hi jax

sorry to hear about what happened to you, not a pleasant experience at all.

Once I went to a local leisure centre and used the sauna and steam, I forgot to use a towel before I sat down and that evening I had severe itching on my bum. Within a few days it was a bad rash in the form of a circle. I went to the GP and he told me it was ringworm and that I probably caught it from there as ringworm thrives in humid conditions.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I was using thrush cream for months. I had a big black patch on my bum where the ring worm was for ages, I was even considering putting a tattoo over it, but thankfully it's gone now.

Now if I go to sauna, steam, jacuzzi, I always wear a bikini skirt and always wear beach shoes or flip flops. I am very scornful anyway, which is why I hardly ever go to public leisure centres, because I am always cringeing about something.

Hi roundasapound,
I`m not surprised your wary after that experience. The person you caught it off must have known they had it and how infectious it is. It beggars belief that they could just not care who caught it.

jax

after reading what happened to you, I will consider wearing a wet suit in the jacuzzi.

Also the infections you can get from the pools on holiday when swiming. What the hell is going on?!

If anyone has verrucas on thier feet, they should wear the verruca socks which are quite cheap. If my husband and I have children and they get verruca then IF they go sawimming, they WILL wear the verruca socks.

Who in their right mind deliberatley allows themselves or their children to infect other people? Gross.

I remember having a verruca as a child and my mum ensured I took the correct precautions.

It put me right off of public jacuzzis when a friends husband..who is a plumber...told us about the state of the jets etc that they have to clean out....full of yukkie gunk collected from peoples bodies! Someone also told me that because the water is at just the right temperature...all the germs etc are able to 'breed'....so if anybody has ANY sort of infection...then a jacuzzi is the prime place to pick it up!!!

Unless correctly maintained, Jacuzzis are a breeding ground for Legionnella which is carried in water droplets.

Having said that, if your shower has not been used regularly for a period of time eg a week - you may have been on holiday - it is always an idea to run your shower for at least five minutes at either below 20 or above 50 degrees C to flush out any Legionnella bacteria which may be breeding there. The spray head disperses these beautifully. Beware garden hoses which have lain dormant over winter or not been used for a while. They can also be a high risk area.

Hope this is helpful

Helen

Thanks for that Helen it`s very interesting and not something I`ve heard of before. I will certainly do it. I have to admit I don`t clean my shower head often enough.

Hi Jax
It isn't the head that is the problem but the water that sits in the pipework. This is where the bacteria breeds and spreads in spray droplets. By running the tap, hose, shower for at least 5 mins above 50 or below 20, the possible bacteria are killed off. Especially risky ar those taps that have spray heads - a bit like the old school toilet ones! - as these restrict the volume of water passing through.