Weird reaction to...the swimming pool??

[Mermaid Mhara]

Hey guys, I've bumped into quite the horrid situation :/

Living by the sea, I've not needed swimming pools much all my life but have used them with school swim classes and just going out to the pool for fun with friends. Up until now I've never had a problem using the pool (except for insecurity issues as most pools here have rules that men must be topless to swim and wear a quite short pair of swim shorts/trunks or they don't permit you to enter the pool ergh.)

Lately I've been swimming a LOT more than usual and started going once a week...however I've stopped going for about three-four weeks now because I keep getting a weird reaction every time I go.

It usually starts about ten to fifteen minutes of me getting in the pool...my nose starts tickling and I start sneezing (and not to be tmi...but they're not 'snotty' sneezes it's literally just my nose tickling so I sneeze?) and it just gets worse and worse the longer I stay in the pool.

After coming out the pool my eyes will usually itch (more than they usually do after chlorine etc) even if I wear goggles...they itch and sometimes the eye or just under the eye turns red :/

I'm wondering if anyone else gets anything like this and has any tips? I do suffer with allergies...oddly I don't suffer hay fever...but I do get similar reactions to cat hair, dog hair, and dust especially.

Thanks guys!

[SeaGlass Siren]

maybe you're allergic to the chlorine in the water?

[Azurin Luna]

Maybe you could ask if they changed something in the pool water or if they use a different cleaning brand or something like that. Cause to me it sounds like they might have as you said you didn't have it before.

[AniaR]

Sounds like their chlorine is too high. Kelp tablets before and after help me a lot

[Echidna]

Sounds like a chlorine allergy to me.
An allergy doesn't hit you big time the very second you come in contact with the allergen, it develops.

You can ask about the details in their water managment, but imo it's best to avoid chlorine as much as possible.
If you absolutely have to swim there, try minimizing contact and wear goggles and a nose plug always.

[Miyu]

Raina, what kelp tablets do you use? I need to add those to my "swimmer's essentials" list if I'm going to go swimming more, since my local store stopped carrying kelp powder in the spices and I've run out :(

[AniaR]

Its a Canadian company I'm not sure if you can get em elsewhere but my doc suggested it as they help your body process chlorine and other toxins. I really find they work

[AniaR]

Didn't say name lol called exact

[deepblue]

I was just looking into kelp supplements because my body's gone wackadoo in the past year. Knowing they also help with chlorine is rather nifty!

I'll have to be so careful though, either they'll be so nice, or they'll try to kill me out of the gate. heh.

Good to know, either way, still crossing fingers for a membership at the Y as soon as my daughter can walk again and take swim lessons.

[AniaR]

I found I had the same symptoms- but I learned through a family friend who works for the chemical company that supplies the chemicals for pools that in most cases it's not so much a true allergic reaction in the sense we think. Chlorine is bad for everyone, it's carcinogenic. But it's intended for use in a very balanced way that some pools don't follow. Like here where I live. WAY TOO MUCH CHLORINE. So basically everyone gets the reaction, because it's just more than any person can handle. Scientifically doctors don't recognize chlorine allergy. They sum it up to mild skin reactions. But the off gasing can flare up existing issues like asthma etc.

It's hard to explain because it's his job and he does it so much better, but I found a link online with a video http://acaai.org/allergies/types/allergy-myths/chlorine-allergy


https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FEE-ryWPr9A

So basically, if you have existing issues/allergies you can have what is like an allergic reaction- even in well balanced pools. but for most healthy people, a reaction is due to too much chlorine.

I used to find I got cold like symptoms after getting out of the pool. And if I didn't do anything about it I could actually get sick. But I started taking the tablets as perscribed before and after and within half an hour of the second one I feel much better.

[MarkF]

A few of my friends and I were having reactions to our community's pool so I bought a pool test kit, "wow!" The ph was off the chart.
See if you can test you chlorine level, maybe it's unusually high and ask them to reevaluate their adjustments.

[Mermaid Mhara]

Oooh thanks guys! You're all such a helpful bunch! :)

I shall have a chat with the pool manager as my friend is quite close to her and see if she can look into the chlorine levels etc.

And thanks Raina! Shall have a look into Kelp tablets and see if it helps. Just not been myself lately without being able to go on at least a weekly swim!