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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 4/1/2011 10:34 PM (GMT 0)
My 17 year old son was rxd with uc 3 years ago.  He is a good and competitive distance and steeple runner.  He has trouble with urgency during his runs, practice and races.  His Dr. does not have a solution.  Has anyone had a success story to resolve the problem?
Posted 4/1/2011 11:19 PM (GMT 0)
Does he use rectal meds? These are meant to help with that.
Posted 4/1/2011 11:27 PM (GMT 0)
He does have them but rarely uses them. Only if he has some bleeding.
It is prescribed for evening use. I didn't realize it would solve the urgency when running.
Posted 4/1/2011 11:28 PM (GMT 0)
     I feel for your son.  I was diagnosed with UP in 1998 at the age of 52.  My main problem was urgency.  Unfortunately, I have no solution, as my UP became worse over the years and I had a total colectomy with end ileostomy last summer at age 63.  Nothing really helped me.  What meds does he take?  The 6MP gave me a two year remission back in 2000 till 2002.  But I became prednisone dependent.  Ran the gamut of meds.  Maybe the rectal meds will give him some relief.  That is a terrible, terrible feeling that urgency sad .
Posted 4/1/2011 11:53 PM (GMT 0)
Urgency is a symptom of being flared up. When I am not flared, it is very rare that I experience urgency but it does happen here and there. Does he have other symptoms? I can imagine that it's frustrating to want to run but to be worried about having urgency. I think the best thing to do is speak to him about his other symptoms, is this the start of a flare up or is he getting over a flare up? It would be best to find a solution that has him healed enough that he's not dealing with urgency. I think some people have trouble with urgency even while in remission, hopefully he is not one of them. Maybe if he uses enemas every other day for a couple weeks he will see results.
Posted 4/2/2011 12:05 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you for the recomendation of the every other day usage of the rectal meds. He is ok when he isn't running. No other symptoms. The harder he runs the more often he has the urgency.
Posted 4/2/2011 12:20 AM (GMT 0)
It could be due to anxiety. I always get the "urge" when my nerves act up. The worst is when you're at a doctors office or a business meeting and you get the urge in the waiting room! My GI has considered that maybe I have IBS along with UC because of this. I haven't looked into diagnosing IBS, I've been too busy trying to get the IBD under control. Anti anxiety medication can help but I am not sure if they are recommend for 17 year olds.
Posted 4/2/2011 12:37 AM (GMT 0)
I was a distance runner in high school and ran marathons after I graduated. I no longer run, because of the urgency. My doctor said that running long distances is not a good idea, because the motion of your legs moving back and forth irritates the rectum. Rectal meds may help, but it may be something that never goes away.
Posted 4/2/2011 2:46 AM (GMT 0)
I got that too when I ran. It got so bad I just had to give up running. Now that I had surgery and now have the j-pouch, I just started running again. He might give immodium a try.
Posted 4/2/2011 4:54 AM (GMT 0)
My urgency went down dramatically when I added psyllium powder in the morning. This allowed me to regularly work out once again... Hope this helps you.
Posted 4/2/2011 5:29 AM (GMT 0)
For me, urgency is the last to go. I've had urgency issues even when my colon was not flaring. I know because a had a colonscopy after one of my flares and my GI said there was no longer any evidence of a flare.

I think just having had a flare weakens the colon so that it is harder to hold it in. It takes time for the colon to heal. Urgency becomes less of a problem as time passes.

I don't know what to tell you. The longer his flares, the worse his flares, the less time since his last flare, the more likely urgency is going to be an issue. Plus, like someone said, he could be flaring, albeit very mildly. If he is flaring mildly, then rectal meds could help.
Posted 4/2/2011 1:34 PM (GMT 0)
Are you aware that there is something called "runner's diarrhea?" I've had two friends who did not have uc, and they would get diarrhea when they were out running. You might google it and see if there's anything that other people use before they go running.
Posted 4/2/2011 4:13 PM (GMT 0)

notsosicklygirl said...
It could be due to anxiety. I always get the "urge" when my nerves act up. The worst is when you're at a doctors office or a business meeting and you get the urge in the waiting room! My GI has considered that maybe I have IBS along with UC because of this. I haven't looked into diagnosing IBS, I've been too busy trying to get the IBD under control. Anti anxiety medication can help but I am not sure if they are recommend for 17 year olds.

I get the same thing when i am nervous.
Posted 4/2/2011 6:00 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Runner's Mom. Have you seen this article?

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110224091607.htm

I've been trying out bovine colostrum lately to see if it has any affect on my arthritis, and surprisingly, it does have a positive affect. But you might try it for your son's urgency problem, as well.
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