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Has anyone had Anaphlatic shock from swimming in a pool?
Jumped in the pool last night... Swam for 18 minutes when I had to stop due to instant cold-like symptoms (ear ache, nose streaming snot). Started to walk back home and realised I wasn't going to make it. Face started to swell, breathing became difficult. I called my wife for the pick-up (should have called an abulance), and rushed to the ER. Full Anaphlatic shock, 2x epi + benedryl and now I'm feeling better.
So, now I have to figure out if it was something in the pool. I swim there 3x per week and have never had this reaction. I did go through the same thing about 8 years ago and I think it was a cleaning chemical on a gym floor.
On a side note, the bedside manner of a nurse was classic, "Well you are never going to swim again!" Thanks lady, why don't you just tell someone that they are never going to walk again.
I've never experienced anything that bad, but there are times when I just can't stop sneezing or stop my nose from running for days after swimming. It seems somewhat random too, so I tend to believe it's because of a higher-than-normal level of chlorine in the pool on those days. Maybe you just have a stronger reaction (obviously!) than most people. I'd definitely bring it up with the pool manager.
It's a pain in the ass, because I grew up swimming at three really well-maintained pools and never had any allergy problems.
Several possible causes, most cases are internal and not from contact. Go see an allergist.
I would definitely inquire with the pool people! Maybe there are certain times when they're adding a specific chemical which is causing your reaction! Glad to hear you're ok!
Wow. That's no good. Have someone get a water sample for you and talk to an allergist. Could be that they added something new to the water, or could be that your body just developed an allergy to the chemicals they were already using. Either way, you are probably never swimming in that pool again - sucks, but that's reality. How do you think I felt when someone told me that I would never be able to eat deep fried prawns again? Anyway, you have options. Different pools have different chemicals. Swimming in a lake shouldn't be a problem. With an Endless Pool you can control the chemicals that go in to it.
Best of luck getting this sorted out. It is certainly not a career ender, just a challenge.
Wow- serious bummer on that one.
Lot's of things go into pool maintenance. A few of the "basics" of the top (and this isn't even looking at Ozone generators and salt brines)-
-Chlorine levels must/should be at least 2.5ppm in a pool (gov't says at least 1ppm, but that's crazy to keep as your constant)
-ORP at a level to safely sanitize (this is usually above 650mV)
-Alkalinity should be 100-120ppm
-pH should be at 7.4-7.6
In a 25yd/m, 4-6 lane pool, it can sometimes get to be a 24/7 job just to keep things in balance. All it takes is one day of usage and slacking off by the pool staff for a swimmer to pick up a illness. For what you're describing though, this almost sounds like a reaction to a change in the chemicals.
Classic example of this is changing how pools are "shocked." Let's say that it wasn't the "concenctration" of the chemical used to shock, but a different substance altogether (i.e.- sodium monopersulfate, which is what they consider to be a non-CL- shock treatment that is accepted by health dept). If the pool also changed sanitizer completely- bromine instead of chlorine- this could also set off a reaction. There are also enzymes that are dumped in to break up oil and other lotions.
Easy way to find out- contact the local health department, fax over your ER paperwork as proof, and let the good times roll. When you operate a pool for the public, it's not uncommon at all to have surprise inspections or have a user make an inquiry and have them show up. Reason this works is it is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to doctor-up a pool inspection. It takes 1-2 days to get an actual change in the chemical level depending on the size, and if the pool operator doesn't keep up, they'll fail the inspection and it's public record. In a nutshell, if the levels are messed up now, chances are they will be a week from now, which is why it's so important to always keep the levels perfect.
Hope it's getting better-