Deciding to Let Your Child with Ulcerative Colitis Participate in Sports

When a young person plays sports with Ulcerative Colitis, they either have a mild case with no ongoing treatment, a symptomatic case with treatment (typically steroids) or, a severe case, when a person has to have an alternative waste opening surgically created.

What each kid does with sports (or in sports), is as varied as the number of people who have it. When the case is mild they can usually do anything that they want. With more severe cases, contact sports such as football really aren't a good idea. It is important to know that sometimes activity can create symptoms; especially if that activity includes getting hit.

Our son, who has a mild case, plays volleyball and baseball, but, has to be careful what he does in the way of fluid intake, and, has to minimize the amount of involvement in any one game.

Coaches can be talked to, in fact, it is best to speak with any coach or teacher an affected child is involved with. At anytime during a game or practice, symptoms may arise and the child have to have access to say a restroom, or, be indisposed and have to be taken home or, perhaps even to a hospital.

We felt we had to attend every game or son played, not just to be supportive, but, also to make sure that if something came up we would be there.

If our son is any fair example, kids will consistently try to overachieve and if the parent is not vigilant, may get themselves in trouble.

One piece of equipment that became needed was a rectal cloth that prevented any unexpected seepage and could be checked routinely before things became too embarrassing. This was routinely very private and in no way caused any embarrassment.

As our son became more and more comfortable with sports, and, he became more and acquainted with his teammates, some kids did learn about the illness and didn't think anything about it by the time they found out. Having said that, I don't think it is a good idea to tell kids prior to getting to know them because I think there is a tendency to judge a kid before they get to know them.

I cannot stress enough keeping a close eye on the child when they play sports. It is really going to boil down to the parent. The kid wants to concentrate on the game and doesn't want to go back to "getting treatment". While the coach usually cares about the affected child, they will be taken with coaching the team and watching all the players; it truly does rest with the parent.

Kids who have Ulcerative Colitis can play sports; they just have to find the sport(s) and level of activity that is right for them.