Northern Dancer
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This is my last little report on this year's canoe trip. It's been a funny summer or as I have recorded - the Lost Summer of 2020; the year of COVID 19.
I trust everyone is doing super well and enjoying good weather in your region. It's chilly here though very bright and cheery.
Beaver Fever?
Giardiasis, popularly known as "beaver fever", is a parasitic disease caused by Giardia duodenalis [also known as G. lamblia and G. intestinalis]. It's a common cause of waterborne disease in humans. About 10% of those infected have no symptoms. When symptoms occur they may include diarrhea, abdominal pain, and weight loss. If left untreated, the symptoms can persist for one or two months before gradually improving.
So what's this all about?
I chugged down a mouth full of Red Pine Lake water as I frolicked off the rocky shore. Not a good thing to do if you can avoid it. Apparently I also gulped down a "bug" I didn't know I had until the wee hours of Sunday morning two days after returning home. I didn't have a fever or chills and for the most part, felt okay and then I didn't. Like, big time didn't. I called for an ambulance that sped me off to the emergency ward of our new community hospital and after waiting a few minutes for them to open my file I was in a treatment room. I felt like I was going to explode. Nurse Darcy gave me a quick cat-scan and said that I had a lot of liquid not being released and he immediately hooked me up to a catheter. Big Time relief!
Blood tests confirmed that I didn't have Giardiasis but there was definitely something lodged in my gut. I was given medication but had to keep a leg catheter on for a week. I was transferred to the Nursing Clinic and they closely monitored me daily for a week. I'm still on medication until it runs out and now under the care of my family physician. I'm feeling fine and the prognosis is good.
What did do I learn from my experience? Well...even a fish wouldn't get hooked if it kept is mouth shut.
I trust everyone is doing super well and enjoying good weather in your region. It's chilly here though very bright and cheery.
Beaver Fever?
Giardiasis, popularly known as "beaver fever", is a parasitic disease caused by Giardia duodenalis [also known as G. lamblia and G. intestinalis]. It's a common cause of waterborne disease in humans. About 10% of those infected have no symptoms. When symptoms occur they may include diarrhea, abdominal pain, and weight loss. If left untreated, the symptoms can persist for one or two months before gradually improving.
So what's this all about?
I chugged down a mouth full of Red Pine Lake water as I frolicked off the rocky shore. Not a good thing to do if you can avoid it. Apparently I also gulped down a "bug" I didn't know I had until the wee hours of Sunday morning two days after returning home. I didn't have a fever or chills and for the most part, felt okay and then I didn't. Like, big time didn't. I called for an ambulance that sped me off to the emergency ward of our new community hospital and after waiting a few minutes for them to open my file I was in a treatment room. I felt like I was going to explode. Nurse Darcy gave me a quick cat-scan and said that I had a lot of liquid not being released and he immediately hooked me up to a catheter. Big Time relief!
Blood tests confirmed that I didn't have Giardiasis but there was definitely something lodged in my gut. I was given medication but had to keep a leg catheter on for a week. I was transferred to the Nursing Clinic and they closely monitored me daily for a week. I'm still on medication until it runs out and now under the care of my family physician. I'm feeling fine and the prognosis is good.
What did do I learn from my experience? Well...even a fish wouldn't get hooked if it kept is mouth shut.