Great Lakes - Need to take a break from the bike...GRRRRR

So...I went out for a Sunday group ride of 37 miles. I made it 5 miles before the pounding headache, like I got hit with a 2x4 in the back of my neck, reappeared. It never really went away since yesterday's race, and I wasn't even pushing it this morning. I was still in easy, warm up mode. I said screw it, and went back to the car, this isn't normal, for me anyways. Little trip to the acute care center, then a CT scan showed things to be normal. No bleeding, or anything ready to burst. They tell me I have hypertension now...that's a new one. Sitting/laying down/standing is ok, but even walking makes the world a little wobbly. I have a follow up and other tests to do, but I was told to have no physical exertion until I'm back to normal. Just venting. Fatness here I come! :twitchy:

They can do wonders with hypertension. The right medication and diet will go a long way to helping. You'll be back on the bike in no time. Is there hypertension in your family history? Good idea to get all the right tests and be sure heck I thought I was having heart trouble and found out it was general anxiety disorder. Exercise and the right med and I'm ok as long as I avoid caffeine and alcohol. Now the alcohol I can do without but the caffeine was hard as I'm a coffee freak but I found out I'm more addicted to the actual taste of the coffee as opposed to the caffeine so I drink decafe and I'm doing great. Good luck and let us know how it comes out.

Sorry man, chase it down, find the problem, and get everything straightened away. Good luck.

Nah....all quacks. My wife works in an immediate care so I know....they're all grasping at straws and none of them has any idea what you're doing.

On the bike...big headaches - fit. Bar, stem, saddle - general cockpit arrangement combined with riding position and helmet fit/tightness.

Dehydration will make it worse.

I'm willing to bet you've been riding a lot more recently in a different position.

A good friend of mine gets severe headaches and throws up with hard exercise. He used to be a national class oarsman, Olympic Luge Team member, but now (in his 40's) can only 'cruise'. Multiple tests (CT's, MRIs, MRAs) show nothing. They gave him some kind of sub-q pen (like an epi-pen) that he can poke himself with if it gets too bad. Dunno what drug it is though. We all thought it was just funny when he'd throw up on a hard ride ... WAY TO GO PAUL! Pushing himself to the limit and all that. Now he just rides with his kids or goes sailing (heck of a sailor too). Just a little story to share.

So...I went out for a Sunday group ride of 37 miles. I made it 5 miles before the pounding headache, like I got hit with a 2x4 in the back of my neck, reappeared. It never really went away since yesterday's race, and I wasn't even pushing it this morning. I was still in easy, warm up mode. I said screw it, and went back to the car, this isn't normal, for me anyways. Little trip to the acute care center, then a CT scan showed things to be normal. No bleeding, or anything ready to burst. They tell me I have hypertension now...that's a new one. Sitting/laying down/standing is ok, but even walking makes the world a little wobbly. I have a follow up and other tests to do, but I was told to have no physical exertion until I'm back to normal. Just venting. Fatness here I come! :twitchy:

Wow...could it be classic dehydration?. Excuse me for thinking that the esteemed medical community might have missed something that simple. At least you know, you're normal :D I became so amazingly sick with a headache and then passed out one night when i woke up during the night so disoriented that I thought I was dying...very bizarre...after a week of training in hot humid conditions a couple of years ago. VERY similar symptoms. The headache is classic for dehydration along with the stumbling around even a few days later.

Keep us posted. Aren't you glad you posted this so we can all diagnose you ;)

dont mess around with your health. however, i am a big fan of second opinions. feel better. later.

Nah....all quacks. My wife works in an immediate care so I know....they're all grasping at straws and none of them has any idea what you're doing.

On the bike...big headaches - fit. Bar, stem, saddle - general cockpit arrangement combined with riding position and helmet fit/tightness.

Dehydration will make it worse.I'm willing to bet you've been riding a lot more recently in a different position.

I checked with the wife who, for a long time, does medical transcription. She agrees with that it could be just dehydration. How has the fluid intake been?
I agree, get a 2nd, 3rd or 4th opinion. It is all a guessing game. Go to 5 doctors and get 5 different opinions on what it could be.

I had a similar situation a few weeks ago, in the middle of a hockey game, I suddenly had a headache along with pain in my jaw and chin. Thought it might be serious but it turns out it was just the puck that hit me in the face a few seconds earlier. Milkshakes and smoothies over the next few days and all was better.
Maybe a milkshake will make you feel better as well.

Kenal0

I had a similar situation a few weeks ago, in the middle of a hockey game, I suddenly had a headache along with pain in my jaw and chin. Thought it might be serious but it turns out it was just the puck that hit me in the face a few seconds earlier. Milkshakes and smoothies over the next few days and all was better.
Maybe a milkshake will make you feel better as well.

Kenal0

I don't hear anything from kenal0 forever and he comes in with this one. Priceless. We need you here MORE!

:roflmao2::roflmao2::roflmao2:

Thanks, guys, and lady :). I appreciate the comments. Milkshakes and smoothies are my classic recipe for any ailment :thumb: They didn't help with the headaches, but I WAS happy for a while. As for being dehyrated, that makes sense, but I generally drink a lot. On Sat I had a coffee with breakfast, then a bottle of accelerade and water on the way to the crit and during a short warm up, one bottle of cytomax for each race, and more accelerade for after. Sunday was pretty much the same. I don't think hydration/nutrition was the problem this time. I want to blame the bostom creme donut and chocolate shake I had on Friday, but that's silly.

As for riding position, the last thing I changed was my stem back in the spring. I'd say I ride equally on the hoods and drops. The OCR and 2300 I ride are very similar in fit, but I've been riding the OCR exclusively for the last couple of weeks. My mileage hasn't changed, but I have been pushing myself harder lately, and like I said in another post, I left no juice for the second race.

Maybe I just over did it. I have regular physicals and health screenings done (results always normal). I'm not one to cry wolf over headaches or other pains, but this really freaked me out in it's intensity so I wanted to get checked out. CT scan results were normal, it's not a muscle spasm, and it hasn't gotten worse. I still have a dull ache, and I can feel it starting to come back with even moderate activity (walking fast, running down the stairs, riding to park) so I'm taking it real easy.

The second doctor I saw today suggested that I had the onset of migraines and waiting a few more days to see how it goes. I have a follow up this Sat. If it's still present, I have the option of more tests..MRI, ultrasound of something to monitor blood flow). Since I'm not throwing up, or constantly dizzy, they ruled out any type of aneurysm. I am forbidden by Mrs.nvr to ride...can't fault her for worrying, she's a sweetheart. She even yelled at me when she caught me checking out another club's group ride near me :innocent:

The hypertension shouldn't have been a shock. There is a family history of it so despite a generally healthy lifestyle, "it just runs in the family". I'm down to 111/90, pulse 63 today (yesterday 114/96, pulse 70). I'll just have to keep an eye on it for now. I'm ordered to rest for a few days...no stress,no work, kids don't count as stress :roflmao2:. Sounds silly over a headache, but I feel like a day off anyways ;)

I'm glad I have the BF MD's (and their spouses) as a resource...now time to fill that orange smoothie prescription!

nvr, you may want to check out this link.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/72149.php

I am a naprapath and have had great success treating people with complaints like yours. We practice manual manipulation and nutritional counseling, both areas it sounds like you could use. I, myself am also a cyclist and can understand your frustration at not being able to ride. I also treat many athletes. I am located out of Barrington, IL. PM me if you are interested in my contact info. If barrington is too far of a hike, I could try and find a naprapath closer to you. Its extremely frustrating to hear the stories of people that get spun around the wheels of the traditional medical establishment. All the best to you.:)

Thanks for the link. I'm still a little confused about naprapathy, even after googling. I am open minded to alternative medicines. I'm not a pill popper by nature, and would rather follow a more "natural" way of healing. I have an appointment for MRI/MRA today because I had another episode last Wednesday. It's only to rule out anything serious, and I guess it's more detailed than the CT scan. I'm also seeing a chiropractor recommended to me by a good friend (baseball player) tomorrow for an assessment and therapy options. I've had good results in the past with chiropratic treatments for other minor ailments so I'll see how it goes.

To make a long story short...its basically like a combo of physical therapy, massage therapy, rehab, and nutritional counseling. We have the same kind of training and license to practice as a chiropractor, podiatrist, etc. but with what i believe to be a much more effective method of treatment. Good luck with your current treatment choice and if you need more info you can PM me.

NVR....Did the MRI/MRA show negative? I've been following your thread since I too have experienced headaches over the last month. Mainly with hard efforts...biking, running, etc. but sometimes without the effort. I thought I had a sinus infection and saw my doc but the antibiotics did not help. Next step is what you just went through plus the dentist. Yep, I have an impacted wisdom tooth that is starting to bug me and I spoke to a person this weekend that had a problem of headaches with the tooth being the cause.

I had west nile virus last month & it started with headache, fatigue, chills, --the headache & fatigue lasted 3 weeks, kind of fuzzy thinking and unsteadiness too. Did you have mosquito bites 2-3 days before it started and any other symptoms, even if very mild?

I also get pretty bad headaches when my c-spine is a bit out of alignment (a leftover problem from a whiplash style injury) which happens when I overdo the neck extension (like when riding or reaching up to a high shelf).

Good luck with getting yours resolved.

To start off...I've had my wisdom teeth extracted years ago. Not because of headaches, but because my caps wouldn't stay on. Yes, I'm a toof-less hillbilly. No, seriously, I have a banjo and drool when picking (I suck). Oddly enough I stopped playing after breaking my finger after falling while riding on ice and never really picked it up again. I digress....

Well, the MRI/MRA results were normal. Medical doc diagnosed me with exertion headaches. He also said it was more of a muscular/skeletal problem, and that he could recommend a physical therapist. He did clear me for light exercise, but I'm not doing anything until these headaches are completely gone. I've gained about 5 lbs over the last two weeks because I didn't cut down my eating, and I filled up my new found free time experimenting with new yummy smoothie and shake recipes.

The chiropactic visit went very well. Doc said he sees this a lot with athletes and desk jockeys. Said that I have a slight subluxation of my c2 vertabrae. Basically it's a type of repetive stress/overuse injury and the c2 vertabrae is slighty out of alignment, and is causing a compression of some nerves and blood vessels. There's my intense pain and throbbing feeling. Also why the pain meds seemed to have no effect. He said it probably happened from a variety of factors over time...neck extension during riding, posture at my desk job, and how I always rest the phone on my shoulder. Throw in some stress/tenseness (my hard efforts) and you have my recipe for disaster.

My first visit consisted of a very lengthy interview (including nutritional habits/advice), heat and a few different massage treatments, and the fun neck cracking. He also fixed up my left shoulder so I can fully rotate it without the sharp speed bump I used to have. I felt a little relief immediately after the visit. The sharpness and intensity went down noticably, and it gets a little better every day. I still have headaches, just not as bad. I'm going to see him once a week for the next three weeks. The chiropractor wants me to fire him if I'm not cured by then.

I hope this can help anyone with similar experiences.

Glad to hear it's not something dreadful.

Have you changed your diet recently? I'm no dietician (as my gut will show), but I'm thinking if you changed your diet, maybe you have an allergy. I'm betting those smoothies don't help, giving you the occasional dose of brain freeze.

While I'm thinking of it, have you been whacked in the jaw recently? If so, maybe something is messed up there.

Just a thought.