Very Very TMI, female content, Lake swimming question

[summer]

Ok..this is so embarrassing..but...my doctor will not be in until Monday.

 

Basically, we got a pass to the state parks this year. 2 weekends in a row, we took the children there and let them play on the beach and swim and then washed off in the showers, had picnics and then hiked a short bit and went home. Last weekend, we swam at my brother's house. 2 days ago, we swam at my sister's neighborhood pool.

 

When we were swimming at the lake, I kept thinking how dirty and gross it was. I am a bit OCD when it comes to the water I swim in and when you cannot see the bottom..just yuck. I grew up with my family taking us to the lake because, well, I grew up in the midwest, smallish town areas.

 

So the question is...can swimming in a lake cause an infection in the part of the body used to exit babies in to the world?

[Mandy in TN]

Lakes and rivers never have caused me a problem. However, you should never walk around for an extended amount of time in a wet swim suit. That can cause a problem no matter where you have been swimming.

 

HTH-

Mandy

in Mid-TN with lots of little lakes (dams) and rivers

[Sharon in SC]

So the question is...can swimming in a lake cause an infection in the part of the body used to exit babies in to the world?

 

Not anymore so than a swimming pool that was low in chemicals. :) (Though, chances are, none of the above caused your troubles.) Have you taken antibiotics, recently?

[Jenny in Atl]

Yup! I learned to get out of suite ASAP and bath with soap. UTI's are most common. There is also the risk of Impetigo, if you have a bit or other cut on the skin that can let the bacteria in (but not usually down there). I swam in a bunch of ponds and lakes as a kid and never got either, but it's something to be aware of.

[summer]

Never walk around in a wet swim suit. We all shower and dress in clean clothes.

 

But..for meds..I had an HCG shot on Sunday night this past week. I had fertility meds the week prior. I am on progesterone suppliments now. I have been on progesterone suppliments before so I know that is not what is causing this. But those suppliments do go in the "baby exit."

[LadyAberlin]

Is it the exact same progesterone that you were on before?

[summer]

Yes. I was on endometrium for my last cycle of TTC..so this is only my 2nd month of that..it is progesterone. Prometrium is something I pretty much have taken on my last few pregnancies.

[KidsHappen]

We later learned that it was very close to a red tide area, and there were other things going on that probably shouldn't be mentioned here, so that may have had something to do with it. My dr. advises to urinate, shower and change after getting out of the water and your should be fine.

[kat19]

I have not read all the other replies, but...

My sister got an infection after swimming in the lake.

Hers was up on top though.. It was years and years ago, but I still refuse to take my kids to that lake and swim.

YUCK! Still makes me sick to think about it

[mommylawyer]

Just be careful! Change out of your suit and shower right after you get out of the water. Don't go in if you have any open wounds. And don't drink the water - on the rare occasions I brave the lake, I don't let my face get anywhere near the water. I'm a bit OCD about lake swimming, too.

[PameliaSue]

Are you asking about what the infection may be or just if getting one is a possibility? The doctor-monday thing makes me ask. Are you looking to get comfortable until you can get into the doc?

Do you know what the infection is? Yeast or Bacterial = baby exit or UTI?

 

If it is yeast an over the counter treatment would work. If it is bacterial a hydrogen peroxide flush clears them up 65% of the time with one treatment.

If it is a UTI you can take cranberry supplement in pill form and chop up garlic cloves to swallow like pills to clear it up without getting on antibiotics.

[MommyX8]

My 19yodd skinned her knew while rollerblading one day. They went swimming in a lake the next day. She came home that night and could barely walk. She went to the doctor the next morning and the infection was so bad that she had to get an antibiotic shot, and then take 2 different antibiotics.

 

She picked up SOMETHING at the lake and it moved FAST!!!

[Twinmom]

Well, my niece got Hep A from swimming in a dirty lake last week, so I guess anything is possible.

 

I'm so sorry...

[cin]

I think, as the last poster said, ANYTHING is possible. The main thing I would consider is, do other people swim in this lake regularly without problems? If so, my main concern would then be just getting out of the wet swimsuit because of the possibility of a yeast infection. I think that there are plenty of, um, physical barriers, shall we say, that for normal wear and tear we are fairly safe.

[ereks mom]

I'm sorry if I seem like an alarmist, but I know of at least two children in my area who have died from this within the past few years. I copied & saved this article from the Atlanta Journal & Constitution last year:

 

Brain-eating amoeba blamed in deaths of 6 youths

 

By CHRIS KAHN

Associated Press

Published on: 09/28/07

 

Phoenix — It sounds like science fiction but it's true: A killer amoeba living in lakes enters the body through the nose and attacks the brain where it feeds until you die.

 

Even though encounters with the microscopic bug are extraordinarily rare, it's killed six boys and young men this year. The spike in cases has health officials concerned, and they are predicting more cases in the future.

"This is definitely something we need to track," said Michael Beach, a specialist in recreational waterborne illnesses for Atlanta's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 

"This is a heat-loving amoeba. As water temperatures go up, it does better," Beach said. "In future decades, as temperatures rise, we'd expect to see more cases."

 

According to the CDC, the amoeba called Naegleria fowleri (click here for more info) killed 23 people in the United States, from 1995 to 2004. [in 2007] health officials noticed a spike with six cases — three in Florida, two in Texas and one in Arizona. The CDC knows of only several hundred cases worldwide since its discovery in Australia in the 1960s.

 

In Arizona, David Evans said nobody knew his son, Aaron, was infected with the amoeba until after the 14-year-old died on Sept. 17. At first, the teen seemed to be suffering from nothing more than a headache.

 

"We didn't know," Evans said. "And here I am: I come home and I'm burying him."

 

After doing more tests, doctors said Aaron probably picked up the amoeba a week before while swimming in the balmy shallows of Lake Havasu, a popular man-made lake on the Colorado River between Arizona and California. Though infections tend to be found in southern states, Naegleria lives almost everywhere in lakes, hot springs, even dirty swimming pools, grazing off algae and bacteria in the sediment.

 

Beach said people become infected when they wade through shallow water and stir up the bottom. If someone allows water to shoot up the nose — say, by doing a somersault in chest-deep water — the amoeba can latch onto the olfactory nerve. The amoeba destroys tissue as it makes its way up into the brain, where it continues the damage, "basically feeding on the brain cells," Beach said.

 

People who are infected tend to complain of a stiff neck, headaches and fevers. In the later stages, they'll show signs of brain damage such as hallucinations and behavioral changes, he said.

 

Once infected, most people have little chance of survival. Some drugs have stopped the amoeba in lab experiments, but people who have been attacked rarely survive, Beach said. "Usually, from initial exposure it's fatal within two weeks," he said.

 

Researchers still have much to learn about Naegleria. They don't know why, for example, children are more likely to be infected, and boys are more often victims than girls. "Boys tend to have more boisterous activities (in water), but we're not clear," Beach said.

 

In central Florida, authorities started an amoeba phone hot line advising people to avoid warm, standing water and areas with algae blooms. Texas health officials also have issued warnings. People "seem to think that everything can be made safe, including any river, any creek, but that's just not the case," said Doug McBride, a spokesman for the Texas Department of State Health Services.

 

Officials in the town of Lake Havasu City are discussing whether to take action. "Some folks think we should be putting up signs. Some people think we should close the lake," city spokesman Charlie Cassens said.

Beach cautioned that people shouldn't panic about the dangers of the brain-eating bug. Cases are still extremely rare considering the number of people swimming in lakes. The easiest way to prevent infection, Beach said, is to use nose clips when swimming or diving in fresh water. "You'd have to have water going way up in your nose to begin with" to be infected, he said.

 

David Evans has tried to learn as much as possible about the amoeba over the past month. But it still doesn't make much sense to him. His family had gone to Lake Havasu countless times. Have people always been in danger? Did city officials know about the amoeba? Can they do anything to kill them off?

 

Evans lives within eyesight of the lake. Temperatures hover in the triple digits all summer, and like almost everyone else in this desert region, the Evanses look to the lake to cool off. It was on David Evans' birthday Sept. 8 that he brought Aaron, his other two children, and his parents to Lake Havasu. They ate sandwiches and spent a few hours splashing around.

 

"For a week, everything was fine," Evans said. Then Aaron got the headache that wouldn't go away. At the hospital, doctors first suspected meningitis. Aaron was rushed to another hospital in Las Vegas.

 

"He asked me at one time, 'Can I die from this?'" David Evans said. "We said, 'No, no.'"

 

On Sept. 17, Aaron stopped breathing as his father held him in his arms.

"He was brain dead," Evans said. Only later did doctors and the CDC determine that the boy had been infected with Naegleria.

[summer]

ereks mom..I think I will never swim in a lake again!! I was already grossed out because when I took my swim suit off and showered..the gunk caught up in my suit was just gross! I am not good with lakes at all. The children and DH had to beg me to get in.

 

My sister lives closer to the lake than I do and she told me she has gotten a UTI badly before after swimming there. She said do not sit in the water on the actual floor of the lake. So...since I have a 4 yr old who was playing in the water but not very tall, I sat on the sand in the water for a fair amount of time.

 

I did actually go to urgent care today. I do have a UTI, it just irritated that "baby exit" area so that is why it felt like it was there. Plus, the "baby exit" may have a little issue too. Regardless, I was able to get something for it today and do not have to wait until Monday. Thanks everyone!

[ereks mom]

I think I will never swim in a lake again!!

 

:iagree:

[Remudamom]

Not what you're asking, but our ds once got a bad infection playing in a (running) creek. A cut on his leg got infected.

[PameliaSue]

I had a couple of pm's asking questions about my first reply to this thread and so I decided to post here again with some info.

I want to preface this by saying I am not a doctor and your health is your responsibility. This is just info I have either come across or my own personal experience.

Recently after my 4th child I experienced a lot of weird stuff in the baby exit and actually just started PT to strengthen my pelvic floor muscles, my doc determined that the plumbing would work better if I had more tone... nice huh? :001_huh: PT for what? That should be exciting... I was getting a yeast infection every month when I ovulated, I had an allergic reaction to Monistat 7, and I got a UTI all in like 4 months time before I went to the doc. The reason I avoided the doc is because I don't use a GYN, I use a midwife. I had to search out one who fit my list of requirements. I had 3 of my children at home with a midwife and lean towards natural remedies.

I will just start with an ailment and type away what I know to try naturally, and hopefully something will be of use. I'll also link some websites. I'm a terrible typist so I'll try to make sense. I will cut and paste from some websites to simplify.

First I have this book called The V Zone By Colette Bouchez A Woman's Guide to Intimate Health Care. It has great info. No info on the wear and tear a woman's body goes through with aging and child bearing but good info on yeast, bacteria, UTI and STD's. A good place to start if you're interested in knowing more about your V ZONE.

 

Bacterial Vaginosis: The bacteria that is dominant in the vagina when everything is working NATURALLY produces hydrogen peroxide. Isn't that just amazing?! This bacteria is lactobacillus. It keeps the environment of the vagina acidic and essentially sterile. It is the gatekeeper of the whole feminine ecosystem which is quite complex with many micro-organisms. BV can be caused by stress, allergies, hormones, medication, change in diet, and your sex life- particularly if you have an uncircumcised partner with poor personal hygiene.

 

Symptoms: It smells terribly foul and fishy. Discharge is excessive, thin, gray, sometimes yellow and cloudy. It burns and it itches like mad! Burning and stinging is present especially after urinating. BUT some women may have BV and not necessarily have all these symptoms. I've had it without the really strong odor so I thought I had a yeast infection when I really had BV. Studies have also shown that up to 50% of women diagnosed with BV by a doctor never noticed any symptoms.

 

Treatments: The key to treating a UTI or bacterial vaginosis or yeast infection is to first restore the vagina's natural balance, which then allows the body to fight the infection and heal itself. So FIRST, no mater what you are dealing with you should get a pro-biotic supplement to help restore the right bacteria to your system. Here are 3, with the best listed 1st and so on.

 

 

Pro-Biotics

 

 

1.) Ultimate Flora Vaginal Support Formula by ReNew Life: http://www.luckyvitamin.com/item/itemKey/54214 This is THE BEST!(www.luckyvitamin.com is the cheapest online source I have found for ALL of the supplements I buy, they just can't be beat!)

2.) PB-8 aka PB8 by Nutrition Now: http://www.luckyvitamin.com/item/itemKey/51318 This is good for both men and women and what my GYN recommended.

3.) Yeast Defense by Nutrition Now: http://www.luckyvitamin.com/item/itemKey/51358 I've used this to totally clear up yeast infections. As soon as I feel one coming on I use this and it has kept me from getting one.

 

Hydrogen Peroxide Flush: Vaginal irrigations with 30 ml of hydrogen peroxide (3%) were prescribed in the evening for a week. You basically gently douche with h2o2.

Here is the Medical Study link to show that yes this works and is SAFE - short read; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14676737

Here is a link that describes one persons experience and how they did it; http://www.healthboards.com/boards/s...d.php?t=452540

Another testimony; http://www.longhaircareforum.com/for...d.php?t=175421

Vegsource has a lot of threads on this.

There's other natural things you can do. I've read that you can use vinegar & honey, yogurt, tea tree oil and so on. I personally feel that peroxide and pro-biotic restoration is the way to go. It uses what our body naturally produces to keep a women's V zone healthy. Here is a link with other treatments; http://www.bacterialvaginosisrecurre...that_work.html

 

Urinary Tract Infection: Every day little bacteria try to climb up the urethra to the bladder and are washed down when you urinate. Kind of like the itsy bitsy spider, lol. Unfortunately sometimes they make it. They can be helped along in many ways, intercourse helps bump them along, poor fluid in-take resulting in less elimination, pregnancy can make a women more susceptible, swimming in contaminated lakes and pools. Left untreated a UTI can move to the kidneys.

 

Symptoms: A strong, persistent urge to urinate. A burning sensation when urinating. Passing frequent, small amounts of urine. Blood in the urine or cloudy, strong-smelling urine. Upper back and side pain. Fever.

 

Treatment: This can be treated naturally. It is important to be cautious and give yourself a limit: If you are not feeling better in 36 hours you go to the doctor. The purpose of treating it naturally is to avoid the use of antibiotics.

Cranberry Supplements and Garlic Cloves: I bought Super Concentrated Cranberry Fruit 1680mg in softgel form from Wal-Mart. I took 3 softgels 3 times a day with 2 full glasses of water on a mostly empty stomach. Then I would take one large garlic clove and cut it into several pill size chunks and swallow with a glass of water 3x's a day with a meal. If the garlic causes stomach discomfort you could take it in a supplement form. It's just cheaper to use cloves. My grandmother has a catheter and her urologist has her on cranberry supplements to prevent her from getting UTI's. He explained that the cranberry makes the lining of the bladder like tephlon, nothing (bacteria) can stick to it. The garlic is a natural antibiotic. If you treat a UTI this way it is important to continue to treat yourself even after the discomfort is gone to ensure that all of the bacteria die... just like when you are on antibiotics. When I treat myself this way I take the cran and garlic for 7 days. Again if you don't notice relief from the symptoms after about a day and a half to two days then GO TO THE DOCTOR.

 

Yeast Infection: The info on this is basically the same as BV from above, except that you have a runaway yeast instead of a runaway bacteria. A yeast infection can be caused by many things; pregnancy, hormonal imbalance, diabetes, lack of cleanliness.

 

Symptoms: Most women associate a thick discharge that looks like cottage cheese with a YI, although only about 20% experience it. Since not everyone gets the discharge, the easiest way for a woman to tell that she has a yeast infection is that she itches in and around her vagina. A lot. The itchiness may be accompanied by a burning sensation, and her vulvar area can be red and swollen. It may also burn or be generally painful for her to urinate, and sex may become painful as well.

 

Treatment: I have treated yeast infections successfully 3 different ways. I have used over the counter medication like Gyne-Lotrimin. I discovered that I am allergic to Monistat 7... that sure had me all freaked out and uncomfortable. I thought I was going to die from some WEIRD creeping crud!!! My preferred method of treatment is what I mentioned above. Ultimate Flora Vaginal Support Formula by ReNew Life OR Yeast Defense by Nutrition Now. I prefer these because an over the counter medication treats the symptoms but doesn't treat the cause. However, if I don't catch a yeast infection in time I treat it with both because honestly the over the counter provides relief much faster when you have a full blown infection.

 

Feminine Hygiene: Most girls learn this from their mom's but I will post these links anyhow because there are always a few that haven't gotten this info. It's also just a good refresher.

http://www.uihealthcare.com/topics/womenshealth/wome3261.html

http://www.healthcenter.vt.edu/pdf/FEMININE%20HYGIENE.pdf

 

I hope this helps and that I haven't totally overwhelmed anyone or driven someone crazy with all of the grammatical errors that I am choosing to ignore. It's late and the caffeine has worn off.

[Tarheel Heather]

Like ereks mom pointed out the risk of getting a parasite greatly increases in lakes and streams. Although giardia is more common and would cause major tummy trouble.

[kat19]

My sister got an infection in her bre@sts and had to get a prescription from the doctor~I think it was some type of fungus but not for sure.

I never swam in the lake again after that.

It's been years since that happened but it's just gross.

 

So if you think you or anyone else in the family has some type of problem from swimming in the lake, I would get it checked out.