I heard from someone back channel about getting migraines on the water. I get very serious migraines myself, classical ones with visual disturbances, loss of equilibrium, vision distortion with the horizon, and nausea. I missed 165 days of school between grade 11 and 12, and it kept me from post secondary education. I still miss a lot of work, and I get left croggy for days after to the point that folks think I'm an idiot at times (and one feels like a second-class citizen) What interests me is how other paddlers handle these situations. The back channel e-mailer mentioned laying across someone's deck. I have my front deck paddlefloat stabilizer and my sea Seat "inflatable mini lift raft" if things get bad enough, as I'm usually solo. I don't do drugs at sea, but once back at the beach, out comes the pharmacy. Are there any other medical mini-emergencies that people have to deal with while on the water? What are they and what do you do to alleviate or rectify the problem? Maybe a dumb post, but I'm not easily embarrassed. Just curious. DL *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
----- Original Message ----- From: "Doug Lloyd" <dlloyd_at_telus.net> To: <PaddleWise_at_paddlewise.net> Sent: Friday, April 13, 2001 4:03 AM Subject: [Paddlewise] Sickness on the Water > Are there any other medical mini-emergencies that people have to deal > with while on the water? What are they and what do you do to alleviate > or rectify the problem? . Important question! Diarrhea is hell sitting on the toilet, Migraines are hell in bed in the fetal position in total darkness with no sound, sea sickness is hell standing on a large boat vomiting over the side; this hell has to be compounded to the point of life threatening if these conditions ever struck a solo kayaker far from shore in rough conditions where paddling to shore is not an option; is there much a solo paddler can do once one of these sickness strikes other than floating around in hell, besides radioing for assistance? Fortunately for me, the worst sickness I've experienced to date while kayaking is mild nausea associated with sea sickness. I believe ingesting a ginger cliff bar a half hour prior to paddling on subsequent trips resolved this problem, although I still question whether this is simply a placebo effect. Good question! What in hell do you do? Or is this simply another argument against solo paddling no matter what your skill level? Craig *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Doug, have you had your eyes checked for Glaucoma? I'm guessing yes but I want to make sure. 8-) If yes you might want to get them checked again and regularly. Heck we ALL should do that anyway. Blurred vision, bad headaches, nausea, dizziness, etc are also some of the symptoms for Glaucoma. Well, for Glaucoma that HAS symptoms which is what makes the illness so dangerous. Most Glaucoma cases don't have any real symptoms, you just slowly go blind. My wife, who is fairly young and white, has a form of Glaucoma that has symptoms and even more strange particulars. After being incompetently treated for years by several doctors/specialists, costing her quite a bit of her vision, she now has been correctly diagnosed and is being treated successfully. But her case is very unusual and I'm sure her Dr. at UNC will use her as a case study some day. Glaucoma usually hits older populations and for some reasons blacks suffer more from the illness than whites. Which is why my wife's case is so unusual. But the symptoms you describe are the same ones for some types of Glaucoma. 'Course the same symptoms are also what a women might feel during labor. Are you Preggo Doug? 8-) So watch them EYES! 8-) I'm not a doctor, I don't play one on TV, and I have not slept in whatever hotel that makes one a genius. 8-) Later.... Dan McCarty *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I have migraines every once in a while, about once a month. I experience all symptoms Doug describes, (visual disturbances, loss of equilibrium, vision distortion with the horizon,and nausea) but in my case they last for an hour max. For years I've been trying to find a pattern in the occurences, without much luck. However, I did find something: It appears that I NEVER have a migraine in a moment of serious stress. Never while paddling in surf, driving in the city, on my way to an important meeting, while climbing a rock... It might be coincidence, but it also might be possible that my body can delay a migraine until I can afford to sit it out. I had a simular experience in Sweden last summer, during a solo kayakking trip of 3 days. I was making diner, opening a can of food, and cut my hand quite nasty on the rim of the can. I usually faint at the sight of blood, but I couldn't afford to do that, not this time. I sacrified a handkerchief to absorb the blood while I was looking for the first-aid kit. I went through all the bags in my tent without finding it. I concluded I left it in the kayak, a few minutes of rock-climbing away. I went there, turn the kayak right side up, got the first-aid kit from the hatch, turned the boat over once again, went back to my tent, turned down the stove that will still warming my rice, took care of the wound, layed down for a moment... and promptly fainted. I'm not sure delaying migraines works in the same way, but I surely hope so. Niels. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
In a message dated 4/17/01 1:35:07 PM Eastern Daylight Time, nblaauw_at_foxboro.com writes: << For years I've been trying to find a pattern in the occurrences, without much luck. However, I did find something: It appears that I NEVER have a migraine in a moment of serious stress. Never while paddling in surf, driving in the city, on my way to an important meeting, while climbing a rock... >> Hi Niels. If your theory works and you want those migraines gone forever, marry an Irish woman, have several kids and your stress level will be in the stratosphere. You may, however, wind up with a real pain in the neck and several pains in the ass. Just paddlin' on..... Steve Schmitz *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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