Does severity of disease relate to other symptoms?

[nitty]

What I mean is, do you only get other Crohn's related problems if your CD is quite bad?

Luckily, my CD was found quite quickly and has responded pretty well to treatment, even though I'm not completely back to 'normal'. I do get more in the way of general 'niggles' than I used to, and have achey hands and neck/shoulders at the moment, but I don't know if this is related to CD or just coincidence and due to other things (I have recently taken up cycling, so I am getting used to different movement etc).

I just wondered if anyone else had very mild bowel issues, but had other CD related problems.

 

[ThatsWhatSheSaid]

My crohns issues are not mild. But yes, I do notice that my joints are painfully achy during a flare. My mouth gets sores, even the corners on the outside crack and become inflammed (I do not get cold sores). These things are, at least so far as I can tell, associated with the severity of the crohns I'm having/how active it is.

My mouth sores, particularly the ones I get on the corners of my mouth, are my body's "tell" sign that things are not going well. A bad flare always follows.

I'm not sure if I answer your question though because my bowel issues would not be classified as mild. I am more moderate to occassionally severe.

 

[nitty]

Thanks for the reply. It's hard to work out what is due to age (niggly joints etc) and what could possibly be due to CD. I suspect that most of my aches and pains are general age (I'm 41) and unfitness, and I'm currently keeping a diary to see if there's any link with CD symptoms over time.

 

[DustyKat]

EIM's are more common if your Crohn's affects your large bowel. Also some of the EIM's are directly linked to disease activity but others are independent of it.

Have a look at this.

Dusty. xxx

 

[nitty]

Thanks DustyKat,

I'll have a good look at that link.

My Crohn's is only (as far as we can tell) in my large bowel, so perhaps there is a link. My main niggle at the moment is pain in my right thumb joint, specifically when I pick up a glass or a mug (not using the handle). Only minor, I know, and it's only curiousity about what's causing it, rather than any need for treatment.

 

[Skycruiser]

What I mean is, do you only get other Crohn's related problems if your CD is quite bad?

Luckily, my CD was found quite quickly and has responded pretty well to treatment, even though I'm not completely back to 'normal'. I do get more in the way of general 'niggles' than I used to, and have achey hands and neck/shoulders at the moment, but I don't know if this is related to CD or just coincidence and due to other things (I have recently taken up cycling, so I am getting used to different movement etc).

I just wondered if anyone else had very mild bowel issues, but had other CD related problems.

For me personally, I notice increased episodes of Meniere's disease and other extraintestinal manifestations, particularly fatigue, joint pain, and water retention, with increased Crohn's flare ups. My Crohn's is on the order of mild to moderate.

Great question!


- Brian

 

[nitty]

Cheers Brian,

I'm seeing my consultant tomorrow, so I'll see what he thinks.

I'm only quite new to this, and the only link I can find in my condition so far is stress/anxiety. I was doing quite well, then we put our house up for sale and it all started going downhill from there. My thumb is worse as well, but I've also done a long bike ride so I can't dismiss that as the cause at the moment.

 

[Skycruiser]

Cheers Brian,

I'm seeing my consultant tomorrow, so I'll see what he thinks.

I'm only quite new to this, and the only link I can find in my condition so far is stress/anxiety. I was doing quite well, then we put our house up for sale and it all started going downhill from there. My thumb is worse as well, but I've also done a long bike ride so I can't dismiss that as the cause at the moment.

Nitty,

Best to you on your consult tomorrow. I always have tons of questions when I meet with my physicians and always find myself forgetting something. So, I now take with me questions written down.

Stress is a critical factor in the development of intra and extraintestinal symptoms (I think). I know when I become very stressed I carry it somatically, particularly in my gut. However, from what I have read there is much controversy on how stress impacts the body. Stress is known to active cortisol production and adrenaline, which is triggered by the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal glands (HPA axis). Interestingly, the mechanism and impact is similar to the reaction humans get during "flight" or "flight" responses. The problem is, the flight or fight response in the sympathetic nervous system is brief; the HPA and cortisol production tends to last longer. This is a concern in today's society because there is a never ending source of stress.

With regard to stress and diseases, it has not yet been fully proven whether stress exacerbates conditions or if it is the starting point for conditions (the egg before the chicken dilemma). One article I read suggests stress hormones break down the immune system, which is one reason stress leads to obesity, high blood pressure, and those susceptible to certain conditions (cancer, autoimmune, etc.) to be triggered. However, stress in and of itself, according to current research, does not create ulcers and other such symptoms.

So in my opinion, I doubt all of your symptoms are stress only. It certainly is worth further investigation. Again, best to you on your consult. I look forward to hearing how it went for you!


- Brian

 

[nitty]

Yes, I'm sure I probably did have some predisposition to this condition, but it's only in hindsight that, with my family, we have identified related conditions amongst other family members.

Having said that, I have absolutely no doubt that stress was a trigger for actual active disease in my own case. In late January 2011 my husband had to have a cardiac procedure performed, which carried significant risk, and which we were both extremely anxious about. In the February I had a niggling pain in my lower right pelvic area, which I had thought could be recurrence of an ovarian cyst, and it resolved itself after a few weeks. Unfortunately, my husband's heart condition returned and he had to go through the procedure a second time at the beginning of July. In mid-July I started with rectal bleeding which then progressively got worse and resulted in my needing hospital treatment and then getting diagnosed with CD. The dates and events are too closely correlated for me to put that down as coincidence.

 

[Shortydan]

I have mild Crohn's and on meds it's generally under control toilet wise. However I go suffer from some of the things mentioned in this group and I'm wondering if its all connected I have red painful spots on my inner thighs pain in my legs hips and Lower back and also in ribs like something is sticking underneath them I also occasionally get headaches in my eyes and had a suspected dislocated jaw last year am I just unlucky or is all this Crohn's related and meds only working in my bowl ? Xx

 

[Jison0612]

I was just wondering if anyone else has breathing issues and chest pressure from indigestion/silent reflux during a Crohn's flare? For me these seem to be common symptoms during a flare up?