View Full Version : Leaving Friday... a few questions i could use some advice on...
Megapixel
03-12-2012, 16:04
Hi all,
Doctor went ahead and prescribed doxycycline in case i need it for possible tick-lyme... but I'm wondering should I even bother bringing this heading NOBO? I was thinking of picking it up somewhere after i get rid of my cold weather stuff in VA since lyme isn't as prevalent as further north. not sure though.
also,
leaving friday. sunglasses for the start of the hike until the green tunnel forms... yes or no???
I will take this time also to thank everyone on here who has helped me think this trip through. I've had a ton of questions and thoughts, and I appreciate all the feedback. Hope to see some of you out there!
ambroseya
03-12-2012, 16:53
Was this serious, thinking Lyme Disease isn't as prevalent further north? I mean, take meds or don't take meds, but it was originally a New England disease... named after Lyme, CT. Everyone I know that's had problems with it got it *north* of VA.
Easy to sun burn when no leaves are out, so yes the sun will be bright till leaf out. As for Lyme's, I hunt in TN and two of my friends have gotten it, so it is not just the more northern states you will be exposed.
swjohnsey
03-12-2012, 17:09
I would leave the sunglasses, fragile, hard to keep clean, mostly unnecessary, unless you bring a five buck pair to leave in a hiker box when you are tired of 'em. The Doxycyclene I would bring. You probably won't need it but if you do need it, it will be hard to get on the trail. I am taking 20. I paid ten bucks for a hundred in Mexico. I ain't taking sunglasses but am bringing a hat and Chapstick.
Megapixel
03-12-2012, 17:12
Was this serious, thinking Lyme Disease isn't as prevalent further north? I mean, take meds or don't take meds, but it was originally a New England disease... named after Lyme, CT. Everyone I know that's had problems with it got it *north* of VA.
isnt as prevalant AS further north. typo sorry.
flemdawg1
03-12-2012, 17:16
I would leave the sunglasses, fragile, hard to keep clean, mostly unnecessary, unless you bring a five buck pair to leave in a hiker box when you are tired of 'em. The Doxycyclene I would bring. You probably won't need it but if you do need it, it will be hard to get on the trail. I am taking 20. I paid ten bucks for a hundred in Mexico. I ain't taking sunglasses but am bringing a hat and Chapstick.
Bring chapstick, hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. Leave the doxycycline with your mom or support person to mail to you whenever you need it. Or better yet just take the prescription and fill as needed.
swjohnsey
03-12-2012, 17:21
Quick treatment of Lyme disease is important.
Megapixel
03-12-2012, 18:20
Quick treatment of Lyme disease is important.
yeah, it will be an advantage to have it on hand should i be a few days from a doctor.
O-H-10 Lil Ohio
03-12-2012, 18:53
good question, I also will stop by the docs office for Doxycycline before I leave on Friday for a Sunday Start at Springer.
SGT Rock
03-12-2012, 19:01
You probably won't see ticks until after Pearisburg, probably later. Sunglasses are just something else to loose on the AT.
RichardD
03-12-2012, 20:28
If you have not already done so I would recommend that you spray your clothes with Permethrin and repeat about every six weeks or so or whenever you find an outfitter that carries it. Last year most outfitters North of Pearisburg carried it, those South did not. I found that it works extremely well. Spray trousers, shirt, socks. One bottle seemed to treat my clothes so I never carried any, I just repeated the process any time I could find any in an outfitter. Brands varied along the trail, REI sold Sawyer brand. It was very effective.
I'm headed sobo in June and plan on bringing lyme meds. I find at least a half dozen ticks on me every summer hiking in New England. Hell, I even had to pull one off me in January this year!?!
fiddlehead
03-12-2012, 20:37
If you're NOBO, the sun will mostly be at your back.
I'd leave the sunglasses at home.
When packing gear for a thru-hike: When in doubt, leave it out. (Saves you the time and trouble to send it home later)
trucker2015
03-12-2012, 21:38
Leafs are just starting to bud on the most southern point of the trail.I would say use a cheep pair of sunglasses.
by the 15th of May it will be raining wood ticks everywhere in the Southern Appalachians
Mountain Mike
03-12-2012, 22:17
If you're NOBO, the sun will mostly be at your back.
I'd leave the sunglasses at home.
When packing gear for a thru-hike: When in doubt, leave it out. (Saves you the time and trouble to send it home later)
Did the planet rotation change?
O-H-10 Lil Ohio
03-12-2012, 23:02
I guess that earthquake in Japan, changed the direction that the Sun comes up in the morning and sets in the evening.
New trail EastBo to Westbo
You probably won't see ticks until after Pearisburg, probably later.
I am by no means an expert on this, and we don't have many deer ticks in Ohio, but my step mother works in a vets office, and with the unseasonably warm winter they have seen way more ticks (on dogs), than they normally see. By way more, I mean, you almost never see ticks at all in my area between Nov-Feb. Like I said, I'm no expert, but could be a bad year for them.
I've had lyme, it's awful. I got it in or around Massachusetts
The sun rises in the east and sets in the west OVER the equator (give or take, depending on the season). In the northern hemisphere it rises in the southEAST and sets in the southWEST. The southern angle is more pronounced the farther north you go.
I've never taken sunglasses on the AT
kidchill
03-13-2012, 20:40
I would definitely recommend bringing it. I live in central PA and found a tick climbing across my pants while hiking 2 weeks ago! It's been a very mild winter and I'm already starting to see flying bugs buzzing around. The weight of a round of doxy is negligible and it generally takes a few days for symptoms to begin subsiding. In my opinion, it's better to have it on hand and start treatment early. I work in healthcare so I've already got someone willing to script me for a round of doxy as well as flagyl to cover crypto/giardia...I look at it this way, very low weight to treat one of the primary reasons people leave the trail. But, HYOH...
Slo-go'en
03-13-2012, 21:02
The big problem with having the doxy with you is how do you know for sure you should start taking it? You sure the heck don't want to take it if you don't have to and if you have it with you, you could be tempted to use it just because you THINK you might have been bitten.
And one of the problems with antibiotics like flagyl is they weaken the tendons, so once you start taking these, you should stop hiking or you risk injury. I was on some pretty heavy antibiotics two years ago and after reading all the warnings, I was afraid just to walk out to the car!
trucker2015
03-13-2012, 21:42
I've had lyme, it's awful. I got it in or around Massachusetts
The sun rises in the east and sets in the west OVER the equator (give or take, depending on the season). In the northern hemisphere it rises in the southEAST and sets in the southWEST. The southern angle is more pronounced the farther north you go.
I've never taken sunglasses on the AT
I always take them not only for sun but wind to.
but then I'm outdoors 90% of the time and I always wear sunglasses
swjohnsey
03-13-2012, 22:51
The big problem with having the doxy with you is how do you know for sure you should start taking it? You sure the heck don't want to take it if you don't have to and if you have it with you, you could be tempted to use it just because you THINK you might have been bitten.
And one of the problems with antibiotics like flagyl is they weaken the tendons, so once you start taking these, you should stop hiking or you risk injury. I was on some pretty heavy antibiotics two years ago and after reading all the warnings, I was afraid just to walk out to the car!
Doxycyclene is typically given by doctors when Lyme is suspected, before test results are returned. It can even be given as prophylaxis. It has few side effects. Read all the side effects of flagyl. Weakening ot the tendons was not one of 'em.
Ginger Snap
03-13-2012, 23:03
just a warning with doxy- it can make you extremely sensitive to the sun, use a high SPF and apply more frequently than you would think of, or you may end up with a severe sunburn, even if you don't think it has been sunny enough to acquire one!
miloandotis
03-13-2012, 23:09
The big problem with having the doxy with you is how do you know for sure you should start taking it? You sure the heck don't want to take it if you don't have to and if you have it with you, you could be tempted to use it just because you THINK you might have been bitten.
And one of the problems with antibiotics like flagyl is they weaken the tendons, so once you start taking these, you should stop hiking or you risk injury. I was on some pretty heavy antibiotics two years ago and after reading all the warnings, I was afraid just to walk out to the car!
Several studies show one 200 mg dose of doxy after a confirmed deer tick bite will prevent (in a majority of cases) lyme disease.
Where have you read this as a side effect for flagyl? It is not even listed as a serious side effect or as an allergic reaction in my drug book or app. (I am not being obnoxious by asking, I really would like to find where you read this.)
miloandotis
03-13-2012, 23:19
just a warning with doxy- it can make you extremely sensitive to the sun, use a high SPF and apply more frequently than you would think of, or you may end up with a severe sunburn, even if you don't think it has been sunny enough to acquire one!
+1. Phototoxicity usually occurs a few days later, so a lot of people think if they don't have a problem the first day or two they are ok and back off the sun protection. (and it can last long after you have stopped taking the medication, too).
Slo-go'en
03-14-2012, 13:21
Where have you read this as a side effect for flagyl? It is not even listed as a serious side effect or as an allergic reaction in my drug book or app. (I am not being obnoxious by asking, I really would like to find where you read this.)
Maybe it was one of the other anti-bods they had me on. Likely the one which cost me $1000 for 30 pills. I do remember the warnings to inculde no strenuous excercie, stay out of the sun and no alcohol. That last one was tough, as they had me on these things for about 4 months.
kidchill
03-14-2012, 19:43
In response to your side-effect response...Tendon injuries have primarily been associated with fluoroquinolones (the antibiotics that end in floxacin); further it's usually levaquin and cipro. In terms of antibiotics, flagyl is fairly benign, it's pretty much common treatment for bowel infections. Yes, doxy has an association with photosensitivity...If you're more concerned about side effects then permanent nerve damage or excessive diarrhea and dehydration, then by all means don't take anything. I'm in no way offering medical advice, but me personally, I administer a butt-load of drugs to patients every day with common side effects in mind, and many of these adverse events are so uncommonly rare and almost never lead to permanent injury that I'm not overly concerned with it. Many times side effect conversations originate from malpractice lawyer commercials and people who do too much googling...Also, when it comes to side effects, never underestimate the power pf placebo...
If I thru-hiked this year I'd (under professional medical supervision, ofc) start taking preventative doxy at the TN/VA border until I finished. It's been a warm winter, and Lyme is getting worse every year.
I've had two co-workers from WV that got Lyme disease and a third from MD whose wife got it.
wannahike
03-24-2012, 13:36
[QUOTE=RichardD;1266329]If you have not already done so I would recommend that you spray your clothes with Permethrin and repeat about every six weeks or so or whenever you find an outfitter that carries it. Last year most outfitters North of Pearisburg carried it, those South did not.
I have bought Permethrin in that wally place camping area and I also sprayedthe outside of my tent. I have a Hubba I sprayed the mesh.