My brother, who is rather fit (from weight training and cycling, plus, recently, kayaking) fainted yesterday. He phoned me to ask what his low blood pressure and pulse meant, and what was usual. Also, he knows that I've had dizzy spells from low blood pressure in the past (100/60). A doctor measured his vital signs at 94/62 and 58, respectively, which makes him now both bradycardic (as in, a fit person) and hypotensive. I don't think he's had problems like that in the past. Here's what apparently happened;


My brother Vegar, who is 26, just recently joined a kayaking club. He has been at a river rapids course the last few days, and yesterday morning he fainted during the morning briefing. He says they were all standing, and he felt cold and dizzy, so he thought he'd better sit down, then he fainted, suddenly. It wasn't a very hot day, I assume he'd had breakfast, and he'd had lots of water, he says. The only thing he could think of was that he was really tired from much kayaking...


My question is this, has anyone reading this had a similar experience tied to exercize? Vegar has not been kayaking long, so the intense exercize in this course is new to him. Both our mother and I have low blood pressure, our father developed hypertension after almost 60 years with no trouble whatsoever. Vegar is taking asthma drugs, I'm foggy on which ones, but that has never, I believe, been a problem in exercizing for him before now.


Health professionals, exercize buffs, anyone with an opinion, please weigh in!