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Not sure if this is the right place..

L

lisapeta

but I need some advice/help.

I recently came off a very bad Crohn's flare that caused me to have erytheum nodosum and pyoderma gangrenosum. My GI put me on Humira and I have been doing great for months on it, with the exception of some unwanted weight gain.

As of about two weeks ago, I started to get the ol' friend diarrhea again. I didn't think much of it at the time but it has gotten progressively worse over the last few days especially. Not only is the D acute, but every time i eat ANYTHING, i get painful cramping across my belly so bad i can feel it in my lower back. The only thing that makes me feel better is to just not eat.

Additionally, I now have presented with horrible white and red bumps all over my face. Mostly on the cheeks by the hairline and down around the jaw to the chin. I also notice a lot of purplish discoloration under the skin and excessive dryness of my feet/heels. So bad that they have cracked and bled.

Last but not least, I am again feeling so tired that i could just crawl in a hole. I have never ever missed even one dose of the Humira and I am doing all the meds like my iron and B12 like I have been directed.

Any ideas? Could the Humira have just "stopped working"?

Thanks all. I really have nowhere else to go and I am too broke to run to my GI every time something is amiss unless i really really need to see him, I don't.
 
Grant

Grant

lisapeta, Humira can stop working sadly. Blood tests although not infallible could show any change in terms of inflammation. I would definitely get to your Dr & dont "wait & see". The sooner you get things back under control the less damage to your gut.
Best Wishes & hope you feel better soon
Grant
 
David

David

Co-Founder
Location
Naples, Florida
Hi Lisa,

Goodness, I'm sorry you're having such a tough time of it :( You poor thing.

I'm reading a book right now called, "Diagnosis of Aging Skin Diseases" By Robert A. Norman. Chapter 15 has a long list of skin issues caused by vitamin and mineral deficiencies. This is the perfect book because the elderly invariably suffer from malabsorption issues just as people with IBD do. Symptoms such as yours are listed for a variety of essential vitamins and minerals. I plan to collect them in our vitamin and mineral deficiencies thread but have yet to do so.

If I had to guess, I would say your intestinal inflammation is back and is causing malabsorption of essential vitamins and minerals which is leading to the skin issues. I realize that you're taking your B12 and iron but there are many other important vitamins and minerals.

I think the key here would be to not only get the inflammation back under control if it has indeed come back, but start a broad spectrum of supplements from a complex B vitamin to vitamin C to a quality salmon or krill oil to combat the deficiencies you're experiencing.

Hope this helps...

*hugs*
 
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