I started getting into road biking recently and have noticed two things that I'm wondering are connected to the biking or just coincidence. Over the past couple of weeks I'm seeing small amounts of blood on the toilet paper after a BM. I've had this before but could usually tie it back to something I ate like nuts. I've also noticed small amounts of leakage which I've never experienced before. Is it possible that spending 1.5 hours on a road bike a few times a week is doing a bit of damage to the anus area where things were reconnected?
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The blood is normal; those blood vessels lie close to the surface and can be easily irritated. The bike seat might be stretching your anal muscles which is causing your incontinence. You can counter that by doing kegals to strengthen those muscles after a ride.
Sue
I had significant discomfort on my bottom when using the narrow seat that came with my road bike. I replaced the seat with a wide one and was much more comfortable.
Hello everyone,
I know this is a very old thread, but I am really hoping to connect with fellow j-pouchers who have experience cycling. I am a 24 year old and I am about 6 months out of my final j-pouch takedown procedure. I finally saved up enough to buy my first road bike and I absolutely love it.
I bought it a couple weeks ago and started to go on rides at least every other day. I was excited to have the bike and in the middle of a coronavirus quarantine there wasn't much else to do.
I might have over done it, after about 10 days with the bike I started to develop a very painful lump near my anus. It was filling with fluid and become very painful over the period of a few days. I was able to see my GI doc right away and he actually drained the abscess with a syringe in the office that day (not the most fun experience). He gave me a 5-day antibiotic and told me to stay off the bike for a week.
I am trying to get advice from people who understand my situation. My other biking friends have told me that these are saddle sores and not a big deal at all. I hope that is the case but I am really trying to avoid creating more problems for myself at the moment. Can anyone speak to their experience with biking post j-pouch? Are these abscesses common? Something to worry about? Obviously what worries me is developing a fistula. Are there certain bike seats that work better than others? I have some nice Pearl Izumi padded biking shorts but they didn't seem to do the trick last week. Any insider tips would be greatly appreciated, I can't wait to get back out and ride!
Cheers,
Marc
Hi Marc, I'm a little older than you (27) and have had a j-pouch for 6-7 years. I've been cycling keenly for about 2 years now and have never had pouch issues related to cycling. Currently doing 30km+ rides every other day to build my fitness up post-winter. You are only 6 months post takedown so it's still early days I would think. In the past I've done 100km rides/4 hours on a decent bowl of porridge and a banana to thicken things up without needing the loo.
I should add, if your saddle fits you well, i.e. it's width is suited to the width of your sit bones, then you shouldn't feel any pressure on the fleshy bits/bottom area, just through the pelvis itself.
James
Great, thanks for the tip!
Have you had any troubles with saddle sores? I had an abscess fill with pus that I eventually got drained. I took some time off from the bike but after my first short ride back it has filled with pus again. I think I might need a wider seat. Any recommendations for seats or padded bike shorts?
To be honest, I don't remember having any issues with saddle sores. My saddle is only a fairly basic endurance focussed model from Decathlon. And I have got on well with the DHB Aeron padded shorts from Wiggle, though I haven't tried any other brands
How is the cycling going Marc?
It’s going well, I am starting to work up to longer rides and really enjoying it. I haven’t completely resolved the sore on my butt but I find that I can manage it pretty well and am still able to ride. I would love to get the area completely resolved but it doesn’t seem to want to do that right now.
A new seat has helped out a lot and I want to start playing with my saddle position a little to see if I can’t relieve even more pressure from that area. I’ve been told that small adjustments to the saddle position make big changes
Great! Keep it up!
Yes it's surprising what just a small change can make, earlier this year I randomly decided to remeasure my inseam and adjusted my saddle height down by a cm at most, and it almost completely cured all my lower back and shoulder/neck aches. I think I'm now sat a little more upright so not arching my back and putting as much weight through the arms/shoulders.