Tickly Situation

[Mizirlou]

Something got between me and my backpack in early September. Tick?

I didn’t notice the skin lesion atop my thoracic spine until it became painfully swollen and tense, about a week after backpacking/tenting in Georgia (Unicoi to Deep Gap.) As the blob grew, it spilled clear, serous fluid and seemed to destroy surrounding skin. After almost 3 months, it’s still unhealed.

Generally I dig bites -- snakes, spiders, etc. -- because it means I’ve been where these things thrive. Two un-envenomated pygmy rattler bites healed quickly. A venomous spider bite was ugly and took months to heal. So I figured this was another spider and tried to wait it out.

Yet I’m leaning towards tick now. A friend looked at it yesterday and reports there’s a central hole, with a nodule above it, surrounded by inflammation. It’s itchy as all get out, too painful to scratch. Embedded tick?

My dermatologist will look at it soon, but I’d like to steer him in the right direction. Any of you have tick experiences like this? A thing burrowing beneath your back and your pack? Any tick issues in Georgia/NC?

[Blissful]

Hard to give a diagnosis online. You're right to go to the Dr. asap. Sept is a long time to wait.

[Pedaling Fool]

Not typical wound for a tick -- that I know of. However, I got a similar story of a bug bite I got in Georgia, what's weird is this was during the cold season, was actually snow and ice on the ground when this happened.

I noticed at large bump on my mid to lower back, dircectly over the spine; it stuck out at least a 1/2 inch (maybe more and was just a very large mass) and was very hard. I almost thought that a disc slipped out or something. However, mine did not come to a head and ooze anything out. It just simple went away over the days (not all at once). Strange thing. I don't know what that was; I didn't fall or sustain an injury or anything to my back, that's why I say it was an insect, but I can't imagine what it was.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Something got between me and my backpack in early September. Tick?

I didn’t notice the skin lesion atop my thoracic spine until it became painfully swollen and tense, about a week after backpacking/tenting in Georgia (Unicoi to Deep Gap.) As the blob grew, it spilled clear, serous fluid and seemed to destroy surrounding skin. After almost 3 months, it’s still unhealed.

Generally I dig bites -- snakes, spiders, etc. -- because it means I’ve been where these things thrive. Two un-envenomated pygmy rattler bites healed quickly. A venomous spider bite was ugly and took months to heal. So I figured this was another spider and tried to wait it out.

Yet I’m leaning towards tick now. A friend looked at it yesterday and reports there’s a central hole, with a nodule above it, surrounded by inflammation. It’s itchy as all get out, too painful to scratch. Embedded tick?

My dermatologist will look at it soon, but I’d like to steer him in the right direction. Any of you have tick experiences like this? A thing burrowing beneath your back and your pack? Any tick issues in Georgia/NC?

Hmm, you've had an unhealed and festering wound for three months and you're just going to have your dermatologist look at it now? You might want to consider seeing more than just a dermatologist. Seriously, there are things that, if let go, can seriously and permanently mess up your life.

[Spokes]

Reminds me of the time my hiking buddy fell backwards off Mt. Madison then 2 days later started complaining of chest pains.

A bunch of thru-hikers in the shelter that night started to diagnose the issue and convinced him the pain was caused by his gall bladder. Too funny!

A subsequent X-ray (by a real doctor) revealed a cracked rib..........

So much for a career in medicine.

[Mizirlou]

Hmm, you've had an unhealed and festering wound for three months and you're just going to have your dermatologist look at it now? You might want to consider seeing more than just a dermatologist. Seriously, there are things that, if let go, can seriously and permanently mess up your life.

Not really, buzz. It’s on my back so observation is difficult. Seems to flare and subside. My regular MD looked at it 2 months ago on my routine yearly physical, appeared to be healing. My dermatologist looked at it 3 weeks ago on my routine 6-month skin cancer screening. Yet it flares up between times. Hence, another derm exam this week.

I failed to mention to either MD my woodsy ways and urban health care professionals don’t routinely suspect woodsy issues. Any similar experiences from others that would help steer my MD in the right direction? Wondering specifically if anyone out there has had similar tick bite sequelae? Or if ticks are even a plausible issue in GA/NC.

Kinda reminds me of the time I went to my urban derm for chigger bites and he said, "There aren't any chiggers around here." Or the ER doc who said, "Can't be a rattler bite or you'd have 2 fang marks instead of 1," failing to account for the rattler having broken a fang on a rat before he got to me. Gotta steer 'em sometimes.

[Pedaling Fool]

Reminds me of the time my hiking buddy fell backwards off Mt. Madison then 2 days later started complaining of chest pains.

A bunch of thru-hikers in the shelter that night started to diagnose the issue and convinced him the pain was caused by his gall bladder. Too funny!

A subsequent X-ray (by a real doctor) revealed a cracked rib..........

So much for a career in medicine.

Pretty easy with an X-ray machine. The fact is many doctors give incorrect diagnosis to the unusual. I'm not bashing doctors, I have much respect for them. But trouble-shooting a problem is sometimes difficult and some are just better at it than others. I really do believe that your immune system fixes a lot of problems that doctors can't despite whatever they gave you to fix it.

(Again not bashing medical science, it's amazing what they're doing and the potential in the future is mindboggleing)

I was a technician in my previous life and see a lot of similarities in that with doctors (albeit the human body is far more complex than what I worked on). I knew a lot of technicians that were only technicians because they completed to course of instruction. But real life throws many difficult problems at you that schooling just can't. That's also why so many people with technical degrees go into management, because while they can get the degree they can't really get the subject matter in real life.

But yes go see a doctor, that's the best we got And we all like to play doctor, don't we

[Carbo]

Recently came back from a two-day hike and had a deer tick embedded in my stomach. I doubt if it was in long enough to cause any problem but I am still getting the test done for lyme disease after the 4-6 week "waiting" period. I suggest you do the same especially since you've been going through some problems for months, just to rule out the lyme thing... which can mess up your body if untreated.

[Rick500]

I had a Lone Star tick bite on my shoulder that didn't completely heal for about three months. However, it wasn't particularly painful and didn't seem to heal and then flare up again as you've described.

[GracefulRoll]

As the blob grew, it spilled clear, serous fluid and seemed to destroy surrounding skin. After almost 3 months, it’s still unhealed.

I would think with spider bite.

Questions:
1) Was it dark when you put down the pack? Possibly any shady shelters?
2) Did you leave your pack with the straps side down?
3) Where were you hiking?

If it's swollen, itchy, painful, leaking fluid, and the tissue is necrotic, it could be a brown recluse spider bite. Have you ever had a brown recluse bite before?

Definitely get a dermatologist to check it.

[Mizirlou]

JohnGault: I share your skepticism and also the caught-tween-a-rock-and-hard-place necessity of having to go to the well that sometimes poisons.
Carbo: thanks, I will definitely pursue the Lyme testing.
Rick500: thanks, will pursue other lesser known tick-borne nasties
GracefulRoll: yes #1 & #2, hiked/tented from Unicoi Gap to Deep Gap. Brown recluse sounds reasonable. Never bitten by a recluse before but had a pretty similar gross reaction to a widow.

I’ve continued backpacking and irritating the thing. Gloom, despair, agony on me. WORTH EVERY MINUTE.

On to the Miracles (?) of Modern Medicine tomorrow morning. Will report the outcome and name the winner of the Whiteblaze Diagnostic Sweepstakes. Thanks to all for your replies.

[4eyedbuzzard]

JohnGault: Will report the outcome and name the winner of the Whiteblaze Diagnostic Sweepstakes. Thanks to all for your replies.

Put me in for an ingrown hair cyst or furuncle.

[Luddite]

Cystic acne.

[GracefulRoll]

I’ve continued backpacking and irritating the thing. Gloom, despair, agony on me. WORTH EVERY MINUTE.

On to the Miracles (?) of Modern Medicine tomorrow morning. Will report the outcome and name the winner of the Whiteblaze Diagnostic Sweepstakes. Thanks to all for your replies.

Good for you for persevering, but also more kudos to you for having the good sense to stop and seek help. It doesn't sound like that wound will get better on its own (or at least anytime soon).

Furthermore, I always suggest a dilution of clove oil to put on cuts out on the trail after you wash them. Saves you from using up your ibuprofen for pain and the dilution can be dabbed with cotton directly on a wound. It's a natural pain reliever + antiseptic and safe as long as you aren't allergic or have very sensitive skin.

[Spokes]

....I really do believe that your immune system fixes a lot of problems that doctors can't despite whatever they gave you to fix it......

I came to the conclusion that "almost" every injury I got on the trail (swelling, pain, suffering, sniffles, etc... tended to only last about 7 days. After that things got better.

Of course, vitamin I, astragalus, vitamin B12 and B6, plus a good multi-vitamin tablet helped too.

[Mizirlou]

Whiteblaze Diagnostic Sweepstakes Entries

#1: Unknown something or other
(John Gault)

#2: Deer tick/Lyme disease
(Carbo)

#3: Star tick
(Rick500)

#4: Brown recluse/other spider
(GracefulRoll)

#5: Ingrown hair cyst/furuncle
(4eyedBuzzard)

#6: Cystic acne
(Luddite)

I get the sense that the MiraclesOfModernMedicine will concur with John Gault. Buzz, read below. All other sweepstakes entries must be received by 11/16/2010, 9:00 a.m. Eastern standard time.

- - - - - - - - - -
Hint: I have a hairless back, no other health issues and I’m over 50 years old. Let’s just say 49.
P.S. GracefulRoll gets a special win-or-lose prize because….well, read the posts. And I never said judging was going to be impartial in the Whiteblaze Diagnostic Sweepstakes

[GracefulRoll]

Whiteblaze Diagnostic Sweepstakes Entries

#1: Unknown something or other
(John Gault)

#2: Deer tick/Lyme disease
(Carbo)

#3: Star tick
(Rick500)

#4: Brown recluse/other spider
(GracefulRoll)

#5: Ingrown hair cyst/furuncle
(4eyedBuzzard)

#6: Cystic acne
(Luddite)

I get the sense that the MiraclesOfModernMedicine will concur with John Gault. Buzz, read below. All other sweepstakes entries must be received by 11/16/2010, 9:00 a.m. Eastern standard time.

- - - - - - - - - -
Hint: I have a hairless back, no other health issues and I’m over 50 years old. Let’s just say 49.
P.S. GracefulRoll gets a special win-or-lose prize because….well, read the posts. And I never said judging was going to be impartial in the Whiteblaze Diagnostic Sweepstakes

YAY!

[Spokes]

My votes for MRSA or bed bug bites.

[John B]

I agree with GracefulRoll -- bitten by a spider having a necrotizing toxin.

Does the person with the correct diagnosis get some sort of prize?

[sly dog]

Government or alien planted tracking device. Your body is trying to reject it.