From Saddle Sores to Bed Sores: Felled by the Flu?

Well, not really – I was never on the bike enough to get saddle sores, nor immobile long enough to get bed sores, but I have been battling something that I was attributing to the flu.  And if I don’t get better soon, getting to the start line of Ironman Louisville is in serious jeopardy.

So that’s why I haven’t updated in so long – 4 weeks ago today I woke up feeling crappy, not nauseous, just very crappy without energy and spent the next several days on the couch. Kind of pissed that I got the flu again – I just had the (self-diagnosed) flu 3 weeks earlier, but ultimately I was glad I had gotten those H1N1 and seasonal shots before the holidays.

So after spending another 4 days sick I was able to resume training / work and then BAM! - 2 days later I feel very crappy and quite fatigued, with periodic shivering and chills, and with a sore throat. Since this latter symptom was new, I thought that I must have contracted yet another flu bug – grrr.

After another 2 days on the couch – I think the Olympics started at this point – then I had a good day and did a very easy bike, just spinning. I was being very careful not to stress my body since – I figured – it had just fought off 2 flu bugs.

Felt ok the next morning so went for a very easy swim in the morning, but toward the end of my easy evening run I started to feel crappy. I spent the next 8 days on the couch – profoundly fatigued, feeling very crappy, with periodic shivering/chills and dozing while the Olympics played on the tv. I went to my doc and got blood work but only my amylase was elevated.

Since then I’ve had an increasing number of good days – when I can get stuff done, and have walked for an hour and felt ok – and fewer bad days when I’m forced to the couch wondering what’s happening with my body.

Yesterday I went to see my doc again and was telling him about my symptoms including an increased awareness of ringing in my ears. I had forgotten about the shivering/chills – when I suddenly started to tremble like I do when I get cold, so that reminded me to tell him while I put my coat back on to alleviate what I thought was shivering.

Then my heart rate started to race, my chest felt tight, my breathing became rapid and I felt physically anxious, but not emotionally. And that’s what I told the doc, so we went into his exam room and he took my blood pressure and heart rate while I continued to shake, my palms sweated, and my breathing was rapid.

He said that I was exhibiting symptoms of an anxiety attack and I said – between rapid breaths - that I thought that that was accompanied by psychological symptoms as well. He continued monitoring me and after perhaps a total of 7 minutes the symptoms started to abate and a few minutes later I was feeling mostly normal except a little trembley.

The doc then asked me if I had felt like I had to flee the room during the symptoms and I told him no. He said something is going on – could be my adrenal glands and mentioned that there was a very rare form of tumour that can grow on them – or it could be my heart since highly trained athletes may experience heart problems and symptoms differently then most folks. 

So the upshot is that one day next week I spend 5-6 hours for an abdominal CT scan and a stress test. Today, so far, I’ve been feeling not too bad, so this afternoon I did an easy 45 minutes spin on the bike and so far, so good - although I can tell that my body is not running smoothly – something is definitely amiss and hopefully we can get it sorted out so I can get back to training.

I figure that with my lost fitness and the fact that I’m going to have to very gently ease my way back into training once I get on a recovery plan, that the latest I can earnestly start training again and still be able to finish the Ironman – the 12 hour time goal is becoming a distant dream – is sometime in April. Otherwise I will have to try to push too much training into too little time and risk injury – or more likely – illness. Safety first!

Stay tuned - now that I'm more functional I'll get more regular with the blog and let you know how the medical testing goes - I know I'll be happier when a diagnosis is made and we can get a plan of action happening.

Yours, with sweaty palms.