i've actually been wondering almost the opposite sort of thing for me. two years in a row now at the end of the summer, i've had mysteriously constipated bowels, with mucus in the stools, really the only time i consistently get mucus in the stools. no amount of fiber, water, and exercise combined was shaking it, had to consume psyllium several times a day every day to keep things moving. several weeks of that both times now, and then finally a flare. this year the flare (once the constipation was established) included mouth sores, then blepharitis, then the neck, then the upper back, then the SI.

in 2006, i had an unexplained flare of gastritis, then loose bowels, then pulled the tendon(s) that connects the IT and TFL bands to the trochanter by stretching, so i could hardly walk for months on end (needed PT for that), then tore a ligament in my wrist from pouring a pot of water into the sink, which required cortisone, PT, and not using that hand for 2-3 years, then for ~2 months, a mysterious leg rash that came and went on and off like clockwork every week or so.

i've noticed that all these things tend to flare together: "arthritis" and gastro, etc. but they're the strongest examples i've noted.

not sure if one causes the other or if they are just caused by the same process going on in my body. but i do note a connection.

and as kat and others mentioned, seeing a doctor (to get scoped) makes sense. in 2006 when my gastritis and lose bowels flared, i had another upper endoscopy, which did show the gastritis. i was able to get it to resolve through diet and drugs after about 6 months or so. and this past year had a colonoscopy to help understand the bowel involvement. some ulcers at the end of my small intestine, so a CT enterography to rule out crohn's / IBD. doc didn't call after the exam so assuming it came back negative for IBD, though we're to meet up next week so i'll know for sure. I did read that people with AS (and other spondys maybe) often have "crohn's like ulcers" in their intestines. my results would be consistent with that data. was also told NSAID use can cause that as well, but I hadn't had a NSAID for over a year prior to the colonoscopy, and even then it was just a very few to test my response to them.

so i'd say if you haven't had a colonoscopy, etc recently, they'll probably want to do that for you soon.

Last edited by Sue22; 09/24/10 04:47 AM.

sue

Spondyloarthropathy, HLAB27 negative
Humira (still methylprednisone for flares, just not as often. Aleve if needed, rarely.)
LDN/zanaflex/flector patches over SI/ice
vits C, D. probiotics. hyaluronic acid. CoQ, Mg, Ca, K.
chiro
walk, bike
no dairy (casein sensitivity), limited eggs, limited yeast (bread)