Fibromyalgia is a result of a number of sensitivities
throughout the body from head to toe.
Digestive issues are extremely common with those who suffer with
fibromyalgia. These include GERD or acid
reflux issues, gluten intolerance, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Other digestive issues that are common with
fibromyalgia are Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis which are the two most
common inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs).
Over a period of time it can cause a lot of discomfort. Why are they intertwined?
IBDs attack the bowels and make them so sensitive to
different types of stimuli and to what we ingest. With IBDs your whole gastrointestinal tract
is inflamed to the point it is not functioning properly. This inflammation can be extremely painful as
well so it is good to keep track of what goes into your body so you know what
causes the pain and can end up doing a lot of damage too. Crohn’s disease however, does not just affect
the gastrointestinal tract and symptoms can vary depending on your case. In many cases the symptoms can be
debilitating and make it very difficult for the person to eat and digest their
food properly.
Some major symptoms of Crohn’s disease can clash with the
symptoms of fibromyalgia symptoms. These
symptoms can include lower back pain, muscle pain, problems with the
joints. Other symptoms include swelling
of certain areas of body, blood in stools, cramps, weight loss, dry skin,
severe itching and poor general nutrition.
In the worst cases surgery is needed to be performed on
patients and they have to create a stoma which is when a part of the intestinal
tract is missing because it is unable to work properly so part of the intestine
is put through the abdominal wall to create a stoma to attach a bag to collect
the waste produced. With the research
done so far no one has found the cause or the cure for Crohn’s disease. There are a wide range of theories out there
like the presence of viruses and bacteria, from irritable bowel syndrome and
genetics. The only solid evidence found
at present is that there is a particular gene that all people who suffer with
Crohn’s disease seem to share but no one has been able to make the full link
between it all at this point in the research.
At some point in the future they will hopefully be able to come up with
the solid reason behind why it happens to certain people but not all of us.
There is no solid link between Crohn’s disease and
fibromyalgia. This is mainly because
researchers have still not been able to determine exactly what the causes are
for each of the illnesses. It is not
common to find someone with both fibromyalgia and Crohn’s disease but it is not
unknown of someone to have both illnesses (like myself as I was diagnosed with
Fibromyalgia on May 2nd 2017 after years of suffering with pain,
fatigue and headaches alongside my symptoms of Crohn’s disease). Researchers are still trying to determine
exactly why they seem to be connected to one another, but like with both of
their causes there is only one huge link that many doctors ascribe to.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the disorder of the bowels
that makes it hard to eat certain types of foods due to sensitivities to them. Those who have diagnosed with fibromyalgia
frequently have IBS as a symptom they are dealing with on a daily basis. Due to many people who have fibromyalgia end
up getting treated for IBS and looking at some of the theories behind why Crohn’s
disease happens in certain people. Both
fibromyalgia and Crohn’s disease have something to do with IBS, there are some
theories out there that people with IBS and fibromyalgia are more likely to end
up with Crohn’s disease in the future.
What does that mean for treatment for those with Crohn’s
disease and fibromyalgia?
Those with Crohn’s may notice that you do not have to deal
with the symptoms on a daily basis if the illness is in remission. Other periods you may have to deal with the
symptoms for an extended amount of time due to a flare up. During flare ups you want to make sure that
you are getting treatment to help reduce the amount of pain that you ate coping
with. These can include a variety of
different things, from medications to control your symptoms, surgery to take
out part of the intestine that is suffering from Crohn’s disease or a variety
of other treatment plans agreed with your gastroenterologist. Always keep your doctor in the loop about any
symptoms you are suffering from as you may end up seeing that the Crohn’s
disease or another illness has started to come up alongside your fibromyalgia
symptoms.
It is very important to look after yourself because the
other illnesses that can often occur with fibromyalgia can be mistaken as a
worsening of the fibromyalgia or Crohn’s disease. Be sure to keep an eye on all your symptoms
and keep a journal and if there are any changes or something new has started
then you can show the journal to your doctor when the changes started or how
the severity has changed.
