ok, well, i got a little experience with this one!! as a physician, i have seen ear problems in the office, emergency room, and o.r. first of all, since there may be a lawyer creeping out there, lurking.... this disclaimer: the following information should be used in conjunction with your physician and common sense. the following information is for entertainment purposes only, and should not be used to self treat or treat others. ! ok
so, see a lot of this...usually not very serious. can be especially if water skiing and a person hits the water hard and perforates the ear drum, or very serious, rarely, hit the front of the face hard and water jams up the nose and enters certain areas that communicate with veins that go to the brain. i've seen that once in residency, never since. now, swimming in ponds, must admit, i swim in mine when it doesn't have a thick bloom. i have scuba'd in mine also. but, i used Swim-Ear (can get at any pharmacy, basically is rubbing alchol, or vinegar can help) before and after i got out of the water, and for a day or 2 after! i see more people getting swimmers' ear (otitis externa) from their neighborhood swimming pool than i do from the lakes or ponds! i agree, with the above post about checking the water quality and for fecal coliform bacteria. however, many of the items change with temp. changes. it seems like in the clinic and emergency room (i work both), i see more otitis externa (swimmers) ear as the water temp warms, when bacteria just fester. so, the warmer the water, i would say be more concerned, wherever you are swimming. also, ear plugs can be utilized to keep out big chunks of stuff, but still use an ear rinse (gently of course).
occasionally, as in a recent flooding of Norfork Lake, at which time the water overflowed the campgrounds and pooping stations, it seemed as if there was a lot more gi problems seen. however, no real correlation could be found ( think about it, a few public restrooms flooded, distributed into an incredible amount of water...pretty dilute..... you would probably have to be swimming right on top of the flooded pooper area and drink the water)
anyway, use precaution and common sense. and most importantly, use an item like swim-ear or rubbing alcohol/vinegar/hydrogen peroxide (as long as you or your child don't have ear tubes) before and after you swim , and then some more!
for more info on "swimmers' ear" or otitis externa, go to
www.webmd.com type in swimmers ear, then click on otitis externa.
also, don't forget your tetanus booster if due, probably gonna step on an old rusty hook or something in a pond.
now all that said, you ain't gonna get me to swim in your pond with a cow soakin' in the middle of it with it's tail up in the air droppin' some biscuits!!! mark
