Sending so many prayers. I hope you get some answers soon!
On a brighter note - SUPER congrats on the new job!!
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well I didn’t expect to come here and read that. Hopefully you can get some more test and more details from a specialist and work though a way to eliminate or manage.
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5/13/2025 Tuesday
Folks, I’m flattened. Completely floored. I don’t know what other words to use to describe this.
I’ve logged pretty comprehensively how, since around 4/19/2025, nearly every attempt at exercise has concluded with me vomiting.
Now it’s very possibly NOT a heart problem, and some kind of GI thing or an inner ear thing (motion related).
But the EKG showed (whether accurate or not) a possible previous heart attack. And the incident at the coffee shop COULD have been one. And even a brisk walk can make me throw up, so I have to be careful.
All this while starting a new job, lol.
And I’m going to get fat pretty quick if I don’t slow WAY down on the food. I was burning off a lot of calories with those spartan workouts, now I’m a freakin couch potato.
Dr called in referrals to cardiology, the cardiologist is MONTHS OUT. And I live on a tiny ass island with an overwhelmed medical system so there aren’t a lot of choices. And I don’t want to fly to the mainland for care for a NUMBER of reasons, not the least of which, is I feel like travel was part of the problem to begin with.
Wish me luck, people. I’ll see you on the other side.
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You’ve got this dude. You’re too tough to kill. If there’s any way we can help, reach out.
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On Tuesday the 14th, I was on the phone with an old friend and suddenly just started heaving. Ran outside and dry-heaved. No exercise or physical activity was involved.
Wednesday night, as I laid down to sleep, I told my wife: I’m better now.
No rational reason. Just a gut feeling. I’m going to be OK.
Thursday after work I surfed.
Cut my session pretty short to be safe, I needed a “win” of not barfing. Win achieved.
If I’d have stayed out longer, would I have thrown up again? Maybe. But I didn’t. I’m going to be healthy.
I’m going to WILL MYSELF to get over this.
Effing doctor won’t respond or order followup labs, besides the cardiology labs which are weeks or months out.
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I love the thought process dude.
If things take a turn in the other direction: Brian Alsruhe went through a phase of vomiting over 50 times per day, and couldn’t get any sort of medical explanation for it, until he got screened for parasites and then he had an answer. That might be something to consider, as it tends to fly under the radar. Got a buddy in strongman that went through the same thing.
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I had a doctor tell me when I was in my 30s I had spinal cancer. So he ordered an MRI. A month wait. I said shouldn’t an MRI be something I should get, today? I waited the month. Got the MRI and did not hear from the bastard. I ended up heading to my GP. He had to hunt down the results. I have spinal arthritis (among other bone deformities…). Apparently there was a note, “Ask patient if he played college football?” That was it. No, I never played football of any kind. I have felt your frustration.
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5/19/2025 Monday
To recap:
I’ve been vomiting during exertion for weeks.
Dr doesn’t know what to say
EKG abnormal
Can’t get a followup for weeks
Decided on 5/15 that I’m just going to be better.
Sunday 5/18 I took a long walk and did a very short jog during it. Didn’t vomit.
Also bought and started a 14-day course of once-daily Prilosec (which in retrospect should have tried earlier in this process).
Today, Monday, trying to get back on routine but keep it light and work my way up.
Started with a half mile walk, then a mile run to the park, then 20 pullups and 60 air squats. Then a mile walk back.
No nausea. YES!!!
Now I can get back on a routine, slowly work back to where I was, and if the nausea recurs, I’ll be paying close attention to what the thresholds and triggers are.
Oh BTW - remember the wrist I thought I broke 5 weeks ago? Yeah, still horribly painful, like shooting pain under any compression load or even without load when “extending” (whatever the equivalent of dorsiflexion is for wrists). So pushups and any kind of weight lifting is out, but pullups don’t hurt at all.
Due to how long it’s been hurt, I don’t know what to think. But I’d rather be limited by a wrist injury than by whatever systemic problem had me down the last few weeks.
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5/21 Wednesday
Up at 4:30, took care of the dog and had a black coffee, then outside just after 5:00 for this:
1 mile run to park
8 rounds EMOM of:
-4 pullups
-10 air squats
Minor barfing incident here; had planned on 10 rounds and on running about 3/4 of the way back.
Stopped the session and walked back instead.
Not all is lost here
Yes, I barfed, and may consider that a setback; but it’s not so bad. I’d had only black coffee and a little bit of water, and it was just after 5AM; and I’d become so thirsty I was practically gagging on my own tongue. I mean if I’d just carried a bottle of water with me, like I usually do, I’d probably have been fine.
Lesson learned from this sesh: hydrate more thoroughly first, and bring water. Try it again Friday and hope for a better result.
Either way, there’s no way this was heart-related, as we had feared. It’s gotta be something in my digestive system. Which, while sucky, isn’t the end of the world. I’ll get better, I already AM.
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Love the positive outlook here, and the will to push on in uncertainty, it’s a massive boon for facing any illness.
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Damn, so sorry about the weird health scares you’ve also been experiencing. But your perseverance inspires me in my own situation. Hopefully it isn’t a cardiac issue, though whatever it is seems extremely weird.
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5/23/2025 Friday
Up at 430. Took care of the dog.
This time, I drank plenty of water and a little coconut water (electrolytes etc) and brought water with me:
-1 mile run to park
-10 rounds EMOM, 4 pullups and 10 squats
-about 3/4 mile run back (per plan).
Amazing how quickly my ability to run up hills faded. But it’s fine. I didn’t barf or even get naseuous!
This is a step in the right direction. From here I’ll carefully step it up, and see if the barfing returns or if I can fend it off.
Of note: my left wrist is completely worthless, still, with shooting pains under any compression or bending certain directions. But doing pullups it is perfectly fine.
No lifting or pushups for the foreseeable, though. And no sandbag heaving, either, which would actually be cool right about now.
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Really sorry to hear you’re still having problems, I used car towing straps to rig up so I could deadlift without using my arms a while back, and SSB for squats? No work arounds for sandbags unfortunately, shame because they are cool!
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5/24 Saturday - weekend update:
Kayaked the paddleboard upwind from Kailua beach to Lanikai beach, and back. This is a serious water treadmill - wind and current pushing you toward the rocks the entire way, both directions. I was a little worried about my left wrist but I’m pleased to report that it held up just fine, and in fact I think this stimulus may have been good for it.
Then while at Lanikai I kept working - towing the kids etc, fighting wind and current the whole time. Burned a lot of calories and had no barfing issues.
Logistically here’s how this works - I drop the fam off at Lanikai, where there is almost no parking, then drive to Kailua to launch the paddleboard and go solo to join them. We hang at the beach, then I go solo back to the car. Lot of fun and my favorite beach on the island.
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5/26/2025 Monday
OK I’m really happy with how the day went.
Early AM:
-1 mile run to park
-10 rounds EMOM,
– 3 pullups
– 3 pushups on fists
– 10 squats
-0.8 mile run toward home
No vomiting!
Still can’t extend my left wrist sufficiently for pushups - shooting pains when I get close - but I found I can make a fist, plant my knuckles in the grass, and do these. A massive win. The wrist felt so much better after the paddleboarding session Saturday.
Next:
Family surfing session. Pretty serious cardio, as I’m not good at it so I have to put a lot of energy into it. I went pretty hard and didn’t throw up.
Next: Family walk to park, and brought the “sled”. I sprinted back and forth giving kids rides. Not a long session but was “proper chuffed” so I know it was good for me. And… no vomiting!
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So awesome to see things turning around for you here dude!
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5/28/2025 Wednesday
2.4 mile run, 2.4 mile walk back, no issues!
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5/30/2025 Friday
It’s good to be normal again!
1 mile run to park
20 rounds EMOM
-3 pullups
-3 pushups (easing in to using my wrist again)
-8 squats
1 mile run home.
No nausea or anything.
Now I can start planning what my “new normal” is going to be with my unusual work situation!
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Some quick notes on the “unusual work situation” and its implications for my routine:
a) I’m 5 hours behind Central time, where most of my new colleagues are based. I work entirely from home.
b) I’ve been getting up at 4:30 and generally feel “behind” by the time I get online. On training days, that’s around 6:00 (give or take a shower), and that’s with these short from-home training sessions I’ve been doing; on non-training days I have side hustle work to do until 6:00 as well, so that’s become my start time - and is 11:00 Central, thus me constantly feeling “behind”.
c) There’s a newish dog in the house, and as I’m the first one awake, the dog has been a big challenge for my routine. Getting better, though.
d) I have a barbell and plates tucked away in the garage, could bring them out. The ceiling is low and the ground outside is sloped too much, so I’m not thrilled about prospects there.
e) I have a 100lb sandbag.
f) I am one mile away from a great park with pullup bar, and hell, 1/4-mile away from a park with some kids equipment I can sorta do pullups on
g) I live on a hill. There’s a nice straight low-traffic quarter-mile section of hill at the endof my street.
h) There is a phenomenal gym about 15/20 minutes away, but I’d have to pay for it and schedule the trip into my routine often enough to make it worth the $. It’s way harder to justify driving to a gym and back when it’s not on the way to work and it’s “after work” instead of early morning, so basically during family time instead of sleep time.
Short term: 2 miles of running and 20-30 minutes of calisthenics at the park is not a bad thing to do 3 times per week. So no urgent need for a new plan. But it would be fun of course to do some other things, and get back onto a barbell.
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6/2/2025 Monday
100lb sandbag.
Carry 1/4 mile downhill to park.
10 rounds EMOM 5 sandbag squats 2 pullups.
First 6 or 7 rounds each included 2 overhead presses, kinda, but they weren’t working abd I couldn’t maintain the pace.
Then 3x10 pushups
Then carry the bag back up the hill to home.
During pushups I was accosted by this beast:
Bear in mind its 5am, pitch black, I’m facedown doing pushups when suddenly this dude puts his face against me! Massive shock to the system.
Luckily he had a tag with phone number. Owner came within 15-20 minutes and I could start the uphill carry.
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