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How many of you have fatigue as a symptom of UC?

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Posted 8/15/2017 1:39 AM (GMT 0)
I just read the post by someone who has fatigue after weaning off pregnasone. Is fatigue a symptom of UC? or the medications we take?

I only take 5asa suppositories twice a day and I'm very tired. I used to run three times a week, (a year ago) and right now I can't imagine having the energy to do that! I also feel very tired near the end of the day. My symptoms aren't too bad. I have had a few days of constipation and one morning of diahreah, other wise I'm not too bad. My iron levels were fine a month ago, but this is reminding me of when I had low iron.

I see my surgeon tomorrow for the first time after my diagnosissmile
Posted 8/15/2017 3:45 AM (GMT 0)
I had weeks where I did nothing but sit in my chair. No energy. Didn't feel like doing thing. Trying to do any household chores was almost impossible -- I could do one thing and then would have to sit down and rest. Granted, this might have been one of the times I was off prednisone or weaning, I don't really remember right now and I wish I wouldn't have kept track of things like that, but I didn't.
Posted 8/15/2017 4:30 AM (GMT 0)
Fatigue is a normal symptom of a flare, and of many UC medications.

Just because your symptoms are mild, doesn't mean your inflammation is. So, it is good you are seeing your doctor. Uncontrolled inflammation can certainly cause fatigue.

I have pretty bad fatigue but I'm in a bad flare, and on Remicade, and on a constantly changing dose of prednisone. So it could really be anything causing it for me.
Posted 8/15/2017 10:10 AM (GMT 0)
Fatigue is caused by UC flares with or without meds, anemia, and it's listed as a side effect in every class of UC medication from mild anti-inflammatory medications like asacol/lialda, to immunomodulators (imuran/6mp), to bioligics like remicade/humira despite them having very different ingredients and very different mechanisms of action. To me at least that speaks that it's most likely underlying uc symptons and not the meds causing fatugue in many incidences.
Posted 8/15/2017 10:38 AM (GMT 0)
When I was in a flare, I was exhausted. It took awhile, even after I got my flare under control to get my energy back.
Posted 8/15/2017 10:58 AM (GMT 0)
i have felt tired and fatigued for last two or three years since I started to flare the end of 2014. Even though the flare has significantly subsided, I still don't have the same energy I used to have. I find I need more sleep and rest periods.
Posted 8/15/2017 6:43 PM (GMT 0)
I'm so glad I can post questions here! Thank you for the responses. I'll be a little bit easier on myself now.
Posted 8/15/2017 8:00 PM (GMT 0)
Fatigue was HUGE for me the last year. I was in a flare for over 19 months (my own fault for the first 12 as I insisted what I have isn't UC and went on a crusade trying a plethora of "natural remedies" and shooed away any rx meds).

Now that I am in remission, the difference is night and day. I am astounded. In fact, I no longer have joint pain either. I never tied that to my UC before. I had been experiencing rosacea, too, and that is even 90% better. So weird how many extra intestinal symptoms can come along with this !
Posted 8/15/2017 8:08 PM (GMT 0)
When our UC flares, our circulatory system is flooded with immune-related proteins and cells, and that system isn't limited to the GI tract. So, there is undoubtedly collateral-damage elsewhere within the body, where joints and other things get inflamed as a result. Control your UC and the immune particles diminish, and so does the other areas affected. UC-flare-related-arthritis is a very good example of such a thing.

I remember seeing an optometrist she asked if I had any other illness, I mentioned UC. She and I talked about the various inflammation of the eyes one can get as a consequence of UC (or that are at least a lot more common with UC patients): uveitis and other similar things (depending on exactly what part of the eye is inflamed). She said steroid drops are good at treating it, should I get it.

Luck us, ugh, *sigh*, *facepalm*
Posted 8/15/2017 8:42 PM (GMT 0)
That makes sense, iPoop. I wondered how they could be connected. I actually DID have eye inflammation with an unknown cause and my optometrist said it was most likely 'eye rosacea' and she did rx steroid eyedrops. Much better now, too.
Posted 8/15/2017 11:43 PM (GMT 0)

iPoop said...
I remember seeing an optometrist she asked if I had any other illness, I mentioned UC. She and I talked about the various inflammation of the eyes one can get as a consequence of UC (or that are at least a lot more common with UC patients): uveitis and other similar things (depending on exactly what part of the eye is inflamed). She said steroid drops are good at treating it, should I get it.

I've had several flare-ups of uveitis this year. Can confirm, steroid drops are good at treating it. I'm dealing with a simmering case right now, where there is a bit of redness and pain but nothing like a full-blown flare-up. The pain alone is enough to make me ask my GP for yet another referral to the hospital eye casualty :-(

As for fatigue, it has waxed and waned for me over the years. For the first 4-5 years, when my Crohn's was still mild (or at least my symptoms were!), my energy levels were normal. Then I got hit with debilitating fevers almost overnight and my disease was never mild again after that point. Between fevers, anaemia, and highly active Crohn's I was insanely fatigued at times - I could get out of breath just walking around a shopping centre and needed to sit down and rest repeatedly.

My fatigue is better now, although still there. Eating a meal still tends to make me feel tired, although not as badly as in the days when eating dinner would reliably trigger an evening fever.
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