Hardheadmandca

Anyone ever had one?

About 15 minutes after my ride today - 72 miles with 4900 feet of climbing, I noticed my left arm seemed weaker, and my left pinky finger's motor control was/is off. I'm 50, a clyde (260), and in training.

I dont know if I should be worried or not.

roadbuzz

I vote for "worried," and think you should ask your doc.

dagna

+1

rodrigaj

You should go to urgent care with those symptoms.

Pman

Yes! See a doctor STAT!

overthehillmedi

From a retired paramedic's point of view,get your butt into the Doc's and get a checkup,TIA's are sometimes a warning sign of something more serious is about to happen and should be checked out.Each and every time they occur.We do not need to read any more R.I.P. strings on this forum. As Humans we tend to think "Oh it's nothing serious,nothing to worry about" until it's to late. With Modern medicine some CVA's(strokes) are treatable and resolve with no major decifits but time is of the essence the sooner treatment is started the less decifits there are and one can get back to doing the finer things in life like going for a ride,holding a grandchild hand,chatting up your sweety and telling them sweet nothings.Every patient that I came In contact with I either took to the hospital or wouldn't leave until I got a commitment from them or their family to go to the doctor to be checked.So,Hardheadedmanca,why are you reading this and not on the phone making an appointment?

cooker

I agree you should get checked out. Hopefully it was not a TIA but fatigue or numbness from the extreme ride. 260 lbs and 4900 feet of climbing? Awesome!

Hardheadmandca

Thank you.

The reason I wasn't at the doctor was it was late and my wife and two young kids were already asleep. I was just doing some researching when I came upon the possibility.

It has completely disappeared by this morning, so I am assuming fatigue.

I promise to have it checked out - either today at a hospital, or tomorrow with my doctor.

I was also 6th in out of 21 on the ride.

Garfield Cat

TIA is the precurser to a stroke.

Hardheadmandca

I just got back from the ER. The doctor there did a phone consultation with a Neurologist. They don't believe it was a stroke or TIA, but think it might be a "compressed ulnar nerve."

A quick search of that seems to be primarily related to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. They think I might have leaned too hard on the hoods.

Maybe, who knows.

stringbreaker

You are going to have further tests aren't you? Thats why they call it practicing medicine one of these days they will get it right. Don't let " might be" or maybe or who knows turn into the engraving on your headstone. Get some tests done for carpal tunnel and some other tests to rule out potential serious conditions

frail1

Ulnar neuropathy.

Hardheadmandca

Yes, I'm going to call the neurologist in the morning to set up an appointment. They want me to stop riding though. That's a hard thing to do with 4 weeks until my century.

Hardheadmandca

Frail1,

Good call. After doing some searches on Ulnar neuropathy and bicycle, I feel my symptoms fit that to a tee.

Brian

JanMM

Glad the doc didn't think it was a TIA. Didn't sound like one but good that you sought medical care. This is where a plug for recumbent-riding is inserted. No leaning on your arms/wrists/hands on most recumbents. Hope you get back to you preferred ride soon.

Hardheadmandca

Thank you Jan.

Recumbents intrigue me. One of these days I'll have to try one.

John E

The pinky-finger thing is what tipped me off that this was probably a localized nerve compression problem and not either a stroke or heart attack precursor. You do not have to give up bicycling; in fact, you do not even need to convert to a 'bent, unless you wish to. You do have to consider additional handlebar tape padding, glove padding, and varying your hand positions more frequently on the bars. This is also a superb time to reassess your position on the bike, including saddle tilt and handlebar reach and height. A shorter-reach stem or just raising your bars a cm or so could make a huge difference.

I have more trouble with hand tingles on my mountain bike than I do on the road bikes, probably because I have fewer available positions.

John E

You need a different doctor, i.e., one oriented toward sports medicine, preferably cycling.

oilman_15106

I would seek medical advise on the +50 fourm? Naw. See your doc if it persists. That is a lot of work you did in one day. Similar ride on Sunday and my body was shot.