Diverticulitis

Ed Haywood

Ed Haywood

Final Approach
Joined
Jul 12, 2020
Messages
7,624
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Tampa FL
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Ed
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FD77
Ughh, anyone else got it?

Not a problem for medical according to my AME, but quite annoying to manage flare ups. I have canceled a bunch of aerobatic practice sessions because I felt crappy. Pulling 5G can't be great for it.
 
Ended up in the ER with it a few years ago. Not a clue what it was before it happened. They put me on 2 different antibiotics, one of which resulted in a fairly spectacular rash. Vigilant about fiber ever since…
 
I think rest is a good way to manage flares. If you have a spouse / significant other, order a small handbell from Amazon. That way you can make their life easier by simply ringing it when you want something vs them having to constantly be by your side. They'll be very grateful.
 
It runs in my family (not me) so I’m familiar with it. You may find that certain foods cause flare ups. Corn is my dad’s nemesis, tomato seeds are my mom’s. If they stay away from those they are fine. My sister has lots of food enemies unfortunately and her diet is fairly restrictive.
 
I don't know about flare ups. In 2017 I had complicated diverticulitis with an abscess, which means it had put a hole in my colon. I couldn't eat for a month and was in the hospital for two weeks before they did surgery and removed 10% of my colon including the affected area. Haven't had any issue since. It was a one time event. I note it on my MedXpress form every time and my AME has never indicated any concerns about it.
 
My pops had it and it was bad enough they did a surgical procedure to fix it. Procedure was low risk and worked well, he was 100% fine after that.
And even though his doctor told him that concerns about certain foods were overblown (e.g., nuts), he learned the hard way that wasn't true (at least for him). Specifically, popcorn was a particularly nasty trigger that would predictably have him in severe pain.
 
I have know several folks who have had this. I feel bad for you all. Take care of yourselves.
 
strikes2k said:
Haven't had any issue since. It was a one time event. I note it on my MedXpress form every time and my AME has never indicated any concerns about it.
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Be SURE to save any documentation that shows that you have the situation under control and that it is not a problem. I had a (non)issue once that was reported on the pre-examination form (and "Previously reported, no change") thereafter. 18 YEARS (!) later someone in Oklahoma City decided that it was a problem and I needed to jump through some hoops.

Tim
 
timrb said:
Be SURE to save any documentation that shows that you have the situation under control and that it is not a problem. I had a (non)issue once that was reported on the pre-examination form (and "Previously reported, no change") thereafter. 18 YEARS (!) later someone in Oklahoma City decided that it was a problem and I needed to jump through some hoops.

Tim
Click to expand...

Basic Med is our friend.....
 
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