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Support For Those With Diverticulitis

Like any other disease or condition those suffering from diverticulitis benefit from support from family, friends and the medical community as well as from support groups designed to give information to those with diverticulitis and give them the chance to share stories and to feel a sense of understanding and connection with other going through the same things as they are. There are many local, and online support groups that individuals with diverticulitis can join.

Dealing with the surgery, diet changes and antibiotic therapy can be stressful for individuals with diverticulitis.

One-organization individuals with diverticulitis can go to for support and information is the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC). Located in Bethesda, MD, they can be reached by phone: 1-800-891-5389 or on the web at digestive.niddk.nih.gov/

The clearinghouse answers questions, presents reviews, creates and distributes publications and generally coordinates informative sources about digestive diseases including diverticulitis. You cannot get medical advice, but you can receive information that has been reviewed carefully for scientific accuracy, content and for the ability of the information to be understandable to the average non-medical individual.

Once on the site you can quickly locate topics regarding digestive diseases including other resources, statistics, information about clinical trials and guidelines and also awareness and prevention programs and series.

On their resources page you will find a link to MEDLINEplus which is a consumer-driven site linking consumers with doctor referrals and drug information.

There are articles and medical journals that you can access, as well as tools and resources including an image library, interactive health education tools, and a list of two other organizations where individuals can find more resources and support for those with diverticulitis and other digestive diseases.

Another helpful organization for those with diverticulitis is the Association of Gastrointestinal Motility Disorders, Inc. (AGMD). You can locate them online at agmd-gimotility.org

They are an educational resource on digestive motility disorders and function.

Another organization that has the goal of informing the public about digestive diseases, to help seek Federal funding for research, education and training and that represents members and their interests on the Federal and state level including how legislature affects digestive diseases is the Digestive Disease National Coalition. You can reach them online by going to:

www.ddnc.org

Support groups offer current information about the disease; offer ways for individuals to connect to services and support groups locally as well as to locate doctors in their location. Support groups can help individuals to connect with others who are going through exactly what they are going through so that they can get together to share what works and what doesn't. Support groups give individuals the chance to know that they are not alone; that there are other caring individuals who are knowledgeable about what they are dealing with who can help with resources, tools, and an understanding ear.