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I have been researching symtoms to which I have been experiencing for some time now. Its likely the mc is the main culprit (dry eyes, and dry mouth with sore muscles and bones). I posted a thread a while back about my aching bones to which I assumed my mc was the cause. I am now considering these symptoms to have manifested from originally the mc but have possibly progressed into rhuematoid athritis. I also have symptoms of dry eyes and dry mouth which never seems to go away which is leading me to suspect possible start of RA which may also be signs of Stogrens syndrome but hopefully not.
I read this article which you may find quite interesting.
Rheumatoid arthritis
Common, inflammatory joint disease
The three main problems in rheumatoid arthritis are dry eyes, which affects one quarter of RA patients; keratitis (inflammation of the cornea); and scleritis (inflammation of the sclera, the white outer layer of the eyeball) of which RA is one of the most common causes. Patients may also develop secondary Sjögren's Syndrome due to salivary gland abnormality which also causes a dry mouth. In scleritis, the sclera can become thin leading to perforation.
Dr. Fine has also made some comments in the past, about that connection:
Can microscopic colitis be associated with symptoms other than diarrhea or abdominal pain?
Because microscopic colitis is a chronic inflammatory syndrome associated with production by the immune system of chemical mediators that circulate in the blood, patients with microscopic colitis often experience fatigue, joint pains, muscle aches and fibromyalgia, and even fever is possible. Because the genes involved also predispose to other autoimmune syndromes, such diseases (like arthritis, thyroid disease, etc.) do occur in patients with microscopic colitis. If gluten sensitivity is present, many additional abdominal and other symptoms may be present.
I had those problems too, but fortunately mine went away, after I was on the diet a while.
Thanks for the link,
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
thanks for that link tex....god when will it end, symptom after symptom..
joan its funny cos my eyes are like that after pc use as well and were not talking about hours on end either...i mainly use my ipod touch these days because my pc is a relic...lol!! the little screen on the itouch can be quite straining too..
Your post was very interesting. I had dry mouth and scleritis long before I was diagnosed w/ CC. Thought both were due to menopause. Have since had surgery for severe thumb and lower back arthritis. Been told I have osteoarthritis, the "wear and tear, usually age-related" form of arthritis. I think it too, is related to gluten intolerance and MC. Hope some day all these relationships will be unearthed. Sheila
I have dry eyes that started about 16 years ago, which I attributed to menopause. They would get so irritated that I would get a broken blood vessel in my eye every few weeks, which looked bad and made me want to wear sunglasses. I used lots of eye drops and eye ointment at night to get relief. They are doing much better now, and I attribute it to bioidentical progesterone and going gluten free. However, I've noticed that taking Imodium makes them feel drier and more irritated.
Rosie
Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time………Thomas Edison
Thank for All your input guys...
that's interesting that you all have the dry eyes syndrome. Also I developed early menopause before being dx with mc and started it a year before dx, then got sick. For years I wondered why I had so many symptoms with my digestion and eating. I became a vegetarian for 6 years cos I couldn't eat many red meats. IOW if this was a sign that I was developing mc. I've read that gluten (celiac) can cause infertility and early menopause. I always wondered why I couLd never have kids...now I know the reason..I'm sure of it..I still believe to this day that I am celiac despite their dum test.
Visit the Microscopic Colitis Foundation Website
