieve the pain if necessary.

If you have no appetite, don’t eat just because it’s dinner time and someone has said you ‘should eat something’. For example, if you’re tired and want to sleep, do it.

Listen to your body – Remember that our body usually knows what is best for it.

Sometimes a duvet day and a few extra hours sleep can help the body heal.

Rest – Take time to relax and rest as well as removing yourself as best you can from stressful situations.

Please note that diverticulitis does NOT always cause high temperature/fever.

Keep track of your temperature – on a notepad, note down your temperature every couple of hours so you can monitor any changes.

Try a clear liquid diet – eliminating solid foods and dairy from your diet for a day is the best way to rest the bowel and give time for the inflammation to go down on its own.

drink lots of water – 2-3 litres a day will help flush your system and keep you hydrated.

If you are experiencing some of the symptoms above, it’s a good idea to prepare for a flare up by doing the following things:

Change to stools (excessive mucus, blood, huge change is regularity or stool type).

generally feeling poorly (nausea, headache, stomachache).

So, what can you do if you suspect you may be getting a flare up?įor a start, symptoms of a flare up can include:

Diverticulitis can vary in severity and can go from being a mild flare up, to an infection so severe that it can carry life-threatening complications. Diverticulitis is an inflammation or infection of one or more of the diverticula (pouches) in your bowel. Don’t know the difference? Check out my post on Diverticular Disease/Diverticulosis Vs Diverticulitis. If you’ve got diverticular disease (DD)/Diverticulosis, you may be unlucky enough to experience diverticulitis.

Diverticulitis flare up