You never think it will happen to you. . . - What I Learned
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I have since tried to figure out what might be causing my cramping and I have come up with a couple of possible factors.
- I had just received my suit back from Kokatat for repairs and they had replaced all of my gaskets. I had trimmed down the neck gaskets but had not bothered with the wrist gaskets as I did nothing to them in my original suit. So I trimmed the gaskets and stretched them out over night with pop bottles. I have since paddled several 14+ NM trips with no problems.
- I have stopped using NUUN tablets and gone back to what has worked for me in the past to replace electrolytes lost through sweat. I don’t know for sure but it seemed like when I threw up that none of the water I had drank that day had been absorbed.
- I know when I am fighting sea sickness I tend to sweat profusely so I was probably losing water and electrolytes faster than normal. I have since seen my Dr about getting a patch to be worn while paddling in a coastal environment.
Some good take home points learned here are:
- Paddle in a group, had I been alone I would have had to call for help as I was incapacitated.
- When trying new supplements out, do so in an area a little less risky.
- Always stretch and trim new rubber gaskets prior to using.