I began to experience back pain associated with sitting down about six years ago (2000). The pain became progressively worse as time went on. Because I sat at my job all day, the situation was becoming unbearable.
I went to a back specialist who arranged for an x-ray, which showed no significant problems with my spine. Nonetheless, I went to physical therapy, which provided limited relief.
About a year ago, I began to experience symptoms of colitis. I again went to a specialist and had a colonoscopy. The doctor reported that there was no apparent damage, but that the colon was swollen over its entire length. He could offer no explanation for the swelling. The diagnosis was therefore “non-specific colitis”.
Later, I began to notice that the pain in my back seemed to correlate with the amount of diet Pepsi I was drinking. So, I decided to stop drinking it for a while. To my surprise (and great joy) the pain in my back began to subside and is now nearly completely gone. As an added bonus, the symptoms of colitis also subsided.
I have celiac (allergy to gluten e.g., wheat) and I learned that Aspartame might cause symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). I think that the Aspartame caused my colon to swell significantly, which caused the symptoms of colitis. In addition, the swelling must have put pressure on some nerves in my back. When I stopped drinking diet Pepsi (Aspartame) the swelling went down, the pressure was relieved and the back pain went away.
This allergic reaction to Aspartame may be linked to my celiac or it may be just something that happened to me. If it is related to celiac, it is important to note that celiac is under diagnosed. Approximated one in 130 to 150 Americans has celiac. It is also important to note that I drank a lot of diet Pepsi for many years (about four 12 oz cans per day) before these symptoms emerged.