Back from Africa

[WNC2500]

Chapter 3 was great. Productive hunt, and it definitely seems that the shooting sticks created issues. What was the measurements on the barbary? Looking forward to the Kudu in Ch 4 hopefully.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Chapter 3 was great. Productive hunt, and it definitely seems that the shooting sticks created issues. What was the measurements on the barbary? Looking forward to the Kudu in Ch 4 hopefully.

Barbary ram was 23x25 inches. Sorry but you'll have to wait a while for the kudu story. He wasn't in the salt till the end of the safari.

Yes, I really grew to hate those quad sticks. I think for novices hunting stupid animals in ideal conditions they have some usefulness. For the ranges I was shooting this trip, most of the time I would have been better off shooting offhand.

 

[Salmonchaser]

Sorry for the delay. I've been under the weather a bit since returning. Antigen test says not COVID but I'm wondering if I should go in for pcr test.

Enjoy.

I’ve been fighting something since we got back on May 6. Put me in the E/R twice; end of May and Middle of July. Blood work showed I was battling an infection but could not Identify it. Tested for everything from Ebola to Monkey pox. I had 12 covid tests. All negative. Big concern was resting heart rate went from 58 to 112 with a high fever and cough.
Doc told me recent studies have shown about 25% of folks coming back have African tick fever. I finally appear to be on the mend, running again but taking it easy, lifting and rowing as well. Blood work, particularly white blood and liver counts have returned to normal, heart rate is coming down but is not back to 58 yet.
If you get a persistent cough and fever that comes and goes get in to an infectious disease specialist. Have your guy call my guy so to speak. Perhaps it’ll save you three months of trying to figure out what you might have.
great stories by the way.

 

[OntarioHunter]

I’ve been fighting something since we got back on May 6. Put me in the E/R twice; end of May and Middle of July. Blood work showed I was battling an infection but could not Identify it. Tested for everything from Ebola to Monkey pox. I had 12 covid tests. All negative. Big concern was resting heart rate went from 58 to 112 with a high fever and cough.
Doc told me recent studies have shown about 25% of folks coming back have African tick fever. I finally appear to be on the mend, running again but taking it easy, lifting and rowing as well. Blood work, particularly white blood and liver counts have returned to normal, heart rate is coming down but is not back to 58 yet.
If you get a persistent cough and fever that comes and goes get in to an infectious disease specialist. Have your guy call my guy so to speak. Perhaps it’ll save you three months of trying to figure out what you might have.
great stories by the way.

Thanks for that! Now that you mention it, I found a tick in the crack of my arse when showering the day after I shot my nyala (a bum bug with shitty taste in housing?). I didn't think he was attached but couldn't see without glasses on and I didn't care to mess with it. Sent it for a swim in the cesspool. I'm not having any kind of severe symptoms. Just an annoying prolonged headache, achy, and weak. I've been watching my heart rate because I'm at that age where stuff happens. Seems to be okay. I will certainly get checked for tick fever. Thanks again.

 

[Happy Myles]

Enjoyed chapter three. Keep us posted on your health. Oh, do not forget the next chapters. All the best

 

[OntarioHunter]

Enjoyed chapter three. Keep us posted on your health. Oh, do not forget the next chapters. All the best

Confirmed African tick bite fever. Had to get the prescription changed because Dr "knew nothing about African tick diseases" and wouldn't take two minutes on the net to educate himself. That gal at the pharmacy went the extra mile to get it fixed. Called in a nurse practitioner she knew and he authorized it. Otherwise I'd be waiting till tomorrow at the soonest to get a Dr to change it. My lodge hostess in Africa phoned me direct and alerted me to it being the wrong antibiotic (she and my daughter are Facebook buddies). I am weathering the bug better than most. Really no fever to speak of. Possibly due to my switching to quinine laced tonic water in Africa and sticking with it when I got home. It's pretty good mixed with citrus juice. Have to wait and see how efficiently the antibiotics clean up the bacterium. Lack of fever tricked me. Never suspected it was ATBF until this morning when my leg hurt and I discovered this on the back of my calf. Hunted only one day without support stockings. That must have been when the SOB got me.

 

[OntarioHunter]

@Salmonchaser Your diagnosis may have saved my upcoming Montana hunting season. Hat's off to you! I promise to keep you out of my sights on here forever. And that kind of praise from me blows the doors off a Congressional Medal of Honor.

 

[noharleyyet]

Doxycycline?

 

[OntarioHunter]

Doxycycline?

Yes. He prescribed the wrong family of antibiotics. Kinda weird. Because I'm allergic to penicillin I usually get prescribed tetracycline family of antibiotics for infections which is what I needed for ATBF.

 

[Happy Myles]

Ontario, just curious, did you treat your pants and shirts with Permethrin and take along some Deet? I do top of my socks too. I know South Africa not a bad insect area but a little prevention is helpful at times . No matter how tough you are.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Ontario, just curious, did you treat your pants and shirts with Permethrin and take along some Deet? I do top of my socks too. I know South Africa not a bad insect area but a little prevention is helpful at times . No matter how tough you are.

I had it but forgot to spray my socks the day I didn't wear support stockings. It was quite cold in the mornings so i'm surprised that ticks were active. Never saw one on any of the animals I shot. Feeling a lot better tonight. Leg hurts like it's on fire and doesn't look nice but otherwise I'm pretty much okay. Essentially no fever is what fooled me. Very strange. Not trying to be a tough guy. Just very forgetful.

 

[spangler2k3]

Great write up

 

[Salmonchaser]

Glad you got in and got the antibiotics on board. My diagnosis was inconclusive, I’d get to feeling fine and then it would come back. First Doc was convinced I had Malaria.
Enjoy Montana this year.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Well, daughter's wedding is out of the way and I'm almost feeling myself again (behind closed doors). The tick bite sight still hurts like hell and looks pretty scary but seems I'm on the mend.
I whipped out chaper four last night and cleaned it up this morning. Enjoy.

 

[WNC2500]

That leg looks nasty but glad its better than before. I have enjoyed Ch 4 and the animals that got in your way.

 

[Happy Myles]

Glad the tick bite seems to be on the mend. Hope the wedding went well. Again enjoyed the latest African chapter. Thank you and keep them coming

 

[OntarioHunter]

Glad you got in and got the antibiotics on board. My diagnosis was inconclusive, I’d get to feeling fine and then it would come back. First Doc was convinced I had Malaria.
Enjoy Montana this year.

I hear ya. I felt like crap for a week before finally deciding I better go brave the mob in the local ER waiting room. I knew about ATBF but the absence of any fever symptom seemed to rule that one out. Then as I climbed in the Jimmy I brushed the back of my leg against the seat. Yow!! What the hell? I pulled up my pant leg and I knew fever or not I was dealing with a tick bite. Driving by the clinic I noticed the parking lot was almost empty so I went in for the doctor on call. I usually like this old guy (my age) because he tries hard to be thorough. But this time he just wasn't listening. "Sounds like malaria." No malaria in South Africa and certainly no mosquitoes there in the middle of winter anyway. "Well, there's lots of bug diseases in Africa that could cause that." Not really. While all this is going on the lodge owner's wife is frantically trying to phone me. My daughter was freaking out, worried I would be too sick for her wedding on Saturday. She contacted Sheryl via Facebook. Sheryl knew what the issue was and what medication was needed. Of course, Dr Reed prescribed the wrong stuff. I returned her call when I got home and then immediately contacted the clinic but Dr Reed was gone for the rest of the day. I then jumped in the car and drove to the hospital. People were lined up out the door. Forget that. I stopped in at a local pharmacy on the way home to see if they could help. Keep in mind I looked like walking dead at this point. The pharmacist gal was great. She actually took the time to look up ATBF and I showed her a pic of the bite sight. "Sure looks like ATBF to me and that's definitely the wrong meds." She faxed a letter to the clinic but got a shoulder shrug reply. "Okay, I know a nurse practitioner. I'll get him to come in and change the medication." Half an hour later he walks in wearing shorts and golf shoes. Great guy. Very interested in the hunting trip. And then I was on my way with the correct meds.

Saturday literally minutes before the wedding Dr Reed phones my cell. "I have a fax saying the meds were changed. You should not take that stuff but instead go get my correct meds." Sorry doc, but that is the WRONG MEDICATION FOR AFRICAN TICK BITE FEVER. I then explained that 25% of visitors to Africa return to North America infected with it and it's very dangerous if not properly treated. "Uh ... oh ... really? Let me look into that." Very quickly he calls back. "I see it really is a condition [ya think?] and that new prescription is the right stuff to treat it. I understand that nurse is a specialist in African diseases." No, not really. It was the other doctor who made the correct diagnosis. "What other doctor?" Me. University of Manitoba, 2004. Check it out. Gotta go walk my daughter down the aisle.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Chaper Five is attached. Enjoy.

 

[OntarioHunter]

And here is the final chapter "End Game." Hope you enjoy reading these chapters as much as I enjoyed reliving the safari while writing them. Anyone having trouble viewing the pdf files can drop me a private message and I'll help you through it.

 

[Happy Myles]

Thank you for the final installment. As usual excellent