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I have noticed that the week prior to a UC flair up I have certain symptoms... was wondering if anyone else had similar ones. 

1)  pin-head sores around the outside of my mouth, not on my lips.  They are not pimples or herpes... Just the size of a pin head, and boy do they HURT. (Gross I know) but if I try to squeeze them only clear liquid comes out - if anything at all... once in a while they will have a very tiny pit of white discharge, but they feel like they are Very deep under the skin.  Not into the mouth though.

2) I get very achy, stiff & sore everywhere... especially knees, hips, shoulders ect (joints)

3) TIRED

4) Fogg brained - can't remember anything.. agghhh

Mainly it is #1 I was wondering about... any body else & any suggestions or diagnosis as to what it MIGHT be??

 Reply posted for GLW.

I agree, I hated having a foggy brain. I seemed to spend the whole day going round in circles and achieving nothing.

Patman has posted lots of links to useful information on diet on this site. The best way to start is with Elaine Gottschall's book Breaking the Vicious Cycle. I have also found a book called Life without Bread very useful as it contains a lot of  different information on why this kind of diet should work.

The diet is not as hard to follow as it appears at first and almond baking is not essential although I do make some cakes and cheese biscuits, mainly to replace bread which was the most difficult to eliminate when I started. I also made homemade yogurt ice cream to replace the sweet things I was missing and thick chicken and vegetable soups kept me going if my energy flagged at the beginning.

At the start I suffered worse D for several weeks and lost quite a lot of weight but I kept going because my other problems  disappeared so fast and my weight stabilised to just right after about six months. The iritis appeared at about 3 months which is the time Elaine warns that  some problems can appear for a while.

My children hardly notice that they are eating a different way and now that I make extra (and more interesting) vegetables they often  don't bother to eat the extra rice or potatoes I have cooked for them. It does take time to find some basics that don't take long to prepare.

I think it is a good idea to read as much as you can before trying a new diet so you know what to expect and definitely carry on with the medication.

I hope this helps a bit.

 Reply posted for Lca.

Do you have more info on the diet plan?  I have soo many alergies and food adversions it is hard... was going to ask my Dr about seeing a nutritionist. 

i too have renauds (and my daughter has it really bad, even acts  up in summer).

Wouldn't mind the tiredness soo much if I didn't get soo foggy brained.

thanks in advance!

 Reply posted for GLW.

Have you tried a low carbohydrate diet?

I use the SCD diet and one of the first improvements was that my foggy brain cleared rapidly and the extreme tiredness improved although I did feel physically exhausted (with a clear brain!) for the first week or two.

I had been suffering from a severe blistering rash which also disappeared rapidly. Over the next few months  I had one episode of Iritis but it has not recurred in nearly three years and symptoms of Reynauds also vanished.

The improvements in UC are enormous but these happened more gradually and it is still improving.

 Reply posted for Summer2009.

Deffinetly not just in the gut!

I have soo many symptoms with the uc and arthritis that developed, along with frequent sinus infections. I do see specialist for all three - get frustrating at times. My kids complain about how many Dr's, visits and illnesses I have.

Still happy for the good days that I only feel a bit sore/stiff.  It is the bigger flairs that get me - couse it seems everything goes. This time it has been a short small flair up... hopfully it is gone as I feel good today.

Not so foggy!  Can (kinda) think.... LOL!

I also need to schedual an eye apt, as my right eye has been twitching lattly, and they always feel dry.  Keep forgetting to tell my Dr this newest complaint.

I am fighting for SSDI, its been a year 7 first time was denied... Did find they DID NOT look at any of my Doctors  -  NONE!  Only their 2 Dr's that I saw for 5 min tops each & 1 ER visit.  IDIOTS!!!  I do have a great worker at aging & disability that has helped me - I could not do this alone! No way!!!

Well gott things to do - as I am feeling ok... thanks for the feedback!

oh yes the pinhead sores are reddish colored - deffinetly not a herpies virus as they do not get bigger & weepy like the virus does.

 Reply posted for GLW.

I would guess that the sores you get are from your immune system being out of wack, since Crohn's and UC are auto-immune.  I would talk to your GI dr if you haven't already and maybe ask if they'd recommend a dermatologist to see if they can give you any clues as to what they are and what to do for them.  You mentioned that clear liquid comes out if squeezed; what color are the sores themselves?

I am pretty new to all this but several months ago before I was diagnosed with severe UC I had the foggy head too.  It was one of my main complaints to my primary care dr before my symptoms really escalated.  This is a bad symptom to have anyway but especially if you're in your last semester of nursing school! I've heard of other people complain of this too and I think mine was caused mainly by electrolyte imbalances and dehydration.  I also had joint pain but only in my knees; this is common for some people during a flare-up.  Crohn's and UC are definitely not just diseases of the gut!