I was looking for some feedback or thoughts on my situation. This past weekend (Sunday), I competed in a Masters meet and swam 4 events (300 total race yards) over the course of 3.5 hours with a total of probably 2000 yards total swimming for the day. I was pretty beat after the meet as expected. Sunday night comes and I get a headache and nausea, no vomiting, fever, coughing, or runny nose, etc. Its now Tuesday and I am still have the nausea, better than I was Sunday night and Monday.
Now here is what gets me, this same happened to me last year at the same meet, same pool, etc. I have done all sorts of training and racing in all types of conditions, from the pool to open water and triathlons since then with no adverse results like now. I have pushed myself in training and during the events themselves and I always hydrated and nourished. When it happened last year, I equated to pushing myself to hard but it hasn't happened since until Sunday.
Also I learned that complaining to my pregnant wife about being nauseous for a day gets no sympathy :)
If you live long enough, the probability that something very unlikely will happen to you at some point in your life is actually very likely. Two times in a row, when I visited New Hope, PA, I got violently ill the next day with a stomach bug...two years apart...ate at different restaurants the two times, so it wasn't that. Significant? Was it something in the water? Probably not.
You probably already had the virus in your body, and it just so happened that you were stricken with the symptoms immediately following the meet. I wouldn't give it a second thought.
We're you out of town? Maybe it was the water (tap water). Each city has a different softener & sewer system, if you have this issue only in this location, consider what you consume while there. Also consider the time of year, as winter time is full of illness & an indoor meet might encourage a breeding ground.
@Celestial - This pool is less than a mile from the pool I train in. I only ate a power bar and drank lots of bottled water while I was there.
@orca1946 - Yes its now happened 2x in the same pool. I am not sure I want to do it again, I have felt awful now 2 years in a row.
@tigerchik - I thought about dehydration but I was urinating clear all day.
Well, as I have said elsewhere, I am not a doctor (well, actually I am, but not that kind of doctor), but chlorine is a powerful toxin would probably destroy just about any kind of virus or bacteria on contact. Also, when you think about the ratio of the viral load that might be discharged from one person's body to the amount of water in the pool, it is highly unlikely that you got something from the pool. However, someone sneezing on you, or shaking your hand, while they are infectious...and in the middle of a terrible winter flu season...not all that unlikely.
I've never felt nauseated after a meet, but I often get headaches. I'm still not sure why, but I have a feeling it's from doing starts, wearing tight goggles, etc. If this only occurs to you in this particular pool, though, I would suspect something in the pool chemicals or ventilation in that facility.
The air or ventilation is definitely different in that pool than my home pool. Its really 'heavy', I am not sure how else to describe it.
Former Member
Is the ventilation or chlorination considerably different from your home pool? That can mess me up, though mostly with headaches/coughs rather than nausea.
