Oh the irony....

Originally Posted by swampy1970

So, I've been getting faster on the bike, losing weight and all that good stuff. I've found ways of getting rid of the back ache and ITB issues that plagued me when I raced over 10 years ago and all was going well, but not quite as well as I'd expected or hoped, despite making considerable improvement this year. Something just wasn't quite "right" but I couldn't figure out what...

So, after a good 4 hours in the hills last Sunday, that took in around 6,500ft of climbing I spent Monday and Tuesday expecting to 'recover' - well that didn't happen. Wednesday I had to stop walking whilst half way across the parking lot at work while carrying a 20lb Cisco router. I could breathe unrestricted but it was like I wasn't breathing enough. Like a fool I put it down to allergies... took some Zyrtec-D and dealt with it.

Friday AM, I'd had enough - it was off to the doc's. His first suspicion - asthma, well, after him commenting my lower chest sounded like it was a rusty squeeze box it was. So a peak flow test was done, prior to 10 minutes on a nebulizer. "Score" 710. 10 minutes later following time on the ol' asthma gas machine, I shoulda won a prize by hitting the stop on the top of the peak flow meter - 850. (I guess I could take some consolation in this in that he though that meter was defective and had me do another test on another meter - he'd never seen anyone hit the top before, nor improve 140 points - but regardless, the asthma meds improved things considerably.

So then he asked curiously, have you gained any weight in the last few days or noticed any swelling in your arms and legs? The little 'finger' oximeter prior to the treatment with the nebulizer showed that the oxygen level in my blood was lower than normal and funnily enough I'd lumped on 8 lbs and my right leg felt somewhat 'odd' and upon examination it was larger than my left, which isn't normally the case. So, I have a battery of tests next week to 'hopefully' rule out conjestive heart failure....

... the slight upside - if it is 'only' asthma, then (a) the meds will help and (b) the doc rides bikes too and had to laugh, but agreed too, extra lab showing key points in factors that may be hindering my on the bike performance!

.... and just when you thought that things were going well. Hmmm

Originally Posted by Sillyoldtwit

It's those damn powercranks - don't say say you were'nt warned.

Seriously though Swampy, I hope it's nothing too serious and everything turns out OK. My cycling buddy over here cycles with asthma and it doesn't seem to bother him much, even on a 15% climb we do. Take care. Tyson

Originally Posted by swampy1970

So, I've been getting faster on the bike, losing weight and all that good stuff. I've found ways of getting rid of the back ache and ITB issues that plagued me when I raced over 10 years ago and all was going well, but not quite as well as I'd expected or hoped, despite making considerable improvement this year. Something just wasn't quite "right" but I couldn't figure out what...

So, after a good 4 hours in the hills last Sunday, that took in around 6,500ft of climbing I spent Monday and Tuesday expecting to 'recover' - well that didn't happen. Wednesday I had to stop walking whilst half way across the parking lot at work while carrying a 20lb Cisco router. I could breathe unrestricted but it was like I wasn't breathing enough. Like a fool I put it down to allergies... took some Zyrtec-D and dealt with it.

Friday AM, I'd had enough - it was off to the doc's. His first suspicion - asthma, well, after him commenting my lower chest sounded like it was a rusty squeeze box it was. So a peak flow test was done, prior to 10 minutes on a nebulizer. "Score" 710. 10 minutes later following time on the ol' asthma gas machine, I shoulda won a prize by hitting the stop on the top of the peak flow meter - 850. (I guess I could take some consolation in this in that he though that meter was defective and had me do another test on another meter - he'd never seen anyone hit the top before, nor improve 140 points - but regardless, the asthma meds improved things considerably.

So then he asked curiously, have you gained any weight in the last few days or noticed any swelling in your arms and legs? The little 'finger' oximeter prior to the treatment with the nebulizer showed that the oxygen level in my blood was lower than normal and funnily enough I'd lumped on 8 lbs and my right leg felt somewhat 'odd' and upon examination it was larger than my left, which isn't normally the case. So, I have a battery of tests next week to 'hopefully' rule out conjestive heart failure....

... the slight upside - if it is 'only' asthma, then (a) the meds will help and (b) the doc rides bikes too and had to laugh, but agreed too, extra lab showing key points in factors that may be hindering my on the bike performance!

.... and just when you thought that things were going well. Hmmm

Originally Posted by swampy1970

So, I've been getting faster on the bike, losing weight and all that good stuff. I've found ways of getting rid of the back ache and ITB issues that plagued me when I raced over 10 years ago and all was going well, but not quite as well as I'd expected or hoped, despite making considerable improvement this year. Something just wasn't quite "right" but I couldn't figure out what...

So, after a good 4 hours in the hills last Sunday, that took in around 6,500ft of climbing I spent Monday and Tuesday expecting to 'recover' - well that didn't happen. Wednesday I had to stop walking whilst half way across the parking lot at work while carrying a 20lb Cisco router. I could breathe unrestricted but it was like I wasn't breathing enough. Like a fool I put it down to allergies... took some Zyrtec-D and dealt with it.

Friday AM, I'd had enough - it was off to the doc's. His first suspicion - asthma, well, after him commenting my lower chest sounded like it was a rusty squeeze box it was. So a peak flow test was done, prior to 10 minutes on a nebulizer. "Score" 710. 10 minutes later following time on the ol' asthma gas machine, I shoulda won a prize by hitting the stop on the top of the peak flow meter - 850. (I guess I could take some consolation in this in that he though that meter was defective and had me do another test on another meter - he'd never seen anyone hit the top before, nor improve 140 points - but regardless, the asthma meds improved things considerably.

So then he asked curiously, have you gained any weight in the last few days or noticed any swelling in your arms and legs? The little 'finger' oximeter prior to the treatment with the nebulizer showed that the oxygen level in my blood was lower than normal and funnily enough I'd lumped on 8 lbs and my right leg felt somewhat 'odd' and upon examination it was larger than my left, which isn't normally the case. So, I have a battery of tests next week to 'hopefully' rule out conjestive heart failure....

... the slight upside - if it is 'only' asthma, then (a) the meds will help and (b) the doc rides bikes too and had to laugh, but agreed too, extra lab showing key points in factors that may be hindering my on the bike performance!

.... and just when you thought that things were going well. Hmmm

Originally Posted by Fday

Something very "funny" here. Asthma doesn't sound right to me. CHF doesn't sound right to me. Keep the pressure on the doc to figure it out.

Originally Posted by swampy1970

I know it's a message board, you're not my doc and this really certainly isn't the time and place - but as I have no clue of anything related to this, in which direction should I take it with the doc? What kinda questions should I be asked.

If you feel it's more appropriate to answer in a PM, please do so.

Originally Posted by jsirabella

PCs or not swampy you were becoming a bit of an inspiration to me as I was extending my intervals further and further out based upon your old day training so I expect that you will be back to riding soon.

6,500 feet of climbing to me tells me you are definitely not close to finished riding just yet...

-js

Originally Posted by fergie

Glad we can agree on something: Manchester United Rule!

Hah, and I work with a diehard Chelsea Fan

Life is good!

Originally Posted by swampy1970

I was joking with the doc about that, as I had a Man United polo shirt on when I went for the initial consultantion. He laughed when I said that all the pre-pre, pre, during and post game drinking sessions during all those years standing on the Stretford End at Old Trafford, may have had a cause in my feeling of ill health.

Two weeks 'till we own their sorry asses in Moscow in the Champions League Final!

Originally Posted by swampy1970

So on Wednesday I was doing the slow walk across campus whilst talking to the doc's office trying to get an appointment when I got really breathless and had a 'cramp' in the left side of my chest. The girl on the phone put me onto an advise nurse who gave up and put a doc on the phone. He didnt want to talk any chances and told me to get someone to take me to the ER.

Personally, a 5 minute walk back to the office wasn't an option, I was pretty much 20 yards from my car, and I knew that most of the folks that I worked with weren't at their desks anyway....

So a 10 minute drive to E.R, one good lookin' EKG, couple of chest x-rays, a few stumped doc's ("how can you sound like a wheezy accordion and still blow 750+ peak flow" - "I dunno, you're the Doc, you tell me... That's what I pay hundreds of dollars a month in health insurance for, damn it!")

So the x-rays came back and the head Doc at the ER said... looks like a pneumonia type of infection. Take a bunch of these and lots of those and you should be fine in a week or so....

.... now I cough up the occaisonal half mouthful of what seems like fluffy whitish wallpaper paste.

I am so ready to dump Kaiser. Blue Cross was way way better...

Originally Posted by Fday

Pneumonia could be an explanation I guess but something still doesn't seem quite right. How do they explain the sudden changes? Did they get a culture? Did they get blood gasses in the ER?