Chronic fatigue

Hi . It is certainly understandable that there would be anxiety around having these issues, but normal blood work. There is actually a number of things to unpack here. Malnutrition can absolutely be an issue with IBD and it can be caused a number of ways, such as diet restrictions or malabsorption. This article from our editorial team goes into more detail: https://inflammatoryboweldisease.net/symptoms/complications/malnutrition. There is also the question of whether current tests measure all inflammation or if there is autoimmune inflammation that is not picked up. My wife, Kelly, was diagnosed with a severe form of a different autoimmune condition (juvenile RA in her case) at age two, 46 years ago. We witnessed a conversation with her rheumatologist and two others about the possibility that there is inflammation being missed (they considered it probable). There is also the issue that research is finding that even low level autoimmune inflammation can impact energy at the cellular level and also the cytokines can break through the blood-brain barrier and these things can then cause fatigue. I want to share with you this article from Amanda on fatigue: https://inflammatoryboweldisease.net/living/crohns-fatigue-struggle. If you check out the comments section at the bottom you will find links to the research I mentioned. Finally, of course, there is the possibility that what you are experiencing has a completely different cause, such as an infection, like you mentioned. I hope this information is helpful and please know that you are not alone and people here understand. Best, Richard (Team Member)