Cosmo
08-24-2006, 13:49
Here's a message passed on to me from ATC from a class of 2006 thruhhiker, detailing his experience with Lyme disease. There are a couple of other reports of a similar nature in Trail Journals. For northbounders, N Mass and S VT seems to be where the symptoms first appear from an infection further south.
We do our best to keep fields mowed, but inevitably a hiker will brush against vegitation. 10 Mile Campsite in CT is notorious for tick attacks. While maitaining in Mass, I always wear long pants sprayed with Permethrin and have not been bitten...so far. However, this approach is not particularly practical for long distance hikers in the summer.
Cosmo
-------Forwarded Message----------------
The early Lyme symptoms were similar to normal hiker complaints, e.g. fatigue and aching joints and muscles. I first noticed symptoms after a 26 mile day coming down from Mount Greylock, MA. I thought I had simply pushed myself too hard and too far. Symptoms became more evident at night when trying to sleep on wooden slats in the shelters. Later, alternating sweats/chills set in, and shooting pain in my temples.
It was several days before I could get help. Had problems hitching to Bennington VT (where I knew there was a hospital). I could barely stand up to put my thumb out. Must've looked like some kind of derelict. After three hours of hitching no one stopped so I hit the trail again. By this time my fever was 105 degrees.
I would say to Vermont drivers: be cognizant of AT hitchhikers who may need medical treatment. The northbounders have just come from a Lyme-infested area.
I found a gentleman day hiker with a car at Kelly Stand Road, who drove me to a Sutton's Place, a hiker hostel in Manchester, Vt. The hiker's name was Vin, he had a son Eric, and he is a pediatrician from Amherst, MA. He's good Samaritan who really saved my butt. Wish I got his last name, address and phone so I could thank him properly.
At that time, I still did not know I had Lyme. Thought I it was food poisoning or flu. Other hikers I knew came to visit me at Sutton's Place. One was a young man named Nathan who was studying to be a doctor and anxious to ply his trade. Nathan was the first to identify the bullseye rash under my left arm as arethema migrans. It was classic textbook Lyme disease, so vivid and symmetric, a true wonder of nature. Nathan took a photo of it for his notes. The bullseye rash grew from half-dollar size to frisbee size in about a week, then disipated completely. The rash looked lovely and did not itch or bother me at all.
Luckily I have family in the area, on my wife's side. Without family, I would really have been up the proverbial creek. My relatives rescued me and took me to Salem, NY, and later Rochester, NY. I received a proper diagnosis and early treatment with a 21 day course of doxicyclene.
Not everybody gets the bullseye rash. Luckily I had the rash so diagnosis was straightforward. Without the rash I wonder if I would have recieved an accurate diagnsosis,
Early treatment is imperative in order to avoid later stages of arthritis and Bell's palsy. Without treatment, the antibody your body produces to combat Lyme deteriorates your joints and nervous system, as I understand it.
When I returned to Texas in mid August I got blood a blood test. The blood test confirmed Lyme. Even though teatment was deemed adequate, it was important to get a blood test to establish a baseline for blood markers. That way, in case the disease flares up again, I have some reference point.
What concerns me is that young hikers are a stoic bunch who take pride in shrugging off adversity. This attitute, though admirable, could result in a lifetime of hurt. Especially hikers from out-of -state may not understand the risks. In my case, I feel pretty stupid, like I was told over and over to use a condom but didn't.
Here's some thoughts:
Never hike with your shirt off in a Lyme area
Use lots of DEET.
Check into motels often where there is a full length inspection mirror
Hike with a partner and check each other for daily for tics
For farsighted folks, bring reading glasses so you can see the tics.
I recall a recent good dissertation in Backpacker magazine, all about Lyme disease, replete with graphs and statistics. Aug 2006 issue I believe.
I will do anything I can to help hikers so they do not make the same mistakes that I made. Please let me know if there is more that I could do.
Best Regards
Mark
We do our best to keep fields mowed, but inevitably a hiker will brush against vegitation. 10 Mile Campsite in CT is notorious for tick attacks. While maitaining in Mass, I always wear long pants sprayed with Permethrin and have not been bitten...so far. However, this approach is not particularly practical for long distance hikers in the summer.
Cosmo
-------Forwarded Message----------------
The early Lyme symptoms were similar to normal hiker complaints, e.g. fatigue and aching joints and muscles. I first noticed symptoms after a 26 mile day coming down from Mount Greylock, MA. I thought I had simply pushed myself too hard and too far. Symptoms became more evident at night when trying to sleep on wooden slats in the shelters. Later, alternating sweats/chills set in, and shooting pain in my temples.
It was several days before I could get help. Had problems hitching to Bennington VT (where I knew there was a hospital). I could barely stand up to put my thumb out. Must've looked like some kind of derelict. After three hours of hitching no one stopped so I hit the trail again. By this time my fever was 105 degrees.
I would say to Vermont drivers: be cognizant of AT hitchhikers who may need medical treatment. The northbounders have just come from a Lyme-infested area.
I found a gentleman day hiker with a car at Kelly Stand Road, who drove me to a Sutton's Place, a hiker hostel in Manchester, Vt. The hiker's name was Vin, he had a son Eric, and he is a pediatrician from Amherst, MA. He's good Samaritan who really saved my butt. Wish I got his last name, address and phone so I could thank him properly.
At that time, I still did not know I had Lyme. Thought I it was food poisoning or flu. Other hikers I knew came to visit me at Sutton's Place. One was a young man named Nathan who was studying to be a doctor and anxious to ply his trade. Nathan was the first to identify the bullseye rash under my left arm as arethema migrans. It was classic textbook Lyme disease, so vivid and symmetric, a true wonder of nature. Nathan took a photo of it for his notes. The bullseye rash grew from half-dollar size to frisbee size in about a week, then disipated completely. The rash looked lovely and did not itch or bother me at all.
Luckily I have family in the area, on my wife's side. Without family, I would really have been up the proverbial creek. My relatives rescued me and took me to Salem, NY, and later Rochester, NY. I received a proper diagnosis and early treatment with a 21 day course of doxicyclene.
Not everybody gets the bullseye rash. Luckily I had the rash so diagnosis was straightforward. Without the rash I wonder if I would have recieved an accurate diagnsosis,
Early treatment is imperative in order to avoid later stages of arthritis and Bell's palsy. Without treatment, the antibody your body produces to combat Lyme deteriorates your joints and nervous system, as I understand it.
When I returned to Texas in mid August I got blood a blood test. The blood test confirmed Lyme. Even though teatment was deemed adequate, it was important to get a blood test to establish a baseline for blood markers. That way, in case the disease flares up again, I have some reference point.
What concerns me is that young hikers are a stoic bunch who take pride in shrugging off adversity. This attitute, though admirable, could result in a lifetime of hurt. Especially hikers from out-of -state may not understand the risks. In my case, I feel pretty stupid, like I was told over and over to use a condom but didn't.
Here's some thoughts:
Never hike with your shirt off in a Lyme area
Use lots of DEET.
Check into motels often where there is a full length inspection mirror
Hike with a partner and check each other for daily for tics
For farsighted folks, bring reading glasses so you can see the tics.
I recall a recent good dissertation in Backpacker magazine, all about Lyme disease, replete with graphs and statistics. Aug 2006 issue I believe.
I will do anything I can to help hikers so they do not make the same mistakes that I made. Please let me know if there is more that I could do.
Best Regards
Mark