My last two posts title “Failed Lately…” can be found here Failed Lately? Maybe you just needed the right stuff and here Failed Lately? Maybe something is wrong.
For the past two weeks I’ve been thinking about the diagnoses of pneumonia that I received after having a breathing-while-swimming problem on August 25th. The diagnoses didn’t make sense to me because it would mean that I’ve been sick all summer and my successful marathon training contradicts this.
I appreciated the doctor saying, “sometimes shit happens” and we don’t always know what it is. This particular pile of crap has helped to up my own personal fear level for this Sunday’s marathon. That was, until this morning, when I ran across an article that mentioned a sometimes deadly condition for triathletes that is described as fluid in the lungs. Technically it is Swimming Induced Pulmonary Edema. http://www.livescience.com/55962-triathlete-deaths-linked-to-fluid-in-lungs.html
Of course I then did a search of this term and found someone’s personal account that described my symptoms exactly. http://www.endurancetriathletes.com/sipe.html
I know that diagnosing oneself off the internet isn’t the wisest thing, but this makes so much more sense than pneumonia. I will send the articles to my doctor to get her opinion.
Meanwhile the good news is that I can approach Sunday’s Ventura Marathon without fear that the lingering effects of pneumonia will harm me.
The not so good news is that the thought of swimming again is a bit scary. But I now know the symptoms in my own body and can be better prepared.
I would love to hear from others who’ve experienced this.
