Exercise and Ostomies

LDOA guest speaker, Judy Croden, talks about exercise and her personal journey as an ostomate. Read the uplifting speech she gave at LDOA's September 2003 meeting.
• Article added September 30, 2003

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First, I'd just like to say how happy I am to be here [at the September 18, 2003 LDOA meeting] this evening and how surprised I was to get a call from Louise Cummings [LDOA member] last spring. Admittedly, it has been some time since I attended an LDOA meeting but, let me assure you, I have always referred this group to folks whom I thought may benefit, and I will always support this Association.

Why then am I here, other than the fact that Louise phoned me and she's hard to say no to! LDOA's Mission Statement says it all, especially with respect to the information provided and the emotional support given. LDOA supported me 14 years ago when I really needed it and was going through this whole learning process. Now I feel that if sharing my journey can help someone else, well then that's what this is really all about.

I was introduced as saying that I am going to talk to you about exercise – and I will in a minute or two – however, I thought I'd give you a little background first. I've been happily married for almost 28 years and have 2 daughters, ages 24 and 25. I work full-time as an advertising sales representative for The London Free Press and part-time as a wedding videographer for our company, Anchor Video Productions. Like everyone else in the world, my life is both full and very busy.

I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 1976 – just 3 months after getting married – although like many who are finally diagnosed with an IBD (Inflamatory Bowel Disease), I probably had symptoms from early on in my teens. For about 13 years, I was treated medically with the occasional run to the emergency room and short hospital stays to get me back on track. Ironically, although I had ulcerative colitis for many years, I always had a weight problem with the exception of when my colitis was very active or when I was pregnant. During these times I would drop 20-30 lbs. [9 -13 kg] very quickly. As a result of my ongoing battle of the bulge over the years, I have tried many, many different programs and methods to lose weight quickly. I have been a yo-yo dieter and was frequently successful in the weight loss (losing up to 80 lbs. [36 kg] at a time more than once), but not successful in the mainten- ance of keeping the pounds off. This fast forwards my story and brings me back to exercise.

In January, The Athletic Club approached the newspaper and indicated that they had an interest in working with six employees who would follow a 12-week program working with a personal trainer and a nutritionist. The participants' progress would be monitored and reported on a weekly basis in the newspaper. As there were about 50 employees who showed an interest in this promotion, we had to "win" our spot on the team. Although I had great trepidation about publishing a picture of me in shorts and a tank top – not to mention my age and weight so that over 300,000 people would read it – I decided that I really needed to do this and went about going through the interviews with the club's trainers and coming up with a "schtick" as to why I should be selected. My "thing" was that since I had tried every diet in the book, I knew all the theory but had to find a way to achieve some permanent lifestyle changes – a different way of eating – and I knew that I needed to get some regular exercise. Also, I was going to be the Mother-of-the-Bride as one of my daughters is getting married in 12 weeks and so, of course, I needed to look as good as possible for that big day! The trainers tried to pick an even male/female split, a variety of ages and a variety of existing fitness levels. We all hold different jobs at The London Free Press and, therefore, are physically active (or not!) on different levels within our job functions. So the team was chosen and my fitness regime began.

To look at me, you may be thinking that I don't look like any kind of exercise expert and that's because I'm not. In fact, I'm still very much a rookie. However, over the past seven months, I have started incorporating regular exercise into my daily life – even if it's just 20 minutes on the treadmill that I have at home or going for a brisk walk with my husband and two dogs.

After having ostomy surgery, I know that some folks are leery about exercising or working out in a gym. My workouts include treadmill and bike work, cardio-ellipticals, free weights, and machines for legs, arms and back, as well as floor work – tons of sit ups and crunches in various forms – and working with the large balls and more leg work. My program was put together without the trainer knowing at that time that I had an ostomy – and there was nothing in her program that I was unable to do; in other words, it is a "normal" beginners program.

The club has a swimming pool, as well. Again, I know from my past experience that putting on a bathing suit and going swim- ming can be a little unnerving the first time following ostomy surgery (for me wearing bathing suits had always been a trauma). However, I have found that with the bathing suit styles available today and the better quality of ostomy supplies, there is absolutely no problem going swimming. Although I don't include it as a regular part of my workouts (usually due to time constraints), I do swim very often when I'm away on vacation.

Exercise itself has vastly increased the quality of my life; it has made me feel younger, stronger and has made other tasks in life easier to perform. For example, during wedding season, I am constantly lugging tripods with heavy cast iron wheels, cameras, and tons of large batteries, and I find those tasks much less cumbersome to do now. I've also found that on days that I go through a good workout, I sleep much better at night and I'm less likely to experience those afternoon "down" times when all you really want to do is have a nap. I'm sure that the combination of eating healthier and getting some regular exercise helps every system in my body work better. I would certainly encourage exercise of some sort to everyone.

I've had 14 years now to get used to living with an ostomy. The date of May 31, 1989 is etched in my brain forever as the day my life changed because I was given an ileostomy. At first glance, one would say that it changed for the worse, however, over the long-term, I've come to realize that it actually changed for the better. My surgery was done in an emergency situation – probably good because I really didn't have the time or the strength to think about it. And as events played themselves out, my ostomy surgery was actually a blessing in disguise and it more than likely saved my life. For as it turned out, once my bowel had been removed and biopsied, cancer was found. However, it was so early that the only other treatment that I needed was more surgery. I got off pretty easy compared to many people.

I had forgotten over the years of living with colitis what feeling well was really like. I just got used to being tired, lethargic, crampy and generally not well most of the time. As I went through my recovery, I began to get stronger and realized how sick I had been for a long time. At the same time, however, I had many concerns and questions: How would the ileostomy affect my life, relationships and my ability to do "normal" things? As I mentioned in the beginning, coming to these meetings was a great support. I learned that I wasn't alone with this "abnormality" and the restric- tions placed upon me were not physical, but more like mental or emotional restrictions that I placed upon myself. Father Time has done his work, too, and as life continued, I've come to realize that having an ostomy has not changed who I am, what I feel, how I think or what I want to do with my life. Life is meant for the living. I urge you to keep enjoying everything you did before, and keep growing and trying new things and new experiences. For me, that has recently been the exercise program. But most of all, enjoy your new-found health.

~ Judy Croden
Guest Speaker, LDOA meeting
September 18, 2003

A Fitting Finish

Our Shape Up challenge participants emerged from the very public exercise pumped about their results and with a renewed commitment to fitness.

• by Sandra Coulson, Free Press Lifestyles Reporter • Reprinted from The London Free Press – May 12, 2003.

They didn't know it, but the participants in the Shape Up 2003 challenge had something in common with construction workers. After 12 weeks of sweating and grunting, the employees of The London Free Press laid a foundation – for fitness.

"I think the trainers helped to create a really solid foundation to give them a head start," says Meagan White, personal training director at the Athletic Club where the participants worked out. "A lot of them were beginners. It helped to incorporate fitness into their lifestyle in a gradual way. Although they may not have achieved the goals they set out in three months, they're well on their way."

Most participants began with lifestyle goals. Judy Croden wanted to stop yo-yo dieting. Marty Kovacs dreamed of competing in a triathlon. Kelly Pedro felt she needed more energy. Paul McGhee wanted overall fitness. Roberta Feica aimed to be healthy.

As guests of the Athletic Club, the participants were matched with personal trainers and nutritionists. From February 9 to May 3, 2003, they were to work out with their trainers regularly each week and meet their nutritionists to discuss food choices and have measurements taken. Each Monday, an update on their progress appeared in The London Free Press.

During the 12 weeks, a total of 74 pounds disappeared. That's how most people measure fitness and health. But in the course of the program, other, more important, measures came to light. Collectively, 92.4 pounds of fat melted away. Participants built up 18.2 pounds of muscle. And participants said they grew stronger, took on new activities and noticed psychological changes. They also said they came out of the program with much more know- ledge about exercising and nutrition -- knowledge they could use on their own later.

Judy Croden's Results

  • Job  •  Advertising sales representative; also works part-time as a camera operator in a video business

  • Age  •  48

  • Height  •  5'4"

  • Weight before  •  225 pounds

  • Weight after  •  212 pounds

  • Change in fat  •  Down 20.7 pounds

  • Change in muscle  •  Up 7.7 pounds

  • Change in body fat percentage  •  Down 7.7 percentage points

  • Overall Changes  •  "On weekends, I lug camera equipment and a tripod and I've found it less taxing. The upside is I definitely sleep better. The down side is I don't get to see any of my 10 o'clock shows. Also my confidence level has come up."

  • Major accomplishment  •  "Sticking with it for the 12 weeks."

  • Advice  •  "Get rid of pre-conceived notions about what working out is like and what going to the gym is like. If you're not know- ledgeable about the equipment, take a couple of sessions with a trainer."
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