Wingnut 13 Posted March 15, 2019 Hey everyone. About a week ago my father and I travelled to Naples, FL to work on a friends RV. We ripped up the entire floor and rear of the RV. Inside, there were LOTS of rat/mouse droppings and the barn we were working in smelled of rat and had droppings everywhere.... Yesterday my father's blood pressure has spiked to 140/100 and has not been able to come back down. I may take him to the hospital today if it doesnt lower. Also, I woke up with a severe headache and what feels to be a couple swollen lymph nodes near my spine in my neck, and in my left armpit. I know ive posted on here about "Hantavirus" and how uncommon it is...but something just does not seem right and im reaalllyyyy starting to panic. D': Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jonathan123 2368 Posted March 15, 2019 Hi. Wingnut. 140 is not very high. If you dad is middle aged it will be higher than a younger person obviously. 100 is a bit high but it's the top figure they go by more than the lower. I should certainly suggest you go to the doctors if only to ease your mind. Blood pressure can be a tricky thing to diagnose because it depends on so many factors. Gender, height, weight, smoking, drinking lifestyle worry etc. Rat droppings should not cause a problem if you wash your hands after handling that sort of stuff. Please go and have a check-up. You will feel better when you are told it's all OK. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kj103 22 Posted March 15, 2019 Thee is nothing wrong with a visit to your regular doctor or a call into the nurse, and tell them of your exposure to the rodents and your concerns about it. I don’t believe this is an ER case. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bobnnat 496 Posted March 15, 2019 Hi Wing, In North America, the only strain that causes disease is the pulmonary kind, and that is carried by deer ticks. Also, 97% of all cases in the US are in states west of the Mississippi. You're in the clear. Bob Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wingnut 13 Posted March 15, 2019 I am literally panicking now. I took my blood pressure with my dads cuff and it read 175 over 96. Im only 24 years old...i am overweight and pretty out of shape but those are horrific numbers!!! Also today I cant even keep my eyes open, I feel exhausted. Not to mention im forgetting things and just braindead. I dont know whats going on with me but something is very wrong. D': Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Iugrad91 501 Posted March 15, 2019 Always take your bp three times and take the average. Usually your bp will go down over several readings especially if you are anxious about taking it. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NervUs 140 Posted March 15, 2019 Wingnut.....Breathe. High blood pressure is not a sign on hantavirus. I have been this one more than once. I am not going to lie and say you face no risk. You were exposed to droppings, and there is a slim risk. The only thing you can do about it, though, is mention that you were exposed to a lot of droppings if you are sick enough to go to the ER and demand that they do the test for that particular virus. The symptoms start out as a bad flu and BODYACHES are a universal symptom. Now, I know you are going to start feeling bodyaches now, but try to really discern if they are true pains or imagination. One time, I was like 8 days into having been exposed to mousepoop, and I woke up with INTENSE body aches. I was like holy crap, this is hantavirus, this is really it---- until I remembered I had raked leaves the day before and I am realllllly out of shape, apparently. I did not go to the ER. Anxiety is going to cause a lot of symptoms in you that you are going to want to interpret as hantavirus, and that is the shitty hand of hypochondria. Remember, there is nothing a hospital can do for you right now. They can't prevent it, or tell if you will develop it until the virus has replicated enough. That is true of any virus and might not even happen until the middle of disease course. The only thing they can do is test you and test you if you are in bad enough shape to be admitted. I know how terrible this is, but you need to maintain your wits about you and stop LOOKING for signs.Quit it with the blood pressure checks. Live normally until the moment you feel so sick you can't stand up (that's what happens with the flu). At that point, since you might have been exposed, go in. But, honestly, the most likely reality is that you will NOT get sick like that and you will never have to go in and you will be fine. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
