Discharge Instructions for Diverticulitis

You have been diagnosed with diverticulitis. This is a condition in which small pouches form in your colon (large intestine) and become inflamed or infected. Follow the guidelines below for home care.

As you recover

Tips for recovery include:

• Eat a low-fiber diet at first while you recover. Your healthcare provider may advise a liquid diet. This gives your bowel a chance to rest so that it can recover.

• Include these foods: flake cereal, mashed potatoes, pancakes, waffles, pasta, white bread, rice, applesauce, bananas, eggs, fish, poultry, tofu, and well-cooked vegetables.

• Take your medicines as directed. Don't stop taking the medicines, even if you feel better.

• Monitor your temperature and report any rise in temperature to your healthcare provider.

• Take any prescribed antibiotics exactly as directed. Don't miss any and keep taking them even if you feel better. 

• Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water every day, unless told otherwise.

• Use a heating pad or hot water bottle to reduce abdominal cramping or pain.

Preventing diverticulitis in the future

Tips for prevention include:

• Eat a high-fiber diet. Fiber adds bulk to the stool so that it passes through the large intestine more easily.

• Keep drinking 6 to 8 glasses of water every day, unless told otherwise.

• Start an exercise program. Ask your healthcare provider how to get started. You can benefit from simple activities such as walking or gardening.

• Treat diarrhea with a bland diet. 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.

• If possible, don't take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen. They increase the risk of diverticulitis.

Follow-up care

Make a follow-up appointment, or as advised. You may need a colonoscopy or other imaging test of your colon.

When to call your healthcare provider

Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these:

• Fever of 100.4°F (38.0°C) or higher, or as advised by your provider

• Chills

• Severe cramps in your belly, most often the lower left side

• Soreness in your belly, most often the lower left side

• Nausea and vomiting

• Bleeding from your rectum