Drowning outside water?


Guard himself as he may, every moment's an ambush ~ Horace


Just before the rains started, I made up my mind to go swimming every weekend (or every other weekend) - something I used to really enjoy doing.  I managed to go a few times though.

Whenever I go to the pool, I see some kids come in to swim very often (they take swimming lessons). I've always had the 'consciousness' of knowing how to swim since I was a kid, so I really don't remember ever learning (I grew up in a riverine area in Nigeria). But these
kids, as young as they are, are really good. They are so active and never ever seem to get tired. 
My typical day at the pool consists of doing a few laps, taking a long break, lazying under the sun for a bit, reading a book and watching the kids play around (I enjoy this a lot), then jump back in the pool. It just seems like the kids have some gills tucked in somewhere in their little bodies and so much more extra energy. I usually leave the pool very satisfied (when I manage not to get water into my ears).


With all the pleasant pool experiences I get, imagine my shock when I was browsing through my timeline the other day and saw a video about a little boy who died of 'dry drowning' after going swimming. I mean I thought all we had to worry about swimming pools included making sure there was a life guard around, keeping kids from diving especially at deep ends, keeping pools covered when not in use, etc. I had no idea there was such a thing called dry drowning. My initial reaction after watching the video was "how does one drown without water?"

This is the video of a 10-year old boy who died of 'drowning' hours after swimming (It is not graphic). The child went to bed after swimming and didn't wake up again. He died in his sleep. 

There are actually two kinds of phenomena that result in one 'drowning' outside a body of water: 
1) Dry drowning, and 2) Delayed (or Secondary) drowning, and these two differ.  The names are a bit confusing, but I'd just try and explain them.

1. Dry drowning: In dry drowning, the child while swimming, takes in a little amount of water (through the mouth or nose) that shuts off the airways. It doesn't happen right when they are swimming so everything appears fine. It however leads to difficulty in breathing and usually happens soon after exiting the water or pool. 

2. Delayed or Secondary drowning (the situation with the child in the video): Here, while swimming, water gets into the lungs in little quantities not enough to affect breathing immediately. Hours after swimming (up to 24 hours in some cases), the child 'drowns' as water in the lungs inhibits the lungs' ability to oxygenate blood and causes difficulty in breathing. 
It is confusing because the typical image we have of drowning is of someone beating about water as they struggle to stay afloat. However, delayed drowning happens silently and smoothly, and may even be while the child is asleep, leaving no room to raise an alarm or get help.

Fortunately, the occurrence of either of these phenomena is very rare, although once again, it's difficult to get statistics in Nigeria. Also, there are a couple of signs that parents/caregivers can look out for immediately or even hours after leaving the pool:

i. Coughing, chest pain, or throwing up: All these point to the fact that the child might be having difficulty breathing;

ii. Odd change in behaviour: Kids could be irritable, or there may be a drop in energy levels, meaning the brain is not getting enough oxygen.

If you see any of these symptoms or signs after your child has been swimming or been under water, it's best to have the doctor check them out. 

Note that drowning can occur in any kind or body of water (not just swimming pools) - bathtubs, ponds, small plastic pools, toilet bowls etc, so don't let your guard down at any time.

Over to you now. Have you seen this happen anywhere, or have you had any near incidences of drowning you would like to share with us? Over to the comments section please.


The Baby Analyst.

Not a doctor, just a financial analyst who loves kids 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My journey into education and child development

Thinking about daycare? Tips on what to look out for - Part I

Poison or not?