Re: [Paddlewise] itchiness

>OK, this is a serious question. I spent the weekend paddling around a pond
>in NH. I had a very serious case of itchy butt. I tried both cotton and
>poly shorts, tried to pay attention to "wicking" etc., tried creme, to no
>avail. It all started when I went swimming on saturday. Every time I sat
>down for more than 5 minutes the itch was excruciating
>
>Without snickering, I know someone out there must have an answer for this.
>Are there clothing suggestions, etc. Any help?
>
>Jim
>
>


There's one possibility that I can think of. I was out fishing on a tank at
my ranch a couple of years ago and anyone who paddles ocean sit on tops
knows that your butt is the only place you get wet. Anyway...I finished up,
and on my way home, I couldn't stop scratching at my _at_$$. I didn't know
what the hell was going on. This persisted through the next day, so I went
to a dermatologist. He told me that it had to be something in the
water...like swimming chiggers (those little micro-bugs tat burrow into
your skin and live for weeks). We took a water sample and sent it off to
Texas A&M, and they told us we were right. These little swimming bugs that
are supposed to eat snails will go and burrow into your skin, creating a
week-long mosquito bite. There were a few freezes that winter that killed
'em all off. I haven't had any problrms with them since then.


                  -Will Ochse


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