Hi Pamela, and welcome to the forum.
I'm not sure what pathos roots are, so I can't fully visualise the problem. But if the snake is permanently in water this could indeed lead to skin problems. Maybe if you rearrange the tank and offer more/ different hiding opportunities, that might encourage her out of the water. It may be that the hides you have in there at the moment are 'unattractive' to her for whatever reason (temp?)