I passed out while running

KTR

Barefooters
Feb 10, 2016
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Madrid, Spain
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What the title reads.
Well, actually I had stopped at a red light, and before I could react I fainted. I had barely run for 1 km and at a low pace of around 6:30 min/km. I had eaten like 3.5h hours earlier —a chicken and vegetables sandwich and a pastry. There was nothing unusual. I simply stopped at the red light, started feeling hot, a couple of seconds later everything went gray and fuzzy and I fell to the ground. I hit the back of my head on the sidewalk —I can even remember I felt it and I heard the noise, but it was like distant. In the meantime I was having a pleasant dream while the music kept playing. I woke up a few second later as an elderly man was softly slapping me.
I'm still trying to figure out what could happen. I went to the doctor and got an electrocardiogram, but everything was ok. No headache, no chest pain, just a bruise in the back of my head. The arterial tension was a bit high but within normal limits; they thought it could just be the stress of the situation.
Does any of you have gone through something like this?
 
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The heart rate monitor is a good idea.

That is scary though. Get a full check up.
 
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Fainting can have many causes. And it scares us all. Bloodsugar level? Maybe the sandwich wasn't enough. Did you drink enough? Did you drink to mutch? Maybe the chicken wasn't good anymore. It's scarry but doesn't have to be anything big. Get that check up and let's hope it was the chicken or something little like that.
How do you feel now?
 
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Fainting can have many causes. And it scares us all. Bloodsugar level? Maybe the sandwich wasn't enough. Did you drink enough? Did you drink to mutch? Maybe the chicken wasn't good anymore. It's scarry but doesn't have to be anything big. Get that check up and let's hope it was the chicken or something little like that.
How do you feel now?
I feel OK.
The sandwich was huge. In terms of calories is not too different from what I usually have for lunch.
On the other hand, blood pressure turns to be a bit high, 13 max, 8.8 min, when I usually have 10-7.
 
I use to get dizzy if I squatted down and then stood back up quickly. I had been know to squat down to look at something and then fall down when I get up and like you mentioned you are aware of what is happening, but you have no control. I talked with my doctor and it is nothing abnormal, and is related to low blood pressure, he wasn't too concerned about me, but (disclaimer blah blah. . .) At the time they had me on some blood pressure meds for a bad heart value, I stopped taking the meds and now the doc says the theory for taking the meds is no longer prescribed to. Go figure, use us all as guinea pigs.

Your high blood pressure could just be a reaction to what happened since it is not normally that high.

Hope you find out what is going on. Though you might never unless your hooked up to a machine and can make it happen again.
 
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I do now wear a RoadID anklet that has emergency contact information. One day while I was running I saw several police and ambulance on the road just above my trail. Come to find out a girl was running on the sidewalk and a car veered off the road and hit her. She was in serious condition and had to be taken to the hospital. You never know.
 
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Ten mucho cuidado KTR.
I was going to suggest low blood pressure also, I, like Dana, get very lightheaded when I do squats but I know that it's caused by my normal low blood pressure(90/60) but I have never fainted...yet.
It will be wise on your part to invest on a Road ID we never know when we'll need to be rescued, I have worn one myself at all times since my stroke 10 years ago, I never take it off.
 
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I do now wear a RoadID anklet that has emergency contact information. One day while I was running I saw several police and ambulance on the road just above my trail. Come to find out a girl was running on the sidewalk and a car veered off the road and hit her. She was in serious condition and had to be taken to the hospital. You never know.
I think.this is a good advise for every runner
 
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I never heard of those Road ID thingies, but I'll keep a look at them. In the meantime, I always carry with me my national ID card, a debit card and a metro ticket :p You never know...
Thank you all for your concerns. I'll let you know what's are the results.
Anyway, yesterday we went for a 20 km hike, and today we went skiing and there was nothing abnormal.
Cheers!
 
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Just a heads up.
I have not been too active for the last week. No runs since the day I fainted, but letting that aside we could say no real run since last 13th of March. On the other hand I went for a 20 km hike that was tiresome but uneventful, and the following day I went snowboarding —again uneventfully.
The BP has been a bit high, though. That and the fact that I tend to have also a high level of colesterol has led my doctor to warn me that I better accept I will start needing medication.
And I had made reaching my 40s without medication one of my goals in life! :mad:
At least I hope I'll be able to make it with no surgeries :D

She has advised me not to take part in this weekend's 5k :(, but... Well, nothing happened during a hike on mountain trails or during a snowboarding session at 2000 m of altitude, so...
Ok, If I go, I promise to take it really easy :happy:
 
That and the fact that I tend to have also a high level of colesterol has led my doctor to warn me that I better accept I will start needing medication.

I had extremely high cholesterol numbers. I refused to take medication and looked for alternative ways to lower my cholesterol. Of course, eating healthy is key, but I found after much reading that I could take Flaxseed Oil (1200 mg) that containes Omega-3 (540 mg). I took one soft gel three times a day for four months. I had my cholesterol rechecked and found that my levels had dropped way down into the healthy range. I now take the same amount everyday to keep my levels in check.
 
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