Having a hard time breathing....

[kloan]

Any of you guys have trouble breathing, feel winded at all?

I've been having a tough time with breathing.... dunno why. Can't seem to catch my breath when I'm up and moving.. feels like I'm not getting enough oxygen into my lungs or somethin.

[519Muscle]

Maybe u have some sort of airway obstruction, inflammation or infection, sounds like something u should get checked out.

[kloan]

it's been like this for a while now.... i felt like this earlier on when i was taking EQ and tren.... im only on low dose test right now, so im not sure why id feel so winded. shit, just lying here in bed i feel like i cant get enough air.

i wonder if this has anything to do with my cholesterol problems.

[519Muscle]

Not sure but maybe u should check ur pulse and see where that's at.

[kloan]

74.....

time to start doing cardio again. gotta fix my damn treadmill already.. :(

[juced_porkchop]

cholestrole? cant breath?
go to doc man and check it out.
maybe you got some cholesterol buildup that dislogged (clot) and is now stuck in your lung area?

go to doc ether way man.
be safe

[519Muscle]

that's about average. if it doesn't get better get ur oxygen levels checked.

[Victor85]

I tend to feel like this when I am extra bulky due to D-bol or Anadrol. Could be due to your cardiovascular system being overly taxed. Dont risk it and just go to the doc K. Good luck.

[dremen]

Any of you guys have trouble breathing, feel winded at all?

I've been having a tough time with breathing.... dunno why. Can't seem to catch my breath when I'm up and moving.. feels like I'm not getting enough oxygen into my lungs or somethin.


What are you on right now? Sometimes when I run deca I get a lil winded. Then again when bulking in general I get winded if im not doing at least 20 minutes of cardio daily or EOD.

[LonelyBedouin]

Could be water in your lungs,

[AlladdinSane]

From your posts over the last 4 or 5 months, it sounds like you're not just having a hard time breathing, but are having a hard time in general. Maybe lay off the drugs, get some doctor-time in (MD as well as Chiro/ART practitioner), and train a little smarter for a bit.

[kloan]

What are you on right now? Sometimes when I run deca I get a lil winded. Then again when bulking in general I get winded if im not doing at least 20 minutes of cardio daily or EOD.

Dropped the Deca a few weeks ago. Only on Test right now... though my first cycle was test only and by the end of it I was pretty winded.

I had a huge meal last night, perhaps that had something to do with it. It's been off and on for a while now, but that could've made it feel worse.

I haven't been doing cardio though, which I think is the biggest culprit.

In any case, it is time to get off the drugs.. been on too long and my body's telling me so. I mentioned somewhere in another thread that I'm tapering down to 250mg/week, which should allow my body to recover and still allow me to continue with dieting. I'm also starting up a bunch of supplements and a prescription niacin drug to get the cholesterol levels back to a healthy range.

Once the diet's done, I'll come off and stay off for a good long while.

I am curious though what about even just being on Test that can cause a decreased lung capacity.

[BBbox]

Go to the doctor ASAP, see a head and neck specialist

Being unable to take full/deep breaths is a symptom of nodules on the vocal cords... best to be caught early in case treatment is needed. Do you notice any difficulty in speaking loudly/yelling?

[monkey]

I had similar issues when I was my heaviest, my friends would make fun of me cuz I constanlty be out of breath. Lost weight and and my body got used to it.. but yeah, i d probably get it checked out regardless.

Good luck

[kloan]

Go to the doctor ASAP, see a head and neck specialist

Being unable to take full/deep breaths is a symptom of nodules on the vocal cords... best to be caught early in case treatment is needed. Do you notice any difficulty in speaking loudly/yelling?

probably not that serious... no trouble speaking loudly or yelling. i tend to stay quiet otherwise im a loud ****er and annoy the hell out of everybody.

i think this is mostly related to the juice and how long ive been on, and maybe somewhat to do with my cholesterol levels, BP, hypertension..etc

the weight gain thing makes sense, as when i was eating a ton of food while bulking i always felt winded. i thought it'd go away as i lose weight, but perhaps because of the other things going on as well it's not going to as fast as i thought it would.

it's ok, im not worried, i appreciate the concern though.. i just wanted to know if other people experience this too. :)

[dku]

Have you been stressed lately? Shortness of breath is often a sign of anxiety, especially if it's not during physical activity.

[Bowlcut]

Jim Wendler had a similar problem when he found himself out of air walking his dog. He dropped a bunch of weight and as far as I know felt a lot better.

[dremen]

probably not that serious... no trouble speaking loudly or yelling. i tend to stay quiet otherwise im a loud ****er and annoy the hell out of everybody.

i think this is mostly related to the juice and how long ive been on, and maybe somewhat to do with my cholesterol levels, BP, hypertension..etc

the weight gain thing makes sense, as when i was eating a ton of food while bulking i always felt winded. i thought it'd go away as i lose weight, but perhaps because of the other things going on as well it's not going to as fast as i thought it would.

it's ok, im not worried, i appreciate the concern though.. i just wanted to know if other people experience this too. :)


Brudda how tall are you, what is your current weight and also what are you at bodyfat wise right now? Chances are you are just out of shape...lol

Now lets talk about non AAS drugs. How much booze do you drink per week, do you smoke ciggs and do you smoke any green?

During my last cycle I went from 190lbs up to 237lbs way to fast and totaly had trouble breathing, but then I started doing some daily cardio and cleaned up my diet and also lowered my daily sodium intake A LOT and I felt a lot better. I hate to say it, but im back down to 200lbs right now and feel a hell of a lot better.

Added water weight+ high calorie diet+ no cardio + any rec drugs = shortness of breath one would think.

[WonderWoman]

Have you been stressed lately? Shortness of breath is often a sign of anxiety, especially if it's not during physical activity.

I also experience this (It just seems like I just can't get enough air sometimes-and I need to calm myself down because I know anxiety (stress) will just worsen matters).
Yes, anxiety (stress) can cause this feeling-along with many other symptoms-serious and non serious ones. I have self-diagnosed myself-l.o.l-and feel like my shortness of breath is due sometimes to anxiety and/or change in weather and allergies (mold, dander, pollen etc.), (u can have allergic reactions without always showing obvious symptoms).
There is a list of many, many other things that could also be causing this in you. Large amounts of Dust in the environment, tobacco-smoke, blockage of air passage in nose or mouth. I know there are some other reasons that could be more serious, but I am definitely no Dr. so I won't delve into that area.
My father has an inhaler that he uses VERY rarely-but has one just in case (which provides him with some peace of mind)....he was experiencing shortness of breath for no known obvious reason and the Dr. gave him one.
Good-luck, figureing it out... :)

[dku]

My suggestion would be to see a doctor and rule out anything physical. I have a friend who's a paramedic, and he said one of the most common calls he gets is shortness of breath due to panic attacks.

[monkey]

:fback
Brudda how tall are you, what is your current weight and also what are you at bodyfat wise right now? Chances are you are just out of shape...lol

Now lets talk about non AAS drugs. How much booze do you drink per week, do you smoke ciggs and do you smoke any green?

During my last cycle I went from 190lbs up to 237lbs way to fast and totaly had trouble breathing, but then I started doing some daily cardio and cleaned up my diet and also lowered my daily sodium intake A LOT and I felt a lot better. I hate to say it, but im back down to 200lbs right now and feel a hell of a lot better.
Added water weight+ high calorie diet+ no cardio + any rec drugs = shortness of breath one would think.


You dropped 37 pounds?????
Did you get really really fat or did you loose all your gains ( not that they were 37 anyways..)

[kloan]

Dremen, I'm 5'6.5", 185.8lbs, ~14%+/- BF. I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't do drugs. Ever. I quit everything almost 2 years ago. I haven't been doing cardio for months though.

Anyway ->

Just got home tonight. Took my BP. 158/90. Damn... oh and, BINGO. Hypertension.

Some Hawthorne Berry is shit. Buyer beware I suppose. I took other stuff before I ran out, and that stuff was very potent and very effective.

Going to be taking some new stuff for my blood pressure very soon, my dad took it and he said it worked VERY well. It's a special kind of potassium and magnesium I believe. Also gonna order some more of the other Hawthorne Berry that did work.

[natenator]

Dremen, I'm 5'6.5", 185.8lbs, ~14%+/- BF. I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't do drugs. Ever. I quit everything almost 2 years ago. I haven't been doing cardio for months though.

Anyway ->

Just got home tonight. Took my BP. 158/90. Damn... oh and, BINGO. Hypertension.

Some Hawthorne Berry is shit. Buyer beware I suppose. I took other stuff before I ran out, and that stuff was very potent and very effective.

Going to be taking some new stuff for my blood pressure very soon, my dad took it and he said it worked VERY well. It's a special kind of potassium and magnesium I believe. Also gonna order some more of the other Hawthorne Berry that did work.
are these BP drugs prescribed to you?

[dremen]

:fback


You dropped 37 pounds?????
Did you get really really fat or did you loose all your gains ( not that they were 37 anyways..)

I was holding a LOT of water weight some fat and yes I have lost a good deal of my gains unfortunantly. It's hard to eat properly when you're in the process of having major dental work done:(

And no need to be a ****ing asshole either brudda!!!

[kloan]

are these BP drugs prescribed to you?

This one actually doesn't require a prescription, but it was recommended by my doctor. He also wants me on a time released niacin, which does require a prescription, which I'm going to get today.

[JifeLacket]

Bro stop worrying, oxygen is over rated. You are just becoming a super human, go with it.

[cog]

This one actually doesn't require a prescription, but it was recommended by my doctor. He also wants me on a time released niacin, which does require a prescription, which I'm going to get today.

Time released for lipids?

[kloan]

Bro stop worrying, oxygen is over rated. You are just becoming a super human, go with it.

hahah, maybe it means i can breath under water??? im gonna go jump in the ocean and test it out...


Time released for lipids?

not sure man, that's just what he insisted i use instead of regular niacin.

[monkey]

I was holding a LOT of water weight some fat and yes I have lost a good deal of my gains unfortunantly. It's hard to eat properly when you're in the process of having major dental work done:(

And no need to be a ****ing asshole either brudda!!!

Please explain in a rationale manner why I was an asshole??? lol

[faller]

This one actually doesn't require a prescription, but it was recommended by my doctor.

Hey when you find out what the name of it is give me a heads up, i'd like to check it out. My Bp is up a bit also.

[Prisoner#22]

Shortness of breath at rest is unnatural and should be diagnosed. it is highly unlikely that this has been directly caused by any drugs that you are on.

If the SOB (shortness of breath) was caused by obstruction as say in asthma, etc. then you should be able to hear audable wheezing. obstruction can be like a normal person trying to breath through a straw.
If you are not wheezing then it is unlikely that asthma/ obstructive pulmonary disease is your problem.

SOB can also be caused acutely by obesity, bowel obstruction, and also conjestive heart failure, both left sided and right sided... left sided being that there is blood backing up and water accumulating in the lungs, and right sided that there is blood backing up through the liver and to the lower legs... ie. puffy ankles e.t.c. that can work its way all the way back up to the liver causing distention which will not allow your lungs to fully expand... the bowels being obstructed and obesity can cause simmilar feeling.... basically like right after you gorged on christmas dinner and have to let your belt out a few knotches, and get short of breath when bending down to tie your shoes.

It is highly unlikely that the above is the cause, as this is usually caused in older individuals with a well documented history of chronic disease.


Moving on... Shortness of breath can be due to pnemothorasis... air in the chest cavity aka collapes lung. This is common in teenage athletes that are tall with long torsos. Since you are 5'6" this is unlikely your problem..

Pnemonia... Often can be very insidious ... the buildup of infectious fluid in the bases of the lungs that slowly creep up taking more and more lung capasity away from you... get checked and get a chest x ray... have you had any fevers of late?

Pulmonary Emboli... aka blood clot in the lungs. This is serious as you can throw those clots from the lungs into your head and stroke. Since you have been on gear for a while, and hear naturally increases your red blood cell count above normal levels (called polycythemia). Polycythemia will dramatically increase the risk of blood clots forming, so you need to get checked for this.


Finally Myocardio infartion i.e. heart attack... sometimes these are silent, can lead to shortness of breath, as can an inflamation of the pleural linning that surrounds the heart...

basically you need to get checked in Emergency. They will likely perform an ECG, Chest Xray, and spirometry if the doc hears wheezes inside your lungs.

My background is Emergency Nursing... thats why I know all this.

Take care.

[Talo]

What does your diet look like ? You can usually get high bp under control with diet and not drugs.

Sorry if you posted it and I missed it.

[kloan]

Hey when you find out what the name of it is give me a heads up, i'd like to check it out. My Bp is up a bit also.

Will do, it's on it's way.

The niacin my doc recommended is Niaspan... clinic was closed when I went, so I have to try again tomorrow. My doc was actually pretty worried about me... said I'm a 'ticking time bomb'.

Guess I gotta be more careful in the future. Shit, if only I'd known I was this sensitive to AAS, I could have had all of these things on hand and been taking them as preventative measures.

Live n learn I guess.. hopefully no permanent damage has been done.

[519Muscle]

take in consideration that docs over exaggerate everything.

[kloan]

Shortness of breath at rest is unnatural and should be diagnosed. it is highly unlikely that this has been directly caused by any drugs that you are on.

If the SOB (shortness of breath) was caused by obstruction as say in asthma, etc. then you should be able to hear audable wheezing. obstruction can be like a normal person trying to breath through a straw.
If you are not wheezing then it is unlikely that asthma/ obstructive pulmonary disease is your problem.

SOB can also be caused acutely by obesity, bowel obstruction, and also conjestive heart failure, both left sided and right sided... left sided being that there is blood backing up and water accumulating in the lungs, and right sided that there is blood backing up through the liver and to the lower legs... ie. puffy ankles e.t.c. that can work its way all the way back up to the liver causing distention which will not allow your lungs to fully expand... the bowels being obstructed and obesity can cause simmilar feeling.... basically like right after you gorged on christmas dinner and have to let your belt out a few knotches, and get short of breath when bending down to tie your shoes.

It is highly unlikely that the above is the cause, as this is usually caused in older individuals with a well documented history of chronic disease.


Moving on... Shortness of breath can be due to pnemothorasis... air in the chest cavity aka collapes lung. This is common in teenage athletes that are tall with long torsos. Since you are 5'6" this is unlikely your problem..

Pnemonia... Often can be very insidious ... the buildup of infectious fluid in the bases of the lungs that slowly creep up taking more and more lung capasity away from you... get checked and get a chest x ray... have you had any fevers of late?

Pulmonary Emboli... aka blood clot in the lungs. This is serious as you can throw those clots from the lungs into your head and stroke. Since you have been on gear for a while, and hear naturally increases your red blood cell count above normal levels (called polycythemia). Polycythemia will dramatically increase the risk of blood clots forming, so you need to get checked for this.


Finally Myocardio infartion i.e. heart attack... sometimes these are silent, can lead to shortness of breath, as can an inflamation of the pleural linning that surrounds the heart...

basically you need to get checked in Emergency. They will likely perform an ECG, Chest Xray, and spirometry if the doc hears wheezes inside your lungs.

My background is Emergency Nursing... thats why I know all this.

Take care.
Holy crap dude... lots of info there.

I have been feeling a little bit more concerned about the whole thing this last week or so. I mean, first I get hit with the news my cholesterol is dangerously out of whack, but then I hear my uncle had a heart attack and had emergency quadruple bypass surgery (he's doing well though).

Heart disease runs in my family. Both of my grandfathers died due to heart complications, so this is definitely going through my head with all of this.

I'm doing what I can and taking the steps necessary to get things back in check. I don't think it's at a point where I need to check myself into emergency though. Good thing too, because without health insurance down here, the money my mom is getting for the house would end up covering the medical bills if I had to go through all of those tests.

What does your diet look like ? You can usually get high bp under control with diet and not drugs.

Sorry if you posted it and I missed it.
My diet is very clean, and has been for quite some time (I had two nasty fast food cheat meals during my bulk - but won't anymore). I eat chicken, fish, some red meat (limited to about once a week right now). While I was bulking, I was getting most of my carbs from oatmeal, brown rice and yams. I eat a lot of vegetables, and some fruit. I drink milk most days, usually just a glass. I have 2x 2 scoop plain whey shakes a day. I take 2tbsp of psyllium husk in each shake for extra fiber (keeps me regular). I have a gluten intolerance, so I generally don't eat any flour products, and the only bread I've been eating is a high protein hemp bread. I don't eat sugar, or sweets, stuff like that.. only sugar I get is from fruits. I may have a cookie once a week as a treat, but that's about it. I drink green tea just about every day.

I take plenty of supplements such as fish oils, omegas, different herbals supps, etc.

The pre-workout drink I was taking definitely burnt out my adrenals... way too much caffeine in it, but I have stopped as of 2 weeks ago. I am taking an adrenal support supp to help recuperate from that.

I started a carb reduced diet about a month ago now... I aim for around 100 grams of carbs a day, and about 200 grams of protein.. and I try to keep the fats low as well.

Fwiw, my breathing has been feeling a little better the past couple days.

[faller]

Will do, it's on it's way.

. My doc was actually pretty worried about me... said I'm a 'ticking time bomb'.

.

Really? Mine was 154/90 and he said to get it under controll but wasn't pushing any panic buttons.

[kloan]

Really? Mine was 154/90 and he said to get it under controll but wasn't pushing any panic buttons.

I think it was because of my cholesterol values... the combination of the two? I dunno... I knew it was at a point where I needed to do something about it, but didn't think I was in danger of cardiac complications or anything. I suppose if I ignored it and continued on doing with what I was doing, I'd probably be likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke.. but since I'm taking it seriously, lowering doses, stopping other stuff, taking supps, etc... I should be alright.

What's your cholesterol like Faller?

[faller]

Chol. is 6.28, or 244.92 in American dollars :)

[kloan]

Chol. is 6.28, or 244.92 in American dollars :)

so that's total.... mine was at 225... what's your HDL like?

i visited a walk in clinic today to get a script for niaspan... they tried to talk me into getting Lipitor instead (no surprise) but i walked out with the niaspan script. got it filled at the pharmacy and was told it was gonna be over $200!!! the pharmacist said there's time release niacin over the counter, didn't even need to get this stuff... i'm not sure why the heck my doc told me this specific one to get when the equivalent on the shelf with a different name brand was only $13.

so... i'll try the OTC stuff and see. i kinda doubt there's any difference but some stupid ass pharmaceutical company's ridiculous mark up.

for BP, im still waiting on that potassium/magnesium product, but in the mean time i'm taking red yeast rice along with coq10 and hawthorne berry.

[faller]

He never said. He just wanted to talk about the numbers that he was concerned about.

LDL 4.3--167.7

Cholesterol 6.28--244.92

Test 114.3--3293

[519Muscle]

^^^r those the averages of what they should be in between?

[faller]

No the smaller are mmol/L Canadian, and the other numbers are for the Americans.. Same thing we just use different measurements.

[519Muscle]

lol...i was looking at it and saying wtf, it cant be.

[faller]

Ya i guess i could have posted that a bit better . We use the Systeme International or SI which is a metric system, most of the world scientists use it. The US and a few other countries use the conventional unit.

[kloan]

He never said. He just wanted to talk about the numbers that he was concerned about.

LDL 4.3--167.7

Cholesterol 6.28--244.92

Test 114.3--3293

You're actually in better shape than me, lol. Looking at your total number subtracting the LDL gives you 77.22 for HDL, which is a good range i believe... if i understand these things, which i kinda do but not really. :)

what are you on right now? your test is actually pretty high.. im curious cuz mine was 2090 ng/dL (350-1030), and i was on '650mg'/week test (+other stuff) for a while.. guess some of it might have been underdosed? wouldn't be surprised considering where it came from.

these were my cholesterol values:

Total Cholesterol: 227 mg/dL (100-199)
- LDL 173 mg/dL High (0-99)
- HDL 29 mg/dL Low (>39)

Everyone I've talked to about it now has said the HDL is the red flag. Combined with high BP, and factoring my family's history of heart disease.... kinda silly I'm only 30 and I've got this shit messed up. Lesson learned.

I'm not going to give up AAS altogether though. I will get myself back on track, take a nice long break, make sure I recover. When I start up again in a year or so, I'll take the necessary precautions and take all of these supplements that I know about now to make sure my body has all of the extra defenses it needs. If I still have problems then, I'll give it up for good and accept my limited Jewnetics for what they are..

[faller]

I'm just on HRT, have been since about last August. I was at 250 e7d but have dropped that down to 150 e7d 3 weeks ago.

[cog]

I'm just on HRT, have been since about last August. I was at 250 e7d but have dropped that down to 150 e7d 3 weeks ago.

Notice much of a difference there?

[faller]

I don't know if 3 weeks is enough to medically notice a difference but i sure feel better. At 250 my libido and mood were somewhat up and a down, I'd have highs and lows that would last a week or so. At 150 i seem to have leveled off. I'll know better in a couple weeks or so.

[cog]

I don't know if 3 weeks is enough to medically notice a difference but i sure feel better. At 250 my libido and mood were somewhat up and a down, I'd have highs and lows that would last a week or so. At 150 i seem to have leveled off. I'll know better in a couple weeks or so.

And the deca?

[faller]

Still at 150 a wk

[kloan]

supps are working well.... already down to 132/75

[faller]

you have a name for me kloan?

[kloan]

you have a name for me kloan?

I actually haven't received that supp yet. So far I've only been taking the time released niacin (1000mg/day), 'Hawthorn Supreme' from Gaia Herbs (4 caps/day), CoQ10 (440mg/day) and Red Yeast Rice (2400mg/day).

[cog]

I actually haven't received that supp yet. So far I've only been taking the time released niacin (1000mg/day), 'Hawthorn Supreme' from Gaia Herbs (4 caps/day), CoQ10 (440mg/day) and Red Yeast Rice (2400mg/day).

Good news.Did the doc explain the niacin?

[kloan]

Good news.Did the doc explain the niacin?

Just got off the phone with him, he wasn't happy I got the OTC time release niacin (I opted for that when I found out my prescription was going to cost over $200). He insisted the prescription Niaspan was the only one that he knew of that worked effectively, and was quite adamant that I get it. So, I'll have to order it online and hopefully it'll arrive as quick as possible. This is the first time I've had a chance to talk with him on the phone since I faxed him my blood test results and a list of symptoms. Needless to say, his tone was quite serious and it gave me a slight jolt.

At least my BP is down... that's gotta be good for something anyway.

Wanna hear something retarded? I was taking Arimidex even after hearing about my cholesterol. I was getting estro sides from the liquid Anavar (which is most likely dbol or drol), and I didn't have enough Aromasin to take. Wow, talk about a stupid move.... considering Arimidex is brutal on the lipids.

I swear, I'm really not that dumb. I just kinda.... you know..... do dumb things sometimes..... :D

[cog]

If there's trouble you always seem to be able to find it.

[kloan]

If there's trouble you always seem to be able to find it.
so it goes..... live in a negative space, attract negative circumstances. time for positive change i think?

im workin on it...

[kloan]

you have a name for me kloan?

Sorry for taking so long to get back to you on this...

It's 'Potassium and Magnesium Aspartate' from AOR.


Meanwhile, took my first 500mg tab of Niaspan. 4 hours later got hit with what is called the niacin flush?? Holy fak!!! Those were by far the most uncomfortable 25 minutes of my life. Skin was on fire.. felt like I had a major sunburn and my skin was beet red. Crazy stuff... I'm supposed to eventually go up to 1000mg/day.

[gingerbreadman]

P22 has some good advice.
Here's another thought, I was short on breath last week, wound up in the ER and blacked out with hemoglobin of 66 (should be 170). I had slow internal bleeding and was unaware of it - likely occurring for the last two months or so. I spent the last 7 days in as an inpatient in ICU. Small possibility this is happenning to you but low hemoglobin will cause shortness of breath and a blood test will reveal it. Have you had recent blood tests? It would be a good idea. I had an elevated heartrate for the two months I was bleeding but blamed it on overtraining - reality it was because my blood had no oxygen carriers (hemoglobin) and was working overtime. If you have elevated HR and shortness of breath those are two signs of low hemoglobin and bleeding......I needed 4 blood transfusions to get my hemoglobin to the 90's now doc says will take 6-8 weeks to get back to normal assuming the bleeding has stopped.

[kloan]

Shit man, that sounds awful.

I did have blood tests done already, RBC, etc were all elevated.. most likely due to the EQ I was running.

My shortness of breath has become much better over the last couple weeks. I'm pretty much back to feeling somewhat normal (I never really feel normal anyway).

Good luck with your recovery though man, that doesn't sound like fun at all. Do you know if it will interfere with your training? Did you have to stop?

[gingerbreadman]

Shit man, that sounds awful.

I did have blood tests done already, RBC, etc were all elevated.. most likely due to the EQ I was running.

My shortness of breath has become much better over the last couple weeks. I'm pretty much back to feeling somewhat normal (I never really feel normal anyway).

Good luck with your recovery though man, that doesn't sound like fun at all. Do you know if it will interfere with your training? Did you have to stop?


Apr 10th I did my 1st contest then began to rest completely for 1 week minimum it was part way through that week (Thursday) that I got out of breath, dizzy and blacked out. Doc says I can go ahead with 3-5 days/wk weight training & that was my plan anyway so no, didn't interfere with training. But I tell ya when I was complaining of being lethargic during contest prep while burning 13,000 calories/wk on a 2,000 calorie/day diet I mean I was ****ing LETHARGIC - I had no oxygen carriers in my blood. All my advisors said "you have to push through it, it happens to all athletes" so somehow I did. Amazing I didn't have a heart attack.