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Did I get sick from swimming in a lake?
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 2013-05-28 11:55 AM |
Veteran  139   Ellicott City, MD |  Subject: Did I get sick from swimming in a lake?I have not been sick in years. I have not had a cold in over a year. But since a few days after a recent triathlon where I swam almost a mile in a local lake, I have had cold symptoms. The symptoms are not severe but have lasted a week so far, and don't seem like they'll be going away soon. This is the 5th or 6th time I have had a race in this lake (with no issues before), and there is another coming up next month. I'm planning to do that race, but I'm worried it's going to happen again. I guess there is no way to know for sure, and it could be a coincidence. When people get sick from swimming in a lake, do they get the symptoms like I have, or is it usually something else? Thanks for any help. |
| 2013-05-28 3:24 PM in reply to: GaryGnu |
Expert 945 , Michigan | Subject: RE: Did I get sick from swimming in a lake? Saturday I did my first tri of the season. I only remember taking in one small 1/4 mouth full of lake water and swallowing it. Last night after dinner, the hit the fan. Vomiting all night, diarrheal, freezing cold sweats, almost passed out twice, it was awful. I feeling a bit better now, and wonder if the lake water had anything to do with it. I suspect is more likely I got some mild food poisoning, but I'd be lying if I said the lake water didn't come to my mind. Hope you feel better. |
| 2013-05-28 4:43 PM in reply to: GaryGnu |
Champion 6999  Chicago, Illinois | Subject: RE: Did I get sick from swimming in a lake? chances are more from being run down after the race than the lake water. |
| 2013-05-28 4:55 PM in reply to: GaryGnu |
Expert 2192 Greenville, SC | Subject: RE: Did I get sick from swimming in a lake? i usually get allergy related symptoms after my lake swims that last a day or so. could be more sever depending on the allergen and the person i suppose. ill normally have running nose, sneezing, congestion, ect.... |
| 2013-05-28 5:53 PM in reply to: Clempson |
Champion 6656 | Subject: RE: Did I get sick from swimming in a lake? To the OP: sounds viral. Possible could be allergy but less likely because its still bugging you a week out. 7-10d tends to be when a viral illness will sort itself out. To DV 1: that sounds like its possibly the lake. Do you know if anyone else got sick who did the race? Lots of variables at play but we've had a few lakes shut down due to bacterial overgrowth (mainly E.Coli). Animals excrete wastes into te water and sometimes for one reason or another the bacteria take over if there hasn't been enough rain, etc. |
| 2013-05-28 9:20 PM in reply to: mndymond |
| 1055 | Subject: RE: Did I get sick from swimming in a lake? Yeah, you don't really get a cold from bad lake water. You do get a nasty case of the runs and vomiting, similar to a stomach bug. |
| 2013-05-28 9:20 PM in reply to: mndymond |
| Member 163 | Subject: RE: Did I get sick from swimming in a lake? It is possible to get sick from lake water during a triathlon: http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/34/12/1593.long "In mid-July 1998, public health authorities from the Wisconsin Department of Health (WDOH) were notified of 3 Wisconsin athletes who had been hospitalized with an acute febrile illness. The 3 athletes had participated in a triathlon (competitive swimming, cycling, and running events) held in Springfield, Illinois, on 21 June 1998. All 3 athletes presented with headache, myalgias, elevated liver enzyme levels, and hematuria. Two had thrombocytopenia, and 1 had laboratory evidence of acute renal failure. Because of leptospirosis awareness among WDOH authorities, serum samples were obtained from 2 of the 3 hospitalized patients and were immediately tested for leptospirosis at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC; Atlanta). One serum sample tested positive for leptospirosis by ELISA [1, 2]. After test results were obtained, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the CDC issued a media advisory to alert the 876 triathlon participants and their health care providers of a possible leptospirosis outbreak. In addition, the Springfield Department of Public Health (SDPH) posted health advisories to discourage recreational use of Lake Springfield. " The Springfield tri was an extreme case, of course, but shows that it can happen. |
| 2013-05-29 2:40 PM in reply to: 0 |
Veteran 139 Ellicott City, MD | Subject: RE: Did I get sick from swimming in a lake? I was figuring I have the cold symptoms because I was just run down after the race. Thanks. Edited by GaryGnu 2013-05-29 2:42 PM |
| 2013-09-19 2:31 PM in reply to: RZ0 |
Veteran 555 | Subject: RE: Did I get sick from swimming in a lake? Originally posted by RZ0 It is possible to get sick from lake water during a triathlon: http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/34/12/1593.long "In mid-July 1998, public health authorities from the Wisconsin Department of Health (WDOH) were notified of 3 Wisconsin athletes who had been hospitalized with an acute febrile illness. The 3 athletes had participated in a triathlon (competitive swimming, cycling, and running events) held in Springfield, Illinois, on 21 June 1998. All 3 athletes presented with headache, myalgias, elevated liver enzyme levels, and hematuria. Two had thrombocytopenia, and 1 had laboratory evidence of acute renal failure. Because of leptospirosis awareness among WDOH authorities, serum samples were obtained from 2 of the 3 hospitalized patients and were immediately tested for leptospirosis at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC; Atlanta). One serum sample tested positive for leptospirosis by ELISA [1, 2]. After test results were obtained, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the CDC issued a media advisory to alert the 876 triathlon participants and their health care providers of a possible leptospirosis outbreak. In addition, the Springfield Department of Public Health (SDPH) posted health advisories to discourage recreational use of Lake Springfield. " The Springfield tri was an extreme case, of course, but shows that it can happen. I agree, "It is POSSIBLE...", but this was from 1998. 15 years ago. If there had been multiple cases since, we'd have heard about it. Perhaps more triathletes have died during races (heart attacks, drowning, etc.) than got leptospirosis in the last 15 years. I realize there have probably been thousands, tens of thousands, of un-reported cases of minor diarrhea, vomiting, etc. "stomach bug", Montezuma's Revenge, etc. A report from 2009, said 20 of 376 competitors at Oklahoma City had intestinal sickness, and referenced the Springfield case of 1998, so there must not have been anything worse in between. http://www.slowtwitch.com/News/Water_blamed_for_intestinal_woes_in_... I searched and found this thread because my vet recommend for my dog a vaccination to prevent Leptospirosis. And commented that 'triathletes should be cautious'. I've searched CDC, WHO, and various veterinary schools websites and can't find any data on number of cases. If anyone can find data, please correct me. I think it falls in the category of "It is POSSIBLE", but less likely than being in a car accident on the way to or from the race. Yes, "don't drink the water", but otherwise, don't worry about it. |
| 2013-09-19 5:36 PM in reply to: GaryGnu |
| 169 , Oregon | Subject: RE: Did I get sick from swimming in a lake? Originally posted by GaryGnu I have not been sick in years. I have not had a cold in over a year. But since a few days after a recent triathlon where I swam almost a mile in a local lake, I have had cold symptoms. The symptoms are not severe but have lasted a week so far, and don't seem like they'll be going away soon. This is the 5th or 6th time I have had a race in this lake (with no issues before), and there is another coming up next month. I'm planning to do that race, but I'm worried it's going to happen again. I guess there is no way to know for sure, and it could be a coincidence. When people get sick from swimming in a lake, do they get the symptoms like I have, or is it usually something else? Thanks for any help. Cold symptoms are not the type of illness that you would generally get from lake water. More likely you would have diarrhea and vomiting. You likely just got a cold it happens to us all at some point. I would not think twice about the pond water. |
| 2013-09-19 8:18 PM in reply to: idahocraig |
| 287 | Subject: RE: Did I get sick from swimming in a lake? I get allergy issues after swimming in a lake. This tends to occur later in July thru Labor Day when the water is warmer and algae/plant growth more visible. Open water swims at Memorial Day weekend in colder water do not induce my nasal congestion, sneezing and watery eyes. I have seasonal allergies and take over the counter medications to control symptoms. |
| 2013-09-20 6:22 PM in reply to: GaryGnu |
Veteran 348 Houston, TX | Subject: RE: Did I get sick from swimming in a lake? I got a bad sinus infection about 2-3 days after swimming in a lake. 2-3 days standard incubation period, so I suspect the lake. I've been wearing a nose clip ever since and haven't had an issue in other lake swims since. It did take a few swims to get used to the nose clip... and yes it looks dumb, but whatever. |
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