Anyone Have Both Crohn's and RA?

[SugarberryGA]

Does anyone have both Crohn's and RA? If so, what symptoms do you have? My GI doctor told me this morning that he wants me to see a rheumatologist to be tested for RA. I know I have arthritis in my hips and back, but don't know what type. Thanks!

 

[Farmwife]

I saw this post as I'm getting my 3 yr old a heating pad for her joint pain.
So sorry you have to deal with all this.

My Grace is going to the rheumy next month for the first time.
I'm hoping to get answers for her.

As you know IBD is connected with joint problems.
I hope you get some answers and relief soon!

 

[AZMOM]

Sugar berry - yes. My daughter. And I know of a couple other kids but not adults. Good luck at the Rheumatologist!

J.

 

[keysk]

Does anyone have both Crohn's and RA? If so, what symptoms do you have? My GI doctor told me this morning that he wants me to see a rheumatologist to be tested for RA. I know I have arthritis in my hips and back, but don't know what type. Thanks!

Hi Sugarberry. I have RA & Crohn's. I first started with the Crohn's - diagnosed in 2011. When whilst undertaking initial treatment, I commenced with pain in my joints, which progressively got worse. I am not in remission for Crohn's but not the RA.

About 25% of people with Crohn's develop Auto-immune arthritis - however, because mine has never gone away and is so severe, the rheumatologist has diagnosed as RA.

I'm currently on Enbrel which has lessened the pain, but not taken it away.

Hope this helps.
Kerry

 

[Jilly]

I think I have RA. The rhuemitolagist is calling it crohns related inflammatory arthritis. But I have tested positive for the RA factor twice. I am taking tramadol and Tylenol for the pain and methotrexate for the inflammation. It's not gone but it's been 8 weeks on the MTX and I am down to only 3 Tylenol and 1 to 3 tramadol a day. So I am feeling much better.

 

[MichelleLeigh]

Hi there,
I am new to the forum. I was unofficially.diagnosed with CD just a couple of weeks ago, and with RA unofficially today. My symptoms are pretty awful. I have diarrhea, abdominal pain that comes and goes, horrific joint pain. I have, in just the past month or so, lost a lot of mobility and strength in my arms and hands. My wrists, index, pinky fingers, and thumbs are affected as well as my elbows, mid and lower back, shoulders, and knees. I have a hard time sleeping at night because of the pain. If I sit for too long it is very difficult to get up and move around, and I have to change position in bed often. It's very painful to lift a full coffee cup. I have night sweats, a nodules-like rash on the tops of my feet, a feeling of malaise, shortness of breath, multiple lung nodules (stable). My jaw even hurts sometimes. My wrists are always swollen. I break out in hives on my chest for no apparent reason almost every evening, and sometimes on my hands. I am also losing my hair. I'm not sure I can think of anything else right now, but I probably will after I post this...lol.

I'm sort of in the same boat as you, since I still need to see doctors. I do need stronger pain meds as I have been on ultram 200 mg daily for over a year. It's not working as well since this arm pain reared its ugly head lately. I'm hoping to get that soon.

Keep me updated on what the doctor says! We can compare notes! Are your symptoms similar to mine?

 

[lizbeth]

Hi Michelle,
I found out I had crohns last November, at the time I was waiting for an MRI of my lower back, this showed up Oesteoarthritis of the L1 -L5 vertebrae plus a tear and bulging disc. I have also experienced extreme pain in my knees, hip back, SI joints, wrists, some fingers and neck. I went to physio last week and they think it could be RA. Its a wait and see game now, appt with GI incouple of weeks then referral to Rheumatology. I never knew crohns was so complicated, I'm living with type 1 diabetes too so life is a wee bit stressful.:ybatty: :ybiggrin: Oh well must just get on with it.

Love this forum.

 

[BrianGeller]

Crohn's, RA and Autoimmune disorder.
First off I am sorry to hear of you disease, it can be very stressful.
In 2002 I graduated from a police academy with a 4.0 GPA and a perfect attendance. A year into working my dream job I started to get pain in my abdominal area and diarrhea 10 to 15 times a day. I Alps had a big pain just below my lower left side of my ribs. I was sent to Cleveland Clinic and they found 2 lumps growing in my lover. So for the next 6 years I went from 180lbs to 123lbs. Also I was on 60 mgs of prednizone a day for 3 years. Mostly because it was all that helped with the pain and I didn't want to take narcotics due to my job. Finally 5 years ago I changed family doctors. Before I knew it I was at a new GI doctor who told me Cleveland Clinic found the crohns the first visit. They didn't treat me for it because they thought the lumps in my liver were more important. (Cancer) ended up being nothing.
He had to take all the tests over again but by then it progresses to the point my body wouldn't absorb any oral pills. So I was put on Remicade for about a year till I had a bad infection in my bersa sack in my left knee. It took 5 surgeries to close the hole so after 3 months in the hospital I found myself in a nursing home for rehab another 3 months at the she of 43.
I had to retire from my dream job as a police officer after 11 years and now just do photography that I have done since I was 18. But I can't do weddings because I can't be sure how I will feel that day. To big of a risk.
So after my knee infection my Rheumatologist and GI doctor both wanted me on Humira. Also I went from having 120 year old bones to 175 yr old bones seen in a bone density scan. So I have lots of fractures and infections.
Last year I had MRSA between my 1st and 2nd toes on my right foot. After only 8 days of oral antibiotics I was put back into the hospital because I had blood poisoning that was in two of my fingers and one in my wrist. Just from little scratches. After surgery was done on them and another 8 weeks went by my wife noticed I had a fever of 104.8. This time she took me to a different hospital. They did surgery on my foot the next day. The hole went half the way into my foot. The doctor said I'm not out of the woods and could end up losing half my foot, my hole foot or even from my knee down since that's how bad the swelling got. The left me in the hospital a week with strong antibiotics and when I was discharged they put a pick line in me so the home nurse could continue the IV antibiotics at home another 3 months. March I was finally clear. December 2nd of 2014 I had the MRSA shoe back up but I got immediate attention from the same foot doctor. He prescribed me 2 oral antibiotics knowing they probably wouldn't work. To everyone's surprise they worked and it's cleared up now. So the Humira seems to be working.
As of now my treatment is the following:
Tens unit at home
Lidocaine patches
Muscle relaxer
Humira 40ccs injection 1x every 2 weeks
Gabapentin 300mgs 3x a day
Oxycontin 40mgs 3x a day
Oxycoden 20mgs 4x a day
Multiple Vitamins
Been on this dose over 2.5 years and have been raised during bad times but am starting to lower narcotic intake at my request. It seems like a lot of dope but I can't really explain my condition enough. If I could I would post my MRI photos.
My only hope now is that the Humira keeps improving my health. Both the crohns disease and the RA. It's not fun because I'm in bed 25 days a month.
Lesson here is if you think something is wrong with you get a second opinion quick. Don't do what I did and try to be a hero ignoring all the symptoms and getting to it to late. Good thing is lots of doctors asked if I would donate my body to science. They pay for the funeral service, burial plot and casket. So it nice to know I won't burden my family with that. It does however suck to have an expiration date due to my bones getting so old so quick.
I want to wish everyone here who has any of these diseases quick healing. I will pray for all of you in my new chat group tonight. Most of all stay away from prednizone for long term treatment. They have other steroids designed for long term use.