Tag: Crohn’s

Fitness Quest: Weight Loss, Running, Weights, and Crohn’s

Fitness Quest: Weight Loss, Running, Weights, and Crohn’s

davidpwahr

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a new blog so I figured at the very least I should update everyone on my continuing quest for greater fitness as I move through middle age (better than the alternative, right?).

The good news is that there is no news. My Crohn’s has been pretty calm since I’ve started taking Humira several months ago. Sure, I have a grumble here a little constipation and/or diarrhea there but no days long bouts of intense pain and lack of energy and overall “pushing” just to get started for and through the day. I have a CT Scan on Monday and hopefully it will show that there has been no significant progress of the disease putting off the day I’ll need surgery for a little longer.

On a tangent – I attended an IBD Patient Update hosted by the University of Michigan IBD team and the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America with participants from Henry Ford Hospitals and Baylor University. A lot of good information from this session. I finally learned that my medicine may costs about $40,000 a year for those who don’t have insurance (yikes!). No cure is on the horizon but several potentially game changing treatments are in clinical trials. It also reaffirmed that given what could have been that I’ve been very, very fortunate with my Crohn’s. It turns out that 44% of patients with Crohn’s have required surgery by 9 years after diagnoses. Me, I’ve gone about 30 so far. Surgery, if it goes well, often does provide relief. But too often it is temporary and then there are a host of potential complications. Most that I don’t even want to think about but may discuss later.

I haven’t been running lately, trying to rest my shins and recondition them before running again. The pain was getting pretty bad. However, I am keeping up with my walking and watching my diet. I need to move from just counting calories to better tracking my “macros” though. I think if I up my nutrition that I’ll make better gains in the weight room and with fat loss.

Speaking of the weight room, it’s been a couple weeks since I’ve started lifting again regularly. I was pretty sore after the first couple workouts but I’m doing better and my lifts are getting heavier. I’m also working out about once a week with my brother-in-law again and he helps to push me simply by staying ahead of me in his bench press. Though this should not stop you from trying. Friendly competition never hurts as long as you don’t get hung up on the fact that some people will always be better than you at something. In fact, I’m still “competing” with a couple friends to see who can do better over the course of time in terms of fitness goals. Celebrate other peoples success and you’ll be happier in the long run (trust me).

So, overall, I’m down in weight about 15 pounds since this time last year. I’m stronger, faster, and feeling pretty good overall. Not where I want to be, who is after all, but getting a little closer each day.

Onward!

Crohn’s Update: June 2015

Crohn’s Update: June 2015

davidpwahr

Thought I should update everyone on my Crohn’s and general fitness since it’s been awhile. The good news is that overall I’m doing well. The Humira seems to be keeping the Crohn’s in check, though I have had a few episodes of vomiting (3 since starting the treatment) and a few days of low activity causing me some intermittent pain and lack of appetite. These periods have coincided with me becoming overly tired or bad weather (thunderstorms). However, I haven’t had an episode which has kept me from work or other activities.

Also, I am lucky in one other way – I have doctor’s orders to avoid broccoli! His thought is that because it is a high fiber food it’s possible that it can get caught in the stricture (damaged area) of my intestine and cause the pain. I told him that it would be difficult but somehow I would go on without eating broccoli. I also offered to avoid a variety of other vegetables if it would help. He assured me to just test avoiding the highest fiber foods and he thought I could get by.

In the workout world, my elbow pain has subsided so I can lift again which is good. I still plan on running (walking?) in a 5K, the Rose Run, in mid-July. Not sure if I’ll do as well as hoped since I haven’t been doing my cardio as I should over the past couple months but we’ll see. My weight is not going up but it’s not going down too much either. However, I don’t feel as “fat” as I have and my pants are starting to literally fall off me. I’m hesitant to go down a size though because there are times I need the extra room due to bloating from the Crohn’s.

Time to set a couple new fitness goals I think…I’ll get back to you all on those.

Onward!

Crohn’s and Fitness Update: Still Here

Crohn’s and Fitness Update: Still Here

davidpwahr

It’s been a while since I posted so I thought I’d catch everyone up with what’s going on with me health and fitness-wise.

Crohn’s: I’m past my “starter” doses of Humira and on my regular dose now for almost two weeks. Not feeling as good as I did with the starter kit and I’m thinking that maybe one shot every two weeks won’t be enough. I’ve got a couple more shots before I see the doctor next so we’ll see what he thinks.

Fitness: My left elbow has been so sore that I have avoided any lifting for the past week (even when I just do legs the arms seem to get involved a little). This morning was the first morning in quite a while that I did not have any obvious pain in the arm when I woke up so  my resting it seems to be working. However, I’ll probably end up seeing another doctor about this too…

Diet: Oddly enough, I seem to be losing more weight when I eat more than what MyFitnessPal says I should. Not sure why, especially since my exercise is down I should be gaining weight. There’s no way I’m in “starvation” mode with the 2,100 calories a day I’m eating but I’m going to be playing around with my calories a little more to see what happens.

Overall: Stress levels are moderate – some concerns about work but nothing I haven’t been through before and some new opportunities are presenting themselves. Keeping active with outside interest so all in all I’m doing okay.

More later – onward!

AACT Fest 2015 Weekend

davidpwahr

Those that know me know that one of my passions is theatre. I’m not a professional actor so I get my “fix” through community theatre and this weekend I experienced one of the community theatre’s biggest events – an AACT Fest.

For those who don’t know, AACT Fest is a theatre competition among community theatres held every two years. The competition starts at the state level (this past weekend in Owosso, Michigan) then the winner moves on to a regional competition (in a couple weeks in Midland, MI), and finally the winner of the regional goes onto national competition (this June in Grand Rapids, MI).

Now, astute readers will notice that all three levels of competition are in Michigan this year – a rare opportunity for theatre goers in Michigan to see some of the best community theatre around. This year’s Michigan competition was won by Players de Noc (Escanabe) and their production of Eugene O’Neill’s The Hairy Ape and Holland Civic Theatre’s, Revival at Possum Kingdom Community Church by Michigan playwrite Linda LaRoque.

My personal favorite, which came in third and will be the alternate entry to the regional was The Amish Project by Jessica Dickey presented by the Farmington Players. This was an extremely moving drama based on the Nickel Mines schoolhouse shootings in 2006. There was not a dry eye in the house when this show was finished. A total of eight groups competed (Monroe had submitted but was the ninth entry and the organizers limited the field to eight for reasons I don’t completely understand but were well within their rights to do.  So we have to wait until the next festival to enter again).

By now you may be wondering what this has to do with my quest for fitness. Not much except that I went completely off the diet wagon this weekend! I traveled with my good friend Bob and unfortunately, I think we are both enablers of each others bad eating habits! We passed a Ponderosa Steakhouse on the way into town, a fading restaurant chain that has a great buffet, and that’s where we went for lunch on Saturday. Well, it was a good thing that we were limited on time because three platefuls and several desserts later I was still ready for more! Plus our hosts, Owosso Community Players feed us well at the afterglows – oh and did I mention Roma’s Back Door? A great Italian restaurant steps from the theatre…

Interestingly enough, the damage may be controllable as I don’t appear to have gained weight yet and I’ve upped my cardio and strength workouts this week so I’m burning more calories. Also interesting, to me at least, is that I could put away so much food this weekend. My Crohn’s usually limits my intake. There has been many a meal eaten out that came home with me because I started hurting – but not this weekend. My guess is that this is because the Humira is doing its job and my insides can take more because they hurt less.

So, I need to be even more careful with my food intake than I used to be…I can’t imagine how fat I could get if the brakes are now off my digestive system (so to speak). Time will tell!

Onward!

Fitness Quest: The Fatness is Starting to Go Away…But Not Quickly

Fitness Quest: The Fatness is Starting to Go Away…But Not Quickly

davidpwahr

I made a couple discoveries in the gym today, both welcome!

First, I had been fretting about this pain in my elbow (Golfer’s Elbow I think) and wondering how I could work my arms if I couldn’t bend them. So I’ve been concentrating on other lifts the past couple of weeks, legs (squats, calf raises, etc.) and some presses as that movement didn’t seem to bother my arms. But today I played around a little more and found out that I can do hammer curls without pain in my arm. So, that’s what I’ll be doing for arms for a while to directly hit the biceps. The good news is that the pain is getting less each day so  I hope to be back at full strength soon.

Also, in more good news I noticed today in the mirror that if I hit just the right light and squint that there is a hint of a bulge coming back to my biceps – and more than a few veins are appearing when I’m lifting. Gotta love lower body fat – but I have a long way to go still!

So, I was motivated enough to finally do what I’ve seen all over Instagram, Facebook, etc. I took a quick selfie in the locker room mirror. Nothing unclothed (sorry ladies) but a quick side shot to see how I look without my inner filter. Not quite as bad as I used too – my rear seems to actually be vanishing and my stomach is flatter than I thought. I just can’t sit down and need to always maintain strict posture to keep appearances up.

In terms of diet I’ve made some changes. As I mentioned earlier I’ve been frustrated that the weight and fat doesn’t really seem to be coming off. So, I’ve been doing a much better job on searching out and eating more nutritional foods (in other words avoid the drive-thru) and I did start taking a fish oil supplement again along with my prescribed iron and calcium. I’ll be adding a multi-vitamin again as well making sure that I have folic acid in it – which helps with iron absorption.

Oh, and I took my second dose of Humira this week. Feeling good still – just got to keep working on the looking good part.

Onward!

Side view of me on March 26, 2015.
Side view of me on March 26, 2015.
Update: One Week on Humira

Update: One Week on Humira

davidpwahr

Well, I’ve been on Humira as a treatment for my Crohn’s now for one week and so far, so good. I haven’t had any of the short term side effects except for a little muscle soreness the first day. I’ve already noticed improvement in how I feel each day, though I have to admit that every time I eat something I expect that I’ll have pain – but so far I haven’t had any. I’ve even noticed that there are times where I don’t feel my “gut” on the inside. However, I am still a middle aged man so I don’t want to push my eating to the limit – indigestion can happen to anyone after all. I have also noticed that my bowel movements are changing (stop reading if you don’t want to hear about normal bodily functions) and instead of going two or three times a day I’m down to about one without the bloating that constipation would bring! My usually sore “bottom” isn’t and that in and of itself it actually a remarkable thing.

So, in brief, I’m very hopeful that this new treatment continues to work for me.

In exercise news I’ve developed a pain in my elbow. At first I thought it was “tennis” elbow but after further web searching and self-diagnosis I think it is actually “golfer’s” elbow (on the inside of the arm instead of the outside). My guess is that I strained it while weight lifting. The bad news is that it’s difficult to curl when you can’t lift the weight without a sharp pain. Looks like I’ll have to put off “loading the guns” and focus on legs and cardio for a little bit. If the pain doesn’t ease up it’s off to the doctors again.

It’s always something…

Onward!

Crohn’s Update: Humira

Crohn’s Update: Humira

davidpwahr

Well, after what seems like years (it’s only been weeks) I’m finally on Humira (adalimumab). You may remember that after finally having my Crohn’s re-diagnosed my doctor thought it would be best to put me on some new medication in an effort to avoid surgery in my future. I was, of course, all for this.

However, I didn’t realize what it took to get the medicine that I was prescribed and now have a better appreciation of what some friends and family have been complaining about. Because of the expense of Humira my insurance company had to pre-approve me getting it (despite the prescription). Then once it was approved the prescription had to go through a specialty pharmacy because it needs to be kept refrigerated. So, I can’t get this picked up at the local Walgreen’s I have to call in each month to have it shipped to me (not a huge problem, but not what I’m used to). Then there is this entire “support” team to monitor me while I take it. An “ambassador” to check up on me every couple weeks, a nurse to train me on how to take the injections, and others. I think I understand why it costs so much.

The good news is that I took my first dose yesterday. I start with 4 doses the first day, then two weeks later I take 2 doses, and then 1 dose every other week from then on. Not a bad schedule as far as life-long medicines go (if not life-long than at least until something better comes along). And the injector “pen” that I use really does make the injection fairly painlessly.

I did have a slight headache yesterday and some muscle soreness (among the least of the side effects) but those seem to have passed. But I noticed something else odd today…I couldn’t feel my insides. There were no odd rumblings, no twinges of pain every couple of hours, no after lunch ‘bloat.’ I don’t know how quickly this stuff is supposed to work and it’s possible that some of the effects may only be of the placebo variety but still – I think that this may be the start of something good.

Unless I get lymphoma (another rare side effect). That would be bad…

Onward!

Fitness Quest: Update February 23, 2015

Fitness Quest: Update February 23, 2015

davidpwahr

Not much to report but I felt that I should post something since I have made a commitment to myself to post regularly. The past week has been pretty good health and fitness-wise. Even with a trip to Las Vegas (sorry, can’t talk about it because as we all know, what happens in Vegas…) I stayed fairly well focused on my goals and only over indulged one night and even made use of the hotel’s sparse but adequate gym. Adequate if all you need to do is cardio that is. And it was good to get away from the record breaking cold which has its grip on the upper midwest and northeast U.S. even if only for a couple days.

To start this week I felt good enough to move from the weight lifting machines over to the free weight room for most of my workout. I don’t really belong with the “big boys” anymore (if I ever did) but I like free weights better in general as I feel that more of the “stabilizing” muscles are brought into play. I even did good old fashioned squats for the first time in a long time and my knees held up well! Of course, I only had about 100 pounds on my shoulders – but it’s a start.

Medicine-wise things seem to be on hold. I have pretty much everything I need to start Humira – my sharps disposal kit, my talking training “pen,” and my nurse lined up to come give me my lessons on how to inject myself. Now all I need is the Humira. I’m going to have to call the pharmacy to see what’s taking so long – no doubt some sort of insurance issue. We’ll see. Good thing I’m still feeling well for the most part with only a little “grumbling” from my stomach here and there.

Now if I could just get warm…

Onward and upward!

Fitness and Crohn’s or No Crohn’s Update

Fitness and Crohn’s or No Crohn’s Update

davidpwahr

Well, after another week of staying within my calorie goals, increased cardio, exceeding my daily steps, and the weight room what’s my reward? I’ve gained 4 pounds…

However, my waist is slightly smaller (half inch), I’ve lost some size on my chest, which I presume is fat loss, and my arms are a tad bigger plus my bodyfat is down 3% and though not at an all time low I’m almost there. Hurrah!

In the gym my lifts are increasing and I’m feeling stronger each week – not quite back to my old form but making progress. Feeling pretty good the day after my workouts as well and actually felt pumped after my last workout this week (how I’ve missed that feeling).

By the way, since I started to not trust my usual scale I’ve moved to what I’m calling  “Dave’s Three Scale Method” (trademarked!). This consists of weighing myself on my usual Tanita electronic scale, and older model Tanita scale and a “regular” bathroom scale ($7.99 at major discount retailers).

On both the electronic scales my bodyfat is down (good). On the older electronic scale and the “regular” scale my weight is down as well – though the “regular” scale still shows me as 10 pounds lighter than my usual scale. I used the scale at my gym this week once as well – a supposedly more accurate “balance” scale. That one is broken as according to that I’m wasting away at an alarming rate and am well below 200 pounds close to my “skinny” high school weight (no way true).

In continued Crohn’s news, after 30 years of believing I had Crohn’s my belief has been confirmed. I have Crohn’s. My doctor has recommended that I now start taking Humira because though, according to him, my symptoms don’t really suggest it the colonoscopies show that my Crohn’s is not mild as I’ve thought. It’s actual more moderate to severe based on the damage already done. So, in an effort to continue and avoid surgery he thinks we need to get me into a full remission (or as close as possible). I’ll know more on this next week after I meet with him.

The adventure continues – onward!

Crohn’s or No Crohn’s: The Quest Continues

Crohn’s or No Crohn’s: The Quest Continues

davidpwahr

Well, two days ago I underwent yet another colonoscopy to determine if I really have Crohn’s or not. This time it was a “double balloon” procedure. I’m not entirely sure how the device worked but the upshot is that the doctor and his team were able to go further up into the small intestine than before. The prep for this procedure was more difficult than before as it required two full days of the “clear liquid” diet. It’s been a long time since I’ve been as hungry as I was after the procedure!

The good news is that the procedure was successful and I got through it without any difficulty, at least so far as I can tell. I was completely unconscious for this one as the “twilight” drugs used previously aren’t sufficient as this procedure is more painful than a standard colonoscopy. The bad news, the fistula which my CT Scan indicated still was not found. So it is likely that I’ll now need an upper endoscopy to see if they can find the fistula.

Biopsies were taken again. It will take a couple weeks for the results to come in and before we know if Crohn’s is proven definitively or not. Once again, there is internal evidence of the damage that the Crohn’s (or whatever) has done but until the biopsy it is all “theory” I suppose.

Of greater concern is the fistula which cannot be found. From what I was told earlier I believe it is likely that I will need surgery to remove it, but if they can’t find it…well, no operation on something that can’t be confirmed.

Other good news is that for the past month I haven’t had any flare-ups (knock wood). Since the procedure I’ve felt a little “tender” but nothing debilitating.

So, for now I play the waiting game…

Onward!

PS – workouts have been going well and the extra weight is coming off slowly but surely!