willhunt4coues Report post Posted July 29, 2014 Paul is a great guy. Our thoughts and prayers are with you Amanda and Paul. If you guys need anything please don't hesitate to call. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MULEPACKHUNTER Report post Posted July 29, 2014 Prayers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesWhitetail Report post Posted July 29, 2014 Thanks for posting this TJ. I came here this morning to do that and noticed you already took care of it. Paul seems to be a little better this morning. He has all the classic symptoms of Rocky Mtn Spotted Fever....recent tick bite, sudden high fever, deep body aches, chills, and last night developed some of the classic spots that the disease is named for. The treatment is simple if caught early. Doxycyline twice a day is the best antibiotic for this. Fever should be gone within first three days of treatment. I suggest everyone who spends time outdoors google Rocky Mtn Spotted Fever. Learn the symptoms and be vigilant because apparently the mortality rate increases dramatically if treatment does not start within first 5 days of illness and you can reduce the longterm complications if you treat within the first day or two, which is what I think we did. This disease is increasing fairly quickly in Arizona. Please let all your friends who love the outdoors know about this disease. I really never thought this was something to worry about in AZ but I was wrong. We knew he had been bitten and so I googled what diseases he might get just to see what we should watch for. I am so glad I did because finding out that the timeframe could be just 7 days before death once symptoms starts made us hyper-vigilant for symptoms. And if it isn't fatal, the longterm consequences are very bad. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesWhitetail Report post Posted July 29, 2014 here is a pic of one of the ticks that was on Paul. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesWhitetail Report post Posted July 29, 2014 here is a link to the CDC webpage about the disease...there is a link to a map that show distribution of the disease. AZ is at the second highest level. http://www.cdc.gov/rmsf/index.html and here is link to az dept of health webpage with info on the RMSF http://www.azdhs.gov/phs/oids/vector/rocky-mountain-spotted-fever/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trphyhntr Report post Posted July 29, 2014 wow, scary stuff. Im sure everything will turn out fine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
muzzlehunter75 Report post Posted July 29, 2014 Prayers for a speedy recovery! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billrquimby Report post Posted July 29, 2014 Wow! I hope he recovers quickly. He is lucky that he is getting the proper treatment. I was bitten on my inner thigh by a tick in Zululand, and suffered similarly – very high fever (104-105º), weakness, vomiting, etc. I also had a huge, target-shaped wound, and my flesh was rotting in its center. After being treated for a week by a doctor who was wrongly convinced I had been bitten by a brown spider, I changed doctors and got the proper dosage of the proper antibiotic. I felt better virtually overnight. I was told that surviving the bite made me immune to South African Tick Fever. I haven't heard whether the same applies to Lyme Disease from North American tick bites. At any rate, you and Paul have my best wishes. Bill Quimby Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesWhitetail Report post Posted July 29, 2014 Thanks everyone! We appreciate the support. I am thankful for good medical care and for all the people in this world that work hard to develop effective drugs. I don't know who developed doxycyline, but as it's just about the only antibiotic effective in the treatment of RMSF, I am so thankful it is available. Bill, sorry for your experience but I am glad you finally got the appropriate treatment. Luckily there was a ton of info about RMSF on the internet and I knew what the treatment would be and if the doctor had prescribed the wrong antibiotic I was prepared to get a 2nd opinion and prescription fast. Luckily Paul's regular doctor was familiar with RMSF and knew the importance of starting doxycyline right away. It's still somewhat possible that he has some other disease (they didn't test him for it because you have to start treatment before waiting for test results anyway), but this is the most likely and the one that requires treatment asap. He is still very sick, but it appears the fever is gone now. I am watching him like a hawk though and not getting hardly any work done today! Cancelled fieldwork for this week. Thanks for all your concern and well wishes. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesWhitetail Report post Posted July 30, 2014 Thank you all for your prayers! Paul is much better today and has definitely turned a corner and headed for recovery. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JLW Report post Posted July 30, 2014 sorry to here... prayers sent for a fast full recovery! James Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coues 'n' Sheep Report post Posted July 30, 2014 Thoughts and Prayers!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rcdinaz Report post Posted July 30, 2014 God Bless! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
coueshunter Report post Posted July 30, 2014 Prayers sent for you Amanda and Paul even though he is better. Prayers sent so you dont ever get it hahaha. Allen. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coach Report post Posted July 30, 2014 Thoughts and prayers sent! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
