posted
So I bought about 600 dollars worth of hockey equipment and paraphernalia, in preparation for getting back into the game (it's been 8 years since I've played). I went to a pickup game tonight, to get myself back into form a bit.
I only lasted two shifts. I had to leave the game, and headed to the locker room. I felt sick to my stomach, headache, dizziness, couldn't see straight, and just could not catch my breath.
It was over 30 minutes later when I felt well enough to drive home. I called Niki 20 minutes after I got off the ice, and I couldn't get out a full sentence without taking another breath.
Now I may not be in the best shape in the world, but I go to the gym an average of twice a week (30 min on an eliptical) and I play 3 hour singles matches in tennis once or twice a month without too much of a problem.
The only thing I could think of was that I was having a panic attack. However, while my breathing was certainly not normal, I wouldn't describe it as "wheezing". It was more that I felt like I had just sprinted, but that feeling wasn't going away. It's over an hour later, and I still don't feel like my breathing is 100% normal.
The main difference between the other exercise I do, and playing hockey tonight, was that I was exercising in the cold. That's why I was leaning toward asthma. I got there late, and didn't get any warm up. Would starting strenuous exercise in the cold in the middle of the summer with no warmup be enough to trigger an asthma attack in someone who'd never had one before?
The thing is, I played hockey for 13 years (age 4 to age 17) without ever having anything I'd consider an attack before.
However, a couple of years ago there was two events which were similar. One was while I was rollerblading (in the heat), and one where I was playing tennis (in the cold). However, both of these were when I was severly hyperthyroid, and my resting pulse was over 100 beats a minute. When I got my diagnosis, I wrote off both of those incidents as being caused by my pulse simply getting too high.
I am not hyperthyroid anymore, and my resting pulse is more like 65.
So... It freaked me out, and I am debating making a doctor's appointment. I figure there are doctors here (CT, our hero) and folks with asthma themselves, so I'd get your opinions.
My email address is phil dot meyer at gmail dot com, if anyone wishes to contact me there.
posted
If you weren't wheezing chances are it wasn't an asthma attack. I'd wait to see if it happens again and then go to a doctor.
Posts: 1287 | Registered: Apr 2006
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posted
You could have been having an allergic reaction to something though I have no idea what it could be. I would wait and see if this happens again sometime in the next week or so before going to see a doctor. Asthma is chronic so its highly unlikely that you would have an arbitrary asthma attack out of the blue every few years.
Posts: 1327 | Registered: Aug 2007
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I coughed a couple of times, and the "end" of the cough was certainly a wheeze. I then was making myself cough in order to demonstrate the wheeze for Niki.
Posts: 5656 | Registered: Oct 1999
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How well hydrated were you? What was going on pulse-wise during this? When you say you couldn't see straight, do you mean that you were experiencing double vision, having trouble focusing, blacking out, or something else?
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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"Trouble focusing" is perhaps the best fit in that list.
I have no idea how hydrated I was, but I only was out there for 2 shifts. That's perhaps 3 minutes of physical activity. I doubt I even started to sweat.
quote:What was going on pulse-wise during this?
My heart was beating pretty fast for at least 15 minutes after I was off the ice.
Posts: 5656 | Registered: Oct 1999
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posted
Huh...almost sounds more like a panic attack, dehydration, or low blood sugar. Exercise in the cold can definitely trigger asthma, but I didn't experience much else besides breathing problems. It's kind of like trying to breathe with rubber bands around your chest.
Posts: 3546 | Registered: Jul 2002
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Despite your other exercise, this was a completely different sort of physical activity. Add the cold and no warm up, and you were probably extremely winded, and then overexerted yourself.
Did your chest hurt? Was your chest tight? Did your teeth or throat ache?
There is a possibility it was an asthma attack, especially because of the cold. Doing an eliptical machine for 30 mins twice a week nothing like playing hockey, especially in the cold.
I would talk to your doctor about it, and definitely start warming up and slowly increasing your aerobic activity-- rollerblading would be a good place to start.
Posts: 3936 | Registered: Jul 2000
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posted
The breathing sounds like it could be asthma. The rest sounds like simply too much exercise in too short a time. I get the same symptoms when I have to run to catch a bus: hard to catch my breath, feeling sick and dizzy, etc. Sometimes it's more asthma-y than others and turns into wheezing. I normally get back to normal once I sit and rest a bit.
Could be due to dehydration. I don't drink much water (working on correcting this), so I'm often slightly dehydrated, which makes sudden exercise like this worse.
Posts: 1805 | Registered: Jun 1999
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My asthma attacks seem to be randomly triggered every few years. When I had it as a kid, it was more regular and predictable, so it isn't really a mystery when I have one.
Posts: 1001 | Registered: Mar 2006
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posted
I think it is important to also note that on today's front page of the newspaper in Omaha (where Xavier lives) was a headline regarding the high mold and ragweed levels. I wonder if that wasn't a trigger.
Posts: 2064 | Registered: Dec 2003
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Yes, not all asthma involves wheezing. My sister has had trouble for years with asthma, and she virtually never wheezes.
Posts: 910 | Registered: May 2000
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posted
Probably dehydration leading to heat exhaustion, which is a serious medical condition. The severity of your symptoms woulda made it worthwhile to have gotten a ride to a medical clinic. Since that time is already past, an appointment with a physician would still be a good idea; to rule out other conditions which might make you particularly susceptible -- eg some medications can affect the body's ability to self-regulate temperature -- and to just rule out other possible health problems.
And no, playing in cold doesn't prevent heat exhaustion. I sometimes get heat cramps while skiing cuz on good days I "get into it" so much that I forget to rehydrate myself.....until pain acts as reminder. If it weren't for the extended periods of rest&cool-down -- riding the lift up takes far more time than skiing down -- the exercise leading to heat cramps woulda probably caused heat exhaustion instead.
In ice hockey, it's easier to play hard enough and long enough to cause heat exhaustion. And easier to be distracted from noticing thirst during breaks.
I'm rather surprised that your coach wasn't aware of the dangers of dehydration during games and practices. It useta be part of the coach training and first aid instruction in amateur leagues. Something to bring up with the team, to share with the league before somebody gets seriously injured.
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