Have UC, colon feels OK, but inflammation manifesting in other body parts?!

Title pretty much sums it up. I've been in remission for 3 years now (knock on wood for good luck!) and I can't recall the last time I had any swelling in my lower colon.

But I swear it seems like inflammation is manifesting in random places like my gums, my sinuses, various muscles in different spots.

Can anyone relate? Is this the UC trying to rear its ugly head?

Yes!

In the last few years I've been diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and uveitis (the latter of which has since become chronic). But aside from that, my sinuses and gums are wrecked. Also increasingly getting very low back/pelvis pain, as well pain in my neck and shoulders.

Every ophthalmologist I've seen has told me that the uveitis is related to the Crohn's (it's linked with IBD in general; not just Crohn's). And that it operates independently of the bowel inflammation, e.g. my intestines can be in remission but the uveitis active or vice versa.

I'm probably positive for the gene HLA-B27, which is associated with a cluster of disorders including IBD and uveitis. Ankylosing spondylarthritis is also one of them, so every time I get the pelvic pain I worry it's that.

I had *none* of these problems before the Crohn's. I clean my teeth with everything I can throw at them and still the gum problems persist.

It's quite common for UC/Crohn's inflammation to manifest itself in other parts of the body. There's even a term for it: extraintestinal manifestations (or EIM for short).

Sadly this wretched disease doesn't confine itself only to our guts.

Article about EIMs below, if you're interested in knowing more:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc3127025/

When I was first diagnosed, I remember someone on another site telling me not to be surprised if I get a bunch of weird symptoms that doctors can't figure out and don't fit in with any particular disease pattern. She was right.

Sometimes we just accumulate more problems as we get older....not necessarily related to UC....

Yep, I got periodontal issues after 15 yrs with UC; taking Rx steroid meds sporadically brought those problems on-- because I developed bone loss in the jaws. Since early 2017 I've been trying to get rid of inflammation in my upper left gums, which seemed to be the side effect of an abdominal/pelvic CT-scan with double contrast administered in late 2016. IV contrasts especially can induce freaky problems just about anywhere in the body, according to a physical therapist friend of mine with long experience in practice. (sigh) / Old Hat (38 yrs with left-sided UC ; presently in remission taking brandname Colazal)