Okay, for all you studly open water swimmers, how do you deal with your sinus’s after? Seems like every time I swim in open water, my nose goes nuts for a few days, running, sneezing, etc.
Is there something to buy to eliminate this issue?
Thanks
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Nose plug or Advil cold and sinus directly after swim.
Blast the crap out of your nose with a nasal spray.
I use saline with Eucalyptus after any open water and very long runs or bike rides…
The amount of dust and shite that gets up there is staggering and evident on the first post flush blow…
It is in my experience alot of this crap / debris than if left to sit up there seems to lead to infections.
I also do this after long haul flights for simialr reasons… every little helps to keep the common cold at bay… and the amount i travel its a serious impediment to training plans.
See if it helps for you.
+1 on the Neli Med with the squeeze bottle. Works really well.
This just started happening to me. Glad to see some suggestions. I was afraid I was going to have a sinus infection after last weekend’s Olympic. Will try out some of these products.
+2 neti pot. You won’t regret. Great after pool swims as well
with your sinus’s what? 
FWIW this is fairly normal - I always sneeze for a bit after swimming. Neti pot might help.
Thanks everyone. Will look into these.
I did my around my lake, 2.25 mile swim this morning with a scuba mask and center snorkel. May have saved the nose, but boy does that stuff hurt the face.
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I’m dealing with this issue right now. Did two races last weekend and this week has been a bitch.
This didn’t use to happen so I’m curious what new has entered the water in the last 4 or 5 years. The lining of my sinuses just swell up completely, seals them off tight as a dolphin’s ass.
I use nose plugs most of the time but not a fan for races. It helps a lot but not a complete fix. I use the Vick’s sinus spray when it is at its worst, but that stuff has a rebound effect when you come off of it so I try to use it sparingly. I’ve done the saline rinse and it can help some, but again not a complete fix. Advil helps bring down the swelling as well.
I’ve spent this week hiding out in conference rooms so my coworkers don’t have to listen to me snorting and choking on snot.
I’ve got an appointment for a physical with my doctor coming up and this is definitely on my agenda. Want to find out if something like Flonase or the like can help without the rebound of the Vick’s. In the nend, if I need to get to sleep, the Vick’s sinus spray is my go to.
I have had severe allergies in the fall months in the past. I have been through all the usual allergy meds and shots several years ago. Finally found that Using Nasonex BEFORE they hit really helps. Then started having problems in summer months after lake swims. So now I hit the Nasonex the day before and morning of lake swims and it works. Real allergy sufferers understand, sometimes you don’t care what it is if it works.
glad you posted this. i have same issue for a few years and just dealt with it. im def. gonna try the saline . thanks
benton harbor, one week away . yeah daddy
For me this has been going on for as long as I have tried to swim in the lake where I live, which is now 24 years. I found a post started by Herbert asking what to do, that I posted in on 2008 but no good solutions there.
I will be trying the NeilMed Sinus Rinse bottle, which I find is why my mother in law uses. So if it does not work, I give it to her.
The scuba mask and center snorkel is just a pain for long swims. Luckily I only need a few more before IMLT then I am done. So if I do not find a solution, it would not kill me, but sure would love
to get some longers swims in next season.
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Advil Cold & Sinus an hour before the swim. Saline spray to rinse out the sinuses afterwards. I have found that the longer the continuous exposure, the worse off I am. By this I mean if I do an hour continuous as one segment, things will be real bad. If I do multiple segments standing up to let the sinuses drain out between them, things are a lot better.
I had a similar problem and it was so bad I hated swimming so bad. I talked to my primary care doc an athlete also and he refered me to a nose doctor. My septum was really badly deviated and I had a surgery to fix it. After three years never go sick, no stuffy nose when I swim. Freaking love swimming now. It may not be the case for you since all my siblings had the same suregeru. Worth looking at maybe?
Several suggestions sound like they would work. for me post swim I bend over a shake my head from side to side and gently blow out through my nose. I get lots of water out this way, I do it again later too.
I have a similar issue that is mildly annoying after any open water swims, but after I have swam lake Monona, my sinuses completely block up 2-3 hours after I get out of the water, and I cannot breath out of my nose for a couple of days. Well, my first IM is next year in Lake Monona and the thought of not being able to breath half way through the bike is not appealing. Any thoughts on why one body of water is so much worse than another and what I should do during a race?
So far what I have done is take the suggestion of trying the Smiley’s nose plug. I have tried lots of different brands, but these, even though not cheap, work so much better than
anything else. I will need to try swimming around my lake with it one of these days, but so far, sure does a much better job keeping the water out of my nose.
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Find a solution? Possibly your nose clip is too small or not tight enough, allowing some water in? Preventing water to contact nasal mucosa may be more effective than rinsing afterwards. Try Vaseline barrier with nose clip.
So far the smiley nose clip has been great. By far the best fitting, tight, and not allowing water in of any nose clip I have used. Hoping I will not
need anything extra like Vaseline, but will see.
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I seem to be allergic to something in fresh water. I wear a nose clip, do a sinus rinse, shower (with a solar camp shower) and take a Benadryl after the race or swim. I can do some training swims early in the season while the water is still cold but once Summer gets here OWS is race day only.