I’ve had 2 friends go to the hospital for this, but googling it reads like it’s just random stomach pain… What is it for real?
In: 5
ELI5
Do you ever chew chewing gum? Do you know how to [blow a bubble](https://penfieldbuildingblocks.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/the-bubblegum-song.jpg)?
You kind of flatten the gum, and then force air on a certain spot to make a little pocket, and kind of inflate that pocket. Right?
The walls of the colon can get weak over time. Still with me?
Now imagine yourself sitting on the toilet, bearing down, trying to push out a poop. You’re creating pressure inside the colon! Just like you create pressure in your mouth to blow a bubble.
So if the wall of the colon is too weak in a certain spot, when there is pressure in the colon, [a little bubble may form](https://uihc.org/sites/default/files/styles/large__900x600_/public/figure2_diverticulitis-final.jpg).
See those little bubbles? Those are almost just like making chewing gum bubbles. There’s pressure inside, and the material is weak, and so the pressure causes the bubble to “inflate”.
Ok so now you have these bubbles, but that alone isn’t really bad.
What happens when a sesame seed gets stuck in one of those bubbles?
Sometimes, the bubble will get food lodged in there, and the food may rot, or the bubble may get red and inflamed, and then an INFECTION starts.
When that happens, that can be painful. If it gets too bad, the bubble may RUPTURE and then you have poop contents floating around inside your abdomen, and that is VERY bad and can lead to death.
Sometimes you can get the infection to go away with antibiotics.
That’s why it’s good to have a LOT of FIBER in your diet. Fiber usually means you don’t have to push as hard. Not pushing as hard means you are less likely to develop those bubbles.
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