wheelgrabber

I'm waiting for my bloodwork. I figure I'm either really anemic or my thyroid is shutting down. I've got no power. Heart rate monitor doesn't lie. I can't really get my heart rate above 165. No lactic acid burn. Just no energy/oxygen.

Finally went to the Doc when my chest started bothering me. I've got like no oxygen in my hands and feet. No more buff veins. My hands are cold alot of the day. My hand turned white when the nurse took 3 vials of blood.

Really sucks the weather is getting really good again. I'm feeling depressed from the illness and bummed out about my future prospects. How long is it gonna take to get back to full throttle?

Anybody else had anemia?

C_Heath

This is kinda scary...so heres my story wheelgrabber..

Im on this site every day. Been riding since 04. No health issues till a year ago. Im 38, 185 pounds. I ride for fun but I do go hard as I have several buddies that ride and we see what we can average or who can win on most every ride. We dont cruise. Well, Ive always been the slowest one. Well, maybe not always but for sometime now. Well, I do have 3 kids and am self employed so I dont have tons of riding time. About a year ago, I started getting cold hands. Then, I started freezing in the house and everyone else was hot. I even put a sweatshirt on and set out on the front porch. I went to the doc for a routine check and they found blood in my urine. Well, my blood count was low as well and they said that I had some anemia.

I was set to come back for another visit followup. Cant remember how long out it was but all was fine. No low blood, none in my urine. All good. Well, About 2 months ago, I had some severe flu like symptoms. To the point where I was in the bed, sweating hot, then freezing cold. I went to the Emergency Room. They said I had some type of virus, gave me antibiotics just incase and sent me home. It took me a few days but I was ok. Well, about the same time as the flu deal, I was talking on my cell in the car and had to pull over. I got really light headed and had that fuzzy feeling. I have never passed out but I have that feeling alot. Fuzzy, dizzy, feel like Im not in my body, rather just sitting beside it. If I dwell on it, it seems to amplify so I try to just work through it. It may last 10 minutes or 2 hours.

Its not so bad I have to stop what Im doing. Its kinda like Ive had a class on wine and have an "eye buzz"

Im 100% sure that this and the flu symptoms are completely unrelated but Im beginning to think that my blood is low and my oxygen is low causing the funny,dizzy foggy feeling.

Reasons behind my mental findings (lol) I actually searched last night to find out some info on EPO and what it did, how it worked and what it changed in the body. Well, simply put, I found that it (EPO) generated more red blood cells and those RBC's carried more
oxygen to the muscles giving it more power,energy,endurance and helped it recover faster. Im sure alot of people reading this and going duh! but I didnt know how it worked. So my brain started thinking.

Im not a lardass. Yes, to be a good overall cyclist, I do need to be 150-160 so yes, Im overweight (for cycling) but Im getting smoked by friends my age and weight who ride like I do and as much or less than I do. So whats wrong with me?

I came to the conclusion that since this started 2 months ago, I am again, anemic and have low blood, which inturn is making me lack just a touch of oxygen in my blood by my RBC's being low again and also causing me not to be as strong and
have the power, endurance and speed as my buddys.

Am I crazy or what?

Carbonfiberboy 

This is really not the place. You both need some serious doctor work. Heath should get a glucose tolerance test, besides the usual blood work and physical.

umd

Agreed...

But to add to the anecdotes, I was seriously overtrained a few years ago with led to moderate anemia. I also had gastroenteritis, which I'm not sure if there was any causal relationship with the anemia and/or overtraining. Some rest and some iron and avoiding certain foods (for the ge) and eventually I was much better.

As for the EPO, yeah, that's what it does. That's why it helps endurance athletes so much, and is a treatment for anemia.

Carbonfiberboy 

OTOH, EPO is naturally excreted by the kidneys. In endurance athletes, the excretion is excited by anaerobic intervals. IOW, asking the aerobic system to do more than it is capable of leads to increased capability, the principle of intervals, but EPO is also involved. But it sounds like at least Heath is already doing this. A hematocrit test should be revealing. Full blood work. Some people, with some conditions, the EPO/red blood cell thing isn't working, and they can get EPO injections. Mostly the elderly.

Some doctors are, in our modern medical system, unwilling to do the work or testing to establish what I call "an actual diagnosis." Pressure the doc on this, if necessary.

C_Heath

Thats just it, when I went to the E.R. they did all that.

Glucose 81
Fructosimine 1.64Blood Uria 14
Creatine .82
Uric Acid 5.9
Akaline Phospatase 67
Bilirubin 0.28
SGOT 18
SGPT 19
Gamma GLutamine 17
Total Protein 7.2
Globulin 2.7
Calcium 8.8
LDH 2.60
Cholesterol 199
HDL 48.8
LDL 131
Triglycerides 99
Cholesterol/HDL Ratio 4.09
LDL/HDL Ratio 2.68
Red Blood Count 0
White blood count 0

Nothing showed Abnormal. Hey UMD, Ill admit, my ears perked up when you said that they treated low blood with EPO. hehehehehe

C_Heath

oh yea, I have Ishemic colitus. Its an inflamation of the colon aka its not getting enough blood. Kinda like Chrohns Deasease. Its ok right now, I have an occasion flare up but I do not take any type of meds for anything but I do take vitamins.

umd

I believe that is the primary use of EPO, for treatment of the anemia that is usually caused by cancer treatment.

Carbonfiberboy 

IANAD but I know how to do research:
https://www.abcompany.com/docgolob/bloodchemistry.htm
https://www.abcompany.com/docgolob/bl...Regans_Normals

Couple of suspicious things. First suspicious thing is that the E.R. did it. You need a doc with some investment in outcomes. The E.R. only cares that you do not die on the premises. And is that a typo for the LDH? Normal range is like 130-300, something like that. Some might say that zeros for blood count is abnormal. No figure for albumin. Calcium's a little low. How about hematocrit? Hormone levels? Something funny going on.

C_Heath

Well on the blood count, acceptable is 0-5 so I didnt meantion that. Im in that range. Hematocrit was not listed so I assume it was not tested.

Also, LDH is Lactac Dehydrogenase (whatever that is) and the normal range is 100-242 and mine was 150

LDL is below it. It was 131 and the normal range there is 80-200