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Could seeing a Chiropractor help w/flare???

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 9/4/2011 7:03 PM (GMT 0)
I am and 27 year old that was diagnosed w Mastocytic Enterocolitis in May of 2010 after my initial flare up in June 2009. It has only been classified as and IBD in the last few years and NO ONE knows much about it. My body releases the Mast cells as if I am having an allergic reaction, which causes the inflamation. I was put on some medications that help and went for months with very little pain and diarrhea.

Still on the same meds that help, but they are not helping  like they did. I have been having a lot of diarrhea and pain. Most of my pain is in my lower back..... all day every day. I have a desk job and by the end of the day I am so stiff and sore that I have trouble standing and walking. Once Im up and moving, I am ok its just getting moving....I have started taking my lunch laying in the floor on a heating pad so when its time to leave I can walk out of the building with some dignity. I am only 27 and should not feel like by body is 80.

I got to thinking about going to the Chiropractor this week and have made the first appointment for this Thursday. It may be worth a shot to help with the pain and stiffness. Has anyone been and if so has it helped you???

Posted 9/4/2011 7:36 PM (GMT 0)
Hi..welcome to the forum!
I've never heard of ME, thanks for bringing it to our attention.

What meds have you been put on and what are you on at this time?

Is your entire colon affected?

I have found chiropractics a huge help regarding by body aches and pains, but it's never helped for a flare.
If your chiro tells you it will, he's not understanding that you have organic disease/dysfunction in your colon, and it's not affected by the nerves or your back being "out".

Now, in saying that.....consistent pain can exacerbate our body reactions, so indirectly it will be a good thing for you to find relief on many levels.

Keep us posted.
q
Posted 9/8/2011 12:48 AM (GMT 0)
I know that it is not a cure and I am not looking at it that way. I just want some relief from some of the body aches and pains. :-) I hate that it hurts for me to stand or sit or bend or stretch or lift or anything. My first appointment is tomorrow afternoon and I hope that it goes well. The Chiropractor that I am seeing had a cronic illness since childhood that has been helped after she began to see a chiropractor. I think that since she has had to deal with something herself, she will think outside of the box with me.

I am currently on Apriso, Hyoscyamine, and Gastrocrom(a mast cell stabilizer) which up until recently was my trifecta. I was on the Apriso and Hyoscyamine only, then the Gastrocrom and Hyoscymine only, and finally we put the three together and I went about 8 months with maybe 3-4 rounds of diarrhea in that whole lenght of time.

 

Posted 9/8/2011 1:39 AM (GMT 0)
Hmmm, I love a good chiropractor, but still I don't think so. Can't know for sure!

I would think massage therapy might be a better approach.

Posted 9/8/2011 2:22 AM (GMT 0)
It won't help with a flare. I am one so if it helped I would not be on remicade.

Helping with aches and pains of flare??? Depends on why you have the aches and pains. Mine were mostly from pred withdrawal. Nothing could touch that.
Posted 9/8/2011 2:35 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Ellie. I find your post and symptoms very interesting because about a year before I got ulcerative colitis, I got extremely bad lower back pain out of nowhere. It was so horrible I could barely sit or walk...just like you are describing. I think my stomach was hurting too, but can't remember for sure. It was mostly the back.

I would take Aleve but that barely touched it. I went to the doctor and had x-rays and an ultrasound done and they didn't see anything abnormal. All my blood work came back fine. I actually did end up going to a chiropractor a few times (hated it; no offense Dr-A :) and it didn't really seem to help but he did suggest I use an ice pack throughout the day on my back and that helped relieve some of the pain. He said to use ice, not heat. Not sure why.

After about a month or two, the back pain completely disappeared on its own. Not sure if it had anything to do with me getting UC a year later or not.

How did they determine you had that type of colitis? Through biopsies?

Have you mentioned the pain to your GI? Maybe they would prescribe you pain meds if nothing else to help you get through the day short-term. I feel your pain!
Posted 9/8/2011 5:46 AM (GMT 0)
I would go to a chiropractor for back pain, not for a flare.

I took a university course for chiropractic body work a few years ago. The chiropractor and massage therapists are supposed to avoid any areas in which you are flaring (unless it's ice packs). It stimulates blood circulation, which isn't a good if you are bleeding internally or have inflammation.

If you aren't flaring, then chiropractic treatment and massages to the area can be beneficial because they can help relax the area.
Posted 9/8/2011 11:16 AM (GMT 0)
No offense taken. We are just like any other doc... good ones and bad ones. If I stopped seeing a GI doc based on a bad experience I would have quit a long time ago, lol.
Posted 9/8/2011 4:49 PM (GMT 0)
     I tried chiropractic therapy about three years ago following an eight day hospital stay.  Didn't do squat and furthermore, I told him I had osteoporosis from all my prednisone use and he still cracked my back...boy did I see stars!  Now I have three fractures in my spine shakehead .  I really should have known better but I was grabbing at straws back then.  You name it, I tried it.  The only thing I never tried was fecal transplantation.  I mentioned it to my GI doctor and he looked at me like I had three heads and told me I was REALLY looking for problems if I tried that.  Well, he looked at me the same way when I told him I contacted a colorectal surgeon and was having surgery but I went ahead and had the surgery anyway..lol.
Posted 9/8/2011 5:10 PM (GMT 0)
I agree, ice is best!
Posted 9/8/2011 8:42 PM (GMT 0)
Well I just got home from my first visit and it went really well. After the body exam she told me that I am carrying almost 2% extra of my body weight on my left side. She also agreed that it may help with some of my aches and pains, but not really the colitis which is what I figured to begin with. After cracking and all that, I spent 12 minutes on the aqua massage bed which was AMAZING!!!!! I work in the medical field and see so many people addicted to pain meds that I want to try everything that I can before going that route. Now Im not saying that they are bad, but I do not want to have to have pain meds to get through my day. I even take Tyenol in moderation. I do not like how I feel like I am in a fog if I even take a Tramadol.

Sara-That is interesting that yours went away! Im glad that it did, but it sucks that Colitis took its place. As for how my Mastocytic Colitis was diagnosed it was through a biopsy during my colonoscopy in May 2010. There is a special stain that has to be used to detect the cells and that is why its only been classified in the last few years. Unfortunately there is less known about it compared to Crohns or UC. My Gastro is great in that he gave me everything that he knew and did research on his own for me.

Posted 9/8/2011 9:05 PM (GMT 0)
hi ive been an pain for a while.  its at its worst in the morn and after i have a bm it eases.  i started asacol 2400/day 2 wks ago and it got far worse.  it seems to be in the flanks mostly but the whole lower back is sore. your therapy sounds ace.  aqua massage woah yes please. 

interesting too about ice packs. i was gonna get my oh to gimme a massage later but ill give them a go.  it never occured to me that heat would make your inflammation and bleeding worse.

Posted 9/8/2011 10:12 PM (GMT 0)

Christine1946 said...
The only thing I never tried was fecal transplantation. I mentioned it to my GI doctor and he looked at me like I had three heads and told me I was REALLY looking for problems if I tried that.

Ha Ha Ha
Total nonsense.
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