Greetings, I just joined this group last night (08/14) due to my latest round of allergy attack prompted by swimming. Briefly, I am 61 yrs old, swam distance, some masters, and college intermurals from age 20 - 40. Around 40 I developed allergy to something in the pool, worked with allergy clinic at Ohio State Medical Center. Doc could not figure it out. Was on med for awhile that worked, but it was taken off the market.
I finally gave up, went to running long distance for the next 21 years. Lately I have been tiring of running, have tried on a few occasions to return to swimming, this past week for example. Mon. 1000 yds, Wed 500 yds, Fri. 1000 yds. Started some sneezing during the week, determined I could beat it this time until Friday night and a huge allergy attack, repeated sneezing, runy nose, burning eyes......and I am about to admit defeat again. It is very unpleasant, very disruptive.
I do not have other allergies. In a regular year I dont even typically get sick, maybe the rare sneezing. Also live with 4 dogs, two of them big GSDs, meaning lots of dog dander. No problem.
Go swimming a few days in a row and it is a disaster, same as 20 years ago when I finally switched to running. I would like to get back to swimming, but.............
There is a lot of insight and experience in this group. Does anyone have any ideas about this, antidotes, medications, techniques to address this problem? Any thoughts will be appreciated. I may return to OSU allergy clinic, see what they will say. Meanwhile, your comments are welcome.
Skip Cornett
Columbus, OH
Former Member
I've heard a few swimmers who have an allergic reaction to chlorine. I would try a nose plug to keep the water, and any chemicals in it out of your nose. Goggles to protect the eyes, make sure they are adjusted correctly to keep water out. This is what I heard of them trying with some decent results.
For the allergic reaction itself try an antihistamine, something over the counter like Benadryl to provide some relief for the symptoms.
This is not a substitute for real medical advice, just one swimmer passing on ideas to another.
I'll tell you my story, maybe it will help you?
I react to chloramines, which are present in (hopefully) trace amounts in chlorinated pools, but which may be present in very high levels in pools that haven't been "shocked" recently. While the body usually doesn't react to the chlorine it does react to chloramines I believe.
The symptoms are the worst when I get such poorly treated water in my nose, such as on backstroke turns. Then I'll spend the entire evening with what feels like a bad cold - very runny nose, sneezing a lot.
As an example, I swam for a short time at a fitness club pool. The pool wasn't really their main focus...it was a stuffy pool, cloudy water, and (I suspect) a lot of chloramines. So I switched to a university pool, and swam with their masters groups. It was very well maintained and I had only a little sensitivity from that pool.
I'd recommend finding a competition pool in your area - either a competitive club pool, or a university pool (OSU?). i.e. some pool that gets used by *real* swimmers, who know when something isn't quite right with the pool water, and that typically hire professionals to maintain the pool.
If it turns out you are *highly* sensitive to something in the water, such as trace chloramine levels, then you might be able to find a pool that doesn't use that particular substance, if it is a chemical or byproduct that is the problem.
One more thing, you would want to avoid a pool that is really crowded, because I think that urine/sweat combined with chlorine could produce chloramines.
I suffered similar problems many years ago. I'm not an otherwise allergic person, but after a swim my nose would run, I would sneeze constantly and after a few hours of that I would feel completely run down. Nose plugs don't work for me.
I talked to my doctor and we came up with plan. I take one Allegra 180mg antihistamine before I swim and then a once daily spritz in the nose of a Flonase type nose spray. It completely cured the sinus reaction to my swimming. It was amazing. What I also found was that if I swam first thing in the morning, my allergic reaction was far worse than if I swam later in the day. Whether this is due to a different chemical balance of the pool during the day or my body being less sensitive later in the day...I have no idea. But, I do know that my allergic reactions were so bad, I thought I was going to have to give up swimming if I couldn't change it. I find the negatives of taking these drugs is not nearly as bad as the negatives of not swimming/exercising.
Good luck.
I get really bad sneezing and burning eyes from swimming as well. The chlorine has a tendency to really dry out these areas, so as mentioned, goggles and a nose clip will probably help alot. Definitely have a chat with your doc if things get worse, as I am sure he can recommend something that will allow you to continue to enjoy swimming.
One more thing, you would want to avoid a pool that is really crowded, because I think that urine/sweat combined with chlorine could produce chloramines.
You're right, it is all related to dirty water. The dirtier the water the more I sneeze. And clean water has been something of a rarity this summer with all the kids inundating the pool over the summer holidays. If I go first thing in the morning when the filters have been working overnight, I am fine. But if I go in the afternoon when they have already had 6 or 7 groups of kids through the pool, and the water is murky, I know I am in for a rough night.
I suffer terribly from sneezing fits after swimming. It can go on for hours on end. The more I blow my nose, the more I sneeze. I get some relief from rinsing my nose out with warm water from the tap. Using a hair-dryer on the bridge of my nose afterwards helps, too, as does some form of nasal inhaler.
The only thing that is going to help is a nose plug or a cleaner pool.
Your cure is worse then the sneezing.:rofl:
Not quite, George. Believe me it is terrible. It can go on for hours on end with no relief. Sometimes it is so bad my chest starts to ache from the continual sneezing. I am willing to try any form of treatment. I would probably sniff hot coals up my nose if I knew that would help.
You see, you have been spoilt swimming in all those pristine BC lakes. Nothing is going to make you sneeze in there. Nothing can survive in that cold water!
I always have a non-stop runny nose and major sneeze attacks from swimming that last up to 2 days after my workout. At the moment I just have tissues with me all the time. The pool I go to doesn't seem to have too much chlorine so it's not as bad as in other pools.
The BEST solution I ever found was this nose clip: Amazon.com: Speedo Competition Nose Clip: Sports & Outdoors
Speedo has a different nose clip that always slips or breaks(fully made out of plastik) but this one works great. You have to get used to only breathing through your mouth which takes a while. You also might look funny with the nose clip but with the clip I never had a runny nose or sneeze attacks again no matter at what pool I swim.
I find the clip to be a compromise and better than medication. It is better to prevent an allergy from the start than treating the syptoms. I would try it. Maybe it will be the solution and it only costs a few bucks.
When it comes to your eyes: GOGGLES!!!
I suffer terribly from sneezing fits after swimming. It can go on for hours on end. The more I blow my nose, the more I sneeze. I get some relief from rinsing my nose out with warm water from the tap. Using a hair-dryer on the bridge of my nose afterwards helps, too, as does some form of nasal inhaler.
The only thing that is going to help is a nose plug or a cleaner pool.
This works for me (as long as I use it within an hour or so of coming out of the pool): www.unimedprod.com/differences.shtml
It's basically just a plastic bottle and some packets of salt (which keep your sinuses from "burning"), and you use warm tap water to flush your sinuses out. Be careful not to use it before going into a social situation as occasionally your sinuses will drain suddenly when you least expect it.
Wow! I could have wrote the start of this thread....thanks for the great ideas... I too, find that the day and time I swim makes a difference... I have always assumed that it was due to the timing of treatments etc.....
