Light headed and fainty while cycling

I cycle about once every 2 - 3 weeks for about 20 miles. I recently
was at about mile 15 on a 20 mile ride and doing a long slight incline
hill and got really winded and stopped to rest twice, which normally
is not a problem for me. I got queezy and sat down on the ground and
everything started spinning and then I almost fainted, everything
turned black and then bright. My husband tried to call for help but
our cell phones didn't work so we sat there another 30 minutes and I
completely recovered and was able to ride home without any problems.
Even felt energetic but after I got home I felt tired and a little
weak.

What could have caused this? Too rapid of a heartbeat maybe?
Dehydration?

I drink a lot when I ride and this day was not hot at all. I just
felt like my heart was about to come out of my chest and I couldn't
get enough air.

Thanks,

"Dwayne" wrote...
I cycle about once every 2 - 3 weeks for about 20 miles. I recently
was at about mile 15 on a 20 mile ride and doing a long slight incline
hill and got really winded and stopped to rest twice, which normally
is not a problem for me. I got queezy and sat down on the ground and
everything started spinning and then I almost fainted, everything
turned black and then bright. My husband tried to call for help but
our cell phones didn't work so we sat there another 30 minutes and I
completely recovered and was able to ride home without any problems.
Even felt energetic but after I got home I felt tired and a little
weak.

What could have caused this? Too rapid of a heartbeat maybe?
Dehydration?

I drink a lot when I ride and this day was not hot at all. I just
felt like my heart was about to come out of my chest and I couldn't
get enough air.

Thanks,

If you haven't already done so, go to your doctor and describe the episode
to him. This sounds like a fairly serious medical issue.
--
mark

"Dwayne" wrote in message
om
I cycle about once every 2 - 3 weeks for about 20 miles. I recently
was at about mile 15 on a 20 mile ride and doing a long slight incline
hill and got really winded and stopped to rest twice, which normally
is not a problem for me. I got queezy and sat down on the ground and
everything started spinning and then I almost fainted, everything
turned black and then bright. My husband tried to call for help but
our cell phones didn't work so we sat there another 30 minutes and I
completely recovered and was able to ride home without any problems.
Even felt energetic but after I got home I felt tired and a little
weak.

What could have caused this? Too rapid of a heartbeat maybe?
Dehydration?

It sounds a lot like hypoglycaemia (blood glucose level below 2.5mmol/l) but
you'd need to have it confirmed by your doctor. Hypoglycaemia can cause
some or all of the following symptoms:

- paleness
- trembling
- perspiration
- a feeling of weakness
- rapid heartbeat
- hunger
- agitation
- difficulty concentrating
- irritability
- fatigue
- blurred vision
- temporary loss of consciousness
- convulsions
- coma.

Exercise lowers the blood glucose level but will normally not cause
hypoglycaemic episodes in otherwise healthy people.

If symptoms of hypoglycaemia are experienced during sport or exercise, try
eating some complex carbohydrates - starch, pasta for example - before
beginning. During the exercise consume simple carbohydrates like glucose, in
sports drinks for example.

--

A: Top-posters.
Q: What is the most annoying thing on Usenet?

"Dwayne" wrote in message
om...
I cycle about once every 2 - 3 weeks for about 20 miles. I recently
was at about mile 15 on a 20 mile ride and doing a long slight incline
hill and got really winded and stopped to rest twice, which normally
is not a problem for me. I got queezy and sat down on the ground and
everything started spinning and then I almost fainted, everything
turned black and then bright. My husband tried to call for help but
our cell phones didn't work so we sat there another 30 minutes and I
completely recovered and was able to ride home without any problems.
Even felt energetic but after I got home I felt tired and a little
weak.

What could have caused this? Too rapid of a heartbeat maybe?
Dehydration?

I drink a lot when I ride and this day was not hot at all. I just
felt like my heart was about to come out of my chest and I couldn't
get enough air.

Thanks,

What you describe sounds almost exactly like what a friend of mine told me
happened to him just before he went to the ER and was diagnosed with some
kind of cardiac issues that are resulting in him being schedule for surgery
to install a pacemaker.

I'd strongly suggest, as did another poster, that you get to a doc and
describe this incident in detail.

Bob C.

"psycholist" wrote in message ...
"Dwayne" wrote in message
om...
I cycle about once every 2 - 3 weeks for about 20 miles. I recently
was at about mile 15 on a 20 mile ride and doing a long slight incline
hill and got really winded and stopped to rest twice, which normally
is not a problem for me. I got queezy and sat down on the ground and
everything started spinning and then I almost fainted, everything
turned black and then bright. My husband tried to call for help but
our cell phones didn't work so we sat there another 30 minutes and I
completely recovered and was able to ride home without any problems.
Even felt energetic but after I got home I felt tired and a little
weak.

What could have caused this? Too rapid of a heartbeat maybe?
Dehydration?

I drink a lot when I ride and this day was not hot at all. I just
felt like my heart was about to come out of my chest and I couldn't
get enough air.

Thanks,

What you describe sounds almost exactly like what a friend of mine told me
happened to him just before he went to the ER and was diagnosed with some
kind of cardiac issues that are resulting in him being schedule for surgery
to install a pacemaker.

I'd strongly suggest, as did another poster, that you get to a doc and
describe this incident in detail.

Bob C.

Oops, forgot to add that I am a diabetic type II but have my BG
completely under control. When I got home my reading was 160 which is
a little high but no higher than usual, with or without excercise.
What's strange is that my husband had the same episode twice a few
months ago, but not quite as bad. It was kind of like being sea sick,
really dizzy and sort of queezy on the stomach. then as he rode more
it got completely better. I do take a Blood Pressure pill but its for
the health of my kidneys as a precaution because of Diabetes. I'm
only 36 years old and am generally pretty healthy although I have some
stomach problems, sometimes I have gall bladder attacks but other than
that I'm fine.

Thanks and my husband posted this message but its really for me. My
name is WAnda

I am a Cardiologist and smart enough not to give advice in a newsgroup. I
would however get to one very soon.



"Dwayne" wrote in message
om...
I cycle about once every 2 - 3 weeks for about 20 miles. I recently
was at about mile 15 on a 20 mile ride and doing a long slight incline
hill and got really winded and stopped to rest twice, which normally
is not a problem for me. I got queezy and sat down on the ground and
everything started spinning and then I almost fainted, everything
turned black and then bright. My husband tried to call for help but
our cell phones didn't work so we sat there another 30 minutes and I
completely recovered and was able to ride home without any problems.
Even felt energetic but after I got home I felt tired and a little
weak.

What could have caused this? Too rapid of a heartbeat maybe?
Dehydration?

I drink a lot when I ride and this day was not hot at all. I just
felt like my heart was about to come out of my chest and I couldn't
get enough air.

Thanks,

"Larry" wrote: I am a Cardiologist and smart enough
not to give advice in a newsgroup. I would however get to one very soon.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I am not a cardiologist, either, nor do I play one on TV. I do recognize,
however, that Dr. Larry's non-advice should be heeded without delay. This
is not a joke, and it may not be a trivial problem.

"Leo Lichtman" wrote in message
-
I am not a cardiologist,

I am, and it's safe to ignore those symptoms.

On 27 Sep 2004 08:35:50 -0700 in rec.bicycles.misc,
(Dwayne) wrote:

What could have caused this?

ASK YOUR DOCTOR! Newsgroups are NOT the place to seek medical
opinions.

ASK YOUR DOCTOR.

On Tue, 28 Sep 2004 01:53:27 +1000, "DRS"
wrote:

"Dwayne" wrote in message
. com
I cycle about once every 2 - 3 weeks for about 20 miles. I recently
was at about mile 15 on a 20 mile ride and doing a long slight incline
hill and got really winded and stopped to rest twice, which normally
is not a problem for me. I got queezy and sat down on the ground and
everything started spinning and then I almost fainted, everything
turned black and then bright. My husband tried to call for help but
our cell phones didn't work so we sat there another 30 minutes and I
completely recovered and was able to ride home without any problems.
Even felt energetic but after I got home I felt tired and a little
weak.

What could have caused this? Too rapid of a heartbeat maybe?
Dehydration?

It sounds a lot like hypoglycaemia (blood glucose level below 2.5mmol/l) but
you'd need to have it confirmed by your doctor.

Did the OP eat or drink anything to solve the hypoglycemia? If not,
vasovagal syndrome, perhaps?

-B