Athens ameba?

[shelbelle72]

Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone out there has been to Athens Scuba Park in the last month or so. I dove there the weekend of June 11 and 2 weeks later I was hit with some nasty intestinal problems. I have ruled most other causes out. Could it be that I picked up some nasty ameba from the water there? I know they treat the water, so I really doubted that's where my problem came from... but maybe? Just curious if anyone else has any symptoms.

 

[ScubaTexan]

I've never had any symptoms from Athens that I can remember. I hope you're over your infection now.

 

[TwoBitTxn]

Not likely. While I would strongly recommend not drinking the lake water, it is unlikely that the water is contaminated with anything dangerous.

How did you rule out other causes?

TwoBit

 

[FIXXERVI6]

Both my wife and i got hit with stomach issues after being out there, but I've dove in much worse with no issues, I guessed it was from all the mosquito bites, they can carry little nasty's, just a guess, fish and plants can't live in that stuff I doubt its got too many little things living in it that could make you sick.

 

[shelbelle72]

Well, at first I though I had food poisoning and tried to wait out the "storm". After 5 days of waiting and taking OTC meds I was not getting better, so I saw the doctor. My doctor first gave me a medication to control my symptoms, but when they had still not subsided after 3 more days, he gave me some antibiotics, Cipro and Flagyl, which is used to treat parasite infection. That did the trick. After a little research I learned that the most common type of ameba infection takes 2 weeks to incubate before symptoms show. So 2 weeks back put me at Athens.

Thanks for the replies, guess it was a freak thing. I'll try not to swallow any more quarry water though!

 

[TwoBitTxn]

If it was amoebiasis, and it did come from the water at Athens, that would indicate either the spring has become contaminated or the lake has received contaminated runoff. Both issues, the former being more serious, would be worrisome.

There are other possibilities as to where you could have picked up a pathogenic amoeba. I am glad to hear that you have recovered.

TwoBit

 

[shelbelle72]

Thanks, TwoBit! I don't think we really have anything to worry about at Athens, and I guess I could have gotten it somewhere else, but I can't figure out where. I just thought the timing was pretty coincidental. It won't stop me from going there again, that's for sure! Gotta check out that jetliner again!

 

[Chris Hipp]

I assume you would be swallowing water because of dry mouth, if so you might want to check this little doo-hicky out, I dont know if it works as well as they say or not.

http://www.scubatoys.com/store/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=BioFilter

 

[Cudabait]

Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone out there has been to Athens Scuba Park in the last month or so. I dove there the weekend of June 11 and 2 weeks later I was hit with some nasty intestinal problems. I have ruled most other causes out. Could it be that I picked up some nasty ameba from the water there? I know they treat the water, so I really doubted that's where my problem came from... but maybe? Just curious if anyone else has any symptoms.

Maybe green, raw veggies? NAFTA now accounts for a lot of that stuff coming from down south. Also been through several episodes with CIPRO and FLAGYL.

Regards,

 

[TwoBitTxn]

Maybe green, raw veggies? NAFTA now accounts for a lot of that stuff coming from down south. Also been through several episodes with CIPRO and FLAGYL.

Regards,

Improperly washed veggies is a much more common cause of amoebiasis. The water that is used to irrigate these veggies can be contaminated and it transfer the contamination to the plants. Careful washing of all fruits and vegetables is a good idea. Some restaurants have gone to treating thier produce with a wash that is designed to kill these critters.

TwoBit