A Reminder of mortality and the poo that wasn't.

Discussion in 'General Martial Arts Discussion' started by Tom bayley, Dec 11, 2021.

  1. Tom bayley

    Tom bayley Valued Member

    I went to the gym yesterday. When I got there, I thought “I really need a poo!” But being a creature of habit, I decided to wait until I got home to more familiar environments, as you do. I did my weights and finish my stretching. All the time I was conscious of a certain “pressure” in the lower regions. I stand up. Things go sparkly around the edges of my vision. I sit down. Things continue to get more sparkly. I flag down a passer-by and ask them to keep an eye on me and should I pass out in the next minute or so could they inform the front desk. After 30 seconds of almost passing out I reconsider and ask them to tell the front desk straight away. To cut a Long story short, after throwing up twice and spending 20 minutes in an ambulance getting an ECG, they reckoned that I hadn’t had a heart attack but instead experienced vasovagal syncope. Most likely aggravated by all of that additional poop pressure. So, the moral of this story, when you gotta go, you gotta go, otherwise you might just end up going to soon.
     
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  2. axelb

    axelb Master of Office Chair Fu

    Wow! I hope you're feeling better now!

    I never hold it in when I'm working out. My body won't let me, but I know a lot of people like you who can. Certainly a worthwhile warning for those who can.
     
  3. Grond

    Grond Valued Member

    There's a name for this, I'm not kidding. The reason I know is because I thought someone I cared about was dying in my arms one evening, in a Perkins parking lot.

    Turns out she was suffering from some sort of stomach-induced, blood pressure spike that ended up almost causing her to crash the car. I was seconds from administering CPR.

    She refused to go to the hospital, so I took her home and we watched, of all things, The Return of the King.

    It's a really rarely diagnosed but not uncommon thing. I'll try to look for it a bit tomorrow. It was something German I think.
     
  4. Grond

    Grond Valued Member

  5. Tom bayley

    Tom bayley Valued Member

    many thanks for the link Grond.
     
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  6. Tom bayley

    Tom bayley Valued Member

    I have known of the anecdotal link between straining on the loo and hart attack for years. but it never occurred to me that exercise when needing the loo could produce similar pressures. I know it is an odd topic to talk about but if talking about it can prevent somebody else from making the same mistake then its worth it.
    I am fine and have trained twice since then with no incident. I have adopted a philosophical approach to it all, as a friend said - "this too shall pass"
     
    Grond likes this.
  7. Grond

    Grond Valued Member

    Any time.

    This type of thing is basically what happens when your BP skyrockets too high too fast from anything putting pressure or stress on the stomach region on up and down. It could be acid, it could be feces, gas, or even just a bloated
    stomach that combines. Just having a full bladder can raise your BP. My friend that passed out in the parking lot had some dairy desserts and were developing lactose intolerance. So basically some bloating and gas almost killed us on the road, thankfully we pulled over, but she collapsed in my arms as she got out of the car, and I was, needless to say, spooked. She was aware and fine within a span of 2 minutes.

    When you exercise your BP naturally goes high, as much as 200+ top number, which for some people is fine, others not (this is why doctors don't want to take your BP until a few hours after exercise to get a good resting pressure reading).

    If it gets too high, from all the various factors: exercise, gastro pressure, and the usual person specific issues (genetics, diet, cholesterol etc), you can develop what is sometimes called "exercise hypertension". This is where instead of maxing out at 200mm top number, you go beyond 250mm+. This is a red danger zone. In those cases, based on what I've read, you can definitely trigger the vagus, which then tries to do its job: keep you alive. A blood pressure dump and a few minutes of unconsciousness later, you won't know what the hell happened.

    I only know this stuff from training and personal experience, but I'd recommend getting your BP checked (at a gym or doctors office treadmill) during moderate exercise, just to rule out issues other than poo. Doctors call this differential diagnosis (House MDs calling card). That way you'll know better if this was a one time thing, or something else you might need an intervention for. Some people, esp ex smokers, develop pulmonary hypertension in their lungs, another risky condition for exercise based feinting, since the lung tissue is damaged.

    Anyway here's a good brief on exercise hypertension.

    "Exercise Hypertension" Occurs When Cells Can't "Relax," Hopkins Researchers Find
     
  8. Mushroom

    Mushroom De-powered to come back better than before.

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  9. Smitfire

    Smitfire Cactus Schlong

    I cannot even imagine working out, lifting or even going for a run while trying to hold in log. That would take some rectal fortitude I do not possess.
     
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  10. Smitfire

    Smitfire Cactus Schlong

    Erm...nope. Not as I do. Obviously I prefer to be at home, take my time, select some suitable reading material and make an event of it but if I need to go while out and about I find a toilet and go.
     
    Mushroom likes this.
  11. Grond

    Grond Valued Member

    Most people with IBS don't expect to develop heart arrhythmia, pass out, or have a stroke, or even die but it can happen especially with age.

    I don't have IBS but I thought I was having an actual heart attack on the loo one day, heart racing, sweating, almost passing out. It was actually just a bout of upset stomach and diarrhea that lasted maybe 10 minutes, but it was the strain from the sudden inflammation that caused all of those acute symptoms.

    The heart and the butt are intimately related. ;)

    Heart rate variability in the irritable bowel syndrome: a review of the literature - PubMed
     
  12. Mushroom

    Mushroom De-powered to come back better than before.

    Sounds like a tag line to a romance novella with specific niche catergories.


    1 please.
     
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  13. Smitfire

    Smitfire Cactus Schlong

    This thread certainly gives new meaning to the strongman event the log-lift.
     
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  14. Tom bayley

    Tom bayley Valued Member

    I thought of posting it in the training log section.
     
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  15. axelb

    axelb Master of Office Chair Fu

    :D:eek:o_O;)
    You win the internet today
     
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  16. SWC Sifu Ben

    SWC Sifu Ben I am the law

    Tom....that is epic, and hilarious :D
     
    Grond likes this.
  17. Grond

    Grond Valued Member

    I just got the joke.
     

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