Went to the E.R. today..
 

Luckily it wasn't a bike accident, but it was bike related.

Basically around 11:30-ish, sitting at my desk at work, I felt dizzy, clammy skin, weak legs, little tingling in my left hand.. same symptoms as a heart attack/stroke, and heart problems run in my family, so i freaked out and probably got a panic attack from that... felt like i was gonna pass out.

The boss called 911 and the ambulance came. EMTs did some tests and my blood pressure was through the roof, blood sugar was low, around 50ish. (normal is 80-100). I told them about my bike ride to work (13 miles) they asked if I ate breakfast, apparently they don't think a muffin is enough.. So they gave me some sugary stuff in a tube, then took me to the ER, where I saw the doc (who was super cute btw). She made me eat a ham sandwich and some apple juice. As i laid around, my blood pressure and blood sugar went back to normal. They did an ekg test for my heart while i was there, said it was good... must be the bike.

So basically it was dehydration and not enough food for the amount I ride. I had only eaten a muffin and drank most, not all, of my water bottle during the ride, then followed that by a large coffee.. My body just reached its limit I guess. I just need to eat and drink more when I ride to make up for the energy burned.. just glad it was nothing big..thought i was a goner.

Bonus is the doc said i'm fine to ride home.. just have to eat when I get there. :)

Wow, that's a pretty scary thing to have happen...

I also get up and travel to work (5.5 or 7 miles, depending on route.) But I make sure to drink a good liter of water on the way and I also eat a bowl of oatmeal and banana when I get there.

And thanks to your experience, I think I'll keep eating right after my commuter.

Anyway... hope you remain in good order.

[Any photos of the doctor?]

Glad to hear you're okay. I guess you had a classic case of the bonk--but it was a good idea to play it safe. I generally don't like performance food but I keep a packet of Gel in my tool kit just in case I'm caught out on a longer or faster ride than I expected. Or, in case I've eaten less than I wanted to before a ride. BTW, saw your Flickr pics--how is the Brooks Swift working out for you? I'm thinking about making the same switch from a B17.

Glad you're okay, bhop. For God's sake, eat man!

I have HBP and ticker problems as well, but my doctor says my odds are a lot better if I get the exercise my heart has been deprived of for all these years.

Both the Swift and Swallow are great. I have a lot of miles on the Swift, it's a year old, the Swallow is less than a month, but it's actually a little more comfy than the Swift, but it's harder.. I don't understand it. I had a B17 on the Aurora first, but my thighs rubbed the side skirts (even got a blister once) and the rails were too short to get it where I wanted, so that's why I got the Swift. It turned out to be the right thing to do.

Thanks for the response, and sorry for thread-jacking.

errrr and I ride to school without breakfast or anything until around noon. :-/ I'll get on that

Some guys will do anything just to get a cute doctor to feed them a ham sandwich.

I usually have a granola bar and some coffee and or water before I ride but its only 7 miles, funny thing if I don't eat a little something its like I can barely go. I have a yogurt and some oatmeal when I get to work. I only bonked once when I first started to commute. I was pretty out of shape and didn't eat at all before I rode to work, last time I did that.

The lowly muffin gets a bad rap - just eat more of them ;-) Glad you're ok.

What kind of muffin? The ones I buy are 600-700 calories per muffin. I would think that would be enough for a breakfast.

Glad you're ok. Got any pics of the doc? :)

A muffin is not enough for 13 miles?

OP, glad you are OK. Getting that numb feeling on the left side is scary.

I recently started a Clif Bar breakfast regimen and coffee. I actually feel better compared to when I used to eat oatmeal every morning. I do get hungry again about 2 hours later but a granola bar usually takes care of that.

That is an odd one. Must be the two factors combined together.
I would frequently ride 28 miles to work on an empty stomach with rarely an issue.
It is good that you are ok. :)

just how hot is the ride out there in LA? at least you got a stern warning to watch it before you really get into trouble. when it comes from a cute doc that's easier to take than from some old bat. Yes?

apparently your mileage may vary...

I've been riding this commute for over 2 years, this is the first time anything like this has happened, so maybe it was a combination things, stress may have been a factor since work's been a little busy lately. I might not have eaten or drank enough the night before.. etc.

I was looking at the paper the emt gave me, the blood pressure they have listed when they first got there was 180/120. Normal is around 120/80. I've never had any medical issues before, so it's just crazy to me.

Yeah, this is familiar. I hit that wall once and basically half passed out - total dehydration and not enough food. I had worked out like a fiend that day, then went on a long ride with not much more than a small amount of water, juice, an apple and a power bar in me. By the time the late afternoon rolled around, I guess my body had pretty much had enough.

And stress is a killer, as my doc keeps telling me. I'm just starting to take up yoga (ouch! but good ouch), to help offset the stress at work that I can't control. Take care of yourself.

A single B/P reading doesn't mean much. Get that checked occasionally - or buy the gear to check it yourself. Or, find a free machine in a drugstore. (wonder if those are wiped down regularly?)

Better yet, see if that hawt Doc will assist you in taking those readings.

Bonk! No, not pleasant at all. I've only done it once, after riding 40+ hot & humid miles on almost no food. Dumb, but The Wife fixed me a big sandwich and I was peachy after I ate.

Not good: his blood pressure was already high!

I rode without eating breakfast a few times and I'll never do that again. It wasn't quite as bad but a couple of times I felt weak and shaky.

Glad your ok. Although that has never happened to me commuting/cycling (yet), I did experience something similar (perhaps not so dramatic) while hiking a section of the Appalachian Trail. Put on more miles than I had fueled for, and the tank ran dry. Gotta respect the effort and eat accordingly.

I got quite a boot out of the special interest segments related to Michael Phelps insane caloric intake, during the last Olympics. I imagine the professional cyclists are the same. We aren't them (well most of us anyways) but it still takes energy.

Glad to hear you are OK. I hope your coworkers don't start freaking out when they see you biking to work and stage some kind of intervention.