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 *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
There is a "Swimmer's itch" caused by a protozoan (I think) related to the organizsms that cause Schistosomiasis in other parts of the world. It is occasionnally seen here in the Pacific Northwest, though I'm not sure about New Hampshire. It can't penetrate the skin or cause more serious illness, but can cause a lot of itching if the contaminated water dries on the skin. All problems with it can be prevented by toweling off after you come out of the water or stop your exposure to it. Treatment can be with Benadryl or other anti-itching measures, but prevention is better. Bob Apter -----Original Message----- From: Jim Champoux <jim_at_sigall.com> To: Paddle~Wise <paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net> Date: Wednesday, August 19, 1998 6:27 AM Subject: [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 > > >*************************************************************************** >PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List >Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net >Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net >Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ >*************************************************************************** > *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
-----Original Message----- From: Jim Champoux [mailto:jim_at_sigall.com] Sent: Wednesday, August 19, 1998 8:28 AM To: Paddle~Wise Subject: [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 ************************************************************************** * You might have a case of swimmer's itch, which is caused by a parasite found in snails and can be contracted in shallow, weedy waters. How does it feel when you are sitting in other places, such as at your computer? If it is swimmer's itch, it will go away eventually as the parasites die off. I had a strange case of itch that covered most of my body for almost a whole month this summer. There were no visible symptoms, and I don't know what caused it, but it went away after I took a 12-hour antihistamin tablet Sunday morning, which made me groggy all day. Chuck Holst *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
Poor Jimmy! I did have similar problems during my July expedition... Imagine 400 kilometres (=too many miles!) with itching a**. The moments of frustration were sometimes quite DEEP! Seems that sweat and too much sitting in my kayak was the problem - finally I did use the mild washing and sterilizing solution for taking care of my personal hygiene. I keep the liquid withinmy first-aid package. It was not very painful, because the stuff is very mild and you can even wash your mouth with that too... Itching can drive you crazy... Ari - from a public library this time, where there is somebody all the time behind your back... *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
>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 *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
At 09:30 AM 8/19/98 -0500, Jim Champoux <jim_at_sigall.com> wrote: >I spent the weekend paddling around a pond >in NH. I had a very serious case of itchy butt...It all started when I went swimming on saturday. I believe the problem is New Hampshire. It's the water in that state. I've heard that a lot of people have experienced the very same thing. From what I hear, the only solution is to swim in some other state and/or paddle off the coast of Maine or Massachusetts. Just stay out of the water in New Hampshire! Bill Ridlon Southern Maine Sea Kayaking Network *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
Jim wrote: 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? ********* When I had a rash on my chest that would not go away with the medically prescribed treatment of cortisone cream, I tried Gold Bond powder and it worked. The fundamental problem, as someone else noted, is that in a kayak, our butts are likely to get wet and stay wet. Add friction and a source of bacteria or fungi and you can easily get a spreading dermatitis. Gold Bond powder dries and changes the pH of the skin surface both of which can contribute to healing. OTOH, if the condition lasts for more than a couple of days you should put embarassment aside and consult with a physician. Dana *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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