Anyone here an IBD warrior? Spoonie roll call!

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  • CoachJen71
    CoachJen71 Posts: 1,200 Member
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    Anyone else have a weird feeling that their hormones tie-in somehow to their IBD? I went from being a constipated little girl, to a hormone-flushed pre-teen with UC, to a woman who got slightly better each time after giving birth, and back to constipation and apparent remission in perimenopause. Additionally, my bipolar has changed along that same time line. I had a head doc once tell me that there seems to be a slight correlation to presenting with both IBD and Bipolar or Depression.

    I know that theories abound these days about the role of healthy gut flora in overall and mental health. Maybe there really is something to that, and somehow hormones affect the flora somehow??
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
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    I'm bipolar too! Apparently lots of women go into remission while pregnant and flare after giving birth. I also find I'm much worse around that time of the month.
  • CoachJen71
    CoachJen71 Posts: 1,200 Member
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    singingflutelady wrote: »
    I'm bipolar too! Apparently lots of women go into remission while pregnant and flare after giving birth. I also find I'm much worse around that time of the month.

    Oh Lord, yes! My manias unfortunately put me in the stereotypical PMS mode. My apologies to my sisters the world over for reinforcing that!

    I did get worse short-term colitis flares after the babies, mostly due to lack of sleep, which also did wonders for the bipolar! But I also definitely improved a little more overall long-term after I had the kiddos. My doc said it seems to be luck, as a third of women w/ UC get better, a third stay the same, and a third get worse.
  • chunky_pinup
    chunky_pinup Posts: 758 Member
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    nojuicejustjin_ wrote: »
    chunky_pinup wrote: »
    Not an IBD warrior, but a spoonie! I have Lupus (SLE), Behcets Disease and Fibromyalgia, to name a few. I've done three rounds of chemo, benlysta infusions, and been on more drugs than I can count, but I also love lifting and staying as active as possible as often as my body allows!

    Hi there spoonie! I'm sorry you've had a rough go as well. I was recently dx'd with fibro also but not on a treatment there either. I was being tested for Lupus because I had some symptoms that match it pretty accurately but my test came back negative. Not sure if that can happen even if someone has it.

    Are you in remission at all? Or still finding a groove medicinally? Also do any supplements help energy wise for you?

    I actually was one of the "lucky" ones who went into remission during/after pregnancy. The pregnancy was unexpected, as I was going through chemo with methotrexate (which is also used for medical abortions, so miracle baby survived with NO ISSUES with her first 8 weeks in utero being exposed!) and I had an IUD...coming off of all of my meds without tapering was awful. They put me in the hospital for a weekend because they needed to monitor the fetus to make sure it would survive, and it was like a junkie coming off heroin for me. Absolutely awful. The first month or so after that was very hard, but then I went into remission! Baby was born 21 months ago, and I was in remission until she was 18 months old, so I guess you could say I had a very good streak!

    I've had a few pretty bad flares since then, but I think because I took advantage of that time and really tried to get my body to the best place I could physically, I've been able to recover from them quicker without as much struggle. But...the struggle is definitely still there...
  • nojuicejustjin_
    nojuicejustjin_ Posts: 238 Member
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    indy_cruizer wrote: »
    Top respirologist flew out from Quebec to Calgary to meet with me and a handful of others in Alberta with it. He's one of the leading researchers for it so I trust his diagnosis and the test results.

    Hello! Sorry about your dx. Are you on treatment now?
    skertz wrote: »
    Isn't IBS a differential diagnosis?
    Yes, IBS is an irritated bowel whereas IBD is a chronic inflammatory disease of the bowel
    mountiesgirl wrote: »
    I don't have IBD but I'm a spoonie I was diagnosed with endometriosis a month ago and suffer from flare ups and I'm a migraine sufferer as well.

    Hi there! Are you on any treatments?
  • nojuicejustjin_
    nojuicejustjin_ Posts: 238 Member
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    chunky_pinup wrote: »
    nojuicejustjin_ wrote: »
    chunky_pinup wrote: »
    Not an IBD warrior, but a spoonie! I have Lupus (SLE), Behcets Disease and Fibromyalgia, to name a few. I've done three rounds of chemo, benlysta infusions, and been on more drugs than I can count, but I also love lifting and staying as active as possible as often as my body allows!

    Hi there spoonie! I'm sorry you've had a rough go as well. I was recently dx'd with fibro also but not on a treatment there either. I was being tested for Lupus because I had some symptoms that match it pretty accurately but my test came back negative. Not sure if that can happen even if someone has it.

    Are you in remission at all? Or still finding a groove medicinally? Also do any supplements help energy wise for you?

    I actually was one of the "lucky" ones who went into remission during/after pregnancy. The pregnancy was unexpected, as I was going through chemo with methotrexate (which is also used for medical abortions, so miracle baby survived with NO ISSUES with her first 8 weeks in utero being exposed!) and I had an IUD...coming off of all of my meds without tapering was awful. They put me in the hospital for a weekend because they needed to monitor the fetus to make sure it would survive, and it was like a junkie coming off heroin for me. Absolutely awful. The first month or so after that was very hard, but then I went into remission! Baby was born 21 months ago, and I was in remission until she was 18 months old, so I guess you could say I had a very good streak!

    I've had a few pretty bad flares since then, but I think because I took advantage of that time and really tried to get my body to the best place I could physically, I've been able to recover from them quicker without as much struggle. But...the struggle is definitely still there...

    WOW! Yay for miracle baby! That's great that she is healthy. It was a good streak for you lol
    I'm glad you bounce back fast from them now. Mine are a hit or miss for me with length of flares.
  • nojuicejustjin_
    nojuicejustjin_ Posts: 238 Member
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    CoachJen71 wrote: »
    singingflutelady wrote: »
    I'm bipolar too! Apparently lots of women go into remission while pregnant and flare after giving birth. I also find I'm much worse around that time of the month.

    Oh Lord, yes! My manias unfortunately put me in the stereotypical PMS mode. My apologies to my sisters the world over for reinforcing that!

    I did get worse short-term colitis flares after the babies, mostly due to lack of sleep, which also did wonders for the bipolar! But I also definitely improved a little more overall long-term after I had the kiddos. My doc said it seems to be luck, as a third of women w/ UC get better, a third stay the same, and a third get worse.

    Hey there! I notice a mood difference for sure more so when I'm about to or in a flare than not. I've read the connection of gut flora with mental health and they may very well be onto something!

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