I've just had a fascinating experience!

[Atellus]

I've just had a fascinating experience!

 

First, some background. I have recently installed what is widely known as

a whirlpool bath. Such baths have a variety of features more commonly

found in saunas. This particular bath has water jets fed by a pump. The

bath is filled and when activated, the water is drawn through an inlet and

circulated to a number of water jets distributed around the circumference

of the bath. The bath is a standard sized 1700mm by 700mm

glass-fibre-reinforced acrylic bath. There is nothing special or unusual

about it, it's installation or any of the materials used in or around it.

 

Perhaps I should really characterise this experience as mysterious, as I

doubt many of you are finding this at all fascinating so far!

 

And so, the experience. I decided to have a bath. This is the first time

I've tried a whirlpool bath. I drew the bath, mixing the water to a

temperature that was easily tolerable without being too hot. The kind of

hot water that you ease yourself into slowly and aclimatize to in a few

seconds. If I'd known what would happen I would have taken more accurate

measurements!

 

I spent a few moments in the water, soaking, both sitting up and lying

down and then turned on the jets. It wasn't a mind blowing experience,

but it was quite pleasant, particularly on the lower back and soles of the

feet. I increased the intensity of the jets, which wasn't really all that

much more intense. I did notice that there was significant vibration

through the water. I lay down again until the water covered my chest and

was up to my chin, with my knees bent and feet on the floor of the bath.

Perhaps not more than 30 seconds later I began to feel a strong tingling

throughout my whole body that got very much worse very quickly. So bad,

in fact, that my abdomen tightened to the point of causing severe

discomfort. My chest felt like there was a jack hammer inside trying to

get out, which, whilst I was able to breath normally and was not short of

breath, certainly made me feel that if I didn't concentrate on breathing I

would have problems. My throat tightened, which didn't help the

breathing. The muscles and tendons of my wrists and hands contracted and

tingled in a way I can only describe as ferocious. It actually caused my

hands to twist into hooks, with the fingers straight and bent at the first

joint, creating a right angle with the palm of the hand! I could resist

this contortion if I tried and could clench and unclench my fists, but if

I relaxed, they returned to this position. And all the time I felt this

incredibly powerful vibrating/tingling sensation throughout my whole body!

 

 

I concluded that it might be time to get out. I turned off the bath

without any trouble (I had to reach around to a push button behind my

shoulder) and levered myself out of it, at once point becoming afraid that

I might pass out as I did so and topple, head first, onto the tiled floor.

However, at no point did I actually feel that close to passing out.

Given the situation and the way I felt, I considered it a possibility,

remembering as I do the early warning signs of loss of consciousness from

previous situations, such as illness.

 

Out of the bath, I held onto the back of the closed bathroom door for a

second, feeling overheated, and then decided I needed to elevate my legs.

I was still tingling throughout all my muscles and felt very shaky. I

once collapsed after a very hard and fast bicycle ride, but did not

actually feel that bad on this occassion. Again, I was forestalling the

worst by getting down on my back on the cold tiles and propping my feet up

on the back of the door.

 

And there I stayed for what must have been at least 5 minutes or more,

breathing deeply and regularly and thinking about my breathing rhythm, as

one does whilst running or recovering afterwards. I stayed in that

position until my abdomen relaxed. It was like having a severe bout of

stomach cramp throughout the whole experience. Then I stood up and, as I

felt reasonably alright, decided to try again.

 

I performed the same ritual as before, but this time started the bath

whilst sitting up with my legs straight, the water coming halfway up my

torso. No effects. Just a pleasing circulation of warm water. Then I

lay down again. No effects. I stayed in there for several more minutes

until I began to get too hot, as one does after a while, and bored. I got

out and noticed I still felt a little wobbly, but this was like the normal

sensations of having spent too long in a hot bath. I left the room in

order to get out of the steamy environment and lay on the bed and air

dried in the breeze from a fan. I took my pulse rate using the bed side

clock and measured 102 beats per minute. My normal resting heart rate

averages at about the mid 70s. Despite my athletic references earlier, I

am not extremely fit and should be considered of average fitness.

 

So, what on earth caused this physiological reaction?

 

There is some further information that may be relevant. I had just

completed 3 or 4 hours of physical labour, ripping up flooring and carting

heavy loads back and forth. Home improvements, you see. The bath is only

the latest completed project. So I was fatigued from those exertions.

Whilst in the bath initially, relaxing, I was also thinking about my

girlfriend, with the usual predictable results. So we must factor in the

physiological effects of arousal. Believe me when I say that this subject

didn't stay on my mind for long once the vibration started! Hard to feel

amorous when you're afraid you may stop breathing.

 

I am a 27 year old male, 189lbs, 6 feet tall... brown eyes, dark hair ;-)

... with no existing medical conditions, no vascular or respiratory

illnesses, no history of serious illness beyond physical injury, no known

neurological conditions.

 

What else?

 

Oh, I stubbed my toe a few days ago and I get hayfever, but not that bad

;-)

 

So, the cause is a mystery. Even more so as I was unable to replicate it

a very short time later!

 

Other than that, I wouldn't necessarily recommend against getting a

whirlpool bath. The second time around it was very pleasant. But perhaps

they should print a warning for first timers!

[Guest026]

You might have had a siezure or something I don't know.

[insane_alien]

i'd go see a doctor. it does however sound like a mild seizure. not to scare you but this could be a symptom of something more serious so you should get it checked out by a professional. not some forum on the internet.

 

on the other hand, itcould be nothing. but do you really want to take the chance?

[iNow]

It might also have been a severe allergic reaction. To insane alien's point, none of us will ever know. Get to your doctor. They will ask questions, you will answer, they will ask follow-up questions, and decide what to do from that. You might get to take a ride in a magnetic resonance imager.