Wild swimming

I can see no one has replied yet - best to ask your team but I kept out of the sea all summer during chemo - it’s the risk of infection when your immune system is low.  The most likely cause is throgh the skin and chemo slows healing of little cuts, scrapes and needle pricks.  My consultant did say I could swim in a chlorinated pool during chemo if I really wanted to and washed the water off sraight away but she’d be much happier if I waited. As is happens the boiler has failed at our local pool so it’s a non issue.  The exercise itself would be really good longer term though… There is sme info on breast cancer now - again not keen during chemo/radio. I’m no expert though - my biggest pain was having to keep out of the sun during the hottest sunniest summer I ever remember

Sorry that should say she said I could swim in a pool during radio - NOT chemo…

Thanks LabradorLover, that's helpful. It's so important to manage exceptions ...

I had a WLE rather than a mastectomy and went back to pool swimming once I was happy the wound had fully healed - about 3 weeks. I also used a pool all through chemo. I went back to running even sooner although that’s probably not recommended. If you are having chemo and want to continue swimming, it’s a good idea to request a portacath, you can’t swim with a PICC line. Just having radiotherapy now but will be back in the water within a couple of weeks if I have no blisters. 

Interesting. My surgeon said I should be back on the road latest 3 weeks after OP which made me very hopeful. Next pool is 36 miles away on our neighbouring island, so I might just have to give the sea a miss? Hope Radiotherapy will go okay for you.

I had a picc line so it wasn’t an issue for me but a friend who had a portacath was told not to use public pools due to the high risk of infection. I know some people still choose too and have been absolutely fine. Personally I wouldn’t have taken the risk having seen a child vomit into my local pool for them to leave it and swimmers in there because the chlorine levels were apparently high enough to make it safe!!! And knowing how many people wee in there. Chemo seems so long when you’re in it but it’s such a short time once you’re out the other side and you’re actually very vulnerable during it. All the best xx