Nausea and feeling like I'm going to faint after a swim

Hi Megan

I was getting really nauseous during swims and found having a gel about 10 mins before I started sorted me out.  Maybe try drinking the gatorade while swimming or very soon after.  You could try eating something while getting changed.

Hope it gets better soon
Daisy
x 

Do you do flip turns?  I am very prone to motion sickness and cannot do flip turns because they make me sick.  Just a thought.

Go to Wal-Mart and pick up a pair of foam ear plugs. They're about $.25 per pair. Try swimming in them and see if it happens again.

This is really common and it all goes away when wearing ear plugs almost every time.

If the foam ones work, then get something like these:
http://www.isnorkel.com/product-exec/product_id/436/nm/Aqua-Sphere-...
or wax ones:
http://www.earplugsonline.com/u-swimmers.html
These are the ones I have, they work great for me:
http://www.nytro.com/products2.cfm/ID/674

x2

That was happening to me at one particular pool and it appears to be motion sickness. I was usually stuck in the lane that the bottom of the pool was slanted and I think it was messing with my head. Not swimming in that lane seems to have helped. The last two times I swam at that pool though I wasn't working as hard so that might also be a factor. I make sure to have some sour candy in the car since that seems to help me.  

Like the others above, get yourself some earplugs, I haven't had it happen in the pool, but last year when I started open water training, I couldn't even get out of the lake without falling over and wanting to puke.  Started wearing ear plugs and it all went away!  I even wear them in the pool now.  I wear the silicone ones, they form a nice tight seal.

I'm glad to hear that I am not the only one!

Doc's Pro Plugs--they come in all sizes, from tiny kid to XL adult. You can hear a little better with the vented, but those let a little water in. I use the non-vented. Haven't puked from swimming since then.


Edited by TriBee 2010-05-13 9:13 AM

On a related note...

Recently while swimming I've been having to burp...like a lot.  I know that there's no way to NOT end up inhaling a little bit of good old fashioned pool water...is it possible that just the chlorine or something is causing the burping?  If so, that could also be contributing to some of the nausea others are feeling.

I had problems with dizziness, feeling faint, and uncontrollable shaking/shivering after my pool swims.  At the suggestions of some fine folks here on BT, I did two things...I started wearing ear plugs for every swim and I took in about 1/2 of a gel or a few bites of a Clif Bar about 10 minutes before I hit the water.  My issues pretty much cleared up after that.  

What's the temperature of the water and how hard have you swam lately.   Nausea and fainting can be symptoms of heat exhaustion.

Just a thought.

I'm not sure on the tempature of the pool, but it's an indoor and warm, I will have to check. And I don't get the "yikes its cold" feeling when I jump in. That is definitely a thought because the air in the pool area/room is always warm in general. That's why I think that keeping a gatorade on the edge of the pool and taking gel or block 10misn before I swim, like they suggested will help with that hopefully! Otherwise I may have to find another place to swim...hopefully that won't happen because I have a year membership!!!!

My confusion was mostly why it would effect me 15-20mins after I got done swimming.

The last few times I swam that this has happened I've pushed myself pretty hard. I am still learning with the swimming and it always feels like I am working way harder than I need to!! But I do my workouts in 50's and take 15-20 second rest before I do another 50, total 550yds. Like I said beginner and not very impressive.

The nurse (my wife) told me that chlorine is my problem, and that even a small amount of water with chlorine can cause me to burp while swimming.  I started watching my breathing more closely and I have greatly reduced the amount of burping I do.


Now, as far as ear plugs, I have tried multiple types and I have the rubber style that I use at work for sound reduction and they are the only ones that stay in.  The foam ones don't work for me.  But, I know that one of the people I swim with went to ear plugs because of a nausea problem.

x3

If you're getting water in your ears, it can upset your equilibrium and make you nauseous, dizzy, etc.

That's the most likely cause, and the easiest fix.

I use some speedo rubber earplugs that I like which were $4 at the local running/swimming store. 

I had the same problem during the first sprint triathlon I ever did.  It was pretty horrible to try to ride a bike feeling like that.  I realized mine was due to three factors - going way too hard, trying to eat something solid immediately afterward, and most likely a sugar drop.  At my next sprint I solved the problem by drinking some gatorade before the swim, paying serious attention to pacing, avoiding eating anything during the race, and drinking a lot more gatorade after the swim.  I had no problems at all for that race.

Gonna try the ear plugs next swim. Also is there anything else I can use before had instead of gel as being diabetic I can have anything with a high sugar content. Maybe thinking of some oaty cereal bar would that be equvallent