vomiting during matches

D

dr.freestyler

Rookie
ok...i am not super fit...but i am not way out of shape either. For the last year...at least 5 times mid match i get overwhelmed with feeling dizzy/lightheaded/nauseous....and soon vomit. What i notice is it is basically all the water i have been drinking...which isnt a very large amount...perhaps about 16 oz a set. Its like during the match...nothing i drink goes past my stomach. Now...i am an MD....so i know that my sympathetic system takes over when i play....making my bowels function at a very basal rate...but this seems a bit excessive.

Anyone with any experience with this or ways to avoid it? I am considering drinking no more then 8 oz a set. Or just swish and spitting.
 
Supernatural_Serve

Supernatural_Serve

Professional
sameermd said:
ok...i am not super fit...but i am not way out of shape either. For the last year...at least 5 times mid match i get overwhelmed with feeling dizzy/lightheaded/nauseous....and soon vomit.
Click to expand...
Are you sure your heart/vascular system is ok? Being a doctor, maybe you should consider a ultrasound of your heart, a stress test, those vascular tests of major veins, arteries, and maybe an upper GI or a reflux test to see what's going on with your stomach.

You are the doctor not me, but this sounds like a medical problem so why not ask your MD friends who are specialists because this is unusual.
 
G

Geezer Guy

Hall of Fame
You're the doctor, not me, but isn't vomiting and bowel movement sending stuff in opposite directions?

Sounds like it could make one hell of a mess (or two!) on court.
 
LuckyR

LuckyR

Legend
sameermd said:
ok...i am not super fit...but i am not way out of shape either. For the last year...at least 5 times mid match i get overwhelmed with feeling dizzy/lightheaded/nauseous....and soon vomit. What i notice is it is basically all the water i have been drinking...which isnt a very large amount...perhaps about 16 oz a set. Its like during the match...nothing i drink goes past my stomach. Now...i am an MD....so i know that my sympathetic system takes over when i play....making my bowels function at a very basal rate...but this seems a bit excessive.

Anyone with any experience with this or ways to avoid it? I am considering drinking no more then 8 oz a set. Or just swish and spitting.
Click to expand...


Hhhmmm... well, I guess there are a couple of possible explanations, some bad, some not so bad. Delayed stomach emptying of something as thin as water would, naturally be the bad news, although it is also the most unlikely.

As an optimist, I would prefer to take the side of the idea that you are over loading the system during the set, especially if you are in poor shape. Try this: fluid load the night before with whatever you want, then pound 20 oz of dilute Gatorade about an hour before play, then just drink sips, and I mean sips, of water during the match (if that, you really shouldn't need it).
 
Phil

Phil

Hall of Fame
Not to cast aspersions on the OP, but just curious: would an MD normally seek advice on a tennis chat board for such symptoms?
 
PimpMyGame

PimpMyGame

Hall of Fame
I have the same vomiting problem, playing on the morning after a night on the sauce. Just make sure it's strategic, i.e. just before change of ends.
 
D

dr.freestyler

Rookie
thanks for the advice..... In particular "luckyR".

its a bit difficult trying to diagnose/treat yourself so i thought i would get the impartial opinion of other tennis players.....(for those doubting).

my personal opinion is i get a little nervous....increase my sympathetic drive, which decreases peristalisis (thats the normal movement of your bowels pushing things down). Eventually my stomach is tired of holding, especially as i drink more.

MY last match i only took about 12 oz and didnt drink till i wasnt thirsty...just took a sip and waited till every other changer over to take another. It seemed to help.
 
porchdoor

porchdoor

Rookie
i know this one particular girl who started vomiting after meals. after a good month of two she started to look really good.
 
Z

zebano

Semi-Pro
I usually vomited as I entered the chute in cross country races (5k usually). I have no idea why.I gave up cross country racing after 5 consecutive races all ended that way (I was in good shape).
 
D

DraGoNoFfiR3

Guest
sameermd said:
ok...i am not super fit...but i am not way out of shape either. For the last year...at least 5 times mid match i get overwhelmed with feeling dizzy/lightheaded/nauseous....and soon vomit.
Click to expand...


please please i couldnt read anymore, GO TO YOUR DOCTOR BUDDY
 
LuckyR

LuckyR

Legend
sameermd said:
thanks for the advice..... In particular "luckyR".

its a bit difficult trying to diagnose/treat yourself so i thought i would get the impartial opinion of other tennis players.....(for those doubting).

my personal opinion is i get a little nervous....increase my sympathetic drive, which decreases peristalisis (thats the normal movement of your bowels pushing things down). Eventually my stomach is tired of holding, especially as i drink more.

MY last match i only took about 12 oz and didnt drink till i wasnt thirsty...just took a sip and waited till every other changer over to take another. It seemed to help.
Click to expand...


Don't mention it. I'll mail you my bill...
 
C

cshokraii

New User
2 things you should try. The day of the match and actually the night before eat NO FAT!! Pasta with no sauce, plain rice, Maybe something like a plain Turkey sandwich. Bananas are actually the perfect food. During your match, drink a little water and mix in a little gatorade when it's really really hot and you're sweating like crazy. I keep a banana and a powerbar to just kind of ease my stomach when it gets too worked up.
 
F

fridrix

Rookie
I always thought the sodium/specific gravity of sports helps them be absorbed into the small intestine. I would try some Ceralyte (it's expensive though, works out to about $2 a pop). Or at least get a drink with some sodium in it. [This is not to be construed as a substitute for medical advice.]
 
bluestreak711

bluestreak711

Rookie
sameermd said:
ok...i am not super fit...but i am not way out of shape either. For the last year...at least 5 times mid match i get overwhelmed with feeling dizzy/lightheaded/nauseous....and soon vomit. What i notice is it is basically all the water i have been drinking...which isnt a very large amount...perhaps about 16 oz a set. Its like during the match...nothing i drink goes past my stomach. Now...i am an MD....so i know that my sympathetic system takes over when i play....making my bowels function at a very basal rate...but this seems a bit excessive.

Anyone with any experience with this or ways to avoid it? I am considering drinking no more then 8 oz a set. Or just swish and spitting.
Click to expand...

well you outta know as good as anyone you need more than water out in that heat you need more salt in your system and electorytes

a sports drink like gatorade

that may be a start
 
ananda

ananda

Semi-Pro
everyone CANNOT take water while running or playing actively.
I was a long distance runner and could not drink water while running. same thing as you. i read that a lot of people have that problem.
Some athletes who could not, started out by having v tiny amount while running till they could take it durnig comp.
in my case i just have to drink well before, and then after. not during.

I don't think its a big deal if you don't rehydrate during an event. a lot of this is just hype that is created, and then we just believe it.

one more thing, as far as swishing and spitting out. this may make you more thirsty, make your mouth dry out faster. i have tried all this while running years back. there could also be some underlying allergy that cuases this. it could be a wheat or milk allergy.
 
Last edited:
T

tennismx

New User
Phil said:
Not to cast aspersions on the OP, but just curious: would an MD normally seek advice on a tennis chat board for such symptoms?
Click to expand...

Haha I thought the same thing, but then at the same time I was thinking that 16 oz. per set seems like a lot. Is that like one bottle per hour? You're the doctor, but I would think to hydrate well the whole day before and take sips throughout the match. Playing tennis on a full stomach of food or liquid never seems like a good idea lol. Of course I'm small-ish so it doesn't take much to fill me up.
 
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