Gym, exercise, and peritoneal dialysis

[CatonTheRoof]

Hello there again

I'm a 22 year old guy, currently on peritoneal dialysis.   I would like to ask if any of you is going to the gym, or practicing any kind of sport?      Is it safe to practice so?  I had even been thinking of football (soccer for you americans)  but I guess that a ball striking my belly at a high speed could be dangerous lol. 

What kind of exercise is safe to practice?  my hemoglobin levels are around 14.   

[deniferfer]

Hi there,

I asked my PD nurse about the gym and she said that is was fine. Just don't left too much and watch your abdomen area. I tried just about everything at gym, bike, treadmill, stair stepper, even the rock wall (ok I fell back on my butt, but I tried it)  , the only thing I didn't do was any real weight lifting.

The thing with soccer if you got hit with the ball or do too much... what can happen is that you can get irritated and what ends up happening it that you will see the fluid true a pinkish like color and you will know you did too much. It should go away by the next cycle. That has happen to me once or twice. it wasn't bad but very scarey the 1st time.   

[smcd23]

My husbands neph and PD nurse said he could do just about anything while on PD - the only caution they gave him was lifting 50lbs+ while full or partially full during his daytime dwell. They said the pressure from the solution on the inside could make him more susceptible to a hernia.

[Joe]

I work out just about every day. My focus is on cardio, upper body and legs. So far I have left core alone because I don't want to take a chance on irritating the cath site. My PD team, so far, has said what I am doing is good but not to lift anything heavy with fluid on.

[CatonTheRoof]

Joe, so you're not lifting any weight? 

I'll go and check some gyms next week, to decide which I'll choose.

Two days ago I went to play football (soccer).  It was amazing! Played and ran for about 3 hours, without no problem.  Actually felt as good as before getting sick a year ago.

[Zach]

Thought you'd find some of the posts in this IHD thread interesting:

Want to join me in exercise?
http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=3027.msg360814#msg360814

[Joe]

I am lifting weight, focusing on bicepts, triceps, upper back and deltoids. Legs I'm focusing on quads and gluts. With my monthly Neph visit, he cleared me to start doing some core to help strengthen my lower back ( a chronic problem spot for me), but again warned me not to do lifting or core with fluid on. As I'm empty during the main part of the day, that shouldn't be a problem. I'll start some core work on Monday.

[Willis]

Cat, I just can't do any abdomen-related exercise anymore like situps. Also, I find it uncomfortable to run because I carry a 1 liter day-fill and when running it feels like a have a bowling ball jumping up and down inside me. I suppose if I ran when dry it would be OK. My normal exercise routine usually involves hand-weights and upper body exercise and simple leg squats. Since I've been on PD I have to admit I've exercised less because my body just doesn't recover as fast as it once did (and being 59 years old doesn't help either).

I do practice and play competitive table tennis about 10-12 hrs per week. Table tennis is by far the most strenuous sport I've ever played. When I was younger I played baseball, American-style football, tennis, and racquetball and I find table tennis more demanding than any of those. It not only requires significant athleticism but because the action is so fast the eye-hand coordination, footwork, and mental reaction time necessary is very demanding. I started playing competitively several years ago (this is not basement level recreational ping pong) and lost 60 pounds the first year I played. After my kidneys failed and I started on PD I thought it would be difficult to keep playing, but after my cath surgery healed up (about 3 weeks) I was playing again. The only PD related issue is just the low-level of HgB that I'm forced to live with due to government restrictions on EPO. So I do get a lot more tired and need more frequent breaks than I did before going on PD.