problems during exercise

[cmd77]

I'm a 29 year old male.  Since I was 11, I've had problems sometimes during exercise. The symptoms are excactly as follows:
fullness in ears (like pressure change), immediately followed by feeling cold and clammy, extreme weakness (i can't stand), severe sweating, very pallid, extremely bad nausea.  Sometimes, i get a tingling in my lips.  This lasts about 20 minutes.  Now, this is the only medical problem i have had my whole life, and i have been told different things by different doctors, including meniere's disease, mitral valve prolapse, and nothings wrong with me.  I was at the gym when this happened one time and a nurse was there.  She told me this was definitely not normal.  She took my blood sugar and it was 85, not low enough to be a concern, i guess, but a little low.  I am in excellent shape (i work out 3-4 times/week), and it pains me when sometimes i can't do what my smoking, out of shape friends can do.  It is intermittent, and during the treadmill heart test i had when i was 20, it did not happen.  I have a lot of problems recently, and i bought a blood sugar monitor.  I kept records for about a month, and my blood sugar averages between 80-100 consitently.  I understand that this is not low enough to be a concern but the symptoms fit pretty well.  I have not been to a doctor in a while because of lack of health insurance.  My ultimate worry is that i have something undiagnosed wrong with my heart, and one day i wont get back up from my weight lifting.  I know it is not dehydration or heat exhaustion, i have narrowed those down myself.  The reason i dont think it's meniere's is i dont really have vertigo, just the fullness, no ringing or anything else and i don't experience these symptoms at any other time.  The anti-dizziness medication doesnt work.  Sometimes i can work out for an hour and a half, sometimes no more than 15 minutes before getting sick.  I'm looking into getting insurance, can you at least give me some insight as to the most likely causes and what tests i should have the doctor run.  I normally do not have problems when running, i normally go about a mile or two.  However, my friend and i used to play racket ball, and i could not keep up.  Consistently, i never got sick, but got fullness, popping in ears, then i was weak and fatigued, but it never progressed worse than that.  I would think that i was out of shape if my buddy wasn't 40 pounds overweight and smokes, and i've been working out for 10 years.  I suspect this might happen when my heart rate gets too high, but i cannot be sure.  Thank you.

[eq555]

A related discussion, Abdominal Cramping while doing sit ups was started.

[rc45]

I have similar symptoms.  
I get light headed, shortness of breath, and rapid heart rate after short bursts of intense exercise as well as plugged/ringing ears where I can't really hear anything for several minutes until I catch my breath.  I think I also have exercise intolerance as my muscle feels 'burned out' after 2 sets of weights and I cannot even think of doing another set.  I get tired relatively quickly during exercise and start yawning.  Calf/leg cramps are also frequent after more prolonged exercise (eg. mid-way through a soccer match)  
Since I was young, I have always felt that I was not able to keep up even though I exercise regularly and normal weight etc.  
I have a low heartrate (<50 bpm; thyroid is normal) although it seems to 'race' quite fast when I exercise.  I don't know about my blood sugar levels but I do feel that I am sensitive to sugar levels and feel 'hypoglycemic' so I need to eat frequently.  
I have considered mitochondrial disorders and glycogenosis disorders but my family physician has not suggested any follow-up with specialties.  Perhaps my heart races but blood volume is not adequate???
Anyway... if anybody has any suggestions, I'd appreciate it.  

[bweb]

Gee, I hope you are still looking at this thread...

I also exhibit some of the same symptoms you have...

Do you feel like you are almost going to faint when you get these episodes?....sounds like you may be going through a pre-syncope event...check out vasovagal syndrome...those who have mitral prolapse have a greater chance of having this....

I have been told "there is nothing they can do about this"..increase the salt in your diet, etc."

[mrsmd]

As already mentioned, your symptoms really sound like they could be heart-related, especially the tingling around you lips - this can be due to high CO2/low oxygen in the blood. You can get this from something like a panic attack where you hyperventilate without realizing it, or an abnormal heart rhythm. You can have an abnormal heart rhythm without a structural problem so an echo might not help. I would see if you can get a 24 hour heart monitor to try to capture what your heart is doing during the symptoms.

[cmd77]

thank you for the info wanda.  i've alway wondered if it could be low blood sugar, but my doctors told me that 80 was "normal", so i don't know.  and, if i understand correctly, there is no cure for hypoglycemia, just diet changes.  i have recently tried going without sugar for about 2 months, and though i have felt generally better and more energetic, i still have had problems while excersing sometimes.  i have also up'd my calories with protein shakes and weight gainers.  we'll have to see if this works.  appreciate your input.  

chris

[WandaB]

I suffer from Hypoglycemia.  When my bs goes in the range of 80's or lower I start getting weird feeling, light headed, shaky, stomach feels empty (not hungry), sweating, heart palpations, I even get weird feelings in my arms and legs, I get weak also.  I have have had heart workups but nothing was found.  I have a leaky heart valve that was all that they found.  I am now under a Endocronologist for the bs, who has put me on a 2000 - 2500 a day diet.  I am now in the process of finding a dietitian to work with me.  I still have a lot of bad days but am told that when I get on the right diet I will start feeling better.  I also have to fast for at 12-14 hours to have some blood workup done to see why I have Hypoglycemia.

Hope that you feel better and find out what your problem is.

[WandaB]

I suffer from Hypoglycemia.  When my bs goes in the range of 80's or lower I start getting weird feeling, light heades, shaky, stomach feels empty (not hungry), sweating, heart palpations, I even get weird feelings in my arms and legs, I get weak also.  I have have had heart workups but nothing was found.  I have a leaky heart valve that was all that they found.  I am now under a Endocronologist for the bs, who has put me on a 2000 - 2500 a day diet.  I am now in the process of finding a dietitian to work with me.  I still have a lot of bad days but am told that when I get on the right diet I will start feeling better.  I also have to fast for at 12-14 hours to have some blood workup done to see why I have Hypoglycemia.

Hope that you feel better and find out what your problem is.

[Kevin Pho, MD]

Cardiac diseases can lead to the symptoms you are desecribing.

A stress test would be a good start, and repeating it can be considered.  This should be combined with an echocardiogram - which can image the heart for any valve abnormalities.  

If the heart tests come up non-revealing, you can consider a referral to an ENT physician.  Imaging the sinuses and perhaps the head (i.e. with a CT and MRI respectively) can be considered to rule out any sinus or neurological etiology.

You can discuss these options with your personal physician, or in conjunction with an appropriate consultant.

Followup with your personal physician is essential.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Kevin, M.D.
kevinmd_