The number of people living with an inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis, are on the rise in Central Florida. These conditions cause pain in the intestines, swelling, fatigue, and cramps.

If you are suffering with any of these symptoms, it’s time to see the board certified doctors at Gastroenterology Consultants of Central Florida to have your condition diagnosed, get a treatment plan, and find relief before your condition worsens.

Chronic diarrhea

Once in a while a bout of diarrhea can be chalked up to something you ate or a virus, but if you have chronic watery stools, it is very concerning. Diarrhea can range from severe to mild, with it being worse during times of major flare-up of IBD.

For those with Crohn’s disease, diarrhea is typically watery. Both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis can cause bloody diarrhea and fecal urgency.

Loss of appetite

It is normal for those suffering with IBD to feel less hungry than usual. Eating can be associated with stomach pain, distress, and diarrhea. Not only that, IBD can disrupt the balance of hormones that affect hunger, such as leptin and ghrelin.

With an overabundance of these hormones, it will make you feel full, the result is naturally eating less. Many people with IBD also suffer with depression, which can affect the appetite.

Rectal bleeding

Rectal bleeding can be blood on the toilet paper after you wipe, bright red streaks in your stools, or black stools. 

Bleeding higher up in the digestive system typically shows up as black stools, which is associated with Crohn’s disease. Ulcerative colitis is associated with bright red blood, due to the inflammation in the colon, small intestine, and rectum. 

Severe abdominal cramp

While anyone with inflammatory bowel disease can experience severe abdominal cramps, it is mostly linked to Crohn’s disease. Patients experience tenderness and pain around the lower right side of the abdomen or around the belly button.

Cramps can occur without any clear cause or a few hours after eating a meal.

Fatigue

Many people who have inflammatory bowel disease experience fatigue. In fact, it is the second most common symptom for those with Crohn’s disease and third with those with ulcerative colitis. Fatigue can happen when you are in remission and during an active flare-up.

An overwhelming feeling of being exhausted, weak and tired can be experienced with IBD. That can interfere with everyday life. No matter how much sleep you get, you don’t feel rested. Fatigue can occur from difficulty sleeping, nutrient deficiencies, and depression associated with IBD.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you are not alone. According to the Crohn’s colitis foundation, almost 2 million Americans have IBD and as many as 100,000 children.

While the exact cause of IBD is not entirely understood, it is known to involve an interaction between genes, the immune system, and environmental factors. The immune system usually attacks and kills foreign invaders, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microorganisms. However, in people with IBD, the immune system mounts an inappropriate response to the intestinal tract, resulting in inflammation.

This abnormal immune system reaction occurs in peo- ple who have inherited genes that make them suscep- tible to IBD. Unidentified environmental factors serve as the “trigger” that initiates the harmful immune response in the intestines.

If you or a loved one is experiencing symptoms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, contact Gastroenterology Consultants of Central Florida. We can help you manage your condition and find relief, improving your quality of life.