"Nearly half of Americans older than age 60 have small, bulging pouches (diverticula) in their digestive tracts -- a condition known as diverticulosis. Although diverticula can form anywhere, including your throat, stomach and small intestine, most occur in your large intestine -- especially on the left side of the colon just above the rectum. Because these pouches seldom cause any problems, you may never know you have them.
"Sometimes, however, one or more pouches may become inflamed or infected, causing severe pain, fever and nausea. When diverticula become infected, the condition is called diverticulitis. Mild cases of diverticulitis can be treated with changes in your diet, rest and antibiotics. But more serious cases may require surgery to remove the diseased portion of your colon. Occasionally, you may develop complications that require emergency surgery.
"Fortunately, only 15% to 20% of people with diverticulosis ever develop diverticulitis. Best of all, you can help prevent both types of diverticular disease simply by including more high-fiber foods in your diet."
I had to give up all seeds -- trying scraping seeds out of tomatoes, what fun! I refused to have the surgery, opting instead to "fix" my problem with diet and antibiotics. That ended my relationship with my GI specialist.
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<img src="http://home.comcast.net/~letsrow/smily3481.gif">Bevvy
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Diverticulosis & Diverticulitis
