Picked Up A Pool Nasty! May this be my only injury - May it heal by the end of thisRest/Recovery week

Haven't posted in a few days with good reason. Didn't feel up to it. Still don't but it is part of the Ironman journey so I owe it to myself to include it but I should warn the squeamish, it is a tad gross.

Sunday evening I recall noticing that my middle finger on my hand was tender to the touch. By Monday morning was swollen. I immediately thought a similar problem almost exactly a yr ago. I had to go to emergency where the doctor drained an infection near my nail and antibiotics cleared it up within days. So, I slathered on antibiotic ointment and applied several band aids and off to work I went.

By mid workday on Monday, it advanced to quite sore and swollen. I noticed I was wincing each time I needed to use the right click on my mouse which is frequently in my job. Hard to do but I stopped using that finger.

This is how it looked Monday night

Tuesday morning, I went straight to emergency. Saw tri pal Bev who is a nurse there. She's done Ironman races and we chatted about when we first met back when I was training for my first marathon. Bev looked at my finger and called it a "pool nasty" infection. The triage nurse (also a marathoner) had also concluded the same. Interesting - first time I heard it diagnosed as such. The resident doc agreed. Ironically the attending was the only Sports medicine doc I've seen. 

It all makes sense in hindsight. Swimming 3-4 times a week and often needing to take multiple showers a day (after swim, bike and run workouts) dries out the skin - add that to the driest time of yr and skin gets very dry. I apply heavy duty moisturizer after each workout and before bed but its a battle.  The skin around my nails can crack as this middle finger did and then when it comes into contact with for example "a pool nasty" can become infected. There is no proof that it is from a pool but interestingly enough prior to the infection I had gone for two swims at a different pool because of tri club activities - the swim camp/mini meet on Saturday for several hrs and the following Sunday a 50m long course swim session. This was at Centennial pool. Could it have taken a week to become infected or for me to notice? Not sure. Curious timing though as I only used one other pool last year and it was also for long course swims at Centennial. 

Asthma attacks from chlorine stop me from using any pool other that Cananda Games Centre that uses bromide (like salination) and has never triggered an attack. The air quality is also superior to all other pools in the city.

 I do like to use the hot tub after a long swim at the Canada Games Ctr. Is it possible I contracted the infection in there?

I won't know for certain but I will eliminate possibilities and refrain from swimming anywhere but at CGC and no more hot tub ... The latter is a downer as I use it as a reward for hard work.

Here's what my finger looked like aft hospital visit on Tuesday

I went to work Tuesday aft but didn't feel up to swimming as the pain in my finger had intensified but I felt it was OK to miss a 20 min recovery swim. I had done my core strength session at lunch on Monday and ran Tuesday early morning as planned. It was pretty certain that a massive blizzard would mean no swim on Wednesday as I'd be housebound but I could do my bike workout and should be all better by Thursday and could swim then.

So here's what the finger looked like on Tuesday evening. I also noticed I had 3 large painful "pimples"? on my neck and chin. I figured it was related - the infection trying to get out but I also figured the antibiotics would take care of it.

Wednesday night

I neglected to mention the level of pain this infection causes. It is an agonizing non stop throbbing. Also, forgot to say that they didn't drain the finger as it hadn't morphed into being filled with puss. I was advised to use warm compresses and soaks. To draw out the infection and that I could drain it myself if need be. I was fine with that.

Wednesday - the storm shutdown the entire East Coast. I did some work from home assigned by my boss. No energy for a bike workout. The finger pain was bad. It had doubled in size and started to change colours. A definite white area rip for drainage and dark black bruising under the nail itself and more around the wound. Late afternoon and Barry attempted to drain it - bless him - but it wasn't deep enough or at the right spot. I tried to do it myself in the evening that's how desperate I became even though I felt very squeamish. (I prob doing first aid on other but not on myself)

Here's what it looks like now... 

Need to dig out and get back to emergency. Some of the range of motion tests they performed on Tuesday, I can no longer do. And it hurts so much I have warm thoughts of partial amputation!!!

Stay tuned...