SWIMMERS ITCH!

[wolfe]

HELP: Wondering if some of you might have some experience with this.

We were up working at the cottage over the wknd again. The kids were loving the bright, sunny weather and enjoying the lake during our breaks. Lots of jumping off the dock, swimming and capturing crayfish and minnows.

Anyway, mosquitoes were fierce, but when Tyler got up this morning he was covered, and I mean COVERED with red welts. I thought he had chicken pox and took him in the doc ASAP. Shane had several red dots as well, but nothing like Tyler's severity.

Doctor was amazed at the numbers (hundreds) of what appeared to be bites. He said it was NOT chicken pox but was the result of insects. Whether mosquitoes or some other type is unclear. Tyler has so many that he actually has a low grade fever and a little joint pain from the inflammation. The doctor called in an associate to confirm his diagnosis and it was agreed: insects.

Anyhow, I am no newbie to Canada's insect world. Been coming up since I was a squirt, so I know the deal. But I am finding it hard to believe that mosquitoes did this, as I was with Tyler 24/7 and he would have had to be crawling with them. (He did not have more than the usual amount of bites until the last day, apparently. Last night when we got home he had a shower and we didn't see anything unusual. It wasn't until waking today that he looked like a leopard. So whatever it was it happened the last day. The dr. said it takes about 24+/- hrs for the welting reaction.)

Does anyone know anything about water insects that could bite or sting and cause something like this? Shane was complaining of some itching around the water. The kids were swimming for about 2 hours on Monday afternoon. No one was getting bombed by deerflies or anything obvious, though. I've heard of sand fleas, but we do not have a sand beach. Woods meet rocks meet water kind of shoreline, and the kids sit on the dock when they're not playing.

Tyler is on Benadryl and oatmeal baths which help somewhat to ease the intense itching. Supposedly in 2 days it'll be over with. Hope so.

But we're heading back up within the week, so I'd hate to see this happen again if it's some aquatic insect that's responsible.

Thx for any input.

W.

[mdej]

Hum, never had such an expierence in fresh water.

In salt water we got hit by sea flea's one time, lots or marks and welts.

All I can guess is that it might be flea's. I know my dog seems to come into the cottage covered in bite marks on her underbelly, and I guess they are flea's as the welts are too small for deer/black flies or mosquitoes.

Only other guess I could make is if its not poison ivy/oak. Maybe he is allergic to some plant in or around the water. Or maybe sensitive skin and a algei or something in the water caused a rash.

I'm just guessing, hope all is well soon.

[Snakebite]

Sounds like it might be a bad case of swimmer's itch.

lots of time in waters infected with the trematode parasites could cause it. just never heard of it that severe before.

hard to imagine that many bites from anything unless it was in his bedding.

[wolfe]

Hi, and thx for the input.

The welts are actually a good size, although assorted, many are about the size of a small fingerprint. They seem to be "hiving" now, and when he was in the bath actually appeared redder. But the colloidal oatmeal and the antihistamine does seem to help.

Interestingly, my smaller guy Shane has several on his (mostly) legs. His are dot sized, and are not welting. Not too unusual, as Tyler is the one with the very sensitive system.

Both kids have them where they were in the water. Shane did mostly wading, Tyler was in and swimming around and jumping in.

I'm still pretty sure there is no way they are from a mosquito. I'm inclined to think it's something in (or at) the water.

Thx for what you've offered so far, guys. I'm just hoping it doesn't go staph on Tyler. He ended up with a staph infection last summer, that started from a bad case of poison ivy "gone bad" from scratching.

W.

PS: snakebite: beds, mattresses and bedding all new and laundered (sheets) at home before being brought up to the cottage. Dog isn't suffering from any flea issues and hasn't for over 10 years.

[muskymatt]

Not swimmers itch...they would be in the tub in epsom salts crying their eyes out.

I had it several times in my teens in North Bay and you want to scratch with a steel brush...brutally itchy and NO relief.

Ground/sand fleas sounds like what they have.

The itch will take effect within hrs of being in the water.

Sand fleas can be itchy but will even hitchhike and continue to bite even after leaving the area.

A good cleansing will usually get rid of them and then it will be unpleasant for up to 3-4 days after.

Here is a link...sand not needed.

http://www.flea-i.com/sand-fleas.html

[wolfe]

mdej,

by the way, I noticed your remark about your dog having "bites" on her underbelly. We thought my old dog had bites on his belly too, especially around the mostly hairless area between his back legs. Turned out he was having hives from allergies. Maybe your dog has a similar problem?

[Dartee]

Wolfe

I'd have to agree with muskymatt that it is likely the sandflea (no see ums).

"The sand flea resembles an insect but is actually a crustacean and lays its eggs in rotting seaweed, on which it feeds, when not preying upon pasty white beachgoers. Paler skin is thinner and therefore, easier for the flea to penetrate."

When my father owned our cottage resort on the Upper Rideau my sister used to get nailed when ever she helped clean the weeds off the beach. They never seemed to bother me.

Tyler should start feeling better soon

[matcole]

With out seeing it, it sounds like something like I had as a Kid, although it was in Golden Lake. The locals called it the golden lake itch. It was caused by a parasite in the water. It was fierce, very itchy, lots of welts all over my legs. We were given a topical anesthetic to combat it. I was in bed for the day, Lots of benydryl, lots of tylenol. The secret was to lather your self in baby oil before swimming, which meant almost a half bottle. Hope the kids feel better soon!

Denis

[YakAttack]

poor kid, hope he feels better soon.

I heard a similar story recently - on the radio? - the way you describe it, it sounds like the same thing. It was a parasite in that case (not swimmer's itch, but a different one). May be what your kids came into as well.

Sorry I can't help more, I don't remember anything more about it, but it wasn't a serious thing, can only try to keep him comfortable (like you're doing)

[wolfe]

I guess the only thing that has me wondering about the sand flea theory is that Tyler has them starting at his neck line (though only a few there) down to his ankles. They are thick along his arms, trunk and legs, but only a few where his bathing suit would cover as well as only a couple on his feet where water shoes cover.

When you guys had a tangle with something similar as kids, do you recall having the bites all over -- or just on the legs, as is mentioned in the link?

I really think that the way they look on most folks are how they are presenting on Shane: kind of pin pricks of red on his legs, mostly. But on Tyler I think he had some kind of reaction and therefore ended up with these red, swollen welts.

Ugh. He's itching up a storm. To add insult to injury, he just now lost a tooth and was bleeding all over. It's going to be one of those nights.

Thx again for the input and info!

W.

[wolfe]

Hey Yak,

My husband mentioned something earlier tonight that got me wondering. A waitress that we talk to frequently from the Rideau Lakes area mentioned that some of the local lakes were "closed down" for swimming because of a problem. We can't remember what it was that she said: bacterial or parasitic? But maybe you heard something on the radio along those lines? I'd really like to know.

Wolfe Lake is at the top of the chain and is notoriously clean. But a parasite or bacterial problem could hit there just like anywhere else, I'm sure.

W.

[YakAttack]

Wolfe, I found this article, from around mid june this year, which is probably what I heard:
------------
Ottawa women pick up parasite from river

Two Ottawa women picked up parasites while swimming off a beach near Andrew Haydon Park, prompting city health officials to investigate. Elizabeth Strachan, 68, said she and Mary Cox, 59, discovered they were covered in welts that looked like large mosquito bites after taking a dip in the Ottawa River on Tuesday. She said Queensway Carleton Hospital doctors told Ms. Cox the painful spots were the result of parasites in the water. Ms. Strachan said it's the first time she has encountered the problem in the 26 years she's been swimming in the river. She said a City of Ottawa health official told her the cause may be excretions from snails that eat the feces of infected ducks. The official collected snails from the scene for testing, she said. A city spokesman said officials were aware of the problem and were looking into it.
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This article explains that the parasite described is one of the ones known as swimmer's itch: http://ottawariverkeeper.ca/news/swimmer_s_itch/

Perhaps, like you said, the one of your boys is a bit allergic.

Maybe the tooth fairy will make it all better....

[wolfe]

Yak,

THANKS SO MUCH for the link / article / info. That sounds EXACTLY like what Tyler is suffering from. It also makes a little more sense now as to why he reacted so severely -- we already know he has a more sensitive immune system and tends to get things worse than your average kid.

Another interesting thing to ponder is that we have several ducks that paddle between ours and our neighbors' docks. We have coined the most frequent pair "Fred & Ethel". Very cute, but I did notice feces floating about. It's gross, but I try not to be too much of a "girl" and just let the kids have their fun in the water. I am a fanatic about telling them to keep their mouths closed under water, PLEASE! Anyway, the article mentions ducks, so....hmmm....

The welts are not quite so red and inflamed today. But you can sure spend a great deal of time counting them...hundreds...and he's still itchy, though not as severely so as last night when it seemed to peak. THANK GOD FOR BENADRYL!

The Tooth Fairy did help, I think -- he got US and CAN $$.

Thx again for your help and time, Yak Attack.

W.

[Lunker Larry]

Had a swimmers itch problem occur at the lake I'm on last year. This family thought it was cute to feed the ducks off of their doc all the time. Needless to say, they all came down withswimmers itch attributed to the duck excrement.

[slushpuppy]

Wow! I hope the kids feel better! I've never experienced those, although bugs usually find me real quick. I'm glad that Ontario doesn't have as many no-see-ums (sand flies, not sand fleas) as the maritime provinces, they drive me nuts. Over here, it's the deer flies that like me most.