a's new woes

[Guest guest]

OK, me again. New posting - different problem.

So I started training with my new Personal Trainer yesterday. During

our one-hour session, I had to go to the bathroom and vomit TWICE.

This is what has kept me from exercising previously. I used to think

that that my body just can't handle that level of exertion. And we're

not talking about a lot of exertion, folks.

I also used to think that I was letting my heartrate get too high and

that was what triggered the nausea, dizziness, confusion, that I was

experiencing. So I stopped swimming entirely thinking that apparently

I can't swim laps, even slowly, without getting my heart rate too

high. I did treadmills and cardio machines that have heart rate

monitors in order to keep my HR between 140-150 and didn't really

have that problem again. (Then I just stopped exercising without an

excuse!)

But last night, oh buddy! In the middle of doing calisthenics with my

trainer, I suddenly needed to sit down. Incredibly dizzy and

nauseated. Finally had to stumble my way to the bathroom and throw

up. Felt immediately better. But of course, I'M WORRIED ABOUT

THROWING UP AND SLIPPING MY BAND!

Then about 20 minutes later, when it happened again, I got REALLY

worried that I'm going to slip my band.

I have a new theory for the cause of this problem, if you're

interested. (Stop here if not. Read on if you are.)

When I went to a Physical Therapist recently for neck pain and carpal

tunnel pain, on my first visit she was assessing my range of motion.

When she tilted my head back to see how that range was, I fell

backward onto her. Completely lost my balance and got a

little " blacked out " for just a second. She asked if I ever have that

feeling and I started putting 2+2 together. My whole life, I have

never been able to lie on my stomach and read a book or watch tv. I

get an INSTANT headache and nauseated. So I'm thinking it's when I

hyperextend my head backward that I get this feeling. Which of

course, finally explains the problem with swimming. To do laps, my

body is " floating " parallell with the bottom of the pool. To breath,

I'm lifting my head out of water, hyperextending my head backward. PT

theorizes that I have either a vein/artery (I can never remember the

difference) or a nerve that's being pinched, causing the symptoms.

She has contacted my doctor who is ordering a doppler scan of my neck

to see if it's blood vessel related. If not, we'll pursue the nerve

scenario.

So yesterday, right before the episode, we were doing what I

call " squats " , lowering my body in a sitting position (without a

chair) and rising again, in repetition. To lower my body that way, I

have to bend my upper body forward somewhat in order to balance. I

think that as I did that, I was attempting to keep eye contact with

my trainer. Although my face was still " forward " the whole time,

relative to my upper body, my head was actually bending back as my

body lowered and tilted. I think that's what caused it. But I'm not

sure.

Anyway, I'm going to get this checked out. Obviously as a bandster, I

cannot keep throwing up every time I exercise. And as a normal

person, this kind of negative reaction to training is what has

previously made me stop exercising altogether and I have to eliminate

that experience in order to embrace exercise as a regular part of my

life.

OK, enough for now from the saddest sack on the list!

a, 33 y.o., 5'6'', -28.2 lbs in 2.3 months since surgery

highest 250 - size 22/24, surgery 227 - size 20, current 198.8 - size

18, goal: wherever I stabilize

Banded 8/26/04 - Dr. Rumbaut, Monterrey Mexico

Follow-up: Dr. Fox, Surgical Weight Loss Clinic, Tacoma WA

1st fill 6 Oct 04: 2.0cc