Starvation & Tiredness

[NovaTTT 2]

It was for our DZ a medium busy day for tandems (8), all after 2 PM. I was packing and because of the way my day went I hadn't eaten since breakfast. It was warm (88°) and pretty humid but I was drinking water throughout the day.

It was after 7 PM when I noticed that I wasn't feeling right. Not ill, not unwell, it was just that my thoughts weren't quick and I was feeling sort of "flat".

So I am packing tandem #7 (Dual Hawk, PRO pack, hanging from mounted hook) and when I get around to the tail to stow the excess brake lines the configuration of the lines is wrong. The stow band is all the way down at the hanging tail-edge, not suspended up near the slider grommets as it should be.

This is where my thinking seemed to stop. I looked at it for a minute and couldn't decide why it wasn't properly configured, I could only recognize that something wasn't right. It's weird because I always notice issues or problems, diagnose and deal with them quickly and then re-check everything to make sure it's OK before moving on. But last night my thoughts simply stopped at recognizing something as not right - I couldn't think beyond recognizing the change.

So I called over our rigger to inspect the job and he noticed the brakes weren't stowed. Step One had been overlooked.

I stopped the pack job, ate a small meal, rested a few minutes and went back to the job feeling right again and with thoughts back in my head.

Packs 7 & 8 went normally and then came the last load - which I declined because I was feeling uncertain of my responses based on the thought roadblock I hit with Pack 7. It's debatable as to whether or not it was a necessary decision but I'd rather be on the ground wishing I was . . . .

It's a cautionary tale. Maybe young(er) jumpers don't have this happen - I certainly don't remember anything like it from my younger days and we used to go at it from dawn to dusk. Maybe it's a one time thing - it's never happened before. I am going to make sure to eat at least light meals when I'm busy at the DZ and am posting this advice to others:

·Don't forget or neglect to eat!
·Ask for a hand when something is not right and you're not sure what it is.
·Stop if you're not feeling right, find out what's wrong and get it together.

Blue ones

Nova

(edited to make a small grammatical correction)

"Even in a world where perfection is unattainable, there's still a difference between excellence and mediocrity." Gary73

[Andy9o8 2]

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Maybe it's a one time thing

No, it's not. It's because you're middle-aged now. I used to skip breakfast, but not anymore or I feel like shit by lunchtime. I have 2 friends, both in their mid-40's, each of whom took themselves to the ER this summer because they skipped breakfast & then went out running around and wound up with chest pains. They're both fine. Each time the docs said they were inadequately fueled for their age, and electrolytes outta whack, due to skipping meals.

Nowadays I always keep a bottle of water & a couple granola bars in my car, just to tide me over in case I have to miss a meal.

Edit: Oh, PS - this past year I had a routine all-purpose blood test to check cholesterol, etc. Seems I have slightly elevated blood sugar now (I never used to). Blood sugar spikes and valleys can also cause those kind of symptoms, affect concentration, etc. When's the last time you had your blood sugar checked?

You're no longer that shiny, new car. It's time to get that 50,000 mile checkup.

[Butters 0]

You didn't mention if your were packing and jumping or just packing but ...

The ebb and flow of adrenaline (and oxygen) throughout a day of jumping, packing, jumping, packing, etc... takes a toll on my body if I don't drink and eat enough (and then there is sleep, sun, etc... to take into account).

"That looks dangerous." Leopold Stotch

[Bertt 0]

Yeah, you're old. That's what your problem is. I've been watching the Tour de France on TV. Some of the best bicycle riders in the world, and they're not old. They eat throughout the day, in addition to drinking lots of water and sports drinks. Most people begin to have a decline in mental and physical performance before they really feel tired. Your story contains a good lesson for all of us.

You don't have to outrun the bear.

[hackish 8]

As a diabetic I have to pay very close attention to my blood sugar. This often involves testing before every jump and about every hour or two while I'm working as a packer. The symptoms you describe are consistant with hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).

-Michael

[NovaTTT 2]

I know I'm getting into middle age and thankfully carry only 10 extra lbs (guess where it is). I'm getting an annual next week so I'll find out what's going on, if anything, when the bloodwork comes back.

I'm going to keep snacks on hand and hope this never happens again. I'll just be ready if it does.

Thanks for the feedback - I hope the OP is helpful or at least thought-provoking for others. Safety isn't just checking gear, dirt diving, etc. We have to stay aware of ourselves too.

Blue ones.

N

"Even in a world where perfection is unattainable, there's still a difference between excellence and mediocrity." Gary73

[airtwardo 7]

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I know I'm getting into middle age and thankfully carry only 10 extra lbs (guess where it is). I'm getting an annual next week so I'll find out what's going on, if anything, when the bloodwork comes back.

I'm going to keep snacks on hand and hope this never happens again. I'll just be ready if it does.

Thanks for the feedback - I hope the OP is helpful or at least thought-provoking for others. Safety isn't just checking gear, dirt diving, etc. We have to stay aware of ourselves too.

Blue ones.

N

Good post...

I realized the importance some years ago doing demos in the hot summer sun, and not sticking to a rest & water & food schedule...

Use to call it 'Double Dumb' 'cause you're not only kinda confused, but you are confused as to WHY you're confused.

People can tend to get so focused on what they're doing it's easy to put off the sammich or a cool down break...these days I'm very aware of the physical indicators there is a problem.


Nothing worse than realizing it's hotter than hell, and yer not sweating~!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[billvon 3,111]

When it's hot out I make it a point to drink at least half a liter of water between loads. It can end up being a lot of water on some days (6 liters on a typical training day!) but it keeps you from falling behind.

[kelpdiver 2]

Even the youthful can overextend themselves this way, but they have a bit more leeway to get away with it. I'm especially vunerable to the sun/heat, which works rather badly given the climate of just about every DZ in California.

[Andy9o8 2]

Yeah. When you're younger (unless you're heavy or have blood sugar issues, or are an athlete), you tend to only think about it in terms of hydration. It's when you start having things like this happen past age 40 that it hits you how important is is to maintain your fuel level thru the day.

[happythoughts 0]

I always mention this type of thing when big boogies are being discussed.

People may be able to get away with one day of poor sleep and food, but over a period of days, it takes its toll.

In an emergency situation, you need to have your entire brain functioning.

[swilson 0]

A couple years ago, I went low on a swoop at the end of a long day and skipped myself off the ground pretty hard. I was very lucky and had no injuries beyond some scrapes and nasty bruises.

Shortly after it happened, I sat down and started looking at why it happened. #1 on the list was that I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. I had been drinking water throughout the day, but it had been very hot, and I had been on the run all day long. All this added up to me being a couple seconds slow in recognizing I was deep in the corner.

Like you, I'm much more conscious now of how important it is to eat.

[mdrejhon 8]

And oxygen jumps done properly!

My first-ever oxygen jump. I didn't properly pre-fill my full face helmet with the good stuff before I exited (16000 feet at Perris). As a result, once I removed the hose while the fullface was open, and then closed the fullface after, it resulted in a low-oxygen environment inside my full face seconds before I exited. So by the time I was opening the canopy, I was starting to feel tired/woozy that lasted for about twenty minutes. It felt almost like I hadn't eaten or drank all day long, even though I did do the trailmix-and-gatorade routine between loads... Top that off with a rushing to the next load, and I noticed I made a rather stupid gear mistake on the ground that was discovered in the waiting area... (Let's just thank the person who pointed it out for me -- I am still kicking myself even to this date, who was totally understanding too!)

Needless to say, subsequent oxygen jumps went wonderfully, ending in my first 49-way

[kelpdiver 2]

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And oxygen jumps done properly!

My first-ever oxygen jump. I didn't properly pre-fill my full face helmet with the good stuff before I exited (16000 feet at Perris). As a result, once I removed the hose while the fullface was open, and then closed the fullface after, it resulted in a low-oxygen environment inside my full face seconds before I exited. So by the time I was opening the canopy, I was starting to feel tired/woozy that lasted for about twenty minutes.

16k AGL, or MSL? Even on an 18k experience, I don't think the failure to "fill" with ~40% for the last few seconds made the difference. Some of us do that in open face helmets - the time it takes to get up there is the big factor - a quick KA is much easier on the body than a slow C206. The otter is in between.

[hackish 8]

At about 16500 in deland I was feeling it a little when I got up to get out. Not sure what that is at MSL but I'd have to guess deland is probably within 500' of sea level.

-Michael

[kelpdiver 2]

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At about 16500 in deland I was feeling it a little when I got up to get out. Not sure what that is at MSL but I'd have to guess deland is probably within 500' of sea level.

The entire state of Florida is within 500' of sea level! (345' to be precise)

Looks like Deland is at 79'.

[NovaTTT 2]

Thanks all for your input and comments. I had a physical yesterday and the preliminaries (BP, pulse, weight) are all good. At 180 lbs I am about 10lbs heavier than I would like to be but I'm within a good range. BP is 116/70 which seems OK. Pulse 56. The bloodwork should be back in a few weeks and I expect (hope) my cholesterol levels are low, if not at least in the "good" range.

Intersting comments on high altitude jumps. Keep 'em coming.

Blue ones

Nova

"Even in a world where perfection is unattainable, there's still a difference between excellence and mediocrity." Gary73

[mdrejhon 8]

Quote

16k AGL, or MSL? Even on an 18k experience, I don't think the failure to "fill" with ~40% for the last few seconds made the difference. Some of us do that in open face helmets - the time it takes to get up there is the big factor - a quick KA is much easier on the body than a slow C206. The otter is in between.

AGL, at Perris. I think that makes it 18K MSL.

I remember there being a go-around on one of the oxygen jumps (although I can't remember if it was this jump or subsequent jump), which meant extra time at 18K, since we all had to reinsert our hoses in a hurry.

On the first oxygen jump, my full face was never fully closed while I had the hose slipping into it, so there was ample opportunity for a low-oxygen environment in my visor. So I think I still had a visor full of 18000ft oxygen sparseness. The door was open and my helmet visor was made fully open temporarily when I removed the hose, so the draftiness immediately blew whatever oxygen buildup I had, out. Then 30 seconds elapsed after hose removal and before exit, so I think there was some time for the oxygen in my helmet to deplete even worse. Many (everyone?) made the same mistake of early hose removal (might have been the go-around) as it was their first oxygen too, but my open visor definitely exacerbated things.

After I pulled, I had the sparkles in my eyes -- a hypoxia symptom that I recognized, and I opened my fullface. Dissappeared seconds after I opened up my fullface. That definitely was a low-oxygen environment in my visor. As I'm already familiar with my hypoxia symptoms (up to the point of tunnel vision), I definitely had it on this oxygen jump. And I remained pretty tired for more than an hour afterwards.

Needless to say, subsequent oxygen jumps was with the oxygen hose routing along my neck, with the full face completely closed above 15000 feet, and removed the hose only at the last minute (10 seconds before exit). Totally full of energy at opening time, this time around! And the fact I docked too

[kelpdiver 2]

suggests that full face helmets have a downside for high altitude jumps, or at least your's. If the air exchange is very low, during the fall it will equalize to ambient pressure, but the lower O2, high CO2 exhaust won't be washed out fast enough.

Is it usual practice to run an O2 hose into the helmet, or just near jump run when you need it fully donned? Even the canolas only give an effective O2 percentage of 40 or 50% due to the lack of seal and I'd think the helmet would be worse. CO2 drives the respiration and if that's not getting flushed out, it will increase your breathing rate which may further diminish the PP02 inside the helmet.

[skittles_of_SDC 0]

I just put in 6 jumps the other day after being up for 24 hours straight, with skittles being my only food. Luckily I didn't have any problems and I'm still alive. I read this post and another one that was similar a couple days before and almost didn't jump. It might be different since I haven't been jumping long but the adrenaline actually wakes me up before it tires me out.

Ironically it's the ride home that almost kills me. I've been know to almost fall asleep and start swerving into oncoming traffic.

[MakeItHappen 15]

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..... Then 30 seconds elapsed after hose removal and before exit, ....

This was your mistake.

There is no reason to go off O2 that early. Wait until the climb out command is given by lights or verbally or visually from the lead AC or noticing that the other AC have floaters out.

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