Lyme Disease

2.7k · July 12, 2004

Rather than take the Complaint Dept. thread off topic, I thought I'd start this one.

In it, on July 8th, Keystone Approver said he was going to get checked for Lyme Disease...

1) Keystone, are you OK? Hope so...

2) I'm quite sure it has been discussed before, but I have never known anyone who has actually HAD Lyme Disease... How do you know you need to be tested? What is it really like, as opposed to what 'book lernin' says?

Thanks for the info... Fortunately for me I haven't even SEEN a tick this year... (just my luck I'll be attacked by a horde, wait and see ) Let's hope you all are safe too.

1.8k · July 12, 2004

Yes, I was concerned too. You must at least have some "flu-like symptoms." I would like to pray for you, if you have anything to share.

38.2k · July 12, 2004

Rather than take the Complaint Dept. thread off topic, I thought I'd start this one.

In it, on July 8th, Keystone Approver said he was going to get checked for Lyme Disease...

1) Keystone, are you OK? Hope so...

2) I'm quite sure it has been discussed before, but I have never known anyone who has actually HAD Lyme Disease... How do you know you need to be tested? What is it really like, as opposed to what 'book lernin' says?

Thanks for the info... Fortunately for me I haven't even SEEN a tick this year... (just my luck I'll be attacked by a horde, wait and see ) Let's hope you all are safe too.

Being checked is no big deal. I've been checked once and my wife, twice. If its caught early, prompt treatment usually clears it up quickly. The problems usually occur when it goes unnoticed for a long time. A co-worker of mine went through many, many months of IV antibiotics to cure a severe case that went untreated for a long time. My wife, on the other hand, tested postive after finding a tick attached to her was fine after a few weeks of oral antibiotics.

You should be tested if you find a deer tick attached, especially if its been there a while. Some Dr's will start a phrophylactic dose of antibiotics right away, while others will wait for a positive test, or symptoms to appear. Those range from the "bulls-eye" rash that appears in some of the cases, to flu-like symptoms and joint pain. Here is a pretty full check list of possible symptoms.

Edited July 12, 2004 by briansnat

9.1k · July 12, 2004

Hello all,

I am still dealing with the aftereffects of the vicious ticks and chiggers they have down in Tennessee. A week after my trip, and I'm still itchy all over! And, one of the 10 or so ticks that managed to bite into me left a mark that greatly concerned me. Thanks to posts in the Groundspeak forums, I knew what to look for (a bullseye circle around the bite) and what to do about it (get to the doctor right away, and get started on antibiotics).

Tennessee is actually classified as low-risk for lyme disease, but why take chances? Also, there is a separate, closely related disease associated with the Southern Lone Star Tick. Whatever may have gotten into me, two weeks of doxycycline will kill it.

Perhaps this is God's revenge for my finding too many microcaches. Thanks everyone for your concern.

2.3k · July 12, 2004

Hello all,

I am still dealing with the aftereffects of the vicious ticks and chiggers they have down in Tennessee. A week after my trip, and I'm still itchy all over! And, one of the 10 or so ticks that managed to bite into me left a mark that greatly concerned me. Thanks to posts in the Groundspeak forums, I knew what to look for (a bullseye circle around the bite) and what to do about it (get to the doctor right away, and get started on antibiotics).

Tennessee is actually classified as low-risk for lyme disease, but why take chances? Also, there is a separate, closely related disease associated with the Southern Lone Star Tick. Whatever may have gotten into me, two weeks of doxycycline will kill it.

Perhaps this is God's revenge for my finding too many microcaches. Thanks everyone for your concern.

No Gods revenge is having to log them all!!!

Be well

1.8k · July 12, 2004

I got Lyme Disease last year. One day I noticed a 'bull's eye' rash just above my ankle. Went to the Doc and started antibiotics. Please forgive me for not remebering the name of the drug, however, the Doc wanted to put me on a strong antibiotic that was very dangerous to people who would be exposed to the sun during the use of the drug. There is no way for me to avoid the sun because I love to be outdoors, so I opted for a different antibiotic (again, forgive my ignorance). The second antibiotic worked great and my rash went away after a couple of weeks. I never did get any symptoms of the disease (except for the rash).

The rash on my leg did appear to get larger over time. The red center mark started out the size of a golf ball and eventually grew to the size of a baseball. The outer ring of the bull's eye continued to grow as well.

I never did see the tick that did the damage. According to my Doc, a lot people do not see the tick that causes the infection. Not sure why, maybe the tick drops off and dies because it is infected with a disease?

Also, I did use insect repellant religiously and still contract Lyme Disease so always check yourself several days after being in tick infested areas.

Edited July 12, 2004 by clearpath

July 12, 2004

Lyme disease isn't the only illness caused by a tick bite. SOmetimes it depends on where you live. Rocky Mountain spotted fever is another tick born illness to be aware of.

Cachers should keep in mind that nymph stage ticks can also cause disease. Nymph stage ticks are CLEAR, you cannot see them on your skin, which is why taking a shower as soon as you get home is a very good idea to wash these guys off of you.

You get infected with the bacteria that causes Lyme disease when an attached tick regurgitates this bacteria out of its gut (which is where this bacteria lives) and into your blood. The bacteria then thrives in that nice oxygen, and nutrient supplied environment of the blood.

For Lyme disease, not all cases will get a bull's eye rash, and if there is a rash, it won't always look like a bulls eye, it may look roughly like a splotch. If you think you got bit by a deer tick, you can save the tick if you want to show it to your Dr., but they cannot isolate the bacteria from the tick to prove it is actually infected. It is what they call a 'spirochete', which cannot be cultivated in the lab.

The test for lyme disease is serologic (they test for antibodies in your blood). Because they are looking for antibody that you produce against this bacteria, a positive Lyme disease test will not show for at least a few weeks after the bite. Many cases are missed because of this. Your body needs time to buildup the specific antibodies. If you get the test done within a week after you discover the tick, your lyme test will be NEGATIVE, however, this does not mean you are off the hook. You need to let the antibodies buildup. You'd need to give it a month to do that....personally I wouldn't bother with it. I'd try to get treated as soon as possible.

However...if your Dr. thinks you do have Lyme, its possible they won't wait for the Lyme test, they may never even order it, they'll just treat you with antibiotics immediately. If you're lucky and have a good Dr., thats what they'll do, that way you won't have to pay for the Lyme test, since they'll treat for it anyway and after you administer antibiotics, the test won't work properly.

There are antibiotics to treat Lyme. I have to look up Rocky Mtn Spotted fever, but i believe the rash for it occurs as red splotches on the palms of your hands and soles of your feet. Most Drs. don't know how to recognize these diseases cause they don't get enough cases of it, especially Rocky Mtn spotted fever. Trust your own instincts.

Edited July 12, 2004 by Polgara

2.2k · July 12, 2004

Hello all,

I am still dealing with the aftereffects of the vicious ticks and chiggers they have down in Tennessee. A week after my trip, and I'm still itchy all over! And, one of the 10 or so ticks that managed to bite into me left a mark that greatly concerned me. Thanks to posts in the Groundspeak forums, I knew what to look for (a bullseye circle around the bite) and what to do about it (get to the doctor right away, and get started on antibiotics).

Tennessee is actually classified as low-risk for lyme disease, but why take chances? Also, there is a separate, closely related disease associated with the Southern Lone Star Tick. Whatever may have gotten into me, two weeks of doxycycline will kill it.

Perhaps this is God's revenge for my finding too many microcaches. Thanks everyone for your concern.

i was really sad about missing all the fun in nashville, but after having 2 people mention all the chigger bites they got, i'll wait for the winter convergence in traverse city, mi. we don't have chiggers in my area of mich. and i really don't want to find out what they're like. reading about them was bad enough. between the skeeters and ticks i hear about, and i see log after log mentioning them, :unsure: i think i will be more of a winter cacher.

we haven't lost KA, somebody must have the co'ords where he is. i just hope we can figure out what he's been disguised as.

Edited July 12, 2004 by uperdooper

38.2k · July 12, 2004

Lyme disease isn't the only illness caused by a tick bite. SOmetimes it depends on where you live. Rocky Mountain spotted fever is another tick born illness to be aware of.

And tick paralysis and babesosis and erlichoisis and relapsing fever and STARI and powassan encephalitis and heartwater disease and ....

You get the picture. It's all bad stuff and not to be taken lightly. Always use repellents and perform a full body check after spending time in tick country. The latter is more pleasant if you can get both of the Olsen twins to do it. Hey, they're over 18 now.

3.9k · July 12, 2004

Well, it just so happens that I've got Lymes right now. Pulled a tick off one morning about 3 or 4 of weeks ago, that night I had a perfect bullseye around the bite. Went to my DR. the next morning and I've been on 1500MGs of Amoxicillin a day. Still have a couple of weeks to go. I felt mild symptoms a couple of day later but since then I would even know I had it. So, the moral of this story is, if you think you've got it, get to the DR immediately.

4k · July 12, 2004

I'll keep you in my prayers, KA...both for the Lyme Disease, and while you log all those 250+ caches you found! :unsure:

2.2k · July 12, 2004

Well, it just so happens that I've got Lymes right now. Pulled a tick off one morning about 3 or 4 of weeks ago, that night I had a perfect bullseye around the bite. Went to my DR. the next morning and I've been on 1500MGs of Amoxicillin a day. Still have a couple of weeks to go. I felt mild symptoms a couple of day later but since then I would even know I had it. So, the moral of this story is, if you think you've got it, get to the DR immediately.

hope you're better soon. :unsure:

4k · July 12, 2004

Well, it just so happens that I've got Lymes right now. Pulled a tick off one morning about 3 or 4 of weeks ago, that night I had a perfect bullseye around the bite. Went to my DR. the next morning and I've been on 1500MGs of Amoxicillin a day. Still have a couple of weeks to go. I felt mild symptoms a couple of day later but since then I would even know I had it. So, the moral of this story is, if you think you've got it, get to the DR immediately.

That's too bad! Usually, when I get a tick attached, the way I find out is that I start to get flu-like symptoms within a couple hours. I get weak, my joints hurt, and my body aches all over....once I remove the tick, within a couple hours I feel better. Only had one tick that left a funny mark, so I showed it to the ER doc I was working with. He said not to worry, and that was that. Never had Lyme or RMSF from a tick....yet. I still have spots from ticks that got me last fall that start itching every once in a while, though.

July 12, 2004

Lyme disease isn't the only illness caused by a tick bite. SOmetimes it depends on where you live. Rocky Mountain spotted fever is another tick born illness to be aware of.

And tick paralysis and babesosis and erlichoisis and relapsing fever and STARI and powassan encephalitis and heartwater disease and ....

You get the picture. It's all bad stuff and not to be taken lightly. Always use repellents and perform a full body check after spending time in tick country. The latter is more pleasant if you can get both of the Olsen twins to do it. Hey, they're over 18 now.

Our dog Molly got a tick bite about 2 yrs ago and was diagnosed with erlichoisis.

Because she was older when she got it the prognosis was not good, because it has gone to her lymph system.

She is now 14 1/2 and going through her third bout with it now, and recieving large doses of antibiotics, for a huge swelling on her neck that is affecting her breathing.

It does not look good, and we will have to make a decision soon I think.

Please people, check your animal buddies and yourselves often, there are so many things that can be done if caught early.

3.9k · July 12, 2004

hope you're better soon.

Thanks!

July 12, 2004

My cousin (8 years old at the time) and his friend both had Lyme Disease a few years ago (it is very prevelant in Baltimore and surrounding areas) they both had paralysis as a side effect as well. My cousin had facial paralysis, and his friend lost the use of his legs for a while. Niether boy had the "bulls eye" but one of the tests they did was for lyme and they both tested positive.

I have had the Bulls Eye mark a few times and never tested positive. You never can tell.

That said, I couldn't believe the ticks in Tenn! We pulled off 3 different kinds of ticks in three days. The worst were the "seed ticks" they were microscopic. Some people had 50+ on them!

Hope you get over your Lyme w/o a problem JMBella!

July 12, 2004

Just this morning I removed a tick from the small of my back. It wasn't engorged with blood yet (I picked it up yesterday). Talk about a bad case of the heeby jeebies :unsure:

7.2k · July 12, 2004

I'm glad to see that KA and JMB got treatment and thing are OK. I do worry about it with the puppymonster.

BTW, we have trained chiggers to go after visitors from above the Mason-Dixon Line. It looks like they had a training mission scheduled and Keystone camped right on top of it! It is tough, but remember what you mom used to say -- "Don't scratch it!"

4k · July 12, 2004

I'm glad to see that KA and JMB got treatment and thing are OK. I do worry about it with the puppymonster.

BTW, we have trained chiggers to go after visitors from above the Mason-Dixon Line. It looks like they had a training mission scheduled and Keystone camped right on top of it! It is tough, but remember what you mom used to say -- "Don't scratch it!"

We have trained chiggers here that specifically go after visitors below the belt line........and no, mom won't let me scratch them in public,either! :unsure:

July 12, 2004

I have never gotten a tick bite or seen a tick crawling around on my skin. Don't know why, as I have been hiking all over the US for years. I often bushwhack my way through dense brush too, so you'd think I'd have lots of ticks on me.

2.6k · July 12, 2004

I have a series of scars on my ankles from a particularly bad chigger colony I picked up on a visit to Tennessee a few years back (leading one of my brighter cousins to lean over and remark that, "if chiggers 'uz the size of your thumb, it've kilt you"). Why I suffered so grievously that one time, I have no idea.

Bad year for ticks in New England, that's for sure. I live in dread that one has crawled above my hairline and is incubating silently.

2.5k · July 12, 2004

Amazingly enough, I, too, found the same ticks that the rest of them found, although Serenity Now got the brunt of it. We were next to a courthouse or county seat or something, in a little clump of decorative bushes and we came out and she had at least 100 of them everywhere... And the worst thing was they were reddish brown, which meant they blended in with freckles rather well. (I was looking at my arm, and then a freckle moved and I realized it was a tic)

We were finding them for at least an hour every time we stopped somewhere. Momma DirtClod found a huge one at another cache, but other than that, we were good.. Perhaps some of you groups that got there before us found all of the ticks that were there, too?

As for God's punishment, the sad thing is that it took almost as long to LOG all of the micros as it did to find them. I was logging for two days. Three hours here, two more there, seven the next day...

Can I ask a dumb question though and ask what a chigger is?

1.8k · July 12, 2004

I have a series of scars on my ankles from a particularly bad chigger colony I picked up on a visit to Tennessee a few years back (leading one of my brighter cousins to lean over and remark that, "if chiggers 'uz the size of your thumb, it've kilt you"). Why I suffered so grievously that one time, I have no idea.

Bad year for ticks in New England, that's for sure. I live in dread that one has crawled above my hairline and is incubating silently.

If your eyes start twitching and you notice blood lose to your head, you may want to check your scalp for a tick (or a leach). :unsure:

1.8k · July 12, 2004

Can I ask a dumb question though and ask what a chigger is?

Chiggers are children between the ages of 2 and 10.

2.1k · July 12, 2004

Can I ask a dumb question though and ask what a chigger is?

Chigger bite: Chigger bites are caused by the larvae of the chigger. The bite produces blisters (vesicles) and bleeding into the skin (purpura). These bites itch intensely and are usually located on exposed areas of the skin where the chigger larvae have access. This photograph demonstrates vesicle formation following the bites.

1500x zoom of a chigger.

Chigger info: This is a great page for telling you the what, why, and how of chiggers. Soapy water is your best tool.

4.8k · July 12, 2004

Well, Leprechaun managed to attract all the ticks and such. I didn't have any while in Tennessee. All I got were a couple of chigger bites. I think my good fortune was the fact that I freshly treated my clothes with permethrin, including my hiking socks, right before the trip. The Nebraska ticks seem to love me this year, even with permethrin treated clothes, but it seemed to work well in Tennessee. I highly recommend the stuff.

9.1k · July 12, 2004

It was my pleasure to extend Carleenp the courtesy of avoiding ticks and chiggers by walking a few steps ahead of her during our cache hunts. :unsure: Not true -- she indeed did a better job of protection through permethrin treatment and using standard insect repellent. I used Deep Woods Off! just once at the beginning of each day, and that was nowhere near good enough.

For proof of what Tennessee chiggers can do to an innocent Yankee geocacher, see this photo of my lower right leg. Both my legs look like this from top to bottom.

(From below: DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK TO THE PIC OF LEP'S LEG UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE GROSSED OUT!)

Edited July 12, 2004 by mtn-man

2.5k · July 12, 2004

So basically, chiggers bite, it itches, then it goes away.

I wonder if that's what bit my finger a couple times.

That picture is gross, by the way.

9.1k · July 12, 2004

So basically, chiggers bite, it itches, then it goes away.
I wonder if that's what bit my finger a couple times.

That picture is gross, by the way.

That is why I didn't post it in the forums. I should've added a disclaimer.

DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK TO THE PIC OF LEP'S LEG UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE GROSSED OUT!

Hey, at least I didn't take any pictures of where the ticks were. 'Nuff said.

1.8k · July 12, 2004

Chiggers are really bad in Missouri (which obviously borders Tennessee). When we were kids growing up in South Central Missouri, our motto was, "scratch'm til they bleed, then scratch'm some more." Probably not the best thing to do, but scratching the little buggers does make it feel better.

4k · July 12, 2004

Can I ask a dumb question though and ask what a chigger is?

My dad always said the PC term for them was chegroes........ :unsure:

4.8k · July 12, 2004

It was my pleasure to extend Carleenp the courtesy of avoiding ticks and chiggers by walking a few steps ahead of her during our cache hunts.

Aw! I thought I was being sneaky always making you walk in front! :unsure:

Wait a minute... I was walking in front when I almost stepped on the copperhead snake though.......

2.6k · July 12, 2004

My dad always said the PC term for them was chegroes...

Ha! My mother spelled it "chigroes" and I started, but didn't have the courage, to post that. Better you'n me.

July 12, 2004

I got chigger bites last year, they itched for a month! Especially in the middle of the night! For some reason, my lortisone lotion for excema did relieve the itch a bit, and did help with the bites a bit.

A month later, I went caching and I noticed I had piles of them all over my pants after walking through some knee high grass. I quick went back to the jeep, and brushed them off. They didn't all come off, so i got out my roll of electrical tape, and waxed them off. It was very effective, but I still took my pants off and put different ones on at the car.

My caching for that day ended after that cause they got in my shoes and i had no other socks or shoes, i drove home bare foot.

4.5k · July 12, 2004

KC and JMB - hope you're both doing better. I've been on antibiotics for Lyme (although I don't know if I had it - the tick did though. Buddy, my dog, has had Lyme and RMSF and been on two sets of antibiotics because of them. Advantage didn't help him apparently. Now I've got him on a collar but who knows if any of this stuff works. MY wife doesn't let me take him caching any more. She doesn't stop me though.

Hmmm.

July 13, 2004

For proof of what Tennessee chiggers can do to an innocent Yankee geocacher, see this photo of my lower right leg. Both my legs look like this from top to bottom.

(From below: DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK TO THE PIC OF LEP'S LEG UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE GROSSED OUT!)

Yup, I left Nashville looking about the same way. Most of my chigger bites are around my ankles, but a few are a little higher up my legs. I didn't even notice them until I got back to the hotel and took off my boots and socks. At first I thought they were just spider bites, but I soon realized they weren't turning out to look like spider bites. When I got home my father diagnosed them as chigger bites, and looking at your pic, Leps, confirms it.

I've never said anything about it before, mainly because I don't want to scare any new folks off from geocaching in Central Ohio, but I dealt with a bout of Lyme disease last year. It was almost humorous, we had just done a CITO event, went out for dinner, and I just wasn't feeling right at all. I took myself to the DR. and he confirmed through tests that I had Lyme Disease. I never had a rash of any kind, or even the "flu-like" symptoms. I can't even pinpoint 100% for sure exactly when I contracted it. I was bitten by a tick about 5 weeks prior to going to the doc, and I think it may have been the one. It attached itself, and then when I got in the car to go home and remove it, it let go and started crawling around again. I think the shock of going from the hot outside to the air conditioner in the car blowing right on it made it let go, at which point it probably regurgetated (sp). Even though I very well could have had it for a while a good round of stong antibiotics cleared everything up in a few weeks. My main point is that everyone can have different reactions to Lyme disease, or any diseases for that matter. It's best to get yourself checked if you have any doubt at all that you might have been bitten by a tick.

We're supposed to have pretty much 0 risk for Lyme here in Central Ohio. RMSF is more common in these parts. I guess I just got lucky? :unsure:

Edited July 13, 2004 by Mr. 0

9.1k · July 13, 2004

Mr. O, I am sorry to hear that we share both chigger bites and lyme disease treatments in common.

While we're comparing, I could not BELIEVE the ferocity of the rodents in Nashville. I tried to do a little hamstercaching, and the sucker attacked me! Literally tried to jump down my throat.

Did you experience any of that?

July 13, 2004

Mr. O, I am sorry to hear that we share both chigger bites and lyme disease treatments in common.

While we're comparing, I could not BELIEVE the ferocity of the rodents in Nashville. I tried to do a little hamstercaching, and the sucker attacked me! Literally tried to jump down my throat.

Did you experience any of that?

No hampsters personally, but I believe I saw a picture of that floating around somewhere. I'll e-mail it to you. But there was a rather nasty chipmunk that we ran across doing Jr. Naturalist. Draegon opened the spot where the cache was hidden and the little critter jumped out, yelled at him, and took off. It scared Draegon and sent me into a laughing fit for the next 5 minutes or so. :unsure:

July 13, 2004

Hope all is well...I live in the suburbs of Chicago. After caching this am found 5 ticks on me. The mosquitos are also brutal from the wet weather. I can't emphasize the need for insect repellant. :unsure:

July 13, 2004

Yup. There's nothing like disturbing a nest of ticks, and having them swarm up your leg so fast that they get on your hand while you pick the others off. :unsure:

2.5k · July 13, 2004

Here is a pretty full check list of possible symptoms.

Yikes!

34.Disorientation: getting lost, going to wrong places

4k · July 13, 2004

Here is a pretty full check list of possible symptoms.

Yikes!

34.Disorientation: getting lost, going to wrong places

Uh oh!

2.5k · July 13, 2004

Lep, I didn't mean your pic, I meant the other one. Well, actually, yours was kinda gross, too, but that's only cause your foot was in the pic and I have a thing about feet. I do love you, really I do. lol.

Anyway, RMSF is big down here too... No Lime either, or so they say.. And I was getting ready for bed a day or two after the cache n dash and thought I just had an itch and went to scratch my thigh.... oh look.. a tick... Couldn't fall asleep... kept having phantom crawling on me pains... Hopefully I'll not get sick from it - with either ailment...

July 13, 2004

Other threads may cause disagreement, but I think all cachers agree about the danger of ticks.

I did my normal tick check leaving a cache site today and found none, only to arrive home, greet my dog, and then use the mirror to check the back of my shirt and find five ticks in the area I hadn't been able to spray with repellant.

After multiple bites on a trip in May and the small scars to prove it, I can't wait for tick season to end. Fortunately, I was already on an antibiotic at the time for dental work, so it may have done double duty.

Is it the first frost in an area that kills ticks? Sooner would be even better, of course.

July 13, 2004

While we're comparing, I could not BELIEVE the ferocity of the rodents in Nashville. I tried to do a little hamstercaching, and the sucker attacked me! Literally tried to jump down my throat.

Did you experience any of that?

No hampsters personally, but I believe I saw a picture of that floating around somewhere. I'll e-mail it to you.

KA Meets Larry, or is it the other way around?

You have to wonder about the sanitation of a person who would swallow a rodent whole. Oh, yeah, your story is that he jumped in there. Never mind, then. But, you might consider closing your mouth, unless Mr. 0 was looking like his COG avatar and then I'd understand.

We're having a Scar/Rash pagent tomorrow night at the COG C&C. Thus far, it's Mr. 0's chiggers versus what might be ringworm on my right calf. Anyone want to take us on?

2.1k · July 13, 2004

Hi,

My sympathies to those who have, or have had, Lyme Disease. We are essentially tick and lyme free in my part of the Adirondacks (as well as being virtually free of poisonous snakes, poison ivy, and black holes). My caching partner, Cedar, a beagle-chow pound puppy picks up tick aplenty every time I visit my folks in CT, and he tested incredibly positive for lyme last year...we were told he would need a 30 day course of ab's every year for the rest of his life.

At any rate, avoiding ticks and LD is another reason to come up to the paradise of the Adirondack Park.

nfa

2.6k · July 13, 2004

We're having a Scar/Rash pagent tomorrow night at the COG C&C. Thus far, it's Mr. 0's chiggers versus what might be ringworm on my right calf. Anyone want to take us on?

Ack! Two years ago, I had chiggers and ringworm! I could take on the lot of yez! It was some relief to learn that ringworm isn't really a worm, it's more like athlete's foot with wanderlust. But I still wasn't allowed to sleep in the bed for a while.

July 14, 2004

A few years ago, before I'd heard of geocaching, I started having hideous headaches that went on for days. Then a huge edema swelled up on the back of my skull. Doctor did a spinal tap to confirm it was viral encephalitis, likely from a misquito bite. (Even before caching, I hiked wild places every week.) I have never been so wretchedly ill in my life, and it took almost 6 weeks before I felt some semblance of normal again. It was so bad, it actually put me off hiking and green spaces for a year. Just what you needed: another disease you can get from caching.

2.5k · July 14, 2004

I've had Ringworm before, too. Not really all that deadly, but annoying as heck.

Someone remind me to never go for larry, please! And all this time I thought KA had a big mouth!

6.5k · July 14, 2004

Sorry to hear of KA's and everyone else's maladies. I'm getting itchy just reading this thread. I have had a few chigger bites too, but not as bad as that. I go through a can of DW Off every few weeks this time of year, and reapply several times a day. Even thought it isn't supposed to work on clothing I spray my socks and shoetops. That way the little buggers will have to crawl over a toxic sheild before getting to my ripe legs.

WARNING shameless self promotion ahead: WARNING

Here is a chance for everyone to fight back and eat some bugs at BugFest 2004 the largest insect edutainment event in the country.

I am the resident cuisinasaurus at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and every year they present me with 1000's of insects to prepare and serve to the public at Cafe Insecta. Featuring exotic dishes such as Antchiladas, and Szechwan Silkworm Stir Fry. Email me if you want more details or would like to volunteer to work the event.

Last year over 20, 000 people attended this event.

PS I can't believe no one has thought to post this but:

Ticks are really bad this year. I see log after log and post after post mentioning them.

Get well soon KA

Edited July 14, 2004 by wimseyguy

Lyme Disease

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