Crohn's and PE!

[emmaaaargh]

Ugh, I just feel like I need to vent right now. I was diagnosed with Crohn's when I was 9, and since then I've just never been any good at sport. Like, when I was young and new to being ill and everything I was told to hold off on the exercise, etc. It probably didn't help that I'm tiny, pale as porcelain and generally look really fragile as well.

But now I feel like I'm heading for remission and my lackadaisical attitude to exercise at school is coming back to bite me in the butt. I'm hopelessly unfit (you should see my pulse rate, it's 30bpm higher than my mother's) and in school the other day I had to do a 100m sprint, where I got four seconds behind everyone else and couldn't go on to do a second trial! I just wanted to vent - because I'm pretty much a perfectionist, I don't like being good in most respects at school and then being unable to do the simplest things when it comes to exercise.

It's not for want of trying, though: I do aerobics quite a lot, walk more than an hour a day, and I'm constantly trying to improve my muscle tone. But none it it seems to be working. :angry-banghead:

This probably didn't make any sense, because I'm kind of annoyed - and I apologise for that, hahaha! - but I just wanted to ask: have any of you gone through this? How did you deal with it?

 

[zilla7777]

Hey there!

With Crohn's it definitely can be hard to keep weight on, and because of that; keep enough muscle to be strong enough to do what you would like to. When I was 12 years old I had dropped from 67kg to 42 on my first flare, and because of that I was VERY weak for my age.

If you are underweight, you might want to see if you can see a Dietician. They can help so much when it comes to finding out how much you really have to eat, and also what will go down well with your Crohn's. When you eat more energy than you burn in a day, you will gain weight. With the right nutrition and exercise you can turn some of that extra weight into muscle.

Are you interested in playing team sports? I found that when I was starting to feel better and starting to gain weight I just rounded some friends up to play games like football/soccer, volleyball and basketball after school. When it isn't competitive and it's just with friends you can play at your own pace and it really helped in getting me to run a bit more with out the stress of feeling like you've let your team down.

I am sorry that I didn't see this post when you originally posted, I would have responded sooner! I hope everything is going well though, and that you are starting to feel more fit!

Remember though, improving your fitness takes time, and you won't be running marathons overnight. Just take it one step at a time.

 

[Ghost6574]

If you don't want to face P.E. just yet, you can have your doctor sign a note or call the school and arrange a 504 statement. That means that the school basically has to bend over backward to fit your needs. While using that 504, I would recommend getting a trainer to write you up a workout routine for every day. PM me and I could give you mine if you want.

 

[emmaaaargh]

I live in the UK so we don't have anything concrete like the 504 - but for the most part my school have been fairly accommodating. I say 'fairly' because it was still really hard for me - I could either go to lessons or sit with teachers and do homework, and I decided to go to the lessons and do what I could. But every time the teachers were pushing me to do more, and it felt like they were judging me for not doing so - it was pretty damaging to my self-esteem.

But I've received my first iron infusion and already I'm noticing some improvements. With any luck I'll have recovered enough to enjoy the period of PE when we actually get to *choose* what we do. Better late than never, I suppose - it's not like that D in PE will actually affect me! Thank you guys for your help

 

[zilla7777]

I'll definitely agree that the teachers can be overbearing. I just finished my final year of school, and the pressure was on! As long as you do your best, and the teacher isn't directly addressing you about not being able to keep up with the others; they are generally just trying to give the people that don't try their hardest a little kick up the behind to get their brain into gear. Don't take it as a personal attack, because usually it isn't.

If they are pressuring you then it's best to personally let the teacher know why you can't handle what the others can, because most; if not all of the time my teachers have been at least a little more conscious that I might not always meet the deadlines.

Hope for the best!

 

[Con_b]

:ymad:i used to love PE i hate how now i cant really enjoy it for 2 years into having crohns i would still try and go muay thai (thai style kickboxing) and act like i was not ill but couldnt keep that up before i finished school my PE teacher was a mix as some days im all up for it others not they think i was putting it on very frustrating
sports was probably not the best idea but really did not want to stop something i enjoyed

 

[zilla7777]

I've found that individual sports you can progress at your own pace with have been the most helpful for myself.

I got into weight lifting and gym work, and although I don't progress as fast as the friends I've made at the gym have; it still is great for your body, and you don't need to worry about feeling like you're being left in the dust. It's a competition with yourself until you make the decision to pit yourself against others.

Although I wouldn't recommend it to particularly young people, if you are a teenager it definitely wouldn't hurt to give it a try with proper instruction!

Kickboxing is definitely an intense sport, but I can't wait to give some less competitive (but still practical) martial arts a try!

Just don't give up on physical activity. If anything, the additional strength and energy stores can help you feel better throughout a flare. Knowing your limitations and working with them is one of the best things you can do for yourself