View Full Version : I'm scared that I might have brain eating amoeba
Marco Hernandez
14-06-18, 22:58
So here's the story one day I was swimming in a pool the water was warm but not hot it was about 83 outside degrees some water got close to my nose some got in so i got out and then and i started blowing my nose 10 minutes layer I had a sorta tension headache and my stomach was touchy I had a panic attack and thought I was gonna die I couldnt sleep. It's been three days I got better but I'm still scared I had another panic attack and started to cry I still can't sleep or stay calm I'm really scared I'm gonna die. I know I have HA but I'm still worried
nomorepanic
14-06-18, 23:25
Not possible at all.
We have a few brain eating amoeba posts so look them up.
It is almost like something strange is going on.
No!
Brain eating amoeba lives in murky water and soil. NOt in chlorination.
You are fine.
I am not meaning to dismiss your anxiety AT ALL because I'm the same with many things, but I honestly didn't even know that was possible! A brain amoeba I mean - I've never heard of them and genuinely don't think you should stress about this one and that's coming from someone who is anxious about everything.
Marco Hernandez
14-06-18, 23:54
Thanks for helping I'm getting better but still a bit worried
I would imagine they're going to exist in developing countries,and even then pretty rarely, or places where there isn't a good public health system. Not countries like USA.
Swimming can cause a tension headache due to neck muscles being strained and you probably had a panic attack because you have bad anxiety and/or were worried about the headache. It's then very easy for our mind to spin out of control and think the most outrageous things.
Give it a couple of days and I reckon you'll have stopped worrying about this.
'
I would imagine they're going to exist in developing countries,and even then pretty rarely, or places where there isn't a good public health system. Not countries like USA.
'
It does exist in the United States.
The reality is you'd have to jump into some warm water amoeba infected stagnant farm pond or swamp and snort some water up your nose to even stand a chance of contracting this. The scenarios presented here are pure anxiety driven imagination.
Positive thoughts
It does exist in the United States.
Ah ok, apologies that is me being dumb/ignorant and I didn't google. Hopefully this isn't what this is though.
The reality is you'd have to jump into some warm water amoeba infected stagnant farm pond or swamp and snort some water up your nose to even stand a chance of contracting this. The scenarios presented here are pure anxiety driven imagination.
Positive thoughts
I agree that the scenarios are imaginary, but that's not how you get it. You get it from freshwater lakes where there is a lot of recreation going on and the sediments from the bottom gets disturbed and floats to the top or middle, then you do a cannonball or backflip and get the water with the disturbed sediment straight up your nose. Yes, I have read about this, and don't go to a certain freshwater water park anymore. I will do cannonballs in chlorine, thanks :-)
I agree that the scenarios are imaginary, but that's not how you get it. You get it from freshwater lakes where there is a lot of recreation going on and the sediments from the bottom gets disturbed and floats to the top or middle, then you do a cannonball or backflip and get the water with the disturbed sediment straight up your nose. Yes, I have read about this, and don't go to a certain freshwater water park anymore. I will do cannonballs in chlorine, thanks :-)
I grew up swimming in lakes and rivers, did so last summer and plan on doing so this summer. Where I live, I can go up in the mountains and chill out (literally) in a pool next to a waterfall. This insanely rare disease never enters my mind and now even knowing about it (never heard of it until NMP), I'm not letting something like this stop me from that glorious feeling and scenery.
Anyway....
Positive thoughts
AMomentofClarity
15-06-18, 01:28
In the US each year, there’s an average of almost 4,000 drowning deaths and 4 cases of brain eating amoeba. You’re more likely to drown in your bathtub than get brain eating amoeba from the most contaminated water source.
I grew up swimming in lakes and rivers, did so last summer and plan on doing so this summer. Where I live, I can go up in the mountains and chill out (literally) in a pool next to a waterfall. This insanely rare disease never enters my mind and now even knowing about it (never heard of it until NMP), I'm not letting something like this stop me from that glorious feeling and scenery.
Anyway....
Positive thoughts
I definitely go in lakes, but not the kind with all the water rides, zip lines, floaty things, etc. That's where most people pick up this amoeba mostly, at the freshwater water parks. And I am absolutely fine with cutting that out of my life for the offest of the off chances.
There are more cases of imagined amoeba on this forum than there are actual real life cases of it!
One literally has a higher chance of having a vending machine crush them or having a fatal accident while taking a selfie than getting this legendary amoeba.
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canadian1000
15-06-18, 06:06
So here's the story one day I was swimming in a pool the water was warm but not hot it was about 83 outside degrees some water got close to my nose some got in so i got out and then and i started blowing my nose 10 minutes layer I had a sorta tension headache and my stomach was touchy I had a panic attack and thought I was gonna die I couldnt sleep. It's been three days I got better but I'm still scared I had another panic attack and started to cry I still can't sleep or stay calm I'm really scared I'm gonna die. I know I have HA but I'm still worried
Marco:
1. If you had a brain eating amoeba, which you don’t, you would be one of just a handful of people in the United States to contract the bacteria in the past 50 years. Millions of people go swimming each year and they aren’t infected with an amoeba, so in terms of mathematical probability, how likely is it that you would be the lucky one?
2. Brain eating amoebas are also unlikely to live in pools, as pools typically have chlorine which is a chemical that kills bacteria. Unless you were laying in a puddle, an unmoving body of water like a murky pond, or in a swamp.... you have little chance of coming in contact with an amoeba
3. Symptoms related to brain eating amoebas typically start happening pretty quickly and most people would experience significant cognitive decline. That means it would be unlikely that you could tolerate the back light in your computer monitor or phone screen to type these messages, your neck would become so stiff that not even a chiropractor could make the pain go away, and you would be more confused than you’ve ever been.
As time passes and you realize that you never had an amoeba, take a breath and look back at this post. Then you may realize that the symptoms you were experiencing were anxiety manifesting in the form of physical aches and pains. Stress can and will do that to you, look at the posts on this forum as proof.
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paranoid-viking
15-06-18, 09:23
Another one? Seems like there os no end to this mass epidemic of brain eating amoebas. There are now more threads about this amoeba than there are real life cases of this stuff in the entire world!! Why dont people fear something more realistic if they chose to worry over something. Sorry; I know anxiety is not a choice but come on....why on earth and where on EARTH did you get the ideas of brain eating bugs? I mean....COME ON!!
---------- Post added at 10:17 ---------- Previous post was at 10:12 ----------
Not possible at all.
We have a few brain eating amoeba posts so look them up.
It is almost like something strange is going on.
I think people gets triggered by each others fear by reading on this forum. I mean; how come so many here now now about this sub-zero-mariginal phenonomen of brain eating amoebas? I mean; last year there were maybe one or NONE post about this; now it pops up a new one every day. I am convinced that this board is not a good therapy for everyone and that posters do trigger each other. I think this started with ONE poster one time who wrote about fear of this amoeba; than another hypocondriac who was here saw the post, googled and....the ball started rolling. It is a chain reaction of anxiety. Some people should not read or post on this forum.
I never, ever, in my entire life heard of this so called brain eating amoeba before I joined NMP and I have never heard about it elswhere either.
OP - I advise you to log off this forum and stop reading here as it obvious that you are part of the chain reaction where posters feed each others fear. And with you posting this others join in on this bandwagon too. This has escalated far enough now.
---------- Post added at 10:19 ---------- Previous post was at 10:17 ----------
No!
Brain eating amoeba lives in murky water and soil. NOt in chlorination.
You are fine.
You would believe this was a mass epidemic on a grand scale by reading posts in here:lac::lac::huh::huh::shrug:
I mean, drinking water from tap would not be allowed ANYWHERE if this was a danger; neither swimming pool. But when the anxiety is irrational it is irrational.
---------- Post added at 10:20 ---------- Previous post was at 10:19 ----------
Thanks for helping I'm getting better but still a bit worried
You must seek help for your anxiety. It is brain eating amoeba today, but tomorrow it is another thing. Maybe you should stop reading this forum too.
---------- Post added at 10:21 ---------- Previous post was at 10:20 ----------
I agree that the scenarios are imaginary, but that's not how you get it. You get it from freshwater lakes where there is a lot of recreation going on and the sediments from the bottom gets disturbed and floats to the top or middle, then you do a cannonball or backflip and get the water with the disturbed sediment straight up your nose. Yes, I have read about this, and don't go to a certain freshwater water park anymore. I will do cannonballs in chlorine, thanks :-)
You have been googling too much.
---------- Post added at 10:23 ---------- Previous post was at 10:21 ----------
In the US each year, there’s an average of almost 4,000 drowning deaths and 4 cases of brain eating amoeba. You’re more likely to drown in your bathtub than get brain eating amoeba from the most contaminated water source.
You are mixing BEA up with rabies. It is not as much as 4 BEA cases per year. It has been something like 100 people in the entire world for the last 60 years or something. How people could imagining they would get this by getting clean water up their nose is beyond me.
MyNameIsTerry
15-06-18, 12:35
Paranoid Viking, the average Clarity gave is based on CDC figures of 40 cases 2007-2016.
---------- Post added at 12:34 ---------- Previous post was at 12:22 ----------
Another one? Seems like there os no end to this mass epidemic of brain eating amoebas. There are now more threads about this amoeba than there are real life cases of this stuff in the entire world!! Why dont people fear something more realistic if they chose to worry over something. Sorry; I know anxiety is not a choice but come on....why on earth and where on EARTH did you get the ideas of brain eating bugs? I mean....
Well that's anxiety disorders for you. If you want these disorders to focus only on the perception of what is more likely then a large number of OCD sufferers for a start wouldn't fit this perception e.g. intrusive thoughts themes about harm, sexual abuse, sexuality & gender, religion, etc.
There was more than 1 thread about this last year but it's a big increase this year.
I wonder whether the media are causing this because if you look at the demographics it seems to be Americans raising these threads (aren't many of the rabies ones by Americans too?) yet this forum is a UK one. That suggests it's not NMP to me as you would expect more, or even some UK members raising them?
---------- Post added at 12:35 ---------- Previous post was at 12:34 ----------
There are more cases of imagined amoeba on this forum than there are actual real life cases of it!
One literally has a higher chance of having a vending machine crush them or having a fatal accident while taking a selfie than getting this legendary amoeba.
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The same with sporadic fatal insomnia. That's even rarer.
You have been googling too much.[COLOR="blue"]
Oh, heck yeah, I have, lol. NOt recently, but I feel prey to this fear about 5 years ago. You are right that this fear was the power of suggestion; I learned about the amoeba on an anxiety board, right after we went to a freshwater water park. We got SO MUCH water up our noses there, it was dripping out, we were all congested for a few days, and my son even caught a cold.
I googled the amoeba (caled naegleria fowleri) and what I found is that it is actually incredibly common. It proliferates seasonally, so in the dead of winter, you got nothing to worry about, lol. But, in summer, they will replicate or whatever amoebas do. They are present in a very high number of lakes tested (like over 50%), but they tend to be in smaller ones where the water temperature can get higher. Huge lakes, lakes/rivers at elevation, cool springs, etc are not at risk at all. Just the smaller lakes and bodies of water that don't have as much depth.
The fact that the amoebas are common in lakes DOES NOT AT ALL MEAN that getting the brain disease from the amoeba are common. THere has to be a perfect storm of events to happen....like being a lake with a heavy population of them, the sediment getting kicked up from the bottom (due to a ton of people being at the lake and moving somewhat forcefully), you submerging your head forcefully exactly where the amoebas have risen to the top, etc etc. THere are simply people that end up being THAT unlucky.
But, because I have two boys- one of whom used to be insane, he is finally maturing- and I remember how much water we got up our noses the day we went to that freshwater water park (where the idea is to slide down a 59 foot slide and drop into the water, or zip line into the water, or do dives and cannonballs off huge trampolines floating in the lake), YEP I am more than happy to avoid places like that. And, that was due to googling and reading how some of the parents are left feeling after one day at a stupid park cost them their child.
Maybe you would make a different calculation, and that's fine. Your choice...but, you really do speak a lot about the amoeba without knowing anything about it. I definitely understand the problems with googling, but in this specific case, if people understood it more, they might not be so afraid of it.
Marco Hernandez
17-06-18, 02:21
I'm way better now I can sleep well but I still have a small headache
HelloPanda23
21-06-18, 16:22
I'm way better now I can sleep well but I still have a small headache
That's great to hear, you feeling better as well? Trust me, I feel your pain. I fell prey to this 4 days ago, and freaked out bad, thinking I was going to die soon. I snorted a bit of water from my pool by accident and got scared after learning what the brain eating amoeba was. Luckily, I did an insane amount of research and the only pools that could be contaminated with this awful bacteria are those with very very poor treatment, and at that point, you would be able to tell by how the water looks. If the water you swam in wasn't green, and had proper treatment with chemicals, then logically speaking, you have absolutely no chance of getting BEA. I got super scared because I thought my pool water wasn't being taken care of chemical wise and so I was afraid, but apparently, the person who cleans our pool checks weekly to make sure the chemicals are both in place and that he cleans the water until there is no dirt whatsoever. Considering that, I can get all the stupid headaches I want, and I still won't think I have BEA. It's impossible to get it, and I've spent my whole life living in chlorination. Just 2 years ago, I used to swim 6-10 hrs daily for about 2 months. If I didn't die there, them that's proof that BEA can't exist in pools that are checked and treated weekly. Either way, enough of me talking. Are you over this fear, or still a bit scared?
Texasgirl87
05-09-18, 17:06
I’m scared of this one too. I was cleaning my room and felt like dust got in my nose so I went to the sink and put warm water on my finger and swabbed my nose then I remembered this bacteria immediately and then used cold water. Do you think I’m at risk anyone?
MagpieWitch
05-09-18, 17:33
I don't think you can. I think water has to be shot up your nose. River water, lake water, untreated water.
I don't think you can reach that far into the nose with your finger really!
You are completely fine!
Texasgirl87
05-09-18, 17:53
This is what I keep telling myself, thank you. I just feel nauseous. That’s my current anxiety symptom lol.
MagpieWitch
05-09-18, 18:05
I am currently scared of the amoeba too, and I am freaking out! (I am also nauseous but yesterday's headache sent me over the edge)
If you want we can talk and reassure ourselves if you think that can help!
Texasgirl87
05-09-18, 20:24
That would be cool! It’s nice having someone to talk to instead of getting eyes rolled at me haha. I mean can you imagine how many kids pick their noses in the bathtub? I shouldn’t even worry lol. It’s not like I snorted the water. This week in my city it’s raining all week and I always get headaches when it rains so I’m like please noooo. Anyway, this is my life lol.
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