Hoping one of my great dive folks might help me figure out this puzzle.
I went diving last weekend at the DUI Dog Demo Tour at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Super fun, as always. They insisted that we all use rental gear sanitized to use in the aquarium. My rental reg was breathing a bit wet with what felt like a fine mist coming in with every breath. I didn't think too much about it at the time, just sort of blocking it with my tongue as best as I could.
On the way home Sunday night I felt like I had been hit by a truck. Body aches first with joint pain, then chills, fever by the time we made it back to Seattle. Shortness of breath by the time we got home, I immediately started on albuterol and Flovent to reduce the inflammation. Took it easy but symptoms kept getting worse and worse over the next few days. Finally saw the doc to check and make sure I didn't need to adjust inhalers or something for what I was thinking was a viral bronchitis. (Family member in Newport was just getting over a case of bronchitis, thought I might have caught it.)
Dr said she suspected either a pretty severe case of bronchitis or pneumonia. Gave me some doxycycline and a different inhaler drug to add to the arsenal. As this has progressed, I actually suspect at least some fluid build up (pneumonia) in the right lung though I feel like I am on the mend. Nobody else in the family got sick, including the 2 kids who dove with me using different rental gear or the cousin who joined us.
I suspect that I have a case of aspiration pneumonia from inhaling the saltwater at the aquarium. I don't have any evidence of that and I don't really want to go to the trouble of getting lung washes and analysis to sort it out. Nasty. Treatment is the same, so I am just going to head in this direction for now, though it would be nice to know if that is what caused it so that I would know for sure.
Anyone have experience with this? I found a 2012 thread related to this here and the possibility of pneumonia after breathing a wet reg. Though I told the Dr. exactly what I am reporting here, I suspect that she was not aware of the possibility of saltwater aspiration being the cause. Would that make the course of treatment any different? I am signed up for Rescue class this weekend, but may have to stay home if this doesn't improve. Can't risk any lung trauma if there is still mucous remaining in the lung tissues.
I'd appreciate thoughts from the community. Wondering if I should call Eugene Skin Divers who supplied the rental gear to let them know as well.....
Saltwater Aspiration Pneumonia??
Re: Saltwater Aspiration Pneumonia??
A few years ago I got a lung infection caused by a fungus called Aspergillus that my Dr was convinced came from my dive reg. That's more of a dirty reg situation than a wet one. I won't say any more about it unless yours turns out to be the same bug. I hope you get well soon.