Anyone trying to be an elite athlete w/ Hep C ?

[cyclist13]

Hi,
I am a new member.  I am 52 and found out I had Hep C in 2003.  I probably contacted it in 1974.  I am a Masters bike racer and do OK but having more and more problems w/ recovery and aches and pains, plus mood swings.  I am hoping that the new treatments due out soon(?) will be able to help me.  I also have Atrial fib that is under control w/ meds but hard training efforts are beginning to effect it.  My doctors are pretty clueless when it comes to serious athletes.

Are there any other people here that are trying to really push their body in sports despite their infections?  Any suggestions, diet, recovery, supplements???  Do the liver cleansing products work/help?

Thanks a lot!
Bruce

[susan400]

I've been trying to push the exercise thing for the past 2 yrs during which time that I've been off of treatments.  I have treated 10 times in the past but have not yet cleared the virus.  However, my liver is doing much better in response to the exercise.  It does wipe me out though, when I finish my workout.  I am so tired out that I am pretty much worthless for much of anything for the rest of the day.  I do spinning class (although I've slacked off a little bit here during the summertime).  I do the treadmill and the elliptical.  I do the regular stationary bike whenever I choose to skip spinning class.  I also do the nautilus/weight lifting machines.  I don't use any liver cleansing products as I really don't believe in them doing anything substantial.  I'm really not doing any supplements at this time.  I have, in the past used something called Cocopure and I was using Fish Oil.  I do drink green tea.  

Susan400

[pcds]

I recently stopped tx at 12 weeks due to being still detec.  I didn't do extreme exercise but have been a runner since 1980.  Running was very, very hard during tx due to anemia.  I did push myself but only ran 2.5 miles each morning.  Did the gym also for awhile but gave it up.  I'm also 57.  The anemia really sapped my strength.  Not enough O2 in the blood.  I think I missed one day of running during the 12 weeks.  But it was getting harder and I was headed for procrit, which may have really helped my stamina.  I didn't get there bec I stopped tx.  Will try again when the new meds come out.
Ju

[Cory255]

Hi Bruce, Welcome !

A bad diet can sometimes lead to liver problems.  Consuming too many calories can lead to weight gain.  Weight gain can be associated with fatty liver.  After many years of "fatty liver" this can lead to cirrhosis.  That's why diet is so important.  Being overweight and having fatty liver also have been shown in a number of studies to lead to lower rates of hepatitis C clearance in patients treated with interferon and ribavirin.

Here are a few hep c diet suggestions.  Sugar is a shock to the liver, stresses the digestive process, stresses the pancreas, and it feeds the virus.  Eat  Selenium rich foods: Brazil nuts, brocolli, onions, leeks, & garlic.  Mung beans detoxifies poisons out.  Dandelion Greens are good for the liver.  Research in Japan has shown Avocados to have potent chemicals that may reduce liver damage.  Artichokes stimulate production of bile from the liver.  Avoid iron/red meat if possible too.  I believe the healthier you eat the better you will feel too.  

I'm a high performance biker myself.  I generally do high intensity weight lifting exercises as well.  You may want to stay with light exericse during tx if possible.  Cory.  

[portann]

I probably had HCV for over forty years and it never interfered in my active lifestyle. I didn't do extreme sports but believe I could have, had I had the time to focus on it. Apache, who hasn't been around for quite a while, did a lot of athletics. You could try to send him a private message via the forum message function:

http://www.medhelp.org/personal_pages/user/626749

I was always a very lazy supplement-taker and, even when I bought supplements, didn't often take them. I don't really like them but now take fish oil, a multivitamin, Vitamin D and sometimes co-enzymeQ10 for cardiac-related concerns.

I also never liked high protein meals. Someone else may have feedback about this concerning the liver. It just never seemed healthy to me but then, I'm not an extreme althlete.

I don't know that treating successfully would eliminate the aches and pains you're currently experiencing. Sometimes, these creep up on us with age or for other reasons and clinically curing HCV is not the culprit.

After forty years of the virus and a healthy lifestyle, I barely had any damage to my liver but my case may or may not be unusual. Only a biopsy can tell for sure. Have you had one?

Kudos to you for your extreme biking. I stick to soft, cushy trails but greatly admire those who push the limits.

Best regards and welcome,
Susan

[portann]

"Sometimes, these creep up on us with age or for other reasons and clinically curing HCV is not the culprit."


Sorry, meant to say "sometimes, these creep up on us with age or for other reasons and clinically curing HCV does not change this." Some here may weigh in to say that treatment can sometimes worsen aches and pains despite a clinical cure.


S

[jusjames]

i am just trying to get up the stairs without leaning on the wall right now, so athelete uhm no!

[simcha511]

I just walked up the basement stairs to fast and needed to quickly lie down so I didn't fall down - I am a runner but I think that, that will just have to wait until the end of tx

[Deb9991]

I've exercised rigorously my entire life.  I studied ballet growing up and was a gymnast in college.  Through the years, I have constantly exercised in some form or another.  Everyday, I put on music and dance for a while -- I still do those ballet exercies.  I love cycling and today I went out twice and cycled.  I'm a bit tired this evening to say the least.  I'm a firm believer in exercise for numerous reasons.  First, the human body was meant to be mobile, with firm, hard muscles.  Now, I know, that it is easier said than done, especially if you work in an office environment, or sit in front of your TV or computer most of the day.  Also, the aging process is a miserable fact of life.  Nonetheless, tou can keep active your whole live, notwithstanding some type of illness that prevents you from exercising.  I don't know of any studies that claim people who are more fit, have a higher level of SVR, but studies do show that an active life style, makes for a healther life.

I'm not cycling and exercising quit like I was before treatment, and I've only been in treatment 3 weeks.  I have no idea what I am going to feel like in a month or two.  But, I've made a goal with myself, that no matter what, I will get some kind of exercise everyday while I treat.  And if that only means crawling on my hands and knees to the corner of the block, then that will be my exercise regime and I'll be thankful, if it comes to that point, that I am able to do that.  

There is also the issue with exercise and mental health.  Many studies show that vigorous exercise is almost as good as an anti-depressant, if you suffer from depression or have a tendancy at times to suffer from it.  I suffer from depression, and my doctors are, and have been concerned in the past, about my undergoing this treatment with depression.  I do know, that exercise DOES help my moods, and it keeps the weight off, and keeps my body toned.  Whether you achieve SVR or not, exercise may be an important ingredient in keeping yourself more healthy, than you otherwise would be if you didn't exercise.  We need every arsenal at our command to live with hepatitis C and be and stay healthy.  

Cyclist13, you just keep going.  Don't beat yourself up if you can't do what you did last year -- that doesn't matter.  What matters is that you are still exercising, and that is commendable.  

Deb

[burned74]

My profile is very similar to yours.

Certainly if you are undergoing tx, you will not be able to be an elite athlete, but unless you reach cirrhosis, nothing I have read or experienced myself would effect training and performance.

I run bike or swim 3 to 5 times a week and lift weights another 3 times/week.

[cyclist13]

Thanks everyone!  I had 2 liver biopsy's and the second actually looked better.  I rode 6000 miles last year and this year I am stronger but I take a lot longer to recover from really hard days.  I eat a good diet.  I am very thankful that I am able to do what I do and that is why I have not started treatment.   I too suffer from depression and endorphins are what makes every thing OK!  I have been on a huge dose of anti-inflammatory for years, having been diagnosed w/ all kinds of disorders before finally finding the Hep C.  I take my vitamins, Glucosamine / Chondroitin and my Wellbutrin plus heart meds and keep pushing..

The current treatment sounds horrible, so at my stage I will wait and see what they come up with.  I read so much about the Vertex drug dropping responds time to 12 weeks or something, that would seem doable.  I have to think that quality of life would be better w/ out the virus and hopefully in the next year or two it may be possible to find out.

Thanks everyone and good luck to you!

[brianmo]

I did a Triathlon yesterday and place 2nd in my division...

Keep going, i was so happy to come on the site and see your post and all the responses.  

I have talked to many, many doctors about how exercies and hep C work together and no one can give me any insight. I have been and avid exerciser since 24 when I stopped drinking, I am now 55. Dx 10 years ago, got it when I was 19. So, I have had it 36 years. Have not done tx, stage 1 grade 1 type 1A. I have decided to  do tx when new meds out in spring (hopefully). I do get tired but I am 55. Doctor says it partly has to do with having hep C. Every doctor has said that I will have to pass on working out at this level while on tx. I always feel great in the summer time but winters send me to a terrible place even though I still work out its not the same and being outside all the time.

I do not do cleansing, I am a believer in eating right, I have recently gone on the Paleo way of eating, Check it out, there is a book Paleo Diet for Athletes. I have recently decided to contact a dietician regarding liver and pushing the body and are all the gels and shot blocks good for the liver??? While doing long runs my side will really start to hurt in the liver area. I did a 1/2 marathon a few weeks ago and had to stop at mile 11 due to pain in liver. Again, the doctor say keep running,  

Good luck to you. I bellieve that exercise has been the reason I have handled having Hep C so well. And, I have lived a clean life since 24 which has helped a lot.

Mo

[yodennis]

Hi: You stated "nothing I have read or experienced myself would effect training and performance". Is this conclusion empirical, based on research, an outgrowth of discussions. I have cirrhosis (failed tx. times 2) and esophageal varices and ambiguous mild encepholapathy. I continue to bodybuild, play music with Ashford and Simpson and others multiple times a week, i.e., remain vital and hit the gym 2 out of every 3 days! Admittedly I am choosing to live while I live as it might  be more prudent to not chance variceal hemorrhage by suspending these activities but exercise has been my lifestyle forever (plus I'm vain).             What provokes frustration in me is the desert of information beyond subjective speculation about athleticism, bodybuilding, etc once diagnosed with advancing and advanced liver disease (and I have worked in health care for over 2 decades). I know from my years in Hospice care that at a certain point longevity rather than quality of life is the quintessential ingredient of the patient plan of care.....                           Anyway my ability to build and maintain muscle tissue has been impaired (there are relationships regarding testosterone and advanced liver disease that many hepatologists are neither aware or concerned with). It reminds me of a AIDS patient I took care of many years who had been a competitive bodybuilder: "I feel like i'm shrinking". I do miss my baseball shaped deltoids but hope to never give up my gym membership and am still more muscular than any of the clinicians monitoring my cirrhosis.  p.s. Wellbutrin is an activating antidepressant so if an athlete is going to take any antidepressant that fits his/her lifestyle this is the one to try on. d

[yodennis]

Sorry I meant to quote b74's: "but unless you reach "cirrhosis", nothing I have read or experienced myself would effect training and performance."

[yodennis]

p.s When I did do treatment: both mono and dual (interferon and ribo) I continued to exercise nearly as much as I ever did. But it was more weight training than endurance. Somehow- and it was a struggle at times- I was resolute based on such a long history of such activities.

[burned74]

I apologize but I am not sure what you are disagreeing with me about

Are you saying that even if you reach stage 4 cirrhosis, you can still be an elite athlete? I dont think I have personal experience with stage 4 but from what I have read, the early stages of cirrhosis would not prevent one from competing.

[yodennis]

Hi. All I was saying (perhaps too verbosely) was even with cirrhosis you can train (at least regarding weightlifting/bodybuilding) pretty strenuously and I'm a bit beyond the early cirrhotic stage. I understood your statement ("but unless you reach "cirrhosis", nothing I have read or experienced myself would effect training and performance.") to suggest limitations that are not absolute in my experience with cirrhosis. Well (shiver): At least not yet. Excuse any misunderstanding- I do wish there were more facts/studies/attention paid to "sports-liver diease", working out with advancing or cirrhotic hcv, etc. My best. d

[banarep]

i was diagnosed in 1993 and after that continued to run  till '07.  Unless I was on treatment, I was consistantly putting in 50 miles a week or more.  The hep C did not slow me down, it was my own stupidity.  After my second treatment in 02, I came back to quick.  Stopped treatment in May and that October I tried to hun a half marathon and when my knees started hurting, I tried to run through it.  

In 06, I was diagnosed with tentenosis - tenonidtis gone real bad.  But up until then at 52 years old, I was still running a sub 7:15 mile for a half marathon distance.

So if you are not on treatment, I do not think this will keep you down.  

[brianmo]

wow, good work on the sub 7:15, I am impressed. Wondering, did tx (for hep C) work for You? Also, tenonidtis is treatable and can go away, has yours??  

[banarep]

that round of tx did not, but the alst one did - with the help of telaprevir.  

it is not tendonitis,  it is tendonosis.  it is where the tendons start  breaking down from over use....not as treatable the whole RICE does not work...but two operations and 3 years of rest have worked a bit...I started running today on a tredmil.

[yodennis]

Congrats on the telaprevir working and good luck on your tendonosis recovery. d

[T246]

cyclist, I am 57 and also an elite athlete.

Prior to TX I did a 100 K ride.  I may not have been as strong prior to moderate fibrosis, but i still finished in then top 15%.  During TX I have continued to ride, but cut back to 5 days a week and ride for less time.

I have two weeks left on TX and am starting to increase milage again.  I will begin to push for longer rides as soon as I am off TX.

Water, diet and supplements have been very helpful  

[dariolondon]

I know this this thread has been inactive for a while but I am very interested in the subject. I am the same age as the OP, 52, and whilst I'm not an elite athlete I do run to a reasonably high standard, sub 20 minute 5k's.

I have noticed that my recovery time really varies, some days I feel nothing at all after a hard 10k or 15k run, other days I have to take a two hour nap after a 5k training run. There appears no rhyme nor reason to it, my only conclusion is that the virus is always in the background and some days it's just harder to cope with. I had tx about 3 years ago - it absolutely killed me, I got chronic anaemia and couldn't run at all, I could jog just faster than walking speed but got out of breath immediately.

I'm wondering if there is a special diet that will help athletes with Hep C?  Any information at all on doing sports training while having Hep C will be gratefully received.

[happyplace]

I am an ironman athlete. I started running at 48 and now 57. I have hundreds of triathlons under my belt and also have 5 ironmans. I qualifyed for Kona world championships in 2009 and participated and finnished the race. I have had a great athletic career! I was in a single bike accident in september just after being diagnosed with hep c. Broke a bunch of stuff in my pelvic area. I was scheduled to do arizona ironman in november but due to the bike crash and my injuries I could not participate. I signed up for 2011. I have not taken any med for the hep c and really don't want to. I feel I am in total denial. And totally overwelmed with the whole thing. I am just hoping that I can get through all the training that it takes to make it to and through an ironman again.  

[James10500]

I work in the ski industry in the winter. And ride and race 5-6 k miles from May to Oct. I have noticed my performance decrease with the progression of Hep C.  I went from a consistent top 5 finisher to pack fodder.  I am in week 16 of tx and skiing 5 runs wears me out.  Looking forward to SVR and finding out what I can due with a healthier liver.  Seeing as the liver converts food to energy I find it hard to believe one wouldn't perform better with a healthy liver.  I'm not talking about lifting weights at the gym for a half hour, I talking about riding 100 miles in less than 5 hours.

Nice to see all the athletes here, healthy BMI is a key.