Training & Nutrition - Can someone help and tell me what is wrong with me?

Sometimes when i go on long rides i get this weird feeling in my chest . It is the same feeling you get when you go swimming and you swallow too much water. Ussually it happens on warmer days, can it be heat stroke? I feel like i am drinking enough water. Last time it happened,, i was all dazed, and i looked like i was in labor as i was taking very small rapid breaths. Any deep breaths made me cough. Is it heat stroke or something else??

:) Just go to a doctor and get checked out so you can quit worrying! Really, those kinds of symptoms sound like they could be serious. If I'm having an asthma attack, I can't take deep breaths and I cough a lot. But hey, I'm not a doctor -- I don't even play one on TV.

Your profile doesn't say where you live, but perhaps it's in an enlightened place with universal health care! So high-tail it to the MD, if it's possible.

I live in NY. And i also have asthma but i am 99.9% sure it is not my asthma acting up. Ussually after i drink orange juice it starts to get better. Can it be a blood sugar thing?

The heat really knocks me out. Maybe you are just doing too much, going to fast? Bonking? Are you new at cycling? how far do you go? do you get your heart rate up to fast?

Just questions that looking back were my issues of almost dieing in a pile. But, maybe an energy drink is needed. I have to drink 3 times more than my riding partners, or I just feel icky. I have pared down my speed, and now I can go much farther. Farther is what I wanted, not sprinting for 10 miles and crashing and still have to go another 10-20 and want to puke.

Annie

The medical advice you get on a forum is going to be worth exactly what you pay for it.

Get thee to a MD and relieve your worries, or find out the cause.

It could be exhaustion from long rides in the heat. If so you need plenty of rest and nutrition before ,during and after the rides and focus on plenty of electrolites such as potassium from fruits or sports drinks during the rides.You may want to work up to longer milages in the intense heat gradually with extended breaks particularly midday.I did not really understand the symptoms you described and am not a doctor anyway but if the symptoms seem serious and are lasting (taking into account the above advice)I would as others have suggested see a doctor.

Originally posted by AnnieYak
.....Bonking?....
I see the use of this around this forum a lot, but I don't know what it means....can someone please explain?

Originally posted by Mambwe
Sometimes when i go on long rides i get this weird feeling in my chest . It is the same feeling you get when you go swimming and you swallow too much water. Ussually it happens on warmer days, can it be heat stroke? I feel like i am drinking enough water. Last time it happened,, i was all dazed, and i looked like i was in labor as i was taking very small rapid breaths. Any deep breaths made me cough. Is it heat stroke or something else??
I know exactly what you mean!

Does it feel like you have a full stomach that restricts your breathing? Does it feel like your lungs are shallow? Does it feel like you have to cough from irritation every now and then? Do you ever get a case of "bronchitis" that never seems to have all the right symptoms, except the coughing and irritation?

You should see your doctor. My guess is that the ozone (produced on hot days from air pollution, especially autos) is irritating your lungs and causing them to constrict, making it harder to breathe. Combined with asthma, it can make you sick, sick, sick!

I get the same thing once in a while here in Atlanta. We exceed ozone safety standards more than most cities, due to our automobile-clogged streets.

After seeing your doctor, I suggest watching your city's ozone levels. This site may be helpful:

http://www.epa.gov/airnow/

and,

http://www.epa.gov/cgi-bin/airnow.cgi?MapDisplay=WHEREILIVE&MapDomain=ny

Try riding before noon on ozone alert days.

Originally posted by Cadd

I see the use of this around this forum a lot, but I don't know what it means....can someone please explain?
Bonking is hypoglycemia. It occurs when the demands of aerobic activity exhaust the readily-available glucose supply in your blood. When the concentration of blood glucose goes below 4 mmol/L, you start feeling really crappy. When it goes below 2 mmol/L, you run the risk of a coma. Below 1 mmol/L, and you're dead.

Once I thought I bonked, but BF said it was heat stroke.

Turned out I had food poisoning.

BF members are great, and their opinions about Campy vs. Shimano, and whether you should ride on the hoods or in the drops are informative, even entertaining. However, BF is no place to get medical advice.

Go to the doctor.

Go see a Doctor and get a physical stress test.

Just go to a doctor and get checked out so you can quit worrying!

Word

Don't mess around Mambwe. It could be something as benign as bonking, or as serious as an cardiac rhythm abnormality. Write down what exactly your symptoms in LAY TERMS. Write down when they occur, when they disappear, what makes better/worse, what you have done to treat them and how effective it was, and ask your parents about all the family medical conditions they have been hiding from you. Also, try to sort out what your pre-ride food and fluid intake had been when you felt those sensations.

BK

Something wrong with your bike? Go to your LBS.
Something wrong with you? Go to your doctor.

Please don't take a chance on our non-medical advice. We'd hate to see you off your bike permanently.

Mambwe, honey, these fellas are giving you some good advice. Now you mind what Trollie says and PICK UP THAT TELEPHONE AND DIAL THAT DOCTOR'S NUMBER!

alright i guess i am going to the doctor. Thanks for the help guys!!

What is a mmol? I measure blood glucose in mg/dL, but am not familiar with mmol.

Mambwe,

I had all the same symptoms...shortness of breath, coughing and soreness in my respiratory tract when inhaling. This happened most on hot and/or really humid days.

I went to a doctor and had a complete repiratory work-up. Everything checked out perfect. He initially thought I might have a touch of asthma. He felt (as some others have suggested) it was a combination of heat, humidity and air quality that were causing my breathing problems. He gave me an inhaler to use "just in case".

He also gave me some good medical advice--if it hurts, don't do it!! I thought that was really funny, yet good advice. I monitor the heat index and air quality much closer than I ever did before, and haven't had a problem since.

But, as others have stated, you should see a physician and get checked out just to be sure.

Originally posted by IowaParamedic
What is a mmol? I measure blood glucose in mg/dL, but am not familiar with mmol.

This (http://www.faqs.org/faqs/diabetes/faq/part1/section-9.html) page gives the answer.

/Csson