Arthritis and stomach problems

bailey27

Hi
Having had the arthroscopy 2 weeks ago today I can say I am 99% recovered and am very pleased by how it has gone.
There has been a problem that has been niggling at me for a while now and was wondering if anyone could help or understood this.
4 years ago I suffered terrible stomach aches, every timeI would eat something it would go straight through me. If I drank coffee it was give me diarrhoea. (Sorry to be so detailed). I went down to about 8 stone. I had a blood test and it showed my white cells were high / low can't remeber which one. It settled down and my second blood test had imrpoved so was told I had IBS.
Basically, since I have been getting these flare ups I have noticed that I get terrible stomach aches like my stomach full of airand I get quite nauseous sometimes. This week my toes have swollen with purple lumps, which I know is the Raynauds but I have noticed more recently that my stomach problems are starting to come back aswell. Recently when I hvae good days I dont have stomach problems and flare up days I do. Surely this is more than a coincidence?!?!?

Has anyone had this or know if it is related?

(I have Inflammatory Arthritis (Spondylartopathy) which I was diagnosed with 3 weeks ago).

Any helps or advice will be greatly appreciated.

page35

Hi
i had a friend that sufferd with IBS and stress was one of the main causes for her to have bad attacks. may be the worry of pain and arthur is setting it off. sorry im not much help dont know much about.
hope you get it sorted
page

annebr

bailey27 wrote:

Hi
Having had the arthroscopy 2 weeks ago today I can say I am 99% recovered and am very pleased by how it has gone.
There has been a problem that has been niggling at me for a while now and was wondering if anyone could help or understood this.
4 years ago I suffered terrible stomach aches, every timeI would eat something it would go straight through me. If I drank coffee it was give me diarrhoea. (Sorry to be so detailed). I went down to about 8 stone. I had a blood test and it showed my white cells were high / low can't remeber which one. It settled down and my second blood test had imrpoved so was told I had IBS.
Basically, since I have been getting these flare ups I have noticed that I get terrible stomach aches like my stomach full of airand I get quite nauseous sometimes. This week my toes have swollen with purple lumps, which I know is the Raynauds but I have noticed more recently that my stomach problems are starting to come back aswell. Recently when I hvae good days I dont have stomach problems and flare up days I do. Surely this is more than a coincidence?!?!?

Has anyone had this or know if it is related?

(I have Inflammatory Arthritis (Spondylartopathy) which I was diagnosed with 3 weeks ago).

Any helps or advice will be greatly appreciated.

Hi,

The Feb/Mar mag had an article into the links between arthritis and IBD (disease). I too have stomach problems and have been attending the gastric clinic, I have FAI and OA. On the first visit I took along the article but the doc wasn't intrested. Since then i have undergone a colonoscopsy which was inclusive. I am not sure if my stomach problems are linked to my OA or if I am just unlucky??

It would be worthwhile going to your GP to discuss.

Anne

woodbon

Hi My husband has IBS, which started with diabetes medication.
As he has to take the medication, he is treated with several drugs including lephepromine for the loose bowels phase and laxitives for the constipated ones! :shock: He also has a drug based, I think, on slow release peppermint oil to help with the bloating. Thats all I can remember! He did have a full set of bowel tests at the hospital first to make sure of the condition. He also had to give up dairy products as they triggered it, though he still has a very small amount. Hope you get sorted soon, I know its very unpleasant. Love Sue

bailey27

Hi
Thanks for that. I havent been on IBS medication for a few years as when I as on them they didn't really help so I stopped taking them.
It gradually eased off and until recenty not had any problems. ~I have had a stomach ulcer in the past and was wondering if something was agravating that area again. To be honest I'm not what is going on inside me at the moment. One day I feel fab, one day I have nauseous and feel unwell with stomach problem, one day my bones and joints are burning and painful and then more recently i am getting it all at once which makes me wonder if it could be connected. I havent taken tramadol when I have had the stomach aches as I feel it will make it worse. I'm going around in circles at the moment.

woodbon

Hi, It does seem a bit of co-incidence. Have you discussed it with your GP or rheummy? It sounds as if it needs following up, especially as you have a history of ulcers. I had a perforated one about 17 years ago and I didn't even realise I had an ulcer! :shock: Also, I think some arthritic conditions can have IBS as a symptom, but I'm not sure, it may have been fibromyligia.

Sorry, I'm rambling and I don't want to worry you, its the bloody internet!!! :oops: I offered to take my computer to the doctors waiting room and help her out, as shes always got a lot of patients, but she didn't seem too keen!

Hope you get sorted soon. Love Sue

melbland

Hiya

I have these problems with my stomach and it is not pleasant.

Are you sure it is not a food intolerance?

I do get stomach pains frequently, but if I have ANY food/drink/tablets etc with lactose in (milk etc) then I would also have diarrhoea.

I used to have this immediately after having my lunch at work (used to have butter on my rolls) and after dinner (cup of tea with milk). It would be literally within 5 minutes that my stomach went bad.

I have this problem with EVERY lactose/milk product (including chocolate....) I have tablets that contain lactose and they upset my stomach somewhat chronic..

Might be worth a look at ? Just a suggestion, because you mentioned the tea bit...

Mel

twinney

Hello There.
I have suffered with IBS for quite a few years now, I suffered with stomach ulcers as a child and had a bad bout of Salmonella Poisoning at one time.
Due to medical investigations and relevant tests, I found that I was allergic to Wheat and Dairy . When I am stressed or anxious about things though, my stomach reacts especially when I have to visit the hospital for any tests due to the O/A in my back and hips. I also take tablets to protect my stomach against the medication I am on for the O/A
Peppermint Tea I find is a great help too.
All the best
Lyn

woodbon

twinney wrote:

Hello There.
I have suffered with IBS for quite a few years now, I suffered with stomach ulcers as a child and had a bad bout of Salmonella Poisoning at one time.
Due to medical investigations and relevant tests, I found that I was allergic to Wheat and Dairy . When I am stressed or anxious about things though, my stomach reacts especially when I have to visit the hospital for any tests due to the O/A in my back and hips. I also take tablets to protect my stomach against the medication I am on for the O/A
Peppermint Tea I find is a great help too.
All the best
Lyn

High, Since my husband has been on medication for his diabetes, he has become fairly lactose intolorant. Before that he loved milk and ate all different kinds of cheeses in fairly large quantities. Now he has to stick very small amounts of low fat cheese and has coffee black. I wonder if theirs a link between some autoimmune problems and lactose? Love Sue

bailey27

Hi

Oh dear, I hope it is lactose intolerance as I love my yoghurts and cereal in the morning. I may experiment with my food intake and see if anything aprticular aggravates it. To be honest though my diet is quite boring and never really changes so dont think it is food intolerance as I have my good and bad days when I eat the same foods.
I read on an internet site today that the type of arthritis I have has been known to be linked to certain Bowel condition namely Crohns Diesease. I definately dont think it is as bad as that but I am pretty sure it could be connected now that I have read it. I am trying to find the site I was on but can't find it now. It had some very interesting pointers in it that I thought would be useful to you all. If i find it again I'll post what it says.

Thanks again for your advice.

bailey27

Hi
Still got the stomach problems today. Quite annoyed because it is my bruthday and wanted to go out for a meal.
All night I was awake with nausea, its kind of like travel sickness without actually being sick.

Anyone got nay suggestions how to get rid of it??

woodbon

Tonic water, (sorry, without the gin), sipped slowly or soda water help me with nausea, peppermints, either something like Polo mints or essence of peppermint in warm water helped me when I was in hospital post op. A visit to your GP may be the best thing, though. Hope you feel better soon. Love Sue

bailey27

Hi
Still got the stomach problems today. Quite annoyed because it is my bruthday and wanted to go out for a meal.
All night I was awake with nausea, its kind of like travel sickness without actually being sick.

Anyone got nay suggestions how to get rid of it??

frogmorton

Oh Poor you.
Happy birthday anyway!!!!!
Have some andrews - my Mum used to swear by it?
Hope your day is better than you expect!
Toni x

Rainbow77

Hi

Sorry to hear of yor stomach problems.
Inflammatory Arthritis is an auto immune condition and just as it attacks your joints - it could also attack your stomach to. So keep a diary and see if it is also on the same time as your joint flare ups.

Food intolerance - it could be that. But also bear in mind that auto immune conditions make our immune more hyper sensitive and that means that one day you could get a reactin from 1 food and not another. It is very complex!

I have found that I am cow's milk intolerant and can't drink it. But I can have butter, yoghurt and other products that have been processed from cow's milk. So you may be the same. May be worth cutting out raw cow's milk and see if you are better.

Pro-otic supplement tablets may help you and there is another food supplement that I take when I have a bad stomach and it sorts me out. It is called 'glutamine'. It is a food supplement, an enzyme that we naturally produce. Take a same amount 1/4 - 1/2 a teaspoon before you eat with a little bit of water or juice. Take it for a couple of days and then when your stomach is back to normal then stop. If you private message me I will send you details of a company where you can get it. It really helped me. Remember though to check with your GP if you are on a lot of medication. But I am sure that this will be fine.

Hope you feel better soon and sorry you can't got out for your birthday

Fayann xxx

page35

Hi bailey
Happy Birthday
sorry your not feeling well, hope its eased off abit now.

bailey27

Will try that thanks. I used to take L-Glutamine when I used to do a lot of sports for recovery but havent taken it for a few years. I'll certainly give it a go thanks.

I have worked out my stomach problems definately coincide with my joint problems without a doubt. At the moment I am tying to work out which foods aggravate it and I have come up with Yoghurt and coffee so far.
(I did feel a bit yucky after eating some birthday cake but I think that was down to portion size and not the actual food! )

jean123

Happy birthday from the moderating team too.

skezier

jean123 wrote:

Happy birthday from the moderating team too.

Hey a very happy birthday from me as well x

vonski

Hi Bailey

Happy Birthday from me too

Vonski x

woodbon

Happy Birthday. Hope you've enjoyed the day! Love Sue

bailey27

Thank you very much everyone!

You are all a great bunch or people and I feel so glad to have stumbled across this forum. It feels like an extended family.

ktl297

Hi,
I have just been told I probably have IBS too - the Dr told me that it is more common in people who have another autoimmune disease (like RA, PA, or other inflamm arthritis) especially if that person takes meds long term. I don't take any medication for it, just manage it by some diet control (although I don't rule out everything that's "bad" for me) and a hot water bottle if I feel crampy, peppermint oil caps for bloating and occasional laxatives/anti-diarrhoea drugs if absolutely necessary. For me it seems to be triggered by diet or by stress or by medication (watch out for codeine based painkillers!). It seems to make sense to me that the two are linked, especially as the IBS has developed after my PA and at a time when I am taking more PA meds etc.
KT

shaggy

Hi, sorry to hear your having a hard time. I have had inflammatory bowel disease for years now and have more recently been diagnosed with inflammatory arthritis too. Thay are definitely connected so its probably worth you getting checked out. A lot of the meds used are the same to treat both conditions.

HTH x

mylo

Hi

This is REALLY interesting! I too had IBS years ago, and then more recently mild colitis (six years ago) and last year diagnosed with inflammatory arthritis.

A few weeks ago, I had an unpleasant reaction to a large helping of cream, following which I ate very little for a few days, and decided then to cut out dairy products as my swelling had gone down a lot, and I didn't need the ibuprofen. Now I'm feeling much better with more energy - I've not had any milk, cheese or yogurt. Unfortunately my GP is very sceptical and doubts that dairy intolerance is likely.

Has anyone found any info on the internet about research into a link between dairy foods and inflammatory arthritis? All I can find is an article in the British Journal of Nutrition, and something called the stone age diet.

I'm currently taking MTX 20 mgms and sulfasalazine, building up to four tablets weekly.

Jane x

emmarose33

sorry if I sound silly pointing out the obvious, but since it hadn't been mentioned I thought it's worth a go!!
Stomach ulcer? . . cause by your meds. Do you take anything to protect your stomach? I take omeprazole twice a day. Not sure which type of arthritis you have, but I know stomach ulcers are common in people with RA. Anti-inflammatories cause them, but also I think people with RA are prone to them. My grandfather had one and my sister has one (she is only in her 20's) - she is healthy otherwise, as was my grandfather, although his mother had RA so you could consider it all genetically related in my family's case.
If you are not taking something to protect your stomach you really really need to get something prescribed. I felt so sick I thought I was pregnant when I ran out of my omeprazole!