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I am curious if anyone is having trouble keeping up with some sort of exercise routine. Before IC I was an avid exerciser(I played sports throughout school and always really enjoyed being active.) Now I find it hard to do things like run or make it through an entire yoga class not just because of pain but also because of the anxiety and fear that I will be in pain. I find that when I do get myself on some sort of regime it never lasts long because I have a flare and need to rest. I end up feeling guilty that I can't stick to this one normal activity that used to be so simple and that truly made me happy and feel good about my self and my body. Does anyone else struggle with this? And what do most of you do for exercise?
exercise
Exercise is difficult for me as well--not even so much from bladder pain anymore, but aching through my intestinal tract and colon that runs down my legs and tends to get more intense with movement. Many times though, if it is colon pain, pushing through will cause it to pass and make me feel better in the long run.
I think there is a fine line to walk with exercise and ic--not exercising at all can make you depressed, and exercising to the point of a flare and having to lay there in pain can make you depressed as well. I understand your fear of the pain. As your bladder heals and flares become less intense and of less duration, your fear will decrease and you will be able to push yourself more physically. Even if pain starts it won't put you in the same panic because you know it won't reach a certain level like in the past. I don't know how long you've been a patient or if this helps.
In the meanwhile, can you maybe do like ten minutes at a time, and if you handle that ok, do five more? Kind of build up your confidence? If you push too hard and always cause bad flares, you won't want to exercise at all and that's not good. IC symptoms can change so much from day to day, esp in the beginning, that it is hard to stick to a regime. I wouldn't beat myself up if I had to back off for a day to two. Just start again when you feel better.
I'm not sure what all yoga entails, I mostly walk. I even purposely park far away from entrances to stores, even little stuff like that--just to get a little exercise in. Hauling groceries up the steps, cleaning, all this can build stamina too, it has for me.
I feel like I"m rambling now, I don't know if any of this helps but I hope you can find exercise that is right for you for where you are in treatment
thank you
Thanks for your reply and encouragement. I am pretty early on in treatment although I did see Matia previously and have now just come back again, so yes it's hard to know what one day will bring to the next. It is helpful that I do live in a city so I walk a lot. I think for me it just another thing that I feel I cannot do. I can walk for sure for great lengths of time but running or playing some sort of intense sport per say can be difficult. I am lucky that I need to walk to where I need to go this definitely helps me feel less lethargic are more in shape. I'll get there I hope at some point I think it is all just part of the process.
I used to be able to
I used to be able to excersize a lot more then I can now. I have recently started back up just starting low and short times and working up to it. Don't stress yourself out too much you will build up in time. I have a bike, I like to swim but I go to the beach not the pool these days you don't need cholrine in your pool though so I will get one when i can afford it. I also do some light yoga my favorite is the yoga zone evening stress release. It has two sessions of 2o min each so it totals 40 min. It is perfect for just starting out. The poses are not too hard or difficult on the bladder.
exercise
Exercise has been a challenge for me but mostly because I'm pretty out of shape and tend to be a little on the lazy/ sluggish side. I used to be in great shape as a youngster and teenager but fell off being active when I lost my energy and stamina related to yeast syndrome. Now my energy is better and I am excited to do some life force building things- like maybe qigong/tai chi but at this moment in my treatment stage its too strong and could maybe excite my IC into a flare. maybe later!
I noticed this weekend that after a particularly long car ride to the mountains that the highway jostling really set my bladder ablaze.It subsided hours later with stillness and rest. After reading about people's expereinces with exercise I was a little worried that maybe I was going to overdue it with some hiking that I wanted to do. I was surprised that after a short but vigorous walk around the meadows and mountainsides I found my Ic syntomns abating from the activity! Well maybe there wasn't a direct connection but I think the secret is to find the right balence of gentle activity that allows you to get the exercise you need to be healthy and without totally setting off any IC flares. this is probably a temporary thing anyway as people grow into more stronger phases of treatment. In other words of course this will vary for each person depending on their condition. I think I found the right amount of exertion - gentle yoga and consistant walking/activity.