It's that time of year. Pool's open and everyone's taking advantage. Even some folks who shouldn't.
What I thought was the burn of chlorine may have been quite the opposite.
The burn lasted overnight and the pink of the eye spread to the skin outside of it. Once I checked my hypothesis, I verified that the rosy glow about my left peeper was a classic case of conjunctivitis: pink-eye.
Such infections are not entirely uncommon after swimming in public pools. Conjunctivitis is most commonly transmitted as a virus and such beasties can be washed out of the eyes of anyone who has contracted it and right into mine if I swim in the same pool as you. If the chlorine isn't set at a high enough concentration, the viruses can find a new target before it can be killed by they chlorine.
Chlorine in water becomes hypochlorous acid and hypochlorite ion. The former is a stronger disinfectant as it penetrates bacteria more efficiently. More of it is in water at a lower pH, which is more acidic. Oddly, your eyes may burn LESS at this more acidic pH. Non-acidic water is "Basic". Bases are the opposite of acids and they are used to make soap. The burning in your eyes is sometimes akin to having soap in your eyes which any toddler will tell you is a crisis of life threatening proportions.
I try to end these essays with a little quip which segways into the next topic, or something profound about mortality, but I'm coming up dry. Maybe that happens as you get older?
*DM
Next: My Tim Conway Impersonation
THE CHART:
Activity Daily Output
Cycles 60
Bench Presses 2
Curls 0
Lifts 0
Flights of Stairs 9
Minutes Walking 6
Seconds on Heavy bag 0
Minutes Dancing Per Day 0
Push Ups 14
Sit-Ups 7
Week of 7/5/09
Activity Daily Output
Cycles 30
Bench Presses 2
Curls 0
Lifts 0
Flights of Stairs 7
Minutes Walking 0
Seconds on Heavy bag 0
Minutes Dancing Per Day 0
Push Ups 10
Sit-Ups 5
Grade: C
Week of 7/12/09
Activity Daily Output
Cycles 55
Bench Presses 0
Curls 0
Lifts 0
Flights of Stairs 10
Minutes Walking 8
Seconds on Heavy bag 0
Minutes Dancing Per Day 0
Push Ups 12
Sit-Ups 5
Week of 7/19/09
Activity Daily Output
Cycles 50
Bench Presses 0
Curls 0
Lifts 0
Flights of Stairs 15
Minutes Walking 3
Seconds on Heavy bag 0
Minutes Dancing Per Day 0
Push Ups 10
Sit-Ups 5
Week of 7/26/09
Activity Daily Output
Cycles 20
Bench Presses 0
Curls 0
Lifts 0
Flights of Stairs 8
Minutes Walking 0
Seconds on Heavy bag 0
Minutes Dancing Per Day 0
Push Ups 4
Sit-Ups 2
Week of 8/2/09
Activity Daily Output
Cycles 60
Bench Presses 0
Curls 0
Lifts 1
Flights of Stairs 3
Minutes Walking 0
Seconds on Heavy bag 1
Minutes Dancing Per Day 0
Push Ups 12
Sit-Ups 6
Workout Partner's Progress: Slacking: Grade: C-
Blood Pressure: 109/69 (7/9/09) 110/67 (7/22/09) Walgreen's brought the blood pressure booth back!
RECENT SYMPTOMS : Gum pocket, tooth cavity. Weight gain? Hypertension? Sore left shoulder. Weak left knee.
ONGOING SYMPTOMS: Weak, clicking knees, Pain in right knee when kneeling and shifting knee to the right. Hyperhidrosis.
DIAGNOSES:
Foot trauma from minor accident, suspected neuroma or hairline fracture
to foot. Unknown injury to right knee, possible impact from small
stumble (c. 2006) onto landing of concrete stairs. Injured knee joints
from sprinting (c. 2007)
ONGOING TREATMENTS: Tri-Annual dental visits.
DRUG REGIMENS: Aspartame. (3 diet sodas daily) Caffeine (four cups of coffee daily. two colas.)PROGNOSIS: Gradual decay of knee function.
POTENTIAL TREATMENTS: Fish Oil supplements. Axillary vacuum curettage, laser eye surgery, gum flap tissue surgery / bone graft, filling.
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