I decided to write an article on this subject as I have suffered with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for more than 7 years now, following contracting Weils disease (leptospirosis) while fly fishing. It has seriously blighted my and my family’s lives as while I have enough energy to hold down a full time desk based job, outside of work hours I am typically shattered trying to recuperate to go back to work. I have basically lived to work. In the early stages when the symptoms were moderate I couldn’t mow our tiny lawn without having to sit down several times or walk more than a few hundred metres and as such I couldn’t fish for years. As I recuperated, learnt to manage my energy levels and discovered the miracle that is d-ribose I started this blog as a way of reconnecting with my passion that is fishing as when I can’t get out as my health is poor I can still blog. I am now powered by d-ribose but even so need to be cautious about managing my energy levels throughout the week and during a days fishing. That doesn’t mean I always get it right and on a recent fishing trip to Llyn Manod got things wrong and had to have a sleep for a few hours in a sunny spot on a large rock.
It all started with more than a week of fever and in retrospect I should probably have gone to the emergency room but am a typical man that doesn’t go to the doctor unless something has really broken. Tests conducted later confirmed leptospirosis, a bacterial infection spread in the urine of infected animals like rats, mice, cows, pigs and dogs. You catch it by coming into contact with soil or freshwater (such as from a river, canal or lake) containing the infected urine through a cut, your eyes or mouth, usually during activities like kayaking, outdoor swimming or fishing.
Every other fisherman I have told about this to spread the word of caution is of the opinion that you can only get it from not washing your hands. This is not the case. I am a hand washing obsessive not quite as bad but not far off that of Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory. When I fish I use anti-bacterial gel to clean my hands every time I handle my water bottle or food. I don’t generally eat foods that I have to handle preferring snacker or protein bars in wrappers that I don’t touch the food, even with anti-bac’d hands.
At the time I was fishing a lot and belonged to a fishing club that had some local waters just up the road at a turkey farm. The stocked lake was always productive but I was never happy to take a fish from the lake as it seemed heavily impacted with nutrient runoff from the turkey sheds which bordered the northern side of the lake. I am fairly certain that this is where I contracted the bacterial infection through a cut on my hand. Had it been treated promptly with antibiotics at the time I might have avoided losing years of my life, time I will never get back to spend fishing, cycling and hiking with my family. The problem is that doctors will not routinely test for it and I had to ask for the test to be conducted after the fact. Ironically, I recently came across a card the fly dressers guild sent me when I joined making members aware of this very issue. If only I had paid attention. So if you have what seems like a bad dose of flu with the following symptoms:
- a very high temperature, or feel hot and shivery
- a headache
- feeling and being sick
- aching muscles and joints
- red eyes
- loss of appetite
If you do go to the emergency room or doctor then be sure to tell them that you fish and to test for leptospirosis as it is treatable and could save you and your family a lot of hardship.
Take Care and Tight Lines
Greg