What I skipped
During my time with molluscum, I cancelled a lot. I skipped the swimming pool, sport and the sauna.
To be honest, I probably didn’t need to cancel much of it. The reason was rarely a specific risk, but mostly the feeling of being watched.
What the CDC says about swimming pools
The US health agency CDC has a dedicated page on molluscum in schools, childcare and swimming pools. It says that children with molluscum don’t need to be kept away from the swimming pool because of it.
I found it interesting that, in the CDC’s assessment, the virus is more likely to be passed on through objects than through the water itself. Examples given include towels, kickboards, swimming goggles and toys. Transmission at swimming pools has been described, but exactly how it happens is not clear. That clearly changed my picture of the swimming pool as a big risk. The real issue is more the things you share there.
Covering up instead of cancelling
For sport and swimming, the CDC mainly mentions covering affected areas with clothing or a plaster. A US health department describes waterproof plasters for spots that aren’t covered by clothing, especially for contact sports and swimming, and changing them daily.
Please read for yourself what applies to your situation, and if in doubt, ask a doctor.
Sauna and gym
I found hardly any specific information about saunas or gyms in reputable sources. So I can’t pass on anything reliable about them, apart from the CDC’s general advice not to share towels and to cover spots.
Holidays
I also gave up holidays during that time. More on this in the article Molluscum and holidays.
Children and swimming lessons
Many people who search for this topic are parents. So I am passing this on too: the CDC writes that children with molluscum don’t need to be kept away from school, childcare or the swimming pool. What matters is covering the spots and not sharing towels and toys. For children, the paediatrician is the right person to ask.
The feeling of being watched
Wherever you show a lot of skin, I had the feeling that others would look at my skin. Probably hardly anyone would have noticed anything. But that feeling was enough to make me stay at home.
“I probably didn’t need to cancel much of it at all. I simply didn’t feel comfortable.”
What I take away from this
The longer the molluscum stayed, the more I missed out on. Not because of the spots themselves, but because of the uncertainty. After two years it was over for me. Was it coincidence? I don’t know. How it came about, I tell in my story.