Wet Wading: Another one bites the dust....

[afishinado]

I wet-waded the Susky last week with Fishidiot. No problem I thought. Over the weekend the back of my knee swelled up like a balloon. I saw my doctor yesterday and he said it was a bacterial infection from a break in the skin. I got it lanced and am on antibiotics. I asked the doctor if wading in the Susky for 10 hours had anything to do with it, he shook his head and said "ya think!?!"

 

[jayL]

Probably not the same infection I had, at least hopefully it's not.

Welcome to the world of sweaty wedding tackle. It's not that bad once you get used to it. A few hours of stewing in waders > a few months of thrashing your digestive system with antibiotics.

Hope it clears up for ya.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Are our waters getting worse or what?

I was wet wading yesterday and have almost my entire life when fishing.

Only once did I ever get something even close and I was bit by a brown house spider so it doesn't count.
Im shocked so many are having this problem but dont discount it at all.

 

[jayL]

Sal,

I think it's just bad luck for the most part. These bacteria have nothing to do with pollution, for the most part. Stream water is the perfect place for bacteria.

I didn't even get my infection wet wading, but still learned my lesson.

 

[Fredrick]

I wouldn't worry about it Tweed . But your not the young Houchie Man you used to be ;-) Hopefully you will be good for the 10th

 

[Ramcatt]

i got some nasty shlt on my arm last year when i was on on the yough...

2days in the hospital and morphine
swollen from my wrist almost to my armpit

 

[greenghost]

I'm not so sure so many are having problems. Consider everybody that wet wades, swims, rafts, tubes, etc. in our waterways...
how many are having problems? A small minority.

I'll always wet wade when temps are right. (The one exception would be brownlining in water I know has excessive sewage and/or pollution in it. )

If you ask me, the bacteria growing in sweaty waders has to be pretty nasty too. Given my druthers, if I'm going to be exposed to bacteria, I'd rather be comfortable.

 

[FarmerDave]

I don't think the streams are getting worse. If anything, they are better than they were 40 years ago on average.

I think part of the problem is that humans don't build up the immunities to these kinds of things like they used to.

look at all the antibacterial stuff on the market. I think there is such a thing as relying on it too much. Then when you do get exposed to a nasty, it is extra nasty.

Every time I get a scrape or a burn (which happens often), wife tells me to put some neosporen on it. I just roll my eyes and tell yer if it starts bothering me, then I'll use it.

That wasn't ment as an insult to anyone. It is just the way things have gotten to be.

taking a page from LJ...

link

 

[JackM]

I'm with Dave. Whenever I get a cut, I find the nearest cesspool to wash it in so as to build up my immunities.

 

[Heritage-Angler]

Tom - It's an alien! Just like the one in Jay's leg. Just sit on the couch while drinking a few beers, and when it pops out, smack it on the head with a hammer. :lol:

Look closely...

 

[JakesLeakyWaders]

Just recovered from an infection the other day, actually still recovering. My one middle finger had a very small scratch on it while fishing in the river.

It started to swell up and become painful. It went from a scratch to a huge blistering oozing wound.

I was very sick for two days. Sore. Dizzy. Severe headache. Didn't eat.

About the same time the swelling went down in the finger I started to feeling better.

I did flick a small spider off of me so I'm not sure 100% if I was bit by a spider or if it was an infection. My finger was so swollen I had trouble bending it. I didn't pay any attention to it at first, and it started growing like a big pimple.

Just for good measure I found some antibiotics and took one last night.

I've never had a serious infection before, and this was just an almost unnoticeable scratch, like if you'd nick yourself with a hook or scrape a rock.

 

[FarmerDave]

JackM wrote:
I'm with Dave. Whenever I get a cut, I find the nearest cesspool to wash it in so as to build up my immunities.

Oh yea, that is what I was saying all right. :roll: :lol:

There is science to back up what I said.

But you won't believe me anway so I won't bother.

 

[David]

I used to think infections were stuff for pansies. I spent a couple days in the hospital last week when my throat almost swelled closed from a glandular infection in my jaw. I'm still not back to normal.

Hope your feelin' better!!! At least you got yours while fishin!!!

 

[Fishidiot]

Dang Tom! Hope you get better soon. I'm still a die hard wet wader but maybe someday I'll bite the dust too. I've always tried to be careful and keep stream water out of wounds no matter how small. I also keep a container of hydrogen peroxide in my car for the occasional fishing injury. Nevertheless, something like this can happen to any of us.

If I don't have access to a hammer next time we go fishin, I'll nail the alien with a rock and try not to cut yuh in the process. :-D

 

[Chaz]

I keep telling you guys that the Susquehanna is nasty and that I wouldn't wade there, though I have in the past since all the fish kills I won't go near it without boots. Anyway, about wet wading other places, I only do it in the cleanest streams. I've got this aweful feeling when they get finished drilling for gas there won't be any clean streams left.

 

[afishinado]

To update on my boo boo. It seems to be spreading through my knee and leg, and the culture came back confirming a Mersa infection. I have an appointment with a surgeon this PM to lance and drain it. They are changing my antibiotics to battle the bug.

Keep wet wading if you wish, I've been wet-wading in the Susky since I was a teen. No more, it's not worth it!

Here's what it looks like now!!

 

[PatriotFly26]

You guys are lucky the water is warm enough down there to do some wet wading.

Water is freaking cold up here. We're getting there though.

 

[rrt]

Geez, I hope you young lions get better. I once got cellulitis after a fall while brook trout fishing, but I've never had any of the nasties you guys have gotten. I have actually considered doing some bass fishing & would wet wade if I did, but after seeing the infection photo and hearing about others, I think I'll stick to trout fishing. At my age, something like that might do me in.
Anyhow, best wishes for a speedy recovery.

 

[springer1]

Impossble that something is not going on in our rivers.

Fished the Schuylkill in nice broken water yesterday, not a strike. Went back today with spinning gear to make sure its not my fly fishing & struck out again.

SMBass with both sex organs - in what 75% of the fish in some areas of the Potomac?? Guys getting infections now, fish counts down. Water even smells bad sometimes. Don't splash any river water in yer eyes or nose, who knows what you'll turn into.

I used to wet wade for years - now the Resevoir where I did is overrun with geese & droppings.... and bass with black blotches all over them. Last Fall when the water cooled, the scum that floated to the surface & rotted with a stench was unreal, I never have seen that in 40 years. And that in a water supply facility.

Maybe its not safe to be in the water when its warm from June thru September.

 

[PaulG]

I never did much wet wading, Thats the end for me, I have enough problems, don't need anymore.

PaulG