Running: Dream or possibility?

[Audrey Rose]

I love to run and I am Team Captain of a team for Race for the Cure (since 2001). I was diagnosed last year and had surgery the week before our local RFTC. So I just cheered my team on. I am not in remission yet and doing monthly DMSO instills, in addition to atarax and Ultram. I am planning to run in the race in November but so far I am only able to walk. I was wondering, does anyone run now that they have IC? Should I hold onto the goal of running or should I just let it go and plan on walking? :frown:

[Dixiefireball]

i say never give up your dream even with ic you can't let ic run you life for you. You can do it just have faith in your self and the lord.
when there is a will there is a way.
sending you hugs and prayers
Rhonda

[kelly McC]

I say either way your a winner. Best of luck :grouphug:

[Audrey Rose]

Awww, thanks Kelly!!
You are right Dixie, but it is so hard not to give up on things. IC has changed my life so dramatically already. If I knew that even just one person is able to still run, then I would be encouraged enough to go on. But if the reality is that the IC bladder can't handle that motion, then I want to know so I can work on accepting it. I am in therapy now and trying to face the reality of my new life. I want to quit missing my old life and learn to love and enjoy my new one. I don't want to waste time.

Thanks for the support!!

Hugs and kisses,

[Dixiefireball]

i don't run but i do jog with my daughter she is trying to lose some weight she is going threw that stage of life where she is ready to get some of that baby fat off i can't lift anything heavy by orders from my doctor but i find that the jogging doesnt bother me on a good day i found that it has helped me some with the mthly thing too. i still hurt in my lower back some but its nothing to bad.
please don't give up your dream your already a winner but you can still make your dream I understand ic does take some things from us but i feel like if we really want it we can make it happen.
i truly support you i believe in you.
Rhonda

[Audrey Rose]

Thank you Rhonda!!!
:kissing:

You are just precious!!!

Hugs, Michele

[Dixiefireball]

Your very welcome just keep your dream alive.:) :kissing: :grouphug:

[amaris]

Running is a hard thing to give up once it's in you. I started running in junior high and kept it up all the way through college (I'm no competitive athlete, mind you, but it was great exercise). Unfortunately, about five years ago, the pain i experienced after running is probably one of the first clues about my IC. I haven't done much running recently, and don't think that I ever will.

I know that feeling of limbo where you still are hopeful that you can be as athletic as you once were even though you have IC or whether you should just move on, as you say. It bummed me out at first, but then I decided I would just use it as an opportunity to discover other athletic activities I could do. It's been a difficult mental transition, but I'm glad I've tried to readjust my exercise lifestyle. It doesn't mean that I have given up on running. I just think of it as something I might try in the long distance future and if I can to it, that will be an added bonus, if not, fine. There's nothing wrong with dreaming.....

For now, I've taken to walking the cross country trails I used to jog. On the positive side of things, I'm amazed by all the natural beauty I'd never noticed on the trails before because I was moving too fast when running by them.

Amaris

[Linda Harringto]

If you don't mind me asking, what kind of surgery did you have.? I was wondering because I didn't think there was surgery for IC...thanks for explaining......

[Kiyoka]

Hello, I was never a runner in high school, when I became a Resident Assistant, I was totally stressed out. My best friend and i would run, I don't do as much anymore due to the fact that I pee my pants when I just get up and walk. my joints aren't very good anymore as well, i'm not sure if it was due to playing sports in high school or my ic or do I have something else. I wouldn't give up that dream, if you feel you can do it, might as well try unless it's really bad. Enjoy yourself..go for it!!

Love,

[Audrey Rose]

Thanks Kiyoka, I will hold onto the dream a while longer. I just hate all the things I have had to give up. :(

Amaris, thank you so much for sharing your story with me. :D I love that you have still found something positive out of it. I never thought about what we miss by running. Maybe I will enjoy the walking more than I think. When I walk, I spend the time thinking about whether I will run again. Next time, I will concentrate on enjoying the walk for what it is!! Thank you for that!! :kiss:

Linda, I had a laparoscopy to look at my whole pelvic cavity. I have a kinda unusual pain pattern for IC. My URO says more than the usual unusual pattern. :) Anyway, we were looking for endometriosis (none), checking on recent ovarian cysts seen on MRI (resolved) and removing a ton of adhesions I had developed from an appendectomy I had as a child. None helped the pain but we needed to rule some things out before preceeding with the next step in my IC treatment. I am on the ENDO med routine and it is helping even though we didn't find any. My uro and GYN talked about it together and decided to try it anyway and it has helped!!! :thumbsup: Hope that explains it enough for you.

[Kiyoka]

Audrey Rose what all did you have to give up? I'm so sorry you feel that way. If you need any help, i'm here for you. When your heart seems losted and you just want to give it up, you loose part of you, it's just a trail, and you will get it back twice or even more. If it doesn't, you willl find something else, that is a whole lot stronger.

[vm]

Audrey - I don't run, but I do the elliptical machine at the gym. It is VERY low impact and I feel like it simulates a jogging or running motion. I love it! You might give that a try sometime. :)

[Megs]

hey audrey,
i was so happy to see someone put up a post about running! i was a cross country and track runner, and continued to enjoy it thru college. i had to give it up tho 2 years ago, and i went crazy. i sure you understand the runner's high. i just started exercising again this week (i've tried the stair step machine) and i didnt' feel too bad until today. i hope you can get to the point where you can run again.....the things we used to take for granted! hope you all have a good weekend! meg

[Alexa]

I think you should definitely hold on to your dream! When I was first diagnosed 7 years ago, I could barely walk!!! Now I work out, jog, lift weights and do pilates! Anything is possible, just concentrate on healing and taking care of yourself right now...everything else with come with time.

Hugs,
Alexa

[Audrey Rose]

Thanks ya'll for the encouragement!! You are the BEST!!

Thanks Alexa....you have given me hope. I am constantly reminding others in my posts that IC treatment is a slow process. But sometimes, I forget to apply that to my life. I want everything to change yesterday. But maybe in a few years!! :pray:

Megs...Thanks for sharing your story!! I know you understand that loss!! That helps a lot!! Someday, maybe we can run together!! :dogrun: Maybe in a race to benefit IC!! Wouldn't that be GREAT!!! :thumbsup:

Kim--thanks for the elliptical machine idea. I have never been on one. I'll have to definitely try it sometime. It sounds wonderful!!

Have a Happy Day!! :flower:

[ICchell]

I used to run daily ...I loved it...it makes you feel so good...i always had runners knee...used to ice them all the time...


The elliptcal mechine is great ...it isnt bad on your joints at all...I have one in front of my t.v....just gotta get myself physced up to do it.

Good luck,michelle:kiss:

[jala]

I was a workout-a-holic. I was an aerobics instructor and was in the gym or on the track 6 days a week when IC hit me. I would get severe abdominal cramps and pain shooting down my legs at about the 1 mile mark. The impact and jarring of running seemed to agitate my IC and cause me additional bladder pain.

When I go into remission, I can run just fine. My diet seems to be the biggest factor. If I eat a trigger (usually wheat), I'll buckle over on the track.

I now mostly do yoga which helps with everything. I didn't want to do something so boring, but I have to admit that yoga has been very good for me. Jala.

[makeyourday]

Audrey Rose,
I have not been on the forum in a while. Infact I forgot my password, had to make a new sign in. It has been several months, but I did a post about running. My user name was Trailseeker. In that post I discribed how much running helped me.
My uro and primary both believed that the circulation,blood flow when I would run, was a good thing. I am mostly a morning runner. During the flare up, it was hard to get started. My legs would feel heavy and I would feel the need to pee. I am fortunate to run through a vineyard in the start of the runs, so I was able to relieve myself in the first mile. The longer I run the better I feel. I run slow, long and mostly soft ground. I run in vineyards and canal banks. In December I did a training run over 20 miles and I was fine before and after. I believe blood flow and endorphins are healing.
I did instills in Nov-Dec and have been on Elmiron starting before that. I am doing great, praise God! My follow up appt to the uro after the instills, he asked about my pain. I told him I was pain free except when it got close to my periode starting. He sent me to the OB to check for endometriosis. Within 10 minutes he assessed (what no one had in 2 years) that my uterus was enlarged and to the side. He did a ultrasound to confirm. He told me my options and told me that the medicine had healed my bladder that the pain I now had (during periodes and need to pee so much) was from the pressure on the bladder caused by the uterus. I decided that if it took one bit of pressure off the bladder, I wanted the surgery. I had a histerectomy 6 weeks ago today. (left the ovaries). I feel fantastic! Even while I was still in the hospital I could tell that there was pressure relief. The heavy feeling in my upper legs was gone. There had just been to much pressure and swelling. I also have been drinking water and not peeing every 15 minutes. I got the okay today from my doctor to start running again now that I am 6 week post op. It was great. I ran a few miles, then did a run/ walk just to ease back.
Some doctors don't run themselves and some people that may respond to your question may not really have ever worked out regularly. One may think to be gentle with yourself is better, but if your body is already tuned to excersise you NEED it. To stop arobic type excersise can throw your chemicals off. Some runners get depressed when they are off for an etended time. You need to listen to your body, if you are flared up, maybe slack off from speedwork, maybe not run a race for PR. Maybe during the flare ups just tell your friends you are gonna just cruise this one instead of pushing.
Also diet is so, so important. Sports drinks have citric acid,dye,additives. I use honey instead of power gels (learned that from Liz Applegate sports nutrition Runners World). I found a carbo drink that dosent have additives (also dosent have flavor,but oh well).
I hope you feel better soon and are lacing up them shoes.

[dstrong]

Hi,

I was diagnosed almost exactly a year ago. I am 22 and have been an avid runner since I was 11. So one of the biggest fears I had at diagnosis was never running again.

A year ago, I could barely walk. Each step hurt. But I have gotten so much better since then. (Part of is, you sort of get used to the pain.)

Keep on getting out there. When you can run, do. When you can't, walk. On a really bad day it might be better to do something else (lift weights upper body, or do some yoga).

I know it can work. I just finished a 10K last week - my first race since diagnosis - and couldn't be prouder.

Dana

[makeyourday]

Dana, congratulations on your 10K!