The Bear Got Me ...

B

bluegraytx

Inactive
I returned from a successful Alaskan bear hunt 3 weeks ago. Four days later I was making multiple visits to the john. A visit to the doctor a week later yielded a prescription for antibiotics. By that Saturday I was admitted to the hospital in a severely dehydrated condition, staggering like a drunk, and slurring my words. The diagnosis was giardia, a parasite that colonizes in the small intestine. It just happened that the on-call E.R. physician had treated a doctor on staff for giardia following a similar Alaska bear hunt a few weeks before. He didn't waste time looking for other causes. So, where did I contact it? It could have been from skinning the bear, or walking through a spawning salmon stream, or even from a few drops of water on the top of a can that had been chilled by glacier ice that was netted from the waters of Prince William Sound. In short, it could have come from anywhere. Even though I thought I was being careful, the bug somehow slipped through. I mention this in passing as a reminder to any of you heading into the wilds. Take extra precautions.
 
My dads boss got it years ago on a hunting trip to Canada. It was before it was well known and he drank out of streams. They called it beaver fever. His went on for months, cramps and the runs. I'm sure the treatment is better now. I spend alot of time in the woods and sure don't want giardia or any of the other things you can contract now days. I guess its's best to be careful but not let it take over.

I have some intestine problems (diverticulitis) and I'm quite miserable a certain amount of the time so I can relate to some degree on that end.
 
Learned about that nasty bug in scouts. Correct me if I'm wrong, symptomatic puking out the other end for at least 2 wks? To my knowledge, it can only be contracted from water that wasn't purified(whether by boiling or iodine). Hence the dehydration. Sorry to hear it man.
 
Beaver Fever.

Pretty sure you get it from beaver-infested water supplies. Not sure how much you need to drink to get it, but I bet not much.
 
I wonder if my florida spring fed creeks can have this cootie? I drink from them EACH AND EVERY TIME I HOG HUNT....
Gotta look into it!
Brent
 
Funny, I had that a long time ago.

Don't know about you, but the doc had to put his hand where the sun don't shine. When the doc tells me this, figure no problem, in the Army it seemed like the docs only patted you on the butt when they were checking "that area" out.

Well... this doc didn't stop until it got to his elbow! Laying there on the table looking like a dog at the vets with my eyes bulging out of my head!!!:barf:

Never did forget that "surprising" moment.
 
I wonder if my florida spring fed creeks can have this cootie? I drink from them EACH AND EVERY TIME I HOG HUNT....
Gotta look into it!
Brent
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Depending on which part of FL you are hunting but when you look into it you have a surprize because several of the streams and waterways in FL are in pretty bad shape and contain many strange creatures that could find a nice home inside you not to meantion all the cemicals.
 
I don't think it has anything to do with beavers just bad water. Usually cold bad water. I know a couple of divers that have gotten in working in ponds.
 
When I drink from a creek it is the small ones and usually only a couple hundred yards from the spring head. Clear water sn obvious sediment floating around. The water is the same as comes from my well and the only pollution would fall in from only a short distance. No animals living or spending lots of time in the water. No flocks of birds hanging out above, just the occasional song bird.
I think I will still push my luck rather than suffer dry mouth.
Brent
 
hotdogs, I watched a show on the history channel where the were mapping the Florida aquifer. It is an underground river with many springs and sinkholes. Unfortunately some people use these for trash pits and dump virtually anything in them to include auto tranny's, washing machines, old paint, household garbage, animal manure, etc. If you're 'downstream' and you probably are, I'd not take the water internally.

I carry 2 16oz. bottles of water when it's cold and up to 4 when it's hot.
 
The reason Giardiosiswas called "Beaver Fever" is that the parasite is carreied in the intestinal tract of a number of animals including Beaver.

Since Beaver inhabit many ponds & streams, they are often the main vector of the infection.

Giardia may be found in almost any body of water, from stagnent standing water to clear fast flowing streams, though the latter is always a better bet regardless.

Care must be given to use proper decontamination procedures as Giardia is resistant to some traditional chemical treatment as well as not being filtered out by "cheap" filters. Giardia requires a filter that filters out everything larger than one micron.

Additionally you may become infected by poor hygeine habits, by coming in contact with items that have been contaminated by exposure to animal, people, who have it or more pointedly with their waste.:barf:

Giardiosis is far more common than people think, I know of a whole towns water supply that was contaminated with it a few yrs back. It is a serious consideration for anyone interested in disaster preparedness or who spends lots of time in the back country.
 
Jaxx, yes, boiling absolutely will work.

And never, ever, ever drink any water from any body that is not treated first, E-V-E-R, or you are playing russian roulette. You might be lucky for a long time, but sooner or later you'll drop the hammer on a live round. If you get medical attention in time then it will wound, not kill, but you may wish you were dead. In a disaster situation or if you are lost then it may well kill you through dehydration.

Boiling, distilling, UV light treatment & microfilters are the only guarantee, as even iodine and chlorine will not kill all organisms, especially Cryptosporidium, since it has a tough outer shell.

Rainwater caught before it hits the ground is also safe (but not from pollution like Acid Rain).

If you DO use iodine or chlorine then filter murky water first if you can, since it will take longer & more amounts are needed in murky water.


We really take for granted our clean water; dirty water it is the number one health hazard in many, many parts of the world, and there have been too many deaths over the eons from it to count.
 
So just to be clear here, boiling the water will kill this and you will be safe?
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I think the experts recommend keeping the water at a rolling boil for no less than five minutes.

.... and don't forget water filtration in any sort of bug-out-bag or some such you may keep. I put both purification tablets and purification straws in the packs I built for the family.
 
I think the experts recommend keeping the water at a rolling boil for no less than five minutes.
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It's actually been discovered to not be necessary to boil for long; just a few seconds at boiling temperature (at or close to sea level) will kill all bad bugs.

Not trying to nitpick or anything; it's just good information to know in an emergency, as it will help you to conserve fuel & energy obtaining fuel, and especially if you are using a gas burning portable stove or are in an area with little natural fuel to burn, such as a desert. :)
 
I am under the impression that most people who get Giardia and are trying to avoid it get it from "cross contamination" of the filter. Basically you have a nifty filter, throw it in a bag when done and the input and output ends touch. You have just defeated your wonderfully expensive and heavy water filter.

Several older park rangers indicate using iodine for extended periods of time really messed up their stomachs permanently(possibly killed off strains of bacteria necessary for digestion, although this doesn't seem permanent). Chlorine systems are available and most of our bodies are already acclimated to chlorine. I know several dozen people who use a very simple chlorine system around the world, none of which have had problems. As far as chlorine not working, your municipal water is probably chlorine treated.

YOu can boil for one minute and be pretty sure you got everything. The 5 minute recommendation, to my understanding is just to make sure you really get it boiling not a bubble here and there.

Giardia lasts longer than 2 weeks I believe. Multiple anti-biotic runs and some probiotics to finish it up.

Good luck with this one.
 
I am under the impression that most people who get Giardia and are trying to avoid it get it from "cross contamination" of the filter. Basically you have a nifty filter, throw it in a bag when done and the input and output ends touch. You have just defeated your wonderfully expensive and heavy water filter.
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+1 to that! And a lot of people also get it by ingesting the contaminated water caught in the threads of a bottle that they filled, dropped in iodine or choline tabs & then later drank from. The water inside the bottle maybe ok, but the water in the threads that they just put their lips to is akin to drinking directly from the dirty pond.

Another thing to keep in mind is that filters break occassionally and clog easily, and lots of rivers and ponds are full of silt and muck, making the filters useless.

Metal pots for boiling, on the otherhand, are almost indestructible in comparison!

Oh, and when in Mexico, savvy travelers only use the hot water for brushing their teeth!
 
Quote:
It's actually been discovered to not be necessary to boil for long;

Digging around seems to confirm you are correct. Again I'm out of date!.... not much of a surprise to me anymore.
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Don't feel bad; I can't take credit for it...it's all from Cody Lundin's books & teachings....
 
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