+Lowlander99 Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 (edited) Hi all....as a newbie...I don't know if this subject has been broached before..... I found my first cache two weeks ago....all went well...but about a week later I fell ill with a nasty case of gastric Flu.....Well...you know how the human mind works in times like that....and as I normally have a 'cast iron' constitution.....while I was languishing in my bed in extreme discomfort....all sorts of thoughts passed thru my mind....'Is it Flu?'...'Is it Weil's disease?'...which I believe starts off with Flu -like symptoms....of course it was Flu...as I am still here to testify..... But the problem is....it could have been Weil's....we don't know what happens to the caches when no-one is around...and which creatures are making 'deposits' of their own over them....So in future I will take a few pairs of disposable latex gloves with me when caching....just in case!!!!! Am I being alarmist....I'm not sure!!!!! Edited March 17, 2005 by Lowlander99 Quote Link to comment
+t.a.folk Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 Alarmist ! Ignorance was bliss! Quote Link to comment
+Lowlander99 Posted March 17, 2005 Author Share Posted March 17, 2005 Alarmist !Ignorance was bliss! The thing is ...we don't want ignorance to kill..... Quote Link to comment
+sTeamTraen Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 (edited) If you want to decide that "if B followed A, then B was caused by A", then that's up to you (welcome to the world of the believers in, er, more or less everything anyone tells them). But in the absence of other evidence, I'd be very skeptical. Most digestive diseases normally take about 24 hours to show up. I'd worry more about what you ate, and how often everybody washed their hands, about 6 days after you went caching. More generally, if you are genuinely concerned that there is a statistically significant chance of you catching a deadly disease from a walk in the country, I suggest you reconsider your choice of weekend activities, as you will probably be rather stressed by Monday Edited March 17, 2005 by sTeamTraen Quote Link to comment
+Lowlander99 Posted March 17, 2005 Author Share Posted March 17, 2005 (edited) I am glad that you are so sure of your beliefs.....good luck.... Anyway....statistics don't seem to matter much when you are the 'one in a million'..... Edited March 17, 2005 by Lowlander99 Quote Link to comment
+t.a.folk Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 The thing is ...we don't want ignorance to kill..... Lyme Disease .. can get that from some deer tics down south . Quote Link to comment
+Lowlander99 Posted March 17, 2005 Author Share Posted March 17, 2005 (edited) The thing is ...we don't want ignorance to kill..... Lyme Disease .. can get that from some deer tics down south . South of the Watford Gap...or...South of the Waist.... Edited March 17, 2005 by Lowlander99 Quote Link to comment
NickPick Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 Believe it or not, I've actually been on a training course about Weil's disease (Leptospirosis). - it's an occupational hazard of working in the water industry! Without going into huge details, generally, if you are careful to wash your hands before eating if you've been rummaging in the undergrowth, you should be OK, and you should be doing that anyway right? A very useful giude to leptospirosis is at leptospirosis.org Hope this helps / puts your mind at rest / doesn't make you worry unneccesarily Nick Quote Link to comment
+Lowlander99 Posted March 17, 2005 Author Share Posted March 17, 2005 (edited) Believe it or not, I've actually been on a training course about Weil's disease (Leptospirosis). - it's an occupational hazard of working in the water industry! Without going into huge details, generally, if you are careful to wash your hands before eating if you've been rummaging in the undergrowth, you should be OK, and you should be doing that anyway right? A very useful giude to leptospirosis is at leptospirosis.org Hope this helps / puts your mind at rest / doesn't make you worry unneccesarily Nick Thanks for the info...after all...that is the purpose of fora...to promote thought and discussion!!!! Edit: Thanks for the link...very informative.....good work Edited March 17, 2005 by Lowlander99 Quote Link to comment
+t.a.folk Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 South of the Watford Gap...or...South of the Waist.... Both! Quote Link to comment
+Lowlander99 Posted March 17, 2005 Author Share Posted March 17, 2005 Am intrigued...dying to know...what is Lymes.... Quote Link to comment
Nediam Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 I carry a tub of baby wipes in my car, which I use when I get back after visiting a cache. Quote Link to comment
+Lowlander99 Posted March 17, 2005 Author Share Posted March 17, 2005 (edited) I carry a tub of baby wipes in my car, which I use when I get back after visiting a cache. Good thinking Batwoman.... By the way ...you don't sound like a backward maiden... Edited March 17, 2005 by Lowlander99 Quote Link to comment
+stu_and_sarah Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 248 caches and not dead yet Stu Quote Link to comment
+The Roos Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 We always carry some of that liquid handwash that doesn't make your hands wet - if that makes sense, but I must say I hadn't stopped to ponder much about what happens to the cache when noone is there, but we could always spray it with bacterial spray before we open it!!!! To be honest after we have had a days cacheing with kids and dogs in tow I'm more worried about what we're all going to catch from the car on the way home!!! Now - where's my medical dictionary!! Quote Link to comment
+Lowlander99 Posted March 17, 2005 Author Share Posted March 17, 2005 We always carry some of that liquid handwash that doesn't make your hands wet - if that makes sense, but I must say I hadn't stopped to ponder much about what happens to the cache when noone is there, but we could always spray it with bacterial spray before we open it!!!! To be honest after we have had a days cacheing with kids and dogs in tow I'm more worried about what we're all going to catch from the car on the way home!!! Now - where's my medical dictionary!! Good point...not having a Dog or ankle-biters....I didn't even think of the dreadful circumstance.....what a horrific thought...shudder...shudder.. Quote Link to comment
Remote Part Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 Am intrigued...dying to know...what is Lymes.... Lyme disease can be serious so it is worth knowing about. Google finds lots of stuff about it eg http://www.amm.co.uk/newamm/files/factsabout/fa_lyme.htm It is a risk anywhere in the UK where ticks are present. So if you are walking through long grass, heather, woodland etc it's best to keep your skin covered and check yourself all over for ticks shortly afterwards. There's a lot of advice around about removing ticks - much of it contradictory. You have to make sure you remove the whole thing including the head, and you don't squeeze it causing it to spew up its guts into your blood. I think the best way to do this is to twist it gently, or you can get special tools designed for removing ticks from animals. Quote Link to comment
NickPick Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 (edited) The more I read about things like this, the more I feel like locking myself in the house and sealing all the windows and doors, but then I realise that the house dust mites would get me! edit: And I'd eventually run out of oxygen too! Edited March 17, 2005 by NickPick Quote Link to comment
+John & Hazel Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 Am intrigued...dying to know...what is Lymes.... It's been discussed before Here Quote Link to comment
+Learned Gerbil Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 I would recomend the alcohol gel hand cleaners now being used all over hospitals as they will kill anything you might get on your hands when out caching. They cost £1.75 plus postage for a palm sized spray designed to be carried arround and not contaminated. You can get them from online medical supply websites. One of those dispensers (which come filled) lasts about 50 hand cleanings. Quote Link to comment
+t.a.folk Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 We get dozens of tics attached to us each year .Find them crawling all over our clothes .then they get in somehow and find somewhere snug to attach ..even had them attached to toes and his ecetras once! Hence have given up on the wearing long trousers and sleeves theory,it didnt work for us . Just didnt fancy the tight band round the neck to block the only remaining entrance . Quote Link to comment
+Boneychest & Catsuey Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 ....we don't know what happens to the caches when no-one is around...and which creatures are making 'deposits' of their own over them....So in future I will take a few pairs of disposable latex gloves with me when caching....just in case!!!!! Am I being alarmist....I'm not sure!!!!! Oh for goodness sake! Thats why kids are all on inhalers and turn grey at the sight of a bit of mouldy bread. If you don't get all mucky (and swallow some of it) you never build up your stock of antibodies. When I were a kid we lived in ' old septic tank. Got up at half past three in t' mornin' an' Licked road clean wi' tongue. Never did us any 'arm. Quote Link to comment
NickPick Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 When I were a kid we lived in ' old septic tank. Got up at half past three in t' mornin' an' Licked road clean wi' tongue. Never did us any 'arm. You had an old septic? Posh eh? We had to make do wi an upturned bath for the fourteen of us, an' it 'ad an 'ole in it! And we didn' 'ave shoes, 'ad to paint us feet black! Quote Link to comment
+Lost in Space Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 Oh for goodness sake! Thats why kids are all on inhalers and turn grey at the sight of a bit of mouldy bread. If you don't get all mucky (and swallow some of it) you never build up your stock of antibodies. When I were a kid we lived in ' old septic tank. Got up at half past three in t' mornin' an' Licked road clean wi' tongue. Never did us any 'arm. Hear, hear!! ........and after all that we would go down to the sea and swim right next to the sewage discharge pipe..... Perhaps we should all go for a mass buy of biological suits? Quote Link to comment
+t.a.folk Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 (edited) You had an old septic? Posh eh? We still live in a hole in the ground . Edited March 17, 2005 by t.a.folk Quote Link to comment
+sTeamTraen Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 Anyway....statistics don't seem to matter much when you are the 'one in a million'..... No, but you won't be the one in a million very often. And you weren't this time. You got a stomach bug, or ate something which wasn't very clean. However, if you get killed on the roads, or by MRSA, or have a heart attack, you will be, rather boringly, one in a thousand, or whatever. It's important for people to understand the real risks which they face. In general, the nastier something sounds, the less likely it is to happen to you. A nasty disease which you might get off a cache box already sounds so much worse than a road accident, perhaps because we discount the latter so much. I know loads of people who have died in road accidents (and a couple who've have Lyme Disease - it's nasty and not especially rare), but nobody who got blown up by terrorists or caught necrotizing fasciitis (aks "flesh eating killer bug"). But guess which of those get talked about most on the telly ? Quote Link to comment
+Happy Humphrey Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 Hole in t'ground? Luxury! Quote Link to comment
+Lowlander99 Posted March 17, 2005 Author Share Posted March 17, 2005 I am almost sorry to have started this debate.....almost...but I would like to point out that I do not want to spoil anyone's enjoyment of any pursuit....but think that a well informed person is a stronger one ...and better equipped to face life....and indeed I have gleaned a lot of info this morning about Weil's and Lyme's which will hold me in good stead in the future...Thanx..... Quote Link to comment
+Alibags Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 I thought the advice for lymes was not only to wear long trousers but to liberally spray your legs with an insect repellent spray too. That's what is says in the shooting magazines anyhow. I must say, I subscribe to the school of thought that exposure to a bit of muck is a good thing as you do build up your resistance to the common 'germs' then. Hand up who has heard the expression 'clean dirt and dirty dirt!' Swimming next to the sewerage outfall, ah childhood memories of Whitley Bay! (don't pick up any balloons you may find in the tide though, your mum would not like it!!) Quote Link to comment
+Lowlander99 Posted March 17, 2005 Author Share Posted March 17, 2005 (edited) Quote I must say, I subscribe to the school of thought that exposure to a bit of muck is a good thing as you do build up your resistance to the common 'germs' then. Hand up who has heard the expression 'clean dirt and dirty dirt!' I totally agree with this sentiment....but at my advanced stage of life I think I have all the antibodies needed......and am only referring to Weil's as the problem...cos in 95% of cases when contracted by humans...the diagnosis is too late to avoid death....because of the early similarity to Flu symptoms.... ...and that problems can be easily avoided by common sense.... Edited March 17, 2005 by Lowlander99 Quote Link to comment
+Alibags Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 I didn't say, but I too have wet wipes in the car and in my caching bag which I use to clean the worst of the grime off my hands, and I would not eat anything if I hadn't had a chance to actually wash my hands first (chocolate can be handled by the wrapper luckily). I wonder how widespread Weils actually is? I have to say, I NEVER drink beer from the bottle, as is the trend to do in many pubs, because beer crates are often stored in places where rats can run over them, and I just don't fancy the idea of drinking out of bottle that has had rat urine on it, just to save some landlord the expense of washing up glasses. Quote Link to comment
+The Hokesters Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 When you are ordering your 'Skin So Soft' Forest Fragrence Dry Oil Spray in readiness for the midge & tick season make sure you add a couple of tubes of that anti-bac dry handcleaning gel. Get the mud off with wetwipes then a liberal anti-bac hand wring will do the job. Quote Link to comment
+Kitty Hawk Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 I have to say, when I read this thread and ones like it I think that antibac wipes and alcohol hand wash are things I'll buy now. In reality, (so far) if I ignore diseases they generally ignore me. I used to swim in Bristol docks every day. Then a fishermen caught rat fever just by falling in! I'cve just remembered, my cousin used to eat cowpats when he was very young! So, I have the best intentions, but I'm not going to change my life if real effort is required - the alcohol rub that disappears is a good idea that I may take up though, the effort to benefit ratio is good. Adrian Quote Link to comment
+The Hokesters Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 the alcohol rub that disappears is a good idea That's the type of thing Avon do but I don't think there is alcohol in it. Otherwise I would have drunk it by now Quote Link to comment
+naffita Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 I am going out to buy steel toe cap boots, inflatable jacket, hard hat, mail mesh gloves, safety glasses and self contained breathing apparatus. I hadn't realised the game was so hazardous. Oh, and a little bell to ward off bears, you never know what's out there. Mind how you go. Quote Link to comment
+mongoose39uk Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 Erm, would have thought that a gastric upset at this time of year is more likely to be caused by something like a Norwalk Virus, sometimes known as small round structure virus or in the papers when it shuts hospital wards as "Winter Vomiting" About as common as the common cold virus or so I have been told. Carried on the air, in water and can remain active in dust for 3 months. lasts about 24 hours for most people. There are many things you could catch out there. Everybody up to date with their tetanus? You could write a massive list of things it would be possible to catch while out caching. Then an even bigger one for the things you could catch of the telephone mouthpiece I should imagine. Think I will stick to not worrying about it. Quote Link to comment
+stu_and_sarah Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 (edited) ........and after all that we would go down to the sea and swim right next to the sewage discharge pipe..... Oh god! The memories come flooding back... I vividly remember swimming in the sea, and one day finding a bit with a nice warm current, so I swam extra there. God knows what warm stuff was being pumped into the sea, but you can almost guarantee that it wasn't good to be swimming in. Still not dead, though. Stu Edited March 17, 2005 by stu_and_sarah Quote Link to comment
+Turkey Trotter Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 I'cve just remembered, my cousin used to eat cowpats when he was very young! I've eaten soil, ants and also a few earthworms in my early years (with photos to prove it), and have even swam with the Mersey Goldfish (shudders). Quote Link to comment
+t.a.folk Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 (edited) I thought the advice for lymes was not only to wear long trousers but to liberally spray your legs with an insect repellent spray too. That's what is says in the shooting magazines anyhow. The tics we bring home haven't read the correct magazines ! Edited March 17, 2005 by t.a.folk Quote Link to comment
markandlynn Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 (edited) I would recomend the alcohol gel hand cleaners now being used all over hospitals as they will kill anything you might get on your hands when out caching. They cost £1.75 plus postage for a palm sized spray designed to be carried arround and not contaminated. You can get them from online medical supply websites. One of those dispensers (which come filled) lasts about 50 hand cleanings. I took the easy way out and married a district nurse Our car is so well stocked, i still have problems when she mentions catheters though Anyone know what wiels and lymes disease were called before getting thier modern names.?? Bonus point for the FTR Edited March 17, 2005 by markandlynn Quote Link to comment
+Paul G0TLG Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 Weils (pronounced "Viles" which about sums it up) is Leptospirosis - I suspect it's always been caled that 'cos that's the name of the bacterium which causes it. Can't remember what Lymes disease's other name is. And while I generally agree with the "some dirt" theory, no amount of exposure will give you resistance to leptospiosis OR Lymes. The reason why kids swimming in dirty water didn't die of Weils in the old days was that the cholera generally got 'em first. Quote Link to comment
+Happy Humphrey Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 I take a few disposable rubber gloves with me in case the search includes as nasty, grubby bin bag, or a hole where you have to grope about with your hand without being able to see (no sniggers, please!). They're very cheap from the supermarket, and the rubber is thin enough that you can still feel things quite well (I said no sniggering!) whilst getting protection from anything nasty (Oh...snigger if you like, I don't care). HH Quote Link to comment
+The Hokesters Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 (edited) OK so if we aren't surreptitious enough delving about in the undergrowth trying to avoid muggles - what reaction do you think you would get if you are also sporting a nice pair of latex gloves??? Edited March 18, 2005 by The Hokesters Quote Link to comment
+Learned Gerbil Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 When stocking my hand somwhere unpleasant I use the free gloves the petrol stations supply for people pumping diesel. Always pick up a pair when I put 5 litres of 2 star in the scooter! Quote Link to comment
+The Hokesters Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 When stocking my hand somwhere unpleasant I use the free gloves the petrol stations supply for people pumping diesel. Always pick up a pair when I put 5 litres of 2 star in the scooter! So now we know who is pushing up the price of fuel Quote Link to comment
+sTeamTraen Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 I have to say, I NEVER drink beer from the bottle, as is the trend to do in many pubs, because beer crates are often stored in places where rats can run over them, and I just don't fancy the idea of drinking out of bottle that has had rat urine on it, just to save some landlord the expense of washing up glasses. Ahh, a wave of nostalgia sweeps over me for one of the great urban legends, but one which never fails to shock and entertain, despite being entirely false, as far as anyone can tell. Now here's someone with the right idea Quote Link to comment
+Lost in Space Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 You know, it's amazing the human race has lasted this long..................... Quote Link to comment
+t.a.folk Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 I have to say, I NEVER drink beer from the bottle, as is the trend to do in many pubs, because beer crates are often stored in places where rats can run over them, and I just don't fancy the idea of drinking out of bottle that has had rat urine on it, just to save some landlord the expense of washing up glasses. Thought the trend for drinking out of the bottle was encouraged for reason other than saving landlord washing up . One can keep ones thumb over the end when not drinking from it . A precaution against someone else slipping drugs into ones drink . Quote Link to comment
+Lost in Space Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 One can keep ones thumb over the end when not drinking from it . A precaution against someone else slipping drugs into ones drink . Oh, shoot. I wish you hadn't told me that. That is another thing to keep me awake at night!! Quote Link to comment
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