10 replies to this topic

[Adz]

I had a problem running today. It's particularly hot in Sydney, but we set out at 6.30am, so I guess it only got to about 30. Was feeling fine till 28km, then all of a sudden I was finding it hard to breathe, and my legs went bandy. I sat down and could feel my arms going numb, culminating in my hands curling up with my thumb tucked inside, and me being unable to move my hands. In addition my face went numb, and I became unable to speak. I'd probably drank 3 litres of water during the run, and a cup of powerade, and a few snakes at about 15 km. Fortunately one of my friends had a mix of honey, molasses, salt, etc, and 5 mins after eating this I was back to normal in 5 mins.

So obviously lessons learnt, and i'll make sure I bring gels with me, but want to know if there's anything I should do today to help me recover. I currently feel fine, but don't want any problems later. In addition, anyone know what the problem was? My theory is lack of salt, but can't seem to find much on the net to match my symptoms?

cheers,

Adam

[kathmandu]

how come you didnt go to the doc???

i wouldnt be seeking advice on CR, id be in a waiting room somewhere, it could be serious, you say yourself 'stroke like'.

[PlodBod]

GO TO A DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY

[orlando]

I'm with PC and Plod. Even if you're fine now, what you're describing are pretty serious symptoms, and I'd get them checked out.

And Chris, what you're describing(loss of skin turgor) is a sign of pretty severe dehydration(at least 10-15% depletion) and no one should be approaching anywhere near that level when running. It's a sign not just to stop your run but possibly to seek medical attention.

[kathmandu]

PlodBod, on Jan 24 2009, 03:05 PM, said:

GO TO A DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY

sorry plod, speak up, cant hear ya

[kb]

Hyperventilation?

But don't listen to me - go get checked by your doc.

[Jason M]

A potential stroke should always be checked immediately. Even if the symptoms resolve it should still be checked. If you have what some people term a TIA (transient ischaemic attack) or a "mini-stroke" this puts you at a much higher risk of having a full stroke in the not too distant future. Furthermore, effective treatment is very time dependant, so the sooner the better (a lot of treatment protocols have a 2.5hr timeframe from onset of symptoms).

Of course there are a number of other possible causes for the symptoms described, but do you really want to take the chance. I say much better to have things checked by those qualified to do so and be told everything is fine, than to let it go and find out the hard way it is something serious.

[twosheds]

We were out on the 500km road relay in qld. It was very hot and one of our older guys ( who is really fit and does a lot of running) had a particularly hot hard run. he was fine but the later ran a cooler criterium. On the 3rd of 3 laps- we saw his arm drop and his face drop- he finished the run- his speech was a little slurry and he describes his arm as "not cooperating" He was completely composed. Fortunately we got medical help immediately. He had suffered a stroke. It wasnt nearly as dramatic as I expected but obviously a big deal.
He has almost made a full recovery already - but GO AND GET CHECKED OUT.
The signs of stroke are F ( face) A (arm) S ( speech) T ( time - not really a sign) - any or all may indicate a stroke.
GOOD LUCK
Two sheds

[Adz]

kb, on Jan 24 2009, 08:45 PM, said:

Hyperventilation?

But don't listen to me - go get checked by your doc.

Thanks for the concern everyone, went to the doc, and you got it bang on. Seems the honey/salt thing I had was a red herring. It just stopped me from breathing, allowing some co2 to stay in my body, and help even out the ph of my blood. Never realised hyperventilation could have such symptoms, but always good to know for the future. Doc recommended breathing into a paper bag if it happens again, I wonder if my bladder in my camelbak could work similarly

[Didge]

Good to hear you got it checked out anyway - you can't be too careful with things like that

[Janeo]

I was just about hyperventilating reading this! I am glad you got it checked out and you are OK. Goodness, that would have given me an awful scare if it were me!