Can inflammation be silent??

[Sea_Star]

Can you have inflammation and not know it/not have any symptoms??

 

[Trysha]

It is possible.
I thought I was OK but when the GI did colonoscopy he found lots of inflammation in the crohn's area.
Sooner or later the inflammation will manifest itself though.
Out of curiosity what has prompted you to ask this question?
Hugs
Trysha

 

[Sea_Star]

Hi Trysha, thank you for the response. Oh wow, I guess it is! :/ ...did you have any symptoms, even minor ones?

Well, I stopped taking meds last year since I always questioned my mild Crohns diagnosis(dx 2010-11)-diarrhea was never a symtpom btw; and I was terrified of getting cancer from 6MP!! And so throughout this past year I ate everything in the book, was totally fine, even thinking I had nothing.

A week ago, April 1st I realize now how stupid I was, pushing my limits by having 1 bowl of kidney beans with cayenne peppper on April 4. April 1st I took one dose of a d-tox (wanting to jumpstart my metabolism to lose weight)-returned it the next day due to feeling dizzy; then a couple days later taking lemon water with cayenne (again, no problems). Then on Friday, 10 mins after eating the bowl of beans w/cayenne I was in the bathroom 3 times! Since then I've had some cramping and a form of constipation (taken Miralax for the past two days now).

And i just wonder if inflammation can be silent....or if you're silent, does it mean there is no inflammation? Like, just because I had a reaction, does that mean there was minor inflammation? Since moving back home from college, I didn't need to find a GI (out of sight out of mind), but I have an appt on May 1st in Mayo Clinic with a Dr. I saw two years ago...wondering if I should find one closer! I'm kinda angry at myself for eating that! Otherwise, I probably would still be free of anything

 

[kiny]

I'm kinda angry at myself for eating that! Otherwise, I probably would still be free of anything

blaming the food can be a dangerous thought process, it is also possible you do have inflammation and no matter what you ate would have triggered that

 

[Cog]

Unfortunately it is too easy to blame yourself for eating the food

I still wonder if I had looked after myself better when my symptoms started developing may be it would not have been so bad

I also understand wanting to stay off the drugs too. Yes when my GI looks at the results I get told to go back on them

I feel that inflammation is like a rash it may bother people in different ways

I also believe strongly if you find a good GI keep them - they are hard to find

 

[Trysha]

Seas tar
I would suggest you keep the appointment with the GI in May.
Your work up at that time will be useful to you for a comparison with the present symptoms.
We all have a tendency to blame symptoms on something we ate---this can be a
faulty assumption.
Get checked out and know where you stand.
We never get rid of crohn's even though we go into remission (if lucky) we cannot
relax vigilance., and regular check ups.
Hugs
Trysha

 

[chicky402]

MRI's and colonoscopy will tell if you have inflammation or not. It's the best way to find out.

 

[Too Many Bum Steers]

Can you have inflammation and not know it/not have any symptoms??

There are several books on this subject.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Anti-Inflammation-Zone-Reversing-Destroying/dp/0060834145

http://www.amazon.com/Inflammation-Diet-Beginners-Essential-Anti-Inflammatory/dp/1623152453

http://www.amazon.com/Inflammation-Lifestyle-Chronic-Diseases-Oxidative/dp/1439839891

Yes it can be silent. The first time I heard of it was when I was reading in Nature (a major scientific journal that covers all sciences including medical and often breaks controversial cutting edge science news) that if you killed off the flora in a mouse, heart disease stops. The researchers attributed it to inflammation and said something like of course it has been known for a long time that NSAIDs prevent cancer. I was like, what? Known by who??

Researchers live in another world entirely.

Sometimes book writers are the only ones talking to real people.

------------------------
I tried to find the original article, but I'm not sure I can... this may be an article about it though, it certainly sounds like it. The original one was followed by a few others at the time.

http://www.nleducation.co.uk/resources/reviews/probiotics-and-lecithin-cause-heart-disease/

 

[Sea_Star]

Thank you everyone. I know it's "not food linked" but I'm 99% sure I would have been fine had I not poured myself that bowl. I ate everything "unhealthy" before-popcorn, tubs of ice cream, with ZERO problems(stomach aches is my issue)...and i've sorta believed it has nothing to do with food, but obviously it set something off (whether temporary or longer lasting) unless there was already inflammation there....also, female cramps don't help either (i can't tell where it's coming from lol!)

Too Many Bum Steers: that's interesting! But NSAIDs can cause cancer/other problems with too much use.