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Excercise and Crohn's

Hi, is anyone finding that excercise makes them feel worse? I don't understand why it's doing that for me as there are people everywhere with Crohn's still managing to jog, swim, train hard in the gym etc etc. I end up with a weak muscle feeling, nausea & general unwellness. I'm a 40 year old semi retired dance teacher. I was teaching, performing & training hard with no problems until 2011 & I was really fit. Now I barely perform, can only teach / social dance one late night per week & one day per week & can only manage one set of Tennis before feeling weak : ( I'm fine with day to day stuff involving my 5 year old or my part time office job, shopping & housework etc, but even a busy day with all those basic activities can sometimes leave me tired & a little unwell. I'm only on Infliximab / Remicade & I have to say it works wonders & put me in remission (well as in remission as I can be). However, I hate to complain but I cannot seem to get back to what I was fitness wise
 
Also week 6 to 8 of the 8 weekly Remicade (Infliximab) cycle it's like forget it, just getting by with the bare minimum is often all I can do. Anyone else have this problem?
 

Cat-a-Tonic

Super Moderator
It doesn't sound to me like you're in remission, if you're getting symptoms that bad and that long before your next infusion. When was the last time you had tests like scopes or bloodwork done? Have you told your doctor how bad things get during weeks 6 thru 8? If not, I would say make an appointment or call your doctor to let them know what's going on.

Personally, in remission I can do most forms of exercise pretty well. I can't jog/run due to hip arthritis (it's just too painful) but I can do weights, yoga, bike, etc. I spent about a year in a mild flare, and during that time I was still able to exercise fairly regularly - I'd still have to rest on the worst days, but most of the time I felt okay enough and my body responded well enough that I was able to continue with exercise. Everyone's different, so that's just my experience. But it sure sounds to me like you need something more to get you properly into remission, and at that point you may be able to exercise more. So definitely talk to your doctor about this.
 
HI Cat-A-Tonic. My bloods get done every 8 weeks before an infusion. They were only done a week ago and, as usual, they are all in range and I am supposed to be in remission. I was told that there are microscopic inflammations that can happen in the background that cannot be picked up by medical tests. I have 300 mg of Remicade (Infliximab) which they say is halved in the body every 18 days, so I guess having only 75 mg in me in that last period isn't enough. I'm going to ask for an examination internally again as the last scope was Oct 2012 on initial diagnosis. The CD I have is in the sigmoid colon only. Some say that's an important bit though & I may be losing nutrition. I'm seeing my consultant sometime around the end of July so I'll see.
 
Hello Chica. I am also on remicade and find that if I run a half-marathon (or another kind of long run etc) I always feel vaguely unwell for a day or two... Definitely frustrating!
 
Wow RCJ at least you are managing that though, I don't think I could. Were you fitter before or is the running a new thing? For me the fitness has really dropped. Until 2011 I used to outdance all the people in my dance company who were 15 years younger than me!
 
I have always been active, but I was fitter and stronger before. The fitness has definitely dropped for me too... Might be a diet thing though. I have been taking on more hospital-prescribed liquid calories in the last month. Hopefully I will see some improvements!
 
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