I've been going to the Gym religiously for well over a year now, but I am Suffering from some kind of respiratory problem that is seriously affecting my training and causing me a few day-to-day issues.
Sometimes when I train, I feel unusually short of breath and very 'strange'.
heart rate can, for instance rise to 153+ (nothing unusual there you may say) but sometimes on exercises that that don't usually raise it that high. I begin to feel very weak etc and faint I experience a buzzing in my wrists and hands and a strange tight sensation up the left side of my neck running up to my lower jaw, I also feel very tight around the chest. At this stage I begin to feel very paranoid and vulnerable. If I'm using free-weights, I have to just leave them where they are, because I just don't feel well enough to move them. Also I just don't feel like I physically talk to anyone.
I then have trouble getting changed (and feel I a state of panic)
And have trouble walking down the stairs and out of the gym, I have to walk very slowly and hold the handrail sometimes.
On a couple of occasions I've had a terrible time driving home, I've in the car and sometimes struggle to get the car into gear (yes, it's that bad)
even after I've driven home, and over an hour later my heat rate can be 125 which I really don't feel is normal!
I have suffered from actual panic attacks, about 3 years ago, I had two very bad ones, but this is very different and seems quite unrelated.
This problem has never occurred on the treadmill etc, only when I've been lifting. The first time it happened was after my first ever gym session and even though it was really unpleasant I just put it down to 'overdoing' it.
It's happened about six times in the past year and three of those times have been truly awful and quite frightening. It almost feels like I'm 'drowning'.
It often happened either half way through training or near the end but now It is happening at the very beginning.
I am 31 years old. 5'8" and I weigh 11st 13 on average. I am very agile I have an athletic build and I'm certainly not overweight.
I am a Vegetarian
I don't smoke (I gave up two years ago after a 12 year habit)
I drink on very rare occasions
I eat very well (all the 'right' foods) and usually get at least 8 hours sleep.
I'm a Freelance Graphic designer, so I don't suffer from any work related stress
I regularly take supplements and I've tried different types/ brands/ ingredients in case these were the problem
I don???t take drugs (though up until 3 years ago I smoked pot and regularly took Ecstasy recreationally for 8 years).
I AM considering taking steroids though (Deca).
I have attached three word files that represent my weekly training schedules, I spend a total of anything from 7-9 hours in the gym per week
I Skateboard (half pipes) for about 2-3 hours at least once a week (I've been a skater for about 18 years) I snowboard (jumps- ramps etc) for two hours per week and sometimes teach snowboarding for a couple of hours.
I am also pretty fearless but this issue really can scare the pants off me.
So by all accounts I should be reasonably fit and I can't understand what's happening to me and why.
I've been to my Doctor a few times, I've had my blood pressure taken ('normal') numerous blood tests, and a chest X-ray but he has totally drawn a blank on it.
I've spoken to gym staff about it and to some experienced bodybuilders but nobody has heard of anything like it.
One last thing I feel I must mention is that sometime is actually 'forget' to breathe, Past Girlfriends have actually had to shake me in bed and remind me the breath because I hold my breath for a long time. I find myself doing this subconsciously during the day sometimes.
Well that's about it, apologies for the length of the email but I wanted to try and supply as much info as possible. Thank you for your time, any help and/ or advice would be very much appreciated as I love going to the gym and this has stopped my training, I haven't been for a week and a half now because I've decided to give a it a rest for a while
Many thanks in advance Folks
Kind Regards
Adie
Sometimes when I train, I feel unusually short of breath and very 'strange'.
heart rate can, for instance rise to 153+ (nothing unusual there you may say) but sometimes on exercises that that don't usually raise it that high. I begin to feel very weak etc and faint I experience a buzzing in my wrists and hands and a strange tight sensation up the left side of my neck running up to my lower jaw, I also feel very tight around the chest. At this stage I begin to feel very paranoid and vulnerable. If I'm using free-weights, I have to just leave them where they are, because I just don't feel well enough to move them. Also I just don't feel like I physically talk to anyone.
I then have trouble getting changed (and feel I a state of panic)
And have trouble walking down the stairs and out of the gym, I have to walk very slowly and hold the handrail sometimes.
On a couple of occasions I've had a terrible time driving home, I've in the car and sometimes struggle to get the car into gear (yes, it's that bad)
even after I've driven home, and over an hour later my heat rate can be 125 which I really don't feel is normal!
I have suffered from actual panic attacks, about 3 years ago, I had two very bad ones, but this is very different and seems quite unrelated.
This problem has never occurred on the treadmill etc, only when I've been lifting. The first time it happened was after my first ever gym session and even though it was really unpleasant I just put it down to 'overdoing' it.
It's happened about six times in the past year and three of those times have been truly awful and quite frightening. It almost feels like I'm 'drowning'.
It often happened either half way through training or near the end but now It is happening at the very beginning.
I am 31 years old. 5'8" and I weigh 11st 13 on average. I am very agile I have an athletic build and I'm certainly not overweight.
I am a Vegetarian
I don't smoke (I gave up two years ago after a 12 year habit)
I drink on very rare occasions
I eat very well (all the 'right' foods) and usually get at least 8 hours sleep.
I'm a Freelance Graphic designer, so I don't suffer from any work related stress
I regularly take supplements and I've tried different types/ brands/ ingredients in case these were the problem
I don???t take drugs (though up until 3 years ago I smoked pot and regularly took Ecstasy recreationally for 8 years).
I AM considering taking steroids though (Deca).
I have attached three word files that represent my weekly training schedules, I spend a total of anything from 7-9 hours in the gym per week
I Skateboard (half pipes) for about 2-3 hours at least once a week (I've been a skater for about 18 years) I snowboard (jumps- ramps etc) for two hours per week and sometimes teach snowboarding for a couple of hours.
I am also pretty fearless but this issue really can scare the pants off me.
So by all accounts I should be reasonably fit and I can't understand what's happening to me and why.
I've been to my Doctor a few times, I've had my blood pressure taken ('normal') numerous blood tests, and a chest X-ray but he has totally drawn a blank on it.
I've spoken to gym staff about it and to some experienced bodybuilders but nobody has heard of anything like it.
One last thing I feel I must mention is that sometime is actually 'forget' to breathe, Past Girlfriends have actually had to shake me in bed and remind me the breath because I hold my breath for a long time. I find myself doing this subconsciously during the day sometimes.
Well that's about it, apologies for the length of the email but I wanted to try and supply as much info as possible. Thank you for your time, any help and/ or advice would be very much appreciated as I love going to the gym and this has stopped my training, I haven't been for a week and a half now because I've decided to give a it a rest for a while
Many thanks in advance Folks
Kind Regards
Adie