Coyote Wall 3/29/13--Lyme Disease

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dixhuit
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Coyote Wall 3/29/13--Lyme Disease

Post by dixhuit » April 23rd, 2013, 11:09 am

I'm a little late posting this, because we've been busy dealing with the aftermath of our hike. It was a beautiful day, with almost no wind. The Columbia looked as smooth as glass. The grass widows were abundant. I guess the ticks were as well.

About ten days later, my wife, Rosemarie, started to experience flu symptoms, which didn't seem unusual since our daughter and son-in-law had just been through a bout of it. After a week, the symptoms narrowed to extreme fatigue, chills, and blinding headaches. Meanwhile, she also had what looked like a bite or sting on her torso that had a spreading redness. It finally occurred to me that we might be dealing with Lyme disease. We looked again, and sure enough, the red area had started to take on the characteristic bullseye appearance.

It took some doing to convince the doctor, because no one gets Lyme disease in Portland. Right. The blood test has now confirmed the diagnosis of early stage Lyme disease. There is no presence of late-stage antibodies, and the prognosis is good for a full recovery.

After a week on antibiotics (the side effects are almost as bad as the disease) she tentatively feels a little better today. I wanted to file a TR to warn folks that, while it might be extremely rare, there are ticks around that can infect you with Lyme. Be sure to do a thorough tick check after hiking in areas like the eastern Gorge. Stay safe.

-David
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drm
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Re: Coyote Wall 3/29/13--Lyme Disease

Post by drm » April 23rd, 2013, 12:13 pm

I'm glad you caught it early enough!

Were you traipsing around through the grass? Did you take a dog? I stay on the trails and have not pulled a single tick off this year.

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hlee
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Re: Coyote Wall 3/29/13--Lyme Disease

Post by hlee » April 23rd, 2013, 12:24 pm

I am sorry to hear that, I hope she starts feeling better very soon! :( Thanks for the reminder though, and beautiful photos for what it's worth.

Hannah

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.
-- T.S. Eliot

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Grannyhiker
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Re: Coyote Wall 3/29/13--Lyme Disease

Post by Grannyhiker » April 23rd, 2013, 12:26 pm

Sometimes you don't catch the tick, particularly if it's in the nymph stage.

I'm so glad Rosemarie caught the Lyme in its early stages! My thoughts and prayers for a full recovery!

Sometimes you need to fight with the medical establishment!

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kepPNW
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Re: Coyote Wall 3/29/13--Lyme Disease

Post by kepPNW » April 23rd, 2013, 2:31 pm

Yikes! Knock on wood, so far so good. Best wishes there.

Those photos of Columbia glass are astounding!
Karl
Back on the trail, again...

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Splintercat
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Re: Coyote Wall 3/29/13--Lyme Disease

Post by Splintercat » April 23rd, 2013, 7:34 pm

Thanks for posting, David -- I'm going to point the Friends of the Gorge volunteer coordinator to this thread, as an FYI. Every hike in the Gorge should be consider a tick and poison oak hike, IMO. I follow the precautions no matter how far west I am.

I posted this in the Safety forum, but since it's relevant to this thread, here's a blog piece I just wrote on common myths about ticks in Oregon.

Glad your wife is doing better, David - and glad you insisted she be tested for Lyme!

Tom :)

GoretexDisco
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Re: Coyote Wall 3/29/13--Lyme Disease

Post by GoretexDisco » April 23rd, 2013, 9:01 pm

The first tick I ever suffered (2013) was picked up near Moffett Creek.

Now, I check myself after hiking no matter where I've been.

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