In a word, confusing. What is causing the symptoms? Are these conditions impacting each other?
I have Crohn’s disease, hypothyroidism, and Seasonal Affective Disorder. What is causing my fatigue? My brain fog? Why does my whole body hurt? What is throwing off my sleep schedule?
When you are navigating multiple diagnosis, specialists make it more confounding. I had a gastrointerologist who refused to consider how my thyroid impacted Crohn’s. Luckily my PCP manages both my mental health and thyroid stuff, so she can at least see how the pieces fit together. After breaking up with my GI, I’ve been trying to pull my PCP more into Crohn’s management, but she is reluctant to do so (understandably) because she is not a specialist.
Hypothyroidism and SAD both get worse when the temperature drops and the sun goes away in the winter. Both can affect food cravings. Fatigue also makes it a challenge to cook every meal balanced and unprocessed. It’s a slippery slope that can lead to a Crohn’s flare.
An active Crohn’s flare can mean my thyroid medication isn’t being absorbed correctly. Chronic diarrhea and vomiting messes up my metabolism. Infection in my guts can lead to fever and other fluctuations in body temperature, regulated by thyroid. After a Crohn’s flare, what is the cause of lingering fatigue and brain fog?
How do I get the diagnostic testing and care I need to manage comorbid chronic illnesses during a public health catastrophe and global pandemic?
This has nothing to do with how much kale I eat, if I am doing yoga, or if I’m “deciding to be happy.” This is about an overspecialized medical industry that cannot see patients and their conditions as whole systems because they are miopically focused on specializations instead of taking a holistic systems approach.
Eating Vegan with Crohn's Disease 