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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 4/21/2009 2:37 PM (GMT 0)
Hi all,

I hope everyone is having a good UC day!

I have been a runner ever since I can remember. I typically run 4 to 5 times a week for 30 to 45 mins (roughly 3.5 to 5 miles). I was diagnosed with UC May of 2008 (just lower colon) but had a huge flare that put me in the hospital over the holidays for a few days. Then the UC expanded in the colon and went around the first turn of the colon (said the doc?) The doctor would not clear me to exercise until my flare slowed down (about 2 months and then I just decided to exercise anyway, which he later said was fine). I lost 15 pounds while I was sick but did manage to put 5 pounds back on with the help of pred (yuck!). I am running again but can't seem to get my stamina back. I get so tired!! I am running about 1.5 miles and am EXHAUSTED after. How have any of you got back to the fitness level you were before getting sick? I am trying to be patient but I have been an athlete (mainly soccer and running) my whole life and I have no muscle or stamina at the moment and it is frustrating (like everything else about this disease). I am a big believer in positivity but sometimes am just too tired to remember, haha!! Any help or suggestions is appreciated.

Posted 4/21/2009 3:01 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, I am a bit of a runner. Before my flare I was running 3 times a week, usually about 50 minutes. As my flare worsened, I was able to run shorter and shorter amounts, for example running for 20 minutes, walking the remainder. And then more of it walking... finally I couldn't even get out for a walk! It was awful. I have a friend with a chronic illness and she kept telling me that the fatigue meant I need to REST. I kept thinking if I pushed myself to exercise I could beat the fatigue. I was wrong! I finally gave in (didn't really have a choice in the end) and just rested, rested, rested. That's when I finally started getting better (it took a while though!).

Once my symptoms started disappearing, I slowly started getting back to exercise. And "slowly" is the key! If I tried to do too much too soon I paid for it the next day - the fatigue! I had to start a running schedule all over again from scratch. Even now I am only up to 30-35 minutes running with 1 min walking intervals every 5 minutes. But I am getting there.

My mantra is "everyone is different", but my advice FWIW is not to fight the fatigue - cater to it and I believe you will recover faster. SLOWLY build up your stamina again, but really, listen to your body.
Posted 4/21/2009 3:09 PM (GMT 0)
I also struggle, now, with significant joint pain in my hips and knees. I usually will take 1 or 2 tylenol if it gets too bad but that seems manageable. I run in intervals as well now, running 10 min. and then walking 5 min. It's the recovery that takes so much longer now so I guess if I don't push so hard than the recovery time won't be so long. I've always been competitive so it is hard not to push because that is what I love so much about exercising, the burn. It will take some time to readjust my attitude toward fitness I guess. Thanks for the replies!
Posted 4/21/2009 3:18 PM (GMT 0)
I hear you about the burn - that's what I missed too. But don't worry, I've got that back now and you will too.

Funny about the joint pain, I found exercise was the thing that helped with joint pain. Mind you, I supplement my cardio with pilates and weights, so maybe that helped. Interestingly I didn't experience any joint pain at all until starting the Asacol and it has completely disappeared since I stopped it. And I see you take Asacol.
Posted 4/21/2009 4:10 PM (GMT 0)
I envy those who can still get out to run/walk. I loved walking, but don't any longer due to worryinmg about getting hit with urgency.

Best of luck to you.
Posted 4/21/2009 4:27 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Joylu!

I too still have urgency and exercise almost always triggers my urgency but luckily the small park I jog at by my home has a bathroom on each end. I use to be very particular about where I would go but now I just can't be worried about those things anymore. I am quite sure my first trigger was from a stressful job so now I try to live my life stress free and exercising is a huge release for me.

Best of luck to you as well!
Posted 4/21/2009 4:59 PM (GMT 0)
I am a newbie to the forum...went from mild UC to now moderate on latest colonoscopy.  I feel pretty symptom free...... Run a lot which is why this thread caught my eye. I am training for a marathon I am running in OK City this weekend and am wondering if the long distance running might be worsening my condition.  Everything I read points at exercise being good, and it may just be the timing of the news with the training......... Have any of you heard anything about long distance running and UC????

Posted 4/21/2009 5:51 PM (GMT 0)
Does running to the can count??? LOL

Not a runner, but I do work out regularly with cardio and weights...works wonders for the mind and body.

:)
Posted 4/21/2009 6:41 PM (GMT 0)
Ever heard of "runners diarrhea", it's real, not made up. Check out this link...

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/runners-diarrhea/AN00376

:)

Posted 4/21/2009 6:51 PM (GMT 0)
I was an avid runner, marathons down to 5K when I was hit with UC, back in 2000...I have never returned to form. It seems for me that the bounding has an effect on urgency, my low back DDD is exacerbated from the arthritis conditions that come with UC, and general fatigue are working against me...I am somewhat defeated in this regard. I look with envy when I see someone out running...I still make attempts but am just not there yet...cycling is a nice alternative as there is no jarring of the body, unless you wipe-out :-) I raced cycles for a couple years after I contracted this wretched disease. Good luck to you!!
DB
Posted 4/21/2009 7:03 PM (GMT 0)
Supersaw, joint pain is a commonly reported symptom of UC.  It is just odd that for me I did not experience it at all until I went on Asacol and now it has disappeared.  But it could be just a coincidence too.

And again, let's remember our favourite saying:  Everyone is different!  wink

Posted 4/21/2009 7:06 PM (GMT 0)
Runnermv, if you can handle the running, by all means keep it up.  Training for a marathon - good for you!

Posted 4/21/2009 7:12 PM (GMT 0)

Don't get me wrong...... I run with a roll of toilet paper in my fuel belt for the porta potties while racing :-)

Dr. wants to put me on Azasan and Entocost....side effects look very worrisome.

Currently I am just on Lialda....... anyone else out there taking these 2 drugs??

Posted 4/21/2009 9:33 PM (GMT 0)
I feel you i played football during highschool but I would have to say i never gained my stamina to the extent of when i was heathy. you can either push through it and kill yourself trying to do what you did or accept that you can't do as much as you could when you were healthy. i would recommend that you push its what i did...but at the same time accept your limitations you don;t want to make yourself sick. and if your just coming off a flare you'll be able to do less than if you where under controll for a few months. keep trying to push but know your limitations thats what i found to be best


Best of luck to you

John
Posted 4/21/2009 11:42 PM (GMT 0)
10-12 km a day no matter the weather. Off now for a few months due to sprained knee ligaments from stumbling on ice and snow. Always carry toilet paper and go through or near a park with a potty in summer, snowbanks and bushes in winter.
Posted 4/22/2009 2:00 AM (GMT 0)
I use to run. But my hemagloben was low so my doc said no until its up. Well its up now and i havent started up yet but i hope to. Physical stress could be hard so start out slow. GOOD LUCK!!
Posted 4/22/2009 10:14 AM (GMT 0)
I used to figure skate before I got my first flare (which was about four years ago). I stopped skating after my second flare (about three years ago). I had lost a massive amount of blood with my second flare, and I just didn't have the motivation to work my way back up to the level I was at before my second flare, especially when I felt that wearing tights, spinning, and jumping were probably not good for my colon, especially during a flare. So I gave it up.

I now do Kathak, a form of Classical Indian dance. I'm still getting a workout. I'm just concentrating on something else.

The energy will come back. It just takes time.
Posted 4/22/2009 10:19 PM (GMT 0)
Hi there! I am training for the Team Challenge and just experienced a significant flare that caused me to become hospitalized as well.  I had to back down to 4 miles a day, but am slowly regaining strength.  The pred has been the biggest issue for me as it causes peripheral muscle wasting.  And the fatigue is tough.  I tend to try and push through and I am trying to get a minimum of 6-8 hours of sleep per night.  It's coming along ok.  I would try run/walks for a while to build your endurance back up.  That helped me.  just a thought :)

Posted 4/23/2009 12:07 AM (GMT 0)
Reading these posts has been extremely encouraging. Just wanted you all to know! It's so nice to hear people who go through the same things that my husband and I deal with on a regular basis. I've had UC since I was about 16 and my husband was just diagnosed 2 years ago. He's been very ill, not to the point of hospitalization, but bad enough where they are considering a colectomy if Humira doesn't work for him. It's our last ditch effort so to speak. We both love to exercise and run; however, it seems as though exercise does tend to worsen our condition. So we just try to compromise and exercise when we can. He has had some of the same problems mentioned above...his joints tend to hurt and his legs cramp up when on Prednisone..ect..! It's so nice to know other people go through this too...Thank you all!!!!

My husband has been on...
Prednisone, Imuran, Remicade, Humira, Asacol, Sulfasalizine, (i can't remember them all :))

Alaina
Ulcerative Colitis, Vitiligo, and Hypothyroidism... (Gotta love autoimmune diseases :))
Posted 4/23/2009 12:08 AM (GMT 0)
Like some of you mentioned...having toilet paper at all times and always knowing where the nearest restroom is helps! :)
Posted 4/23/2009 2:25 PM (GMT 0)

Hi,

I use to run, but not any more. I run 5 mins I poop. It's terrible.

Linda

Posted 4/19/2010 11:04 PM (GMT 0)
hey everyone,

I'm a competitive runner at a D1 university and was diagnosed with UC summer 2008. it was a long struggle of decreasing energy, increasing urges, and formidable frustration. After a stint on anti-depressants and fiber, my conditions worsened and I went from running 70 miles a week down to only 30. Finally, i got a scope after track season and was told I have UC. I went 4 weeks with prednisone, starting with 40mg the 1st week down to 10 the last week, along with 2 1.2 gram pills of Lialda in the morning and evening. Although my stomach conditions healed up after about three months, my performance on the track lagged behind for a long time. Turns out when you're sick with UC for around 2 years and try to run through all the pain, sometimes successfully and other times, not, you do a lot of damage to your body. The hardest part was waiting. It takes so much time to heal. Now after two years of increasing training and improved performance I was almost back to running near 4 minute miles, but now I banged my knee about 5 weeks ago and the pain from the joint won't go away. After going through ACP injections and weeks of inactivity, I'm puzzled to see if Lialda could be the root of my joints inability to heal. Once again, I guess only time will tell.

Good luck to everyone out there. I went from not being able to run 10 minutes without an urge to running 18 mile long runs and not even thinking about a bathroom. Complete healing CAN happen!
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