Sports and Crohn's advice please

[Jordyn]

My 16 year old son has Crohn's disease he has been doing good so he wanted to play football this year since he couldn't play last year due to his Crohn's. they are starting summer conditioning and I'm worried about him I really didn't want him to play because I'm afraid of him getting worse because if this. Also I don't know what or how to inform his coach about his condition?? Also is all the running and working out going to make his Crohn's worse ?? Also just any advice om Crohn's and sports will be helpful

Thank you so much

 

[crohnsinct]

Hi there and welcome. My daughter was dx'd 18 months ago at 12. She was a triathlete at the time. 3 weeks after being in the hospital for a week with her first flare her doc approved her return to all three sports. She has since dropped biking (due to crazy drivers and the risk of being hit). She runs 2-3 days a week for about an hour and swims 6 days a week for 2 hours. Two days a week she does an extra a.m. pool workout and 1 day a week an hour long dryland workout.

Our doc feels the sports are good for them for all the same reasons it is good for any other kids but more so because it helps them feel more normal.

As long as your son feels good and wants to try it, I would let him. Summer football workouts can be grueling. One thing we find in summer is that dehydration is a huge issue. Make triple sure he is drinking his water. Also, maintaining a good weight is tough for our kids normally but then adding tough workouts makes it even tougher. Make sure he is eating well and often.

I would tell the coach anything you would normally tell the school. If it is a club, league or private team I am not so sure on how legally bound they are to make accomodations but at the very least they will understand if he is off or requests to sit out and worst case will know the deal in an emergency.

You could also run it by his GI to make sure they are o.k. with it.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Tesscorm]

Welcome to the forum.

My son was diagnosed with crohns, May 2011, just before turning 17. As soon as he began to recover from his first flare, he returned back to his sports activities with no problems. We did have him start off a bit slower as he'd just recovered and had lost approx. 25 lbs prior to diagnosis but, within 3 weeks, he was back to playing on both his ball hockey and ice hockey teams throughout the summer (off season/less intense training). By September, his regular seasons began for both his competitive and school hockey teams and he was on the ice 5-7 times per week as well as participating in his school's phys.ed. program.

We did notice that it took him a while to get 'back in shape' as he'd lost so much weight earlier in the year but, crohns-wise, it did not bother him. He's never played football but, hockey can be quite physical as well and the hitting did worry me constantly , however, again, it didn't seem to have any impact on his crohns (including through shoulder and knee injuries that year).

The only thing that ever caused him any pain, and I do believe it was crohns-related pain (ongoing inflammation in his TI), was when he did long distance running (5-7 km). I think it was the constant bouncing/impact of the long distance that bothered him. When this happened, my son would 'walk' the distance and this alleviated the pain right away. However, this doesn't necessarily happen to everyone... I have read of many other members here who run (and participate in other sports too) with no problems.

Other than the long distance running pain, he's had no problems at all and continues to play on competitive hockey teams as well as playing soccer, basketball, etc. with friends.

Keep in mind, your son should never use nsaids (non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen) as they can cause GI issues. My son did used Voltaren ointment for his shoulder injury, however, even that was used very sparingly and for a very short time. My son has found that Tiger Balm ointment (not an nsaid) works well for aches/pains from training, injuries, etc.

I told his coaches and phys.ed. teachers that Stephen had been diagnosed with crohns, answered any of their questions and requested their understanding if he needed to take a break at times. Pretty much all were very supportive, one teacher (of course, the one running the long distance program :ybatty did make some minor comments about 'running through the pain' :ymad: but, when Stephen stood firm in that he wasn't going to 'run through the pain' because it wasn't simply a 'running pain', the teacher didn't push it.

I'm sure other parents will be along... there are lots of kids here who participating in running, swimming, dance, soccer, baseball, etc.

You may also want to have a look through the Diet, Fitness subforum... here is a link:

http://www.crohnsforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=17

Hope that helps!

 

[Clash]

My son is 16, he was dx'ed at 15 and had missed that year of football due to CD. When the next year rolled around he started back. I made his coaches aware of his illness and they were very understanding.

At the time of the season my son had been on Remicade for around 4 months and felt much better than at the time of dx. Unfortunately, it seemed football put quite the strain on his fatigue levels and he wasn't able to make it through the whole season. He found that the fatigue from practice and games would completely wipe him out for days.

Even though he felt 100 times better than he did at dx I think he just wasn't quite ready physically for the demands football can have on a person in the south Georgia heat. Since that time he has had to add methotrexate to Remicade and tweak the Remicade schedule. It has made all the difference in the world and he is now at a point where I feel no anxiety about any physical activities in which he engages.

Oh and the only CD pain he experienced during that season was the same as Tesscorm mentioned, pain from long distance running. My son's CD is also located at his TI.

 

[CarolinAlaska]

Football seems to be more scary than some of the other sports kids choose, IMHO. I'm not saying he shouldn't do it, just that I understand your concern - what if he gets hit in the stomach, etc.

My daughter plays soccer and swims, and she is very unconditioned, so she has to take more breaks. The coaches have been reasonable, but she isn't on competitive teams. Other kids on here are doing very competitive sports and train long hours and seem to succeed. The stress of big competitions bring on flares, but the kids are able to do well and win, and gain empathy and many other virtues in the process.

 

[DanceMom]

My daughter is 8 and has been on a competitive dance team since she was 3. She practices 4-7 days a week for several hours a day. I keep her instructors informed about her condition (recent procedures, new medications, etc.) and they have an understanding that she has permission to leave class without asking when she needs to use the restroom. They also encourage her to take it easy when she isn't feeling great but she's stubborn and usually goes full out anyway.

I think the physical activity is great for A and the support she gets from friends, teachers, and parents at dance has been amazing. There have been days that her only motivation to get out of bed was to go to dance class.

This past week A had her National Dance Competition at Daytona Beach. While she only danced 2 dances (and one dance twice because she made it to the finals) the extra excitement/stress and activity with friends took a toll on her very quickly and she started showing symptoms again. She had to excuse herself from a few of the fun team activities in order to nap/rest in our room and couldn't stay up late and hang at the pool like the other girls. She had limitations, but I reminded her that she was still able to do what she came there to do - and that was dance. She'll always be a little different because she has a chronic disease, but that doesn't have to stop her from doing what she loves.

 

[RZman]

I played high school football with active Crohn's disease back in 1979. I had no issues. I'm not a parent so it's easy for me to say this but don't hold your son back because of your own fears. I'm sure he knows what's best for himself when it comes to his CD. Let you son talk to the coach and inform about his illness. I spoke with my coach and found out that he had Colitis and completely understood my illness.

I continue to exercise 5-6 days a week. I have issues when I over exert myself but it doesn't not exacerbate my Crohn's; rather, I feel like I'm coming down with a cold. It usually lasts 1-2 days and then I feel normal again. My doctors don't know why this happens to me.

 

[Catherine]

My almost 18 year daughter returned to competitive swimming about 3 months after dx.

She enjoys her swimming but has not got back to the level she was before getting sick.
Sarah training 5 times a week for 2 hours. She is also in her last year of high school which means she is very busy.

She does have a problem with running, and has been unwilling to push herself with running. She was made push on through the pain before dx which resulted in two faints will training and some very scary testing.

 

[my little penguin]

My son swims competitvely .
Right now he practices 2x a week but it suppose to be there up to 5 days a week
But he is having symptoms so we are taking it easier since summer is off season

 

[Mehita]

I agree with RZman... don't let your fears and worries hold him back.

My son had a small bowel resection in January and wanted to join the JV tennis team in March. I was hesitant, but his doctors said he was good to go. He was playing tennis two hours a day, five days a week and loving every minute of it. I had to keep pinching myself. Three months previous, he was in a hospital bed and today he was happy, healthy, and playing tennis.

About a month into the tennis season he had a flare up. Once we got things under control with pred, he was back at it a week later. Again, I was hesitant, but he was fine. More than fine even.

We didn't initially tell his coach, but my son wears a Medic Alert bracelet and at the first practice he asked DS about it and I followed up with details in an email. If your son has a 504 plan on file with the school, district sponsored sports are covered by it as well. Many coaches are unaware of this.

It turned out to be a great experience and season, even with a flare tucked in there.

 

[DustyKat]

I wholeheartedly agree with allowing your son to play if that is what he really wants and there is no good reason to hold him back.

My son loves soccer and 5 weeks after he had surgery he was itching to get back into it. He hadn't played for about 9 months and was as weak as a kitten as far as condition goes but come hell or high water he wanted to go to training. So I went off with him and as I sat on the sideline I saw him fall once, then twice and finally three times. I felt so sad for him, he had gone from a lad playing three games of soccer on a Saturday the year before to this, he could barely run around the field BUT the smile on his face at the end of that session was priceless! The opportunity to kick that ball, be amongst mates and finally be doing normal things again was a far better tonic than any medication or spoken word could possibly be.

Once Matt was back to full condition his has not had any issues with the rigors of sport.

Matt's coaches have always been informed of his Crohn's and the issues that could arise. My daughter was never into extracurricular sport but her school coaches were always aware as were the teachers. I have always informed them as they have a duty of care to my child just as I have a duty of care to ensure that they are fully informed should anything untoward happen.

Dusty. xxx

 

[Kyra]

My son is 17 he plays hockey a little less intense than football but. I was scared about him playing after his diagnosis even though he had symptoms many times before but now that I knew what it was I was scared but he wanted to play so I let him he had lost a lot of weight from being in the hospital not eating but he got back in shape and I feel that it helps the kids feel like a normal person. If anything be proud because he is not letting the disease define him. I would explain to his coach about his Crohn's and tell him that he may need breaks more often and may have to miss practice a few times also make sure to tell your GI about him playing just to make sure it's ok

Good luck

 

[Mehita]

I wanted to add too, at the awards banquet DS's coach said a little something about each boy before handing them their awards. DS really likes and looks up to this coach and the coach said something along the lines of how DS understands adversity, championed through the season, and is a superhero in his book. Only a couple families knew what he was talking about and of course I was bawling like a baby (the hubster even teared up), but you should have seen the smile on DS's face. Moments like THAT are why we need to let our kiddos do what they can when they can. They have IBD, but IBD doesn't have them!