I swam regularly (3-4 x/week) for approximately 5 years and had laid off for the past 7 months. Thankfully I'm back in the pool again. I am relatively healthy and have missed almost no work. However, whenever I get out of the pool I have cold symptoms--congestion, running nose, sneezing, etc. I know I probably swallow my share of water, and I've learned to live with these nuisances, but are these symptoms common for others?
Originally posted by craiglll@yahoo.com
The antiallergy meds probably did not "change" much. what happened is that you stopped producing the mucous but you are still having the reaction. Irratants can't be gotten rid of no matter what. In all likelihood the mdes might relax you a bit and slow you down some. I've never taken Allegra, so I'm not sure.
Allegra is an antihistamine. (And clarinex and claritin and lots of other prescription or OTC allergy drugs.) Histamines produce fluid (in the form of mucus or swelling depending on the irritant and location affected.) When related to the mucous membranes, the histamine activity results in mucus. Our bodies do that when the mucous memberanes are irritated by dust, pollen, pet dander, or other irritants. For some people, chlorine is such an irritant. Antihistamines suppress the production of histamine-induced mucus.
I take clarinex for chronic allergies. (I have no doubts that chlorine contributes to that.) When I miss a day of clarinex, I get horrible congestion and nose-running after swimming. With clarinex, it is very adequately controlled.
Originally posted by Guvnah
I take clarinex for chronic allergies. (I have no doubts that chlorine contributes to that.) When I miss a day of clarinex, I get horrible congestion and nose-running after swimming. With clarinex, it is very adequately controlled.
You want to see horrible allergies? Take me off my Advair, Flonase, Zyrtec and Singulair. That's a friggin' mess right there! I got allergy tested over the summer and wasn't allowed any allergy meds for 3 days before my appt. I needed 2 nebulizer treatments before they could even do the scratch test.
Allergies are miserable. I also get the runny nose when I swim, but I haven't figured out why. Maybe because I take my meds and swim within an hour of each other.
The comments in this thread are also familiar to me. I have been swimming at the same pool for a couple of years on on the last six occassions I have had really bad congestion during the night following my swim. I suspect the pool has changed its chemicals or I have developed an allergy. I plan to change pools this weekend and see if the problem recurs.
I feel so much better about wearing a nose plug after reading these posts! I've never been able to swim without one and had posted a worried thread about it...but now I'm not going to worry about it. I took my fill of ridicule when I was a kid about my nose plug - until whomever was harassing me saw me swim; I was quite a fish.
I'm prone to sinus infections and other nasty stuff. So if I'm sparing myself, I'm glad to continue.
Marian
I appreciate all the input on the runny (not running) nose issue. I started using a nose plug a few weeks ago and it really seems to cut down on the irritation. The breathing is taking a little getting used to (especially toward the end of the work outs) but not having to wipe my nose all day after a swim is a nice trade off.
Thanks again. Time to post my next ailment.
