Does anyone else get light headed and that nausea feeling?

[chrissymocon]

Yes I am going to see if my coach can just remind me to breathe because I know sometimes I focus on my breathing but I can’t say 100% I’m aware all the time.
I’ve also had two fairly bad falls, not horse related.but both had I made contact with my noggin pretty hard. Too add to my matters I have one lazy eye which is an issue with depth perception so possibly could cause a degree of motion sickness? I’m going to see the doc on Monday afternoon. So hopefully he’ll be able to confirm what exactly is going on.
You guys are fantastic though! I was concerned I was the only one dealing with this nonsense but I’m not alone and there seems to be answers

[QUOTE=PaintPony;7996244]
Agreed! I used to hold my breath on course when I was showing and I would come out of the ring dry heaving. I never even knew I was doing it until I had someone watch me closely. They all assumed the pseudo-puking was due to nerves.[/QUOTE]

[boosma47]

Hitting the head and any kind of whiplash can contribute to this condition. Keep alternative therapy a possibility if symptoms persist. Chiropractic, accupuncture, cranial-sacral work…all can help structural issues big time.

Do you spend alot of time on computer or other electronic devices?

[PonyTales]

I feel like that ALL the time with most any movement. I second to having your neck & head area examined for damage especially if you have had major accidents in the past. Lots of things happening in cervical spine, atlas, brain could cause problems of this nature. Its a complicated & vulnerable area. Your symptoms are similar to many diagnosis that it could take your Doctor years to figure it out.
In my experience of what you describe most of those symptoms can be controlled by medication, but better to find a cause. I hope its nothing serious & that your Doctor figures it out quickly … so that your back in the saddle swiftly

[Equitational]

I’ve had bouts of mild heat exhaustion which lead me to be dizzy, light headed and tunnel vision. That only occurred during summer when I was working at the barn 12hrs day (in 90+ degree weather). I got the same symptoms last week when lunging a young horse (well I think I may have been working harder than the horse which may have been the problem). I had to squat down to relieve the symptoms. I was slightly nauseas after. I blamed it on dehydration (didn’t drink any water all day, but had ate lunch).

[BAC]

I get lightheaded and nauseous but only in the hot humid summer weather. And I’m fine while im riding, it doesn’t hit me until I dismount. Then I frequently get overcome and have to sit down suddenly before I fall down, sometimes I sit down right in the stall as I’m untacking. Once I blacked out for a few seconds. I take blood pressure meds and diuretics and find I can lessen the symptoms by drinking lots of water and staying well hydrated.

[chrissymocon]

This is 100% how I felt on Monday. My feet were freezing about 15min in so I took a break to warm them up for about 5min rolling my feet out of the stirrups as soon as I started working circles again my hands got cold I stopped actively riding and I immediate had to get off it was an overwhelming feeling of nausea and light headedness.
That’s how it felt the first two times it happened in the summer the second I stopped focusing on riding it was seeing spots and nausea. The last time it happened it happened in the summer I used the hose to douse my head with cold water and immediately felt better which was why I thought it might just be heat related. But it appears even in frigid cold weather it happens as well.

[QUOTE=BAC;7998573]
I get lightheaded and nauseous but only in the hot humid summer weather. And I’m fine while im riding, it doesn’t hit me until I dismount. Then I frequently get overcome and have to sit down suddenly before I fall down, sometimes I sit down right in the stall as I’m untacking. Once I blacked out for a few seconds. I take blood pressure meds and diuretics and find I can lessen the symptoms by drinking lots of water and staying well hydrated.[/QUOTE]

[BAC]

[QUOTE=chrissymocon;7998633]
This is 100% how I felt on Monday. My feet were freezing about 15min in so I took a break to warm them up for about 5min rolling my feet out of the stirrups as soon as I started working circles again my hands got cold I stopped actively riding and I immediate had to get off it was an overwhelming feeling of nausea and light headedness.
That’s how it felt the first two times it happened in the summer the second I stopped focusing on riding it was seeing spots and nausea. The last time it happened it happened in the summer I used the hose to douse my head with cold water and immediately felt better which was why I thought it might just be heat related. But it appears even in frigid cold weather it happens as well.[/QUOTE]

i never have a problem in the cold and I also get the spots in my eyes that you mentioned. I can’t look at the bright sun either. It was bad enough that I considered stopping riding in the summer.

[eclipse]

If you have very low blood pressure when you stop excersice it will drop back down fast and you’ll get the symptoms your describing… Let your Dr know and they can put a Holter monitor on you to see what’s going on (you’ll wear it for 24 to 48 hrs and go about your regular activities , any abnormalities in heart rate etc will show up and help them diagnose)…

because my migraine meds cause low BP I am very very cautious about stopping ex cerise too fast, standing up after sleeping etc otherwise I can find myself fainting and vomiting!

[secondteam]

Definitely talk to a doctor about it! I had a similar issue that turned out to be something called postural orthostatic tachycardia (basically, low blood pressure/high heart rate causes lightheadedness and I occasionally pass out when I go from sitting to standing, or change position - like when dismounting). Staying on top of hydration and eating more salt helped a LOT but I never would have figured out what was going on had I not seen a cardiologist. Now I very rarely have these issues unless I’ve been doing some serious cardio.

In the meantime, definitely keep up on your water intake. My biggest tip is to get one of those big plastic 32-oz water bottles and bring it to the barn with you, especially if you only get these symptoms when riding. Drink the whole thing over the course of your time there (some while you’re tacking up, some while you’re cooling out, etc), and don’t forget to take breaks to drink during your ride! Taking those five minutes in the middle of your lesson to rehydrate is so important, even if it’s freezing cold.

[zakattack]

[QUOTE=secondteam;8000906]
Definitely talk to a doctor about it! I had a similar issue that turned out to be something called postural orthostatic tachycardia (basically, low blood pressure/high heart rate causes lightheadedness and I occasionally pass out when I go from sitting to standing, or change position - like when dismounting). Staying on top of hydration and eating more salt helped a LOT but I never would have figured out what was going on had I not seen a cardiologist. Now I very rarely have these issues unless I’ve been doing some serious cardio.

In the meantime, definitely keep up on your water intake. My biggest tip is to get one of those big plastic 32-oz water bottles and bring it to the barn with you, especially if you only get these symptoms when riding. Drink the whole thing over the course of your time there (some while you’re tacking up, some while you’re cooling out, etc), and don’t forget to take breaks to drink during your ride! Taking those five minutes in the middle of your lesson to rehydrate is so important, even if it’s freezing cold.[/QUOTE]

This! I have this as well, and was ‘diagnosed’ by the Holter monitor test eclipse mentioned.

Its technically not a diagnosis, because many things can cause it, but an umbrella term for the symptoms including syncope, over heating, tachycardia, fainting, nausea, etc. that are sometimes hard to pinpoint what exactly is causing them.

Eating salty snacks and making sure you are drinking lots and lots of water will help a lot. When starting or stopping activity, or going from standing to sitting and vice versa, be sure to perform these actions slowly. Maybe, for example, go from a canter, to a posting trot, to a sitting trot, and then walk? To keep your heart rate and blood pressure from slowing to suddenly. Doing things like picking out feet and dismounting are often times I feel it.

As others have said, however, be sure to go to the doctor! They can accurately tell you whats going on and make sure nothing more serious is afoot

[SendenHorse]

I also had tacycardia and it was remedied by a surgery. These episodes were misdiagnosed for years as panic attacks-- I did feel other weird symptoms like anxiety, lightheaded, dizzy, but this was never a true panic attack.

Good luck in getting a diagnosis!

[Long_Spot]

[QUOTE=DaniW;7995764]
Yes see a doctor. I simply have an easily elicited vaso-vagal response and I’m prone to getting overheated . I only had this twice or three times in a riding lesson (never when not in a lesson) although I have ridden in 100 degree weather frequently through out my life. But you do need to rule out a really serious problem.[/QUOTE]

I’m exactly the same. It can be such a pain in the rear.

And yes, for sure see a Doc!

[chrissymocon]

Update! My doctor said “likely hypoglycaemia” but he wants me to do a few tests. Holter monitor as well as testing my blood sugar before,during and after activity. Few other tests as well. Hopefully it get figured out soon!

[One_Two_Three]

[QUOTE=chrissymocon;8004689]
Update! My doctor said “likely hypoglycaemia” but he wants me to do a few tests. Holter monitor as well as testing my blood sugar before,during and after activity. Few other tests as well. Hopefully it get figured out soon![/QUOTE]

best of luck! just want to add that I have the exact same issues and they stemmed from not breathing while riding. Particularly while jumping. My trainer had me count my strides to fences and it helped immensely to not only breathe but also develop a good eye to distances. If you’re not jumping, just counting your strides at the canter, your beat at the trot, OUT LOUD, can keep you breathing. I also STOPPED eating before riding. I found if I had eaten anything 2 hours or sooner before I rode, I got much more nauseated during the ride. Obviously if it’s hypoglycemia, that’s a NO No, but if all comes back normal, think about sticking to a sports drink that does have some sugar in it to keep your sugar up, and maybe try not to eat, or eat a whole lot, before you ride.

It’s a pain in the butt, but you’re not alone!