Tara, without the information W-M asked for I can't be sure, but your problems are typical of AG pool owners with sand filters. There's nothing wrong with sand filters, though. The problem is that dealers sell big pumps, which cost the same as small AG pumps, as a 'feature', but supply small sand filters, since the big ones cost more.

The combination of a big pump with a little sand filter does 2 things:
1. It blows some of the sand out the drain every time you backwash, &
2. It forces dead algae THROUGH the filter, instead of allowing the filter to catch the algae.

The typical quick fix involves:
1. Replacing the lost sand.
2. Installing a valve BETWEEN the pump and the filter so you can slow the flow.

The long term fix involves replacing or reworking your pump.

The QUICKEST fix is to drain 3/4 of your pool and then refilling. It will STILL be somewhat cloudy, but you'll be able to swim while you work on your other problems.

I should note that there are other possible problems, such as adding "Metal Free" and a polyquat algaecide to the same pool, or adding large amounts of alkalinity increaser and calcium increaser at the same time. But the algae / filter issue is the most common.

. . . membership upgraded.