Hi! This is my first post. I just started Masters Swimming and had a scary incident happen.
I have a terrible kick, so my coach has been doing a lot of leg drills with me. Last night, he had me swim with fins in a side stroke position with flippers on. I did 8 sets of 75 yards.
By the last set, I started wheezing (I don't have asthma), and my lungs were gurgling. I couldn't stop coughing.. and I found I couldn't swim anymore.
All last night, upon exhalation, my lungs would make a loud wheezing/percolating sound. It's fine today, but my lungs are really sore from coughing.
Did I swallow water? Maybe, I didn't really notice.
I've Googled like crazy, and haven't been able to find anything, except for SIPE (swimming induced pulmonary edema). But, everything that I read, points to open water swimming. I was in a chlorinated pool. I also didn't cough up the pink, frothy stuff they talk about. I did notice a tiny bit of blood, but I think it was from coughing so hard... but I did have the same type of experience with the wheezing and rattling in the chest.
Has this happened to anyone else? What could have happened? I'm now kind of afraid to swim again.
Thanks for any input on this.
Did you go to the doctor, or ER? Sounds like you might have unknowingly inhaled a small bit of water into your lungs, as you said. Even a very small amount will seriously impact your breathing. You probably ought to get checked out, just to make sure you don't have a pulmonary embolus, a pneumothorax or develop pmeumonia. I would say this was rather unusual, especially if you don't remember anything specific prior to this incident that would have caused it. I repeat, go to the ER or your doctor TODAY.
Did you go to the doctor, or ER? Sounds like you might have unknowingly inhaled a small bit of water into your lungs, as you said. Even a very small amount will seriously impact your breathing. You probably ought to get checked out, just to make sure you don't have a pulmonary embolus, a pneumothorax or develop pmeumonia. I would say this was rather unusual, especially if you don't remember anything specific prior to this incident that would have caused it. I repeat, go to the ER or your doctor TODAY.
