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I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis in February.  In April I was in the hospital for 1 week due to a bad flare up. I'm still at the stage of figuring out what flares me and what doesn't. I currently take 2 Asacol pills 3x a day.  For past 3 weeks I have been having joint pains. I was wondering if anyone else has had joint pains due to the UC. If so what do you do for the pain.  Thank you!!

 Reply posted for Ynikki.

I have found a liquid vitamin called Kyani Sunrise that really helps me get the nutrients that I need.  It works because, of the 100% absorption rate compared to swallowing a pill and having it pass through me before my body will absorb it or break it down.  If you are interested I will tell you where to get it.

 Reply posted for Ynikki.

Been through a lot of meds for UC and I'm "stable" now at 3 pills of lialda (mesalamine) a day in the morning along with probiotics, multivit, and glucosamine for joint pain.  As of recently it hasn't just been my knees it's my back and hip and now I'm immobalized!  I'm not allowed to take any NSAID's like ibuprofen or naproxin...or even acetaminophen at this point.  The docs were just throwing pain meds at me but I wasn't getting better, I couldn't sit, stand, do chores, and my quality of life was in a sad state...BUT I've started swimming at night and just laying in the pool increases my mobility and takes most of my pain away.  Since swimming and drinking a ton of water I've improved.  I am still going to see a rheumatologist soon, but the improvement from the pool and water has improved my mood and my mobility enough for me to do basic chores around the house and going out as long as I don't have to sit to long  

 Reply posted for Ynikki.

Tylenol--or acetaminophen--is supposed to be safe for us with UC, as was stated earlier.  Just wanted to post acetaminophen because I like to buy the cheaper generics.  I had the bad joint paint too and get some aches from time to time--usually after sitting down for a while like when we go to the movies.  We used to live in a townhouse apartment and just going up the stairs left me in horrible, throbbing pain in my knees.  I had to lay down in bed and wait for the pain to start going away.  For me, I got really sore if I stood or sat down for too long.  It felt good to move around, but this may not be the same for you.

After doing some reading, the pain is called arthralgia.  Basically arthritis pain without the actual damage from arthritis (I'm 24 so also thought it couldn't be real arthritis).  I was stubborn and just tried to tough it out but I had thought about using Bengay or something similar.  I also invested in a good kitchen mat for doing dishes and cooking to help with the knee pain--Sublime brand.  Got a few for family and they love it too.  Sometimes the pain was so severe that no mat would help but it's great now, especially when I've been recouping my strength from the last flare. 

Also, my GI doctor said that the knee pain is pretty normal--it's one of the added goodies from having UC--but if you start getting weird hip pain, that is something more serious and you should contact your doctor immediately.  Everyone is different but when I started getting better, the knee pain started going away too.  Now it just bothers me from time to time, but not nearly as bad as before.  Hope that is the same case for you.  Hang in there. 

 Reply posted for Ynikki.

Hello,

My husband of 12 years was diagnosed 2 years ago at age 36 with UC.  It has been a hard long battle!  He hurts everywhere EVERYDAY!  We need help with this he can't do anything after work and barley can work.  He misses alot of it.  If anyone has more advise please share!  He can NOT take any pain meds at all!  I mess with him BAD.  We have 3 young kids and he can't even play with them.  One part seem to get better and then another gets worse.  I'm at a loss and wearing down.  I work 3 jobs and try to take care of them all.  I wish he didn't hurt so bad, I need my husband back and our souls to be happy again knowing he is out of pain!

 Reply posted for Cnrusso90.

In case you haven't heard, NSAIDs like aspirin, Ibuprofen and Aleve are not recommended if you have IBD because they can cause irritation in the GI tract and trigger flares. Tylenol is considered safer.

 Reply posted for Ynikki.

I have joint pain due to UC whether I'm flaring or not unfortunately. Mine, personally, feels more like the descriptions of arthritis but I'm 21 so I know that it isn't actually. However, if the symptoms are arthritis pain, I treat it like arthritis. Taking Aleve helps if Ibuprofen doesn't. Also just elevating the joint if possible and epsom salts in a bath work wonders to relieve pain at least temporarily. Doing light exercise, non-weight bearing, have also helped me.

I know exactly what your dealing with and how it can make life difficult but I hope these ideas help!

Chelsea