• Welcome to Crohn's Forum, a support group for people with all forms of IBD. While this community is not a substitute for doctor's advice and we cannot treat or diagnose, we find being able to communicate with others who have IBD is invaluable as we navigate our struggles and celebrate our successes. We invite you to join us.

Questions - Exercise

BuildABooty

BuildABooty

Hey,

I am so happy to find this forum....I have been on a year long recovery, 5 surgeries and 2 setons into correcting a complex fistula. My first LIFT surgery failed, and I had a second a month ago which left me with another fistula which I just had surgery on yesterday. I do not have Crohns, but have had IBS issues and a large uterine fibroid which I believe contributed to chronic constipation and led to the fistula. I have a hard time explaining why I need time off of work as I am a private person, but I do have an understanding boss which is great. I have been looking at special diets to undertake as part of the recovery process and would like to hear from anyone regarding exercise. I used to hike, climbing, kick boxing also, and have not been able to do anything since diagnosed. I cannot lift any weight and walking across a parking lot is a chore. Is this common? I had the second seton for 5 months and was just feeling like I could do a little on the treadmill before it was time to have the second LIFT surgery. How long before exercise? My GI says I can resume exercise, but I did that the first time and the surgery failed.....not sure if exercising caused it to fail or not. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
 
Jennifer

Jennifer

Adminstrator
Staff member
Location
SLO
Hi BuildABooty and welcome to the forum! :D Sorry for the late reply.

First off since you've been dealing with a fistula, my main concern is that you may not have IBS and may in fact have some form of IBD so I would urge you to continue testing to get a more concrete diagnosis even if that means finding another GI.

As for exercise, slow and steady is the way to go after surgery and personally I wouldn't lift anything for a couple months after surgery but your surgical discharge papers should provide an accurate time frame (laparoscopic vs an open surgery will have different instructions). You can start with walking and move up from there depending on how you're feeling (everyone is different). If you feel really weak and tired often then you may want to have your blood tested for any vitamin or mineral deficiencies (even being low can bring on symptoms of a deficiency). You can have your GI or regular doctor order these blood tests.

We have a section for diet and fitness here: http://www.crohnsforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=17
We also have a section for surgery here: http://www.crohnsforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=71

Hope you continue to heal well with no more problems. Keep us posted. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top