Weil's disease or not?

[angelmaz11]

or Freshers' flu/cold??

I was wondering whether anyone knew any cases of Weil's disease after having been down Swildon's?
I've come back with most of the symptoms and will have my blood checked after the advice I was given by other cavers. Also to note, was that my friend decided it would be funny to smear some cow s**t on my face, not that I expect that would have anything to do with it, but could it be possible?

Anyway, slightly worrying.

 

[Hughie]

Unlikely to be cowsh - I've got 300 cows that all seem hell bent on covering me with cowsh on a daily basis & I've not had any problems to date.

Cows are the main host of Leptospiro hardjo - usually spread in their urine, and resulting in headaches, fever and aching joints. This is different from the classic Weil's disease - Leptospiro icterohaemorrhagiae (try saying that when pissed!), which is spread from rats to man.

Worth getting checked out, anyway.

 

[Stupot]

Where about's did you go to in Swildon's ?

Stu.

 

[angelmaz11]

I went down to Sump 1, through sump 1 and back again. Nothing special. Though I washed my mouth with the water from the first chamber by the entrance - since I had cowsh on my face.

Anyway, just dont wanna make a fuss out of nothing.

 

[Stupot]

Oh dear that may not have been a good ideal, i find it unlikley as i have consumed a fair amount of water (not by choice) down there and as of yet have never had any complaints from body (fingers crossed).

All i can say is get it checked out, but if you have had a blood check i assume you have already started down that road.

Probably just a bug, as the first chamber seems to hold some pretty rank water sometimes.

Good luck, and i hope you are ok.

Stu.

 

[andymorgan]

Cow plop plop is just likely to give you a dicky stomach for a few days so it is unlikely to come from it being smeared on your face (what nice friends you have!). Further to Hugies comment, I have seen cows pooing and weeing into the stream just up from the entrance to Swildons so it is good you have got yourself checked out.
I always had some weird freshers 'flu in October and February coinciding with start of the semesters as an undergraduate.
Hope you get well soon!

 

[Fred]

Cow plop plop is just likely to give you a dicky stomach for a few days

Cowsh can be a source of E.Coli. - while this is generally not serious in healthy adults (generally just diarrhea with little or no fever and lasting perhaps 5-10 days) it can be very serious in the young or vulnerable - blood in the stools and in rare cases kidney failure and death. A boy recently died from such complications in S Wales where there has been an ongoing outbreak for several months - the councils have or were at least considering closing schools to try and contain it.

 

[andymorgan]

I didn't really mention that as I didn't want to worry Angelmaz, and I don't think her symptoms suggust it (i'm not a doctor though). Probably the majority of the mass of a cow poo is E. coli: however most strains are harmless. I don't know the prevelance of the 'bad' strain in cows. Given the choice I would rather eat cowsh than chicken sh as chickens seem to harbour more diseases. Yum.

 

[cucc Paul]

Were you staying in the belfry??? If so a few who stayed that weekend seem to feel poop... Thats what you get for hanging around with bloody frshers ( we love you really if any are reading)

 

[cap n chris]

I think it's more likely that freshers staying at the Belfry have picked up something from caving rather than from their accommodation, especially if there are any freshers who went caving during the weekend who feel like crap but who DIDN'T stay at the Belfry - Occam's Razor springs to mind... which explanation is the more likely? Crap cave water or the accommodation causing the illness?

 

[Fred]

<scare mongering>
It must surely be bird flu. Did any of them eat chicken while they were at the Belfry ?
<\scare mongering>

 

[cucc Paul]

Noooo i was not saying anything bad against the belfry its a ***** cave hut... i was hinting more at the people staying there... lots of uni freshers spreading there comunicable diseases... this is highly likely...

 

[andymorgan]

Sounds like a lot of loving was going on in the Belfry!

 

[cap n chris]

By the looks of some of the photos it was abnormal same-gender love too!

 

[angelmaz11]

'ello, I wasn't staying at the Belfry, but I went for a long visit Saturday night and got horribly drunk. Lots of nacked people again - what's up with that? It was a fun night tho. Woke up with my voice nearly gone. Yes likely I caught a freshers thing, but there were 6 of us and they're all fine.
Anyway, I do have an infection according to my doc - will hear more about results this monday - but I'm not too worried. E.Coli, hmmm, didn't think about that. It's a possibility.

Not stopping me going caving this weekend tho! I should see some of you there I guess.

 

[andymorgan]

About the nasty strain of E. coli; in the 2003 DEFRA zoonoses report it says:

The disease spectrum associated with VTEC O157 infection ranges from mild diarrhoea through HC to HUS, thrombotic thrombocytopaenic purpura (TTP) and death. TTP is a syndrome that incorporates the main clinical features of HUS but with additional neurological involvement. HUS is a disease characterised by renal failure, haemolytic anaemia and thrombocytopaenia. HUS tends to be more common in children and TTP in adults, particularly the elderly. Disease is most severe in infants and the elderly.

In 2003 it was present in 4.7% of cattle which is pretty low, so don't get too worried!

Are many people staying at the Belfry this weekend again? If so we may pop over from the Mineries next door.

 

[cucc Paul]

Cardiff arent down this weekend... were down for the fireworks though (nov 5th weekend)... should be a promisisng weekend... Its my understanding that southampton may also be up...

I think our old president maybe responisble for the nakedness, but im not quite sure what it is with that...

Maybe its a uni caving thing?

 

[cap n chris]

In 2003 it was present in 4.7% of cattle which is pretty low, so don't get too worried!

So on average it'll occur in every herd containing more than 25 cows - which is pretty much every herd in the country.

 

[andymorgan]

Yes, but that is still a 4.7% chance that the cow pat contained it!

It is more likely that 4.7% of herds have it, as if one has it, it will be passed to the others within the herd. If it was that prevalent on Mendip everyone would pick it up from Priddy Green sink and Manor Farm Swallet.

 

[andymorgan]

Are you better now Angelmaz? Did your blood test reveal Weil's disease?

I have fresher's 'flu now