Every time I start back swimming, I get sinusitis. I can lay off of swimming for about a month and it clears up. There appears to be some research to indicate that this happens to some people, but I cannot find any indication that there is anything that can be done to stop it. I will have to stop swimming altogether if I cannot find a way to control this. I have tried nose clips, but I still get infected sinuses.
Has anyone had this problem and found a solution that worked for them?
My doctor told me to constantly use saline solution to help with my chronic sinus problems. I now have a bottle at home, at work, and in my gym bag. Use it before and after swimming, and use a humidifier in your room at night (especially in the winter, when it tends to be very dry - of course, in Arizona, it'a ALWAYS dry). Do NOT (under any circumstances) use those decongestant nasal sprays (Afrin, etc); they'll destroy your mucus membranes. The saline and humidifier will help maintain happy mucus membrane, thus allowing them to handle the nasty chlorine and such that the pool tosses at them. Drinking lots of water (the non-chlorinated kind) helps, too, as proper hydration keeps that mucus happy as well.
Since I started regular use of the saline, I've had almost no sinus problems from the pool. I do take Claritin for other allergies, and the combination of that an saline therapy helps oodles.
Kae
I have been suffering with the same problem. It started after my pool changed from chlorine to bromine about 6 weeks ago. I went to my doc, and he gave me a script for anti-biotic, thinking I just had a cold. I am going to try the saline spray suggested.
How common is bromine as a sanitizing chemical in pools?
I have heard many people find relief by spraying their nose with saline after they swim. The saline "rinses" the chlorine out of their sinuses decreasing the irritation. Its a cheap remedy worth trying! There is a brand called"ocean" that is in most drug stores. Good luck! ;)
Is your sinusitis related to allergies?
If it is maybe you're reactig to chlorine, and then you get a secondary sinus infection as a result?
Wht does your doctor saay?
Conniekat may be right. A lot of swimmers have a sensitivity to high concentrations of chlorine, and while most of these allergy-type reactions tend to cause asthma, or sports-induced asthma, you could be reacting to it with sinusitis.
Definitely talk to your doctor about this, or see an allergist to see what can be done about it.
Bromine is not as common as chlorine. It is usually more expensive to use bromine then it is to use chlorine so a lot of pools stick with chlorine. It is used over chlorine because it is considered to be safer then using chlorine.
Many allergists have told me that chlorine is not an allergen. It is an irritant like aspirin.
One of the major causes of sinuses being clogged, ruhnny or stuffed-up has nothing to do with chlorine. It is the speed of your flips. If your flip turn is slow (this is relative to each swimmer), water will rush into your nose or the pressure will no longer be equal between the nasal cavities & the outside. You may not even feel this. The water may completely drain from your nose. However, you can still get an infection. Also, as you turn, if you blow out of your nose too hard, you will have problems. Many asthmatics, I'm one of them, have these problems. Frequently, you get polyps. I've had 2 operations to get rid of poylyps. Once you have polyps, the stuff inside can't drain and constantly gets infected. Once you've stopped swimming, especially at night, there is some dranage and you might start to wheeze. I must say that I'm not a doctor. My asthma was totally out ofcontroll. then I wwent to an ENT doctor & he took out the pylops.
I use a nose plug. It is easier than working on getting my turns quicker. A doctor who is also a swimmer pointed this out to me.
The kind for synchro swimming - no strap, that's what I use, even when competing. It will keep the water from ever getting in there. A good one is $2.50-$3.00. You will need to learn how to just breathe through your mouth but it can be done.
I had been suffering with nasal & sinus congestion ever since I started back swimming this fall. It was so bad that I had boxes of kleenex & nasal spray @ home, the office & in my car. I slept fitfully because of my difficulty breathing. I was dragging from the moment I got up each morning. I went to this site to see if I could learn a new way to deal with this problem. As was suggested here, I tried the saline solution. It has worked wonders! The problem has almost completely gone away. I'm sleeping better. I'm no longer a slave to nasal spray & kleenex! I can't thank the posters enough for the suggestion! Now, if you only had a magic elixir to make me swim faster....
