Training & Nutrition - Whats Happening to Me????

Hopefully some of you out there with more medical and training experiance can diagnose this for me. A few times in the past after a couple of hours of fairly strenuous extertion, when finished I would get the following symptoms: 1st I notice my peripheral vision (especially the bottom half, and the left eye) going blurry, never affects my primary vision. 2nd I start to feel weak and what can only really be described as just "strange". 3rd I break out into cold sweats (can also include mild waves of nausea), 4th I'll get really sleepy and finally as the previous symptoms start to go away a couple hours later I'll get a mild headache.

Well, I thought I had this figured out until today as basic dehydration. However, today I went for a 12 mile ride at lunch that lasted 40 minutes and averaged 16.8 mph, nothing to hard right? It is pretty hot, about 91 and probably 80% humidity, but I'm used to it as I do this ride normally at least three days a week during lunch. I drank the same amount of water I usually do, did everything the same, and got hit by the above symptoms about 30 minutes after I got off my bike. I did eat immediatly after my ride, but again I do that every time. I can't imagine that a 40 minute ride dehydrated me to that point, but I don't know what else it could be. I do have a tendancy to hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), but this doesn't feel anything like that.

Like I said I wasn't worried about this when I thought it was dehydration after hours of working hard, and so far better managment of my water had it covered, but if a half hour ride starts to be an issue - I've got problems.

Any thoughts or ideas will be greatly appreciated.

Hopefully some of you out there with more medical and training experiance can diagnose this for me. A few times in the past after a couple of hours of fairly strenuous extertion, when finished I would get the following symptoms: 1st I notice my peripheral vision (especially the bottom half, and the left eye) going blurry, never affects my primary vision. 2nd I start to feel weak and what can only really be described as just "strange". 3rd I break out into cold sweats (can also include mild waves of nausea), 4th I'll get really sleepy and finally as the previous symptoms start to go away a couple hours later I'll get a mild headache.

Well, I thought I had this figured out until today as basic dehydration. However, today I went for a 12 mile ride at lunch that lasted 40 minutes and averaged 16.8 mph, nothing to hard right? It is pretty hot, about 91 and probably 80% humidity, but I'm used to it as I do this ride normally at least three days a week during lunch. I drank the same amount of water I usually do, did everything the same, and got hit by the above symptoms about 30 minutes after I got off my bike. I did eat immediatly after my ride, but again I do that every time. I can't imagine that a 40 minute ride dehydrated me to that point, but I don't know what else it could be. I do have a tendancy to hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), but this doesn't feel anything like that.

Like I said I wasn't worried about this when I thought it was dehydration after hours of working hard, and so far better managment of my water had it covered, but if a half hour ride starts to be an issue - I've got problems.

Any thoughts or ideas will be greatly appreciated.
funny, cuz this is exactly what it sounds like

...I drank the same amount of water I usually do
... It is pretty hot, about 91 and probably 80% humidity ...
... I did eat immediatly after my ride, but ...

1st ... my peripheral vision (especially the bottom half, and the left eye) going blurry.
2nd ... I start to feel weak ... just "strange"
3rd ...I break out into cold sweats (can also include mild waves of nausea)
4th ...I'll get really sleepy and finally as the previous symptoms start to go away a couple hours later I'll get a mild headache.

Keep in mind that when you sweat, you loose more than just fluids (water) and drinking plenty of water does help somewhat but it won't solve all your problems. You lose chemicals too. Very important chemicals (mainly sodium and potassium). You need the correct levels of these chemicals in your body in order for EVERYTHING to work right. So when you start squirting these chemicals out of your body, drinking water won't fix the chemical problems. If the chemical levels in your body gets off (high or low) things go haywire.

You mentioned eating afterwords ... but not before? Are you fueling up before you start?

Just a (non-medical expert) thought ... anybody in your family suffer from migraines? I do and those symptoms sound awful close ( except mine is in this order: 1) blind spot/lightning bolt in bottom right of my vision, 2) start feeling 'strange', 3) gradual build of tremendous headache, 4) nausea).

Migraines are a hereditary disease that affects people differently. Usually triggered by sudden changes in temperature, weather conditions, and/or blood chemistry (just to name a few). Every migraine sufferer seems to have different 'trigger' combinations that starts their 'session'. You may have stumbled upon yours (not that I'm saying you are definitely a migraine sufferer).

I would suggest going to see a real doctor. It just might be indications to something more serious than minor dehydration.

d.tipton

I'd have to agree that these syptoms sound a great deal like a hypoglycemic crash but shy of making you pass out. You say you eat immediately after your ride. Do you eat before or during your ride? I would think a carbo boost gel would be a good test on your next ride to see if it helps prevent the symptoms from showing up.

How about a little more info - the very first time this every happened to me I was cutting the grass in August (same general weather), forgot to drink much water, got finished and drank a gatorade pretty quickly. 30 minutes later, I fell over with this - that was the worst its ever happened to me. Oh and I was way fat and outta shape at that time. Second time I had been hiking for about 3 hours all uphill. I had been conserving water the whole time since we didin't have much. Got to the top (store and gondola at top), bought a gatorade, slammed it, and 30 minutes later had all this happen to me again. Needless to say after the second time I developed an aversion to sports drinks, but riding, time and experiance have taught me to sip them over time rather than chug them.

I ate a small snack about an hour to an hour and half before the ride, just like I normally do. Like I said I wouldn't be bothering the board with this, but I can't figure out where it came from on such a short ride.

I agree it does sound like hypoglycemia, but I've had that set in while exercising and it normally makes me quit very quickly, grab some OJ and call it a day. I guess this could be some post exercise "crash" but that would make it something I've never experianced with low blood sugar until the last 5 - 6 years, and again, it just doesn't feel the same.

Thanks for the help.

Have you checked your blood sugar?

I'd consider the side effects from detoxification here. If your overweight at all and your exercising to lose weight then your burning your fat stores. This is desirable but one of the unfortunate side effects is that your body stores toxins in your body fat and burning it off forces the toxins back through the liver and digestive tract.

Consuming a diet with traditional animal fats and fresh vegetables will help. A green superfood/detoxifier called Chlorella will help.

I wouldn't totally discount blood sugar issues however this should be getting better with more exercise.

Here's my favorite dietry / health reference, http://www.westonaprice.org/index.html

Regards, Anthony

[I agree it does sound like hypoglycemia, but I've had that set in while exercising and it normally makes me quit very quickly, grab some OJ and call it a day. I guess this could be some post exercise "crash" but that would make it something I've never experianced with low blood sugar until the last 5 - 6 years, and again, it just doesn't feel the same.]

I do not know how long you have had hypoglycemia, but it sounds like you have not used a glucometer to check for sure. Check yourself when this problem occurs. When I got older, the low blood sugar would sneak on slowly sometimes and with different symptons than when I was younger.
You should have this problem checked out by a Doctor or Endocrinologist to be safe.

You should have this checked out by a physician. It actually sounds like a drop in blood pressure more than a blood sugar episode. Some serious medicla conditions--cardiac, even neurological--could present with these symptoms.

stupid me I never thought to check my blood sugar - I'll have to do that next time it happens - hopefully it won't but I wouldn't bet that way. I lost 60lbs and got back in shape about 5 - 6 years ago and have pretty much kept it off and stayed in shape since then. The first time it happened was before, all the others after I got off the couch. I've never been offically diagnosed with hypoglycemia primarily because I've never been willing to go through the testing to make it offical. My family has a pretty good history of blood sugar problems and my diagnosis came from them and their experiance. I would get it periodically as a kid/teenager - then I became a couch potatoe and didn't see it for a while. I guess this may be just a different manifestation later in life now that I've become active again. Would there be any corelation between these symptoms and slamming something like gatorade after serious extertion as a trigger?

If you think you are having diabetes symptoms, you need be tested by doctor, not an internet forum.

If you have a family history of diabetes, then you definitely should be tested.

If you think you are having diabetes symptoms, you need be tested by doctor, not an internet forum.

If you have a family history of diabetes, then you definitely should be tested.

Truely - when I started this I had never really considered blood sugar as the possible problem. I guess that means the thread was successful for me since it got me thinking in a direction I hadn't considered.

Thanks to everyone for their input.

hypoglycemia....... be my guess too......... eat some protein 30 minutes before and no sugared drinks.....

Go to the doctor and if he does not give you a 99% answer go to another doctor.

A buddy of mine is at the Mayo clinic today paralized because for 3 weeks he though the was constapated. Insted he had a virus eating the sheath around his spine. Us males don't like to go to the doctor but let me tell you this has been a wakeup call.