I have a silly question regarding a personal medical issue. I'm debating if this is something I should go see a physician for or not. The reason I'm so hesitant is that my med insurance is lousy, they cover very little plus I pay a $30 office visit and $1000 deductible.
For several weeks now I've had a mild but constant feeling of pressure in my lower right quadrant of my abdomen. Periodically it will become painful (sharp), usually no worse than the typcial "stitch" you get from exercising but quite variable in level. This will last from a few hours to a day or so then it ends.
The only dietary connection I've made is that I am more likely to feel pain when I've been eating a lot of nuts (I snack on peanuts and/or pistachios pretty regularly - especially when studying).
I'm asymptomatic aside from what I have mentioned. My white count is about 8,000 with a normal diff. (I ran it myself.)
The only possibly relevant history here is that I had inguinal hernia Sx in the same area when I was 4 years old. I'm a 34yr old healthy male, eat properly (high protein, mid carb, low fat), gym 3x week.
At this point, my worst case scenario has me having Sx for Appendicitis or Crohn's Disease. If my med insurance had better coverage, I'd have gone in already but with a $1000 deductible you can see why I'd rather not go in unless its serious.
Many people have the misconception they must avoid nuts, grains, lettuce, popcorn and other Hi Fiber containing foods for fear they will become lodged in the neck of the diverticulum leading to symptoms from the diverticulae becoming "plugged". This has never been proven and in fact microscopic review of surgical specimens show this to not be the case. The fact is these diverticulae are not occluded by food!! There is no reason to avoid such foods for fear they will precipitate disaster.
Diverticulitis usually clears up within a week with antibiotics and a liquid or soft diet. (A soft diet includes anything that does not require a lot of chewing: soup, mashed potatoes, cooked or pureed vegetables, bananas, Jell-O and pudding fit this category.) After the acute infection clears up, patients should eat a high-fiber diet including nuts, seeds, whole grains, fruits and vegetables. They should drink plenty of fluids and avoid constipation at all costs, even if that requires taking Metamucil (psyllium seed) or other fiber products daily. Hard stools or straining will cause more diverticuli to appear or the existing ones to enlarge.
Okay to Eat Seeds and Nuts
The National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse clearly states: "Until recently, many doctors suggested avoiding foods with small seeds such as tomatoes or strawberries because they believed that particles could lodge in the diverticula and cause inflammation. However, this now a controversial point and no evidence supports this recommendation."
Benson T. Massey, Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Medical College of Wisconsin, specializes in gastroenterology. According to him there is NO evidence to suggest that such foods worsen diverticulosis. To the contrary, eating high fiber foods is the ONLY treatment for diverticulosis. He says that how diverticulitis develops is a mystery. It could be from hard stool or bacteria alone, but it is probably not from a nut getting lodged in a pocket.
Everyone should eat a diet high in fiber, but especially people with diverticulosis. Nuts are a good source of fiber and protein. Although nuts contain fat, it is mostly unsaturated, the "good kind." Several studies have shown that heart-healthy diets that contain various nuts lower cholesterol and coronary heart disease risk. With a strong family history for colon cancer, it's all the more reason to eat plenty of high fiber foods.
Re: that 1000 deductable. My daughter kept putting off getting health insurance because she is "never sick." Last September her little "twinge" turned out to be a gallbladder FULL of stones...doc said well over 100.
The ER visit was $1000! The deposit to the hospital was $3000 (supposedly about 1/3 of the cost.) The surgery turned out to cost $17000, plus the doctor nearly $1800 and anesthesia and radiology another $2000.
SO........bite the bullet and GO to the doc. Like NOW. $1000 deductable sounds pretty good now doesn't it?
Any change in bowel habits? Color? The dietary connection makes me look at diverticultits. Are you feeling bloated? Could it be gas pain? Try cutting the nuts out for a few days and see if it helps.
I would definitly not wait too long to see the Dr. though-if the pain continues for more than a few days, you need to go.
Nrs. LaLa-Land
116 Posts
GO to the MD and get it over with. I'm thinking it might be related to your hernia bur I'm not a doc.
Ps. I used to work for a Vet as an assistant. I LOVE ANIMALS. I sometimes wonder if I shouldn't have persued vet school.