How do you exercise?

I don't have the issues you have "down below" though I do have nasty perianal crohn's skin tags that are inflammed however they really don't interfere with my exercise regime....I do cardio and weight and add some yoga/pilates in there too...have you tried yoga (there are many different forms from mild to extream) or pilates...either are great because they incorporate a lot of stretching but you can set how vigorous or light you want to do them based on how you're feeling "down below"....and it would be a great incorporation with your power walking.

I think walking is great exercise. Light weights would also help with toning. I run and do pilates, the running may be difficult if friction bothers you, but likes pb4 said, pilates is a great workout and you can tailor it to your own abilities/strength.

Good advice from Misspriss. When I used to wait tables and would work a double shift I would get the same problem. I found that a hot bath with baby oil and then vaseline on the irritated area before bed did wonders!

I have the same type of fistula. I'd recommend biking if you have or can get one. I love it because it gets me out of the house and it doesnt bother me like walking does. I think the impact of the walking bothers every thing with me so at least with the biking I can go at a slow pace and I can sit down:). Also, I injured my knees recently (they got too weak from not exercising and sitting around during a flare, now they clunk and make all sorts of sounds) and the exercises i have been doing at physical therapy has not been bothering the Crohns or the fistula so I would recommend anything like simple stretches too. good luck!

Since I'm a male, I don't have quite the same issues "down there," but Crohn's has caused me skin problems in the past. I eventually decided to try vitamin A because it's known as the "skin vitamin" and that actually helped a lot. I used to get cracking of the skin around the finger nails, and that just went away when I started on vitamin A. Also, vitamin A is the "eye vitamin" and I used to get conjunctivitis pretty often - this also went away after I started on vitamin A.

It could just possibly be that Crohn's diarrhea and the other digestive problems that goes with it results in a vitamin A deficiency. But I also noticed that taking the vitamin A reduced my diarrhea as well, so it's hard to know which was the cause and which was the effect (that is to say, maybe the vitamin A helped my skin/eyes because it reduced the diarrhea). I'm not sure, but I know that taking the vitamins helped, so if you've skin and/or eye issues, you might want to give that a try.

Whether or not this will help with the burn/itch down there that was mentioned, I'm not sure, but I would be interested in hearing back if it does help.

Please note: I DON'T suggest taking mega-doses, just one capsule per day. In fact, excessive vitamin A is poisonous. People have been known to die after eating a bear's liver, because it contains huge amounts of vitamin A. So don't think that because some is good, more is better.

Also note that it took about a week to begin working. So I suggest buying one bottle of vitamin A and take it every day until you've finished the bottle. By that time you should know if it helps or not.

Post Edited (ozonehole) : 8/4/2012 5:41:30 PM (GMT-6)

eva124 said...
do you exercise during a flare? i worry that a good workout might somehow make my flare worse...sounds stupid but i dont want to wear myself out with excercise + work and make myself worse the next day and does exercising stop the weight gain from pred?

Not knowing your complete background and circumstances (besides CD) I'd advise the following.
Start with low impact exercises which should include both aerobic exercises, which burn calories and improve cardiovascular fitness and moderate strength training exercises to strengthen your muscles. Begin every workout session with stretching and breathing exercises. Then try low impact aerobic exercises such as walking, riding a stationary bike, elliptical trainer, Etc.
Start slowly, carefully and increase the intensity of your workouts depending on how you feel.
After your aerobic exercises, try some strengthening exercises such as simple push ups and leg lifts. Unless you're already advanced and working with weights, start with just a few repetitions and try to increase them every few days as your strength increases. This would be for both the low impact exercises and or weight training.
I also include a cool down period after working out with a walk on a treadmill. Of course if not already, dietary changes can help minimize weight gain from Prednisone.

For myself, when I am not taking Prednisone, exercising is where I derive my energy from. I exercise daily, every morning and have energy for the day.
When on Prednisone, I have too much energy and often suffer from insomnia, not sleeping for 2 days at a clip.

To answer your question about exercising during flare ups. I always have, the very reason I began exercising, weight training, martial arts is due to Crohn's.
I wanted to be mentally and physically stronger, my way of combating the disease. These are examples of how I increase my energy levels, decrease stress and improve my sense of well being.

I hope this helps but if you have anymore questions, please feel free to ask.
You may find this "Exercise & Muscle Directory" helpful-
www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html