IBD and Cycling

[Parera]

Anyone with IBD (aka Crohn's or Colitis) on this forum? My symptoms are relapsing (first time I've had a flare since seriously getting into the sport) so I was wondering if there are others that have the misfortune of trying to keep up their cycling habits while going through a rough patch with their GI tract.

I'm prone to anemia (due to poor uptake of nutrients in the small intestine) so this does not bode well for me, considering both directly affect performance in an endurance sport.

So, any tricks/tips you learned yourself or from a friend who suffers from IBD to cope with being able to stick to some semblance of a normal cycling lifestyle? Thanks.

 

[rgmerk]

Yep...

...though I have such a mild case that I feel kinda guilty stating I have it.

So, unfortunately, no tips for trying to ride during or in the immediate aftermath of a flareup; however, when it has gotten bad (which it hasn't for the past few years, thankfully) I've felt so awful I couldn't imagine trying to ride.

I do know that there's a few other cyclists with Crohn's around. Even a former pro, Phil Zajicek (though I wouldn't be trying his recovery techniques, which are documented in The Clinic forum on this site).

 

[Parera]

Actually found this, you might find it worth a read:

http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/fitness/?id=2009/letters02-18

The nutrient absorption thing is a real problem for me. Recovering from a hard ride (especially if you are trying to do back-to-back centuries or like 30+ miles of uphill) is made seemingly impossible. Heavy, heavy legs, your body just doesn't want to take protein.

To be honest the pain doesn't really get to me. I had Crohn's extremely severe when I was a teen, went through a couple resections before the age of 20. Spent almost a year on narcotic pain meds...so yeah, I try not to let symptoms stop me from carrying on with my favorite hobby.

One bright spot, weight loss is sure easy right now.

Dropped 8 lbs in two weeks, mostly fat I think; my legs still feel decent on the trainer in my garage.

Of course the other "unmentionable" is the whole bathroom thing, nothing worse than scrambling to find a spot to do your business during a ride...

That damn anemia though, like our fellow traveler from the letter says, your body will just stop absorbing iron. I've found orange juice taken in conjunction with iron helps a bit.