Lamonsters training log with UC

lamonster14

lamonster14

Member
Awards
0
It's been a while since I've posted anything to the forum and I feel it's time for me start a thread to track my progress , document my gains or losses in training with an auto immune disorder. I've been a competitive Powerlifter since my first meet in 2012 and have been living with ulcerative colitis since 2011. I want to share my experiences with those who are interested, and possibly provide an inspiration to those who are coping with any sort of chronic illness. This will be a training log that encompasses daily events I regards to training structure and meet prep as well as my dealings with UC.
As of now my best total @198 raw is 1338 which was done in May 2014. Since then I have added 47 lbs to my total in gym PR"s.

Hopefully this thread can help me keep better track of what I do and show improvement over time.

Currently I am mid-flare that has been active for 3 weeks, and am on a prednisone taper from 40mg down 5mg every week. I am also taking lialda (mesalamine) 1.2mg x2 once daily.
Natural supplements include glutamine , tumeric, vitamin c , and a calcium magnesium and zinc supplement. All other supplements are off the table at the moment as creatine , stims can irritate any inflammation in my distal colon.

Anybody who wishes to follow along feel free and if any other people with forms of IBD want to chime in I'm looking forward to comments and questions !
 
herderdude

herderdude

Well-known member
Awards
2
  • RockStar
  • Established
You know I'm in this, boss.
 
lamonster14

lamonster14

Member
Awards
0
8-17 fluff and buff

Decided to drag my ass to a small community gym and get some work in. No coffee , no preworkout just doughnuts and kool aid haha


Nautilus chest press. 200 lbs 4 sets 15 reps
Dumbbell incline flye 35s 3 sets 15 reps
Dumbbell lateral raise 15s. 4 sets of 15
Nautilus overhead press 150 lbs 4 sets 15 reps

Db overhead tricep (single arm) 40s. 3 sets 15 reps

Side bends 50 lbs 3 sets 25 reps each side.



Easy workout , my tolerance for rep work is horrible but I feel good . We will see how this week sets up
 
lamonster14

lamonster14

Member
Awards
0
8-18 deadlifts

Hit 8 beltless conventional doubles with 405 ( rpe of 7ish)
RDL. 3x15 with 225
Meadows shrugs with a cambered bar 165 4x8. 3 count at the top
Calf press on vertical leg press. 200 lbs 4x25
Dumbbell side bends with the 100s for 2 sets of 25 each side


Solid session , no gi interruptions , no weakness from the prednisone as of yet and no effect on energy levels. Bodyweight was at 192 which is good

Tomorrow is a g.i. Appt and rep effort bench. Will report back then!
 
CountryLiftin

CountryLiftin

Well-known member
Awards
2
  • RockStar
  • Established
Lamonsterrrrrrrr.


Good to see you posting.
 
lamonster14

lamonster14

Member
Awards
0
Feels good to be back on the forum. Thanks for following along !
 
lamonster14

lamonster14

Member
Awards
0
Side note , today is day one on my third week of prednisone. I'm tapering down from 40mg at 5mg a week. So far the last 2 days I've shown signs of great improvement, today I'm going to my specialist to discuss the possibility of being put back on Remicade infusions which are a TNF blocker. I can't say enough good things about remicade when it comes to inducing remission and healing the gut, I know the side effects could potentially be bad but I would rather deal with a chronic cough and sniffles than the cramping, nausea, and other pleasant symptoms of UC. Also I should be receiving a monthly prescription for 1.2mg lialda tablets directly from Shire labs in the next few days. Hopefully these meds will do the trick and have me back to training like a savage quickly!
 
lamonster14

lamonster14

Member
Awards
0
Sitting in the office it's been an hour since my scheduled appointment and I've yet to be called back. I guarantee that my blood pressure will be high #1) I freak out when I'm in doctors offices #2) when I get frustrated/ upset it always jumps. Haha who knows , also the healthcare situation in Pittsburgh is fubar with Upmc and high mark squaring off against each other I've seen 4-5 patients walk and have their insurance denied because it wasn't UPMC .
 
CincyKiller45

CincyKiller45

Well-known member
Awards
2
  • RockStar
  • Established
Subbed, I may or may not have met you. Lol.

Best of luck, man!
 
Duramaxhd

Duramaxhd

Well-known member
Awards
0
I love it when they take your blood pressure and say it's high. Well no **** I hate being here and u kept me waiting what do u expect. Well we may have to put u on something, Ahh NO
 
herderdude

herderdude

Well-known member
Awards
2
  • RockStar
  • Established
lamonster14

lamonster14

Member
Awards
0
Exactly!!! And cincy I believe we have met, at the RPS meet in Columbus. My blood pressure was 140/96 lol I shook my head and said try again in 10 minutes and it came back to 120/80 ish (I don't remember the exact numbers.

But good news is I wont need to go back on biological meds , the prednisone took care of this flare really quickly . Now it's time to let the lining of the intestines heal and the lialda (mesalamine ) will do it's work as a maintenance med.

Then I can focus on bigger and better things . I wouldn't say the health issue has detracted from my focus and training . I just tend to baby everything in fear or worsening things mid flare.

Anyway enough about all the medicine and crap.
I'm off to smash some rep effort bench and train a client . I'll post back here in a few hours
 
lamonster14

lamonster14

Member
Awards
0
So I went in and got after it , drank a SMALL cup of black coffee before I went in and it worked well, little discomfort from the stims but I needed it .

Pin press 3 sets of 6 with 275
Cgbp pauses (Lilly /spoto press) 225 3 sets of 8
Incline barbell press 135x15x3 (stop short of lockout to get some TUT)
Bw dips 4x10
Pec dec flye 130 x15x3

Dumbbell overhead tricep ext 40s 3 sets of 10
Reverse grip skill crusher 75 lb. 3 sets of 15
Cable push down 3 sets of 15

Finish with 100 band pullaparts and WOOF. I was gassed but I had a great session. No interruptions , great intensity and I actually managed to get a pump. My only explanation behind that would be my chipotle burrito for lunch and 4 hatorades hahaha

Gonna contact shire tomorrow to check status on my lialda and go from there !
 
lamonster14

lamonster14

Member
Awards
0
8-20

Trained a client today so I figured I would get in some weak point training afterwards. Had a small tension headache before I started that grew into a real mofo by the end.

Seated ohp 135 for 3 sets of 15 reps
JM press 205 for 3 sets of 10
Seated side laterals with forward lean 20s 3 sets 15 reps
Body weight pull-ups mixed grips 5sets 10 reps
Rear delt flye on machine 4 sets 15 reps

By this time I was at my wits end with the headache so I decided to call her quits and head home.

Overall not bad , I would say some work is better than none. I'm gonna take the next two days off from the gym in preparation to squat Sunday with herderdude!!!!

Side note, prednisone makes me sweat worse than superdrol and trest haha. I'm like a VCR in a crack house
 
lamonster14

lamonster14

Member
Awards
0
8/25

Alright so I've taken 4 days off from training and tried my best to heal up. Started taking lialda and am still on the pred. Doctor decided to bump my dosage back up to 40mg because I felt I was getting worse after tapering to 30mg. Symptoms are still there and at times can be discouraging but I've yet to come across a day where I cannot function . Waiting on results of chest X-ray and blood work to see if I am anemic yet and whether or not I can start the biological meds as my doctor thinks the steroids and 5-Asa drugs may not be enough to stop this flare.


Gonna try and train today ( some rep deads).
Hopefully all goes well I'll report back later
 
Duramaxhd

Duramaxhd

Well-known member
Awards
0
Man dude that's sucks I hope they get it figured out for u. Got to be ruff
 
lamonster14

lamonster14

Member
Awards
0
Yeah man it's frustrating , taking all these pills and crap is annoying. It's like your waiting for something to happen and it just doesn't come quickly. But I've learned that nothing with this disease ever comes quickly. The healing process is a long one., and things could always be worse. Just have to keep trucking and remember there is light at the end of the tunnel.
 
lamonster14

lamonster14

Member
Awards
0
Well ended up not training , felt fatigued before I even finished my shift at work today. What a Piss-off. Having a hard time coming to grips with resting to recover. Tomorrow is another day and we will see how I feel and make a judgement call. I'm becoming impatient and irritated which won't get me anywhere. Just need to stay the course and let things heal.

This will give me a substantial amount of time to program my training and select possible meets for the future. I think I could use the time to step back and re-evaluate my goals in the future.
 
CincyKiller45

CincyKiller45

Well-known member
Awards
2
  • RockStar
  • Established
A lot of respect to you, man. As if life isn't convoluted enough. Good to see you have your head on straight, keep battling.
 

mjl1303

New member
Awards
0
Side note , today is day one on my third week of prednisone. I'm tapering down from 40mg at 5mg a week. So far the last 2 days I've shown signs of great improvement, today I'm going to my specialist to discuss the possibility of being put back on Remicade infusions which are a TNF blocker. I can't say enough good things about remicade when it comes to inducing remission and healing the gut, I know the side effects could potentially be bad but I would rather deal with a chronic cough and sniffles than the cramping, nausea, and other pleasant symptoms of UC. Also I should be receiving a monthly prescription for 1.2mg lialda tablets directly from Shire labs in the next few days. Hopefully these meds will do the trick and have me back to training like a savage quickly!
I myself have crohns disease and was put on remicade for my first few years after being diagnosed...I've since switched to humira injections which you can do at home every other week with just as good...If not better results...just a suggestion/comment on my personal experience
 
RegisterJr

RegisterJr

Legend
Awards
3
  • RockStar
  • Legend!
  • Established
In for this.

Impressive totals bro.
 
lamonster14

lamonster14

Member
Awards
0
I myself have crohns disease and was put on remicade for my first few years after being diagnosed...I've since switched to humira injections which you can do at home every other week with just as good...If not better results...just a suggestion/comment on my personal experience
I will discuss the possibility of that with my g.i. When I talk with him this week , the remicade is a drag man. Iv Benadryl and checking vitals every 15 minutes sucks. It's just enough time to pass out and then get back up. Not to mention it kinda puts a damper on the rest of your day, all I want to do is sleep . Not to mention the cost of remicade is absurd, meds and hospital fees in combination total somewhere near 20k every 8 weeks .
 
lamonster14

lamonster14

Member
Awards
0
8/26. Got my ass to the gym today !!!

I've decided to steer clear of movements requiring abdominal pressure, heavy squats , pulls, benches, overhead press Ect until things calm down. I know it sounds soft ESP for a Powerlifter but I would rather train pain and interruption free than not train at all.


Back,biceps,traps, rear delts ( pull oriented )
Pull-ups BW 4x10(wide grip)
Supine grip lat pull down 150lb. 3x12
Back extensions BW 3x20
Hammer curl 35s. 3x10
Preacher curl (cybex). 100x15x2. And 30lb single arm x15 for a set
Double overhand barbell shrug 205 x10x4. 3 sec hold at the top
Ended with face pulls 60lbs for 3x15

I've realized that I'm out of shape , don't know if it's my lack of training rep work or the UC. Either way I'm glad that I got in there and trained as I feel much better now. Elevated mood, self confidence and positive outlook. Not to mention I looked pretty good, dare I say aesthetic even!?!? Bodyweight was down to 191 but I have really buttoned up my diet to basically chicken,tilapia, rice, eggs, oats,grits and Greek yogurt. I haven't tracked macros but I would be willing to bet I'm around 2500-3k a day.

Gonna hit it again tomorrow and blast lower body , I'll post back then

Lamonster signing out.
 
Duramaxhd

Duramaxhd

Well-known member
Awards
0
Good work I'm glad u got in there in did what u could many, many people would have given up and said screw it but u didn't and thats great
 
NoAddedHmones

NoAddedHmones

Well-known member
Awards
4
  • RockStar
  • Established
  • Best Answer
  • First Up Vote
Good luck dude, ive been through what you are currently experiencing. All I can say is that it does get better, try your best to keep smashing the gym because it will make you feel 100 times better mentally even though you will feel like **** physically. Use caffeine strategically when energy is low. Once you are back into remission put a lot of emphasis on your diet to determine what sits well with you and what triggers symptoms. This condition is controllable in a lot of cases.
 

mjl1303

New member
Awards
0
I will discuss the possibility of that with my g.i. When I talk with him this week , the remicade is a drag man. Iv Benadryl and checking vitals every 15 minutes sucks. It's just enough time to pass out and then get back up. Not to mention it kinda puts a damper on the rest of your day, all I want to do is sleep . Not to mention the cost of remicade is absurd, meds and hospital fees in combination total somewhere near 20k every 8 weeks .
Yeah man that iv of benadryl puts you in zombie mode for the rest of the day plus the fact that you're sitting in an uncomfortable chair without regular access to your meals for around 6 hours...the humira shots definitely are more convenient for ones life...hopefully you can maybe make that transition...Good luck
 
lamonster14

lamonster14

Member
Awards
0
Thanks guys , I'm gonna keep on trucking. Take one day at a time and track all my progress. I appreciate the follows and the suggestions it helps a great deal !
 
lamonster14

lamonster14

Member
Awards
0
I expect to hear from my gastro within the next two days and once I figure out what his plan is I will inform you. I trust this guy 100% as he's been my doc since I was diagnosed. A great track record and plenty of years in the field. Not to mention if I ask for anything he listens and accommodates my needs
 
lamonster14

lamonster14

Member
Awards
0
8/27

No word from the G.I. Yet. Managed to train through some pretty bad cramps/spasms and joint discomfort.

Bech press 205. 4x10
Behind the neck military press 95 4x10
Lateral raise 15s 3x15
Front raises 30x10 35x8 40x6
Triceps push down 80 lbs 2x12 overhand 2x12 reverse grip with 60

Had a decent workout all things considered. Bodyweight was down to 190. Although I don't attribute that to UC. My diet has been simplified and honestly it's much healthier than what I was eating before.

Hopefully get some good news tomorrow !
 
lamonster14

lamonster14

Member
Awards
0
I'm going to have to ask my doctor about the potential risk of rejection of remicade. From my understanding your body may build antibodies to the medication after stopping usage. I've read stories where people had allergic reactions, or had the medicine be less effective. Then I've read others where it worked just fine. I guess the protein used is from mice in contrast to the human protein used in Humira/ Ebrel. I know there's a test to see if you have antibodies built up , but it's incredibly expensive. Go figures , I would hope that since I hadn't had any sort of allergic reaction in previous infusions I would be ok but it's a roll of the dice. This is something I'm gonna need clarification on before jumping back on biological meds
 
RegisterJr

RegisterJr

Legend
Awards
3
  • RockStar
  • Legend!
  • Established
Strong press day LM. Hope the doc can give you some good news.
 
bolt10

bolt10

Well-known member
Awards
2
  • RockStar
  • Established
Late but in. I feel like I've followed a log of you already because Herder updates about you sometimes. :eek:
 
lamonster14

lamonster14

Member
Awards
0
Spoke to the doctor and he did have good news. My chest X-ray came back Normal and my blood work showed my CBC, b12 and folate levels normal as well. Which is good, my white cell count was elevated due to pred and one of my inflammatory markers was elevated as well(DUH).

I have an appointment scheduled for next Friday to meet in person and discuss treatment options, as for now I stay on prednisone @40 and 2 lialda a day.
 
Duramaxhd

Duramaxhd

Well-known member
Awards
0
Thats good man hope u continue on a path of recovery
 
lamonster14

lamonster14

Member
Awards
0
Late but in. I feel like I've followed a log of you already because Herder updates about you sometimes. :eek:
Thank ya! And yeah he sprinkles me in here and there. I haven't been able to train with him lately which sucks but I'll be back in there!
 
lamonster14

lamonster14

Member
Awards
0
Visiting my parents went to the gym with my dad today. They live in a gated community type area with a gym in the middle. Usually not my type of venue, but today it worked just fine.

Just did a mix of stuff
Quad Ext 150lbs 3x15
Ham curls 150lbs 3x15
Dumbbell RDL 50s. 4x10
Meadows shrug (seated with db50s) 4x8 3 count at top- I love training traps and back btw
Behind the neck pull downs 120lb 4x10
Preacher curls (cambered bar ) 100 lbs ish 3x12
Single arm db concentration curls 30 lb 4x8


In all not bad, I have had a great day and feel phenomenal. Energy levels still aren't quite as high as I would like but I've been noticing a slight regression in symptoms. Thinking about supplementing some DHEA for energy and something to ease prednisone sides.


Side note , my facial hair is growing very quickly and the acne on my back is spreading to shoulders. Albeit small red dots it's annoying. Also I've noticed I need to wear my glasses more often as my vision may be altered by the pred.
Fun stuff, small price to pay to get over some nasty gut issues. Hopefully tomorrow continues the upward trend
 
lamonster14

lamonster14

Member
Awards
0
Things seem different lately , it's hard to describe. My stomach doesn't feel as "fragile" and symptoms specifically ones of the red variety seem to be dissipating . Fingers crossed
 
lamonster14

lamonster14

Member
Awards
0
Bout to go train with herder , granted I don't think I'll be doing the same type of workout but fuggit I'm back in it
 
lamonster14

lamonster14

Member
Awards
0
8-31 squats


Beltless wrap less sweet joint achey goodness
135x5x5
225x5x3
315x3x3
365x1 (kewl)


Hacks, leg presses, belt squat holds, belt squat marches, calf raises, lat pull downs and shrugs for the fack of it . Felt great. Slight joint discomfort and weakness in hips but altogether a good sesh. Hopefully continuing the upward trend ....peace
 
lamonster14

lamonster14

Member
Awards
0
Been out and about trying to get my shiz together lately. Have had some real bad days and some real good ones mixed in. It is a definite that I will be going back on remicade. I am scheduling my infusion for Monday or Tuesday next week. My doc wants me off prednisone so I'm tapering down from 40, will be dosing 30 mg starting tomorrow. Also my lialda dosage was bumped up from 2 a day to 4. From doing this alone I have noticed substantial improvement. Also I've been prescribed more bentyl for spasms and tramadol for abdominal pain. My doc hands them out like candy because they're supposedly gut friendly unlike other opiates/opioids. He also believes the potential for abuse is much lower, i tend to agree because all the stuff does is make my stomach stop hurting. I don't get loopy or euphoric from it. (I try to avoid taking them at all costs).

I haven't gained any prednisone weight either which is odd, I've actually managed to drop 7-8 lbs in a little over a month by eating a low residue diet and bland foods. It sucks because I really want to shove my face with a greasy burger from Burgatory.

Hopefully I respond well to the infliximab and this flare takes a dirt nap. I won't be training until after the infusion next week so I'll post updates and let y'all know how it goes !
 
RegisterJr

RegisterJr

Legend
Awards
3
  • RockStar
  • Legend!
  • Established
I hope you respond well too, and all your shiz works out.
 
lamonster14

lamonster14

Member
Awards
0
Skin test was clear , all my paperwork for remicade is turned in. Now just waiting on insurance authorization to get it rolling next week. Doctor wants it done as soon as possible as do I. It's weird, one day I swear I'm getting better the next I think things are worse. Prednisone is giving me some terrible acne on my lats and shoulders also along my scalp which is weird. Lialda actually seems to be helping but it gives me some rotten flatulence haha.
 

Similar threads


Top