My huband was diagnosed with diverticulitis at 26.?
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Diverticulitis is usually said to effect older age groups but i've seen this diagnosis being made in ppl in their 20s so he's not alone. It is basically a disease of the western world and reflects on our bad eating habits. Without a lot of fibre and "bulk" from vegetables and fruit, the intestines have to use more force to push stools along...this causes increased pressures in the intestines and can cause little pouches of intestine to bulge between the muscle coat.
These pouches can become infected relatively easily since they're dead-ends in the intestine and they can also become blocked. The abscess your husband has if probably due to an infection in one of the diverticuli which got blocked and developed a collection of pus.
There is always the probability of further hospitalizations with diverticulosis (diverticulitis is the name for infected diverticuli, diverticulosis is the name for the presence of diverticuli) since the diverticuli will still be there. What can be done however is change your diet to make hospitalization less likely. It is vital that your husband eats a large amount of vegetables and fruit. A high-fibre cereal in the morning is also of great help. Try to avoid products with a lot of small seeds which are not digested and can get stuck in the diverticuli. Reduce your meat and fast-food intake and replace it with more veggies.
If your husband is still constipated he might need help wtih fibre supplements such as ispaghula husk sachets which you mix with water. Make sure he drinks plenty of water.
Best of luck to you and your husband. With dietary modifications i've seen patients go from regular hospitalizations to asymptomatic in a matter of weeks. Hope it works fine for you too.
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