# Tick bites and Lyme disease



## Applesister

Thought I'd share this with the community.





The only downside to the mild temps. I feel these things biting and this was on back of my shoulder. I couldnt see it no matter what I did in mirror so I tried the phone.
Up close this thing is buried. The bites take a really long time to recover from.
I had a hard time convincing a doctor to do a Lyme test for me once. He argued that my exposure was minimum to the possibility of getting Lyme disease. I said, just do it.


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## TheAardvark

I hate ticks with a passion. In my area it is my opinion they are the most dangerous creature in the woods. Lyme disease has become a major issue for people that love the outdoors.  Black bears, copperheads and coyotes don't scare me. Ticks freak me out.


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## velvetfoot

I like this: 
http://www.otom.com/how-to-remove-a-tick


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## DougA

Lyme disease tests should be repeated to be certain, especially if you have any symptoms at all.


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## LocustPocust

I didn't find any ticks on me all summer. Then the woods were infested once the deer started moving in September. They go dormant below 40 degrees so it's been boom times for them lately.

Lyme is epidemic here, but there's also been a spike in cases of Anaplasmosis recently in Rensselaer County, NY according to the Department of Health.

I know many (myself included) who have contracted Lyme, and a few are suffering permanent health effects because of it. It's absolutely ridiculous. I never even knew what a tick looked like until I found one on me for the first time in 2001. Now I'm regularly checking myself for ticks while I'm in the woods and I've literally picked dozens off my clothes after being in the woods for only a few hours. 

Spraying bug spray on my winter hat and jacket is still a very strange thing for me..


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## firefighterjake

Odd year up this way . . . last year there were plenty of ticks . . . this year I didn't find any on me and only a few on my pets . . . seemed like there wasn't as many ticks this past summer.


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## Riff

firefighterjake said:


> Odd year up this way . . . last year there were plenty of ticks . . . this year I didn't find any on me and only a few on my pets . . . seemed like there wasn't as many ticks this past summer.



Just the opposite down here. Spring wasn't too bad but early summer we had plenty of ticks all around. Seemed like we were constantly pulling them off of pets and livestock.


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## MJSully

Woods by my new house loaded with ticks.  One of my dogs was covered after one brief walk.  She also just tested positive for Lyme.  every little tickle I feel on my body throughout the day freaks me out and makes me pull down my pants and check!


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## DougA

MJSully said:


> freaks me out and makes me pull down my pants and check!


TMI


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## Applesister

Just pulled 2 more off.



It is way too much information...
But its a reality, what surprises me is the doctors horrified reaction to the possibility of a tick bite.


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## Applesister

Supposedly theres a lab testing facility on an island off the coast of Lyme CT where the first cases of childhood arthritis was diagnosed. In 1972. And it is inaccessable and also supposedly owned by a German company. Where they lab test animals. It has been speculated to the possibility of some kind of containment breach. I read this in a magazine years ago. 
Just saying...lol.


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## Seanm

Applesister said:


> But its a reality, what surprises me is the doctors horrified reaction to the possibility of a tick bite.


Wow. Be safe Applesister! Will you get tested after this find? How did you remove the little buggers? Ive never had to remove one although they are in the Rockies as well and see them around. Tundra (avatar) gets treated every year so she doesnt get sick. Each treatment lasts about a month.


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## Applesister

The 2 little green crowbars, OTOM, a patented name for the little things. Purchased from my cat/dog vet. It works like a prybar only you twist them in your fingers and the tick lets go.


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## Applesister

Seanm said:


> Wow. Be safe Applesister! Will you get tested after this find? How did you remove the little buggers? Ive never had to remove one although they are in the Rockies as well and see them around. Tundra (avatar) gets treated every year so she doesnt get sick. Each treatment lasts about a month.


I love your pics by the way, the ones you took at the lake. The dog is perfect. Has Lyme disease reached your area?
For quite some time it was contained to CT.


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## Seanm

Applesister said:


> The 2 little green crowbars, OTOM, a patented name for the little things. Purchased from my cat/dog vet. It works like a prybar only you twist them in your fingers and the tick lets go.


Interesting. I thought they were there to show the scale. I may have to look into one of those!


Applesister said:


> I love your pics by the way, the ones you took at the lake. The dog is perfect. Has Lyme disease reached your area?


Yes it has unfortunately. I had a real nice guy who used to rent one of my condos. He ended up getting sick, losing his job and moving on. I didn't hear about him for a few years and then saw a local article about him. As is often the case people get misdiagnosed and live with it until the damage is done. Lyme has changed this young mans life. I seem to recall hes doing better now but suffers from long term affects. We have lots of ticks here but fortunately most of them dont carry the disease. I often find them squished in the vertical cracks that form in standing dead trees. We split along these cracks and check them out while were processing. Thanks for your comment about the lakes and my dog. We were told by the vet that if we find any ticks to bring it in and they will send it off to be inspected for Lyme. We had Tundra in for a routine check up a few years back and was told that the vet found a very full tick buried in her fur underneath her collar. We use the drops on her during tick season.


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## Longstreet

Very interesting subject.  To be honest, when I first read this thread, I thought you all were crazy to even think about seeing a doctor for a tick bite.  I mean seriously, treatment for a tick bite removed before it's full of blood and without any symptoms!!    What a bunch of pansies!

Well, jokes on me.  Looks like NE is an entirely different world when it comes to risk.  Just one more sign that God loves the South.

For the record, when we were building our family's lob cabin, I had dozens of ticks removed from me over the years.  No one even thought about having a Lyme test done if they got removed within a day or two and you had no symptoms.  My parents knew somebody that knew somebody who had a friend who lived next to a man that had Lyme disease once.  That was the extent of our experience with the subject.


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## MJSully

Rule of thumb is usually has to be feeding for 24 hours, sometimes, but not always, it will leave a red "Halo" around the bite area.  Also only carried by a 1 or two tick species.


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## saskwoodburner

I would advise anyone with concerns over ticks, to read up on permethrin, then get some, and treat clothing etc


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## Oldman47

I remove at least a half dozen ticks from myself every year. Lyme is not common here only because deer ticks are not common here. We only seem to get the bigger ticks and I am not aware of them carrying anything I need to worry about.


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## sportbikerider78

I lived in the woods as a kid in upstate NY.  NEVER once go a tick bite.  I didn't even know what they looked like..and I'm only 37. 

I got my first bite in SC, riding my motorcycle of all things.  Then when I moved to CT years later, I was absolutely amazed at the infestation of ticks.  I rememeber walking my dog and standing on a big rock, not paying attention.  And like something out of a movie, I looked down and there were 10 or so ticks crawling up the rock to get to me.  I knew then that I would end up moving.

I rarely see them on my property and I do everything I can to kill the mice that spread them.


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## warbonnet

Go to wally world and buy some " sawyers" treat a set of clothes you plan to wear when out in the woods. The stuff flat out works.


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## 2broke2ride

I have accepted it as just being part of the outdoors around here, I lost count at twelve bites this year, I have had as many as 60 ticks on me at a time during hunting season some years. I have also been treated for lyme twice. I take every precaution there is but I love the woods to much to let them spoil it for me.


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## English BoB

Applesister said:


> Just pulled 2 more off.
> View attachment 169477
> 
> View attachment 169479
> 
> It is way too much information...
> But its a reality, what surprises me is the doctors horrified reaction to the possibility of a tick bite.



I hope everything turns out well sister.

bob


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## bags

Yikes! Nasty little bite. Thanks for the reminder. I was once bitten by a Brown Recluse spider and that was no joy ride so keep all of the enemies at bay. Seeing your pics just gave me an unfriendly flash back reminder of that fun time.


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## Pennsyltucky Chris

I have Lyme's. If you contracted it it, within a few days you will notice a red and purple "target" around the bite and you will develop flu-like symptoms. If that happens, get to a Doc's ASAP. They can stop most of the symptoms from being a lifelong issue, but I still have a burning nerve pain where I was bit. It's like someone stabbed me with a fork and twisted it.


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## LocustPocust

MJSully said:


> every little tickle I feel on my body throughout the day freaks me out



That's me tonight.


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## Soundchasm

Keep an eye on things for sure.  I've only ever had one deer tick.  It was on my shin, but I didn't find it for a few days because I had banged my shin a few days before that and, so help me God, I thought it was part of the scab.  What a bizarre coincidence.

That was when I found out that deer ticks were about the size of sesame seeds.  I can't quite make out the scale but your ticks seem pretty small.  Better safe than sorry.


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## D8Chumley

Longstreet said:


> View attachment 169489
> 
> 
> Very interesting subject.  To be honest, when I first read this thread, I thought you all were crazy to even think about seeing a doctor for a tick bite.  I mean seriously, treatment for a tick bite removed before it's full of blood and without any symptoms!!    What a bunch of pansies!
> 
> Well, jokes on me.  Looks like NE is an entirely different world when it comes to risk.  Just one more sign that God loves the South.
> 
> For the record, when we were building our family's lob cabin, I had dozens of ticks removed from me over the years.  No one even thought about having a Lyme test done if they got removed within a day or two and you had no symptoms.  My parents knew somebody that knew somebody who had a friend who lived next to a man that had Lyme disease once.  That was the extent of our experience with the subject.


Looks like I'm in the HOT zone


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## D8Chumley

Longstreet said:


> View attachment 169489
> 
> 
> Very interesting subject.  To be honest, when I first read this thread, I thought you all were crazy to even think about seeing a doctor for a tick bite.  I mean seriously, treatment for a tick bite removed before it's full of blood and without any symptoms!!    What a bunch of pansies!
> 
> Well, jokes on me.  Looks like NE is an entirely different world when it comes to risk.  Just one more sign that God loves the South.
> 
> For the record, when we were building our family's lob cabin, I had dozens of ticks removed from me over the years.  No one even thought about having a Lyme test done if they got removed within a day or two and you had no symptoms.  My parents knew somebody that knew somebody who had a friend who lived next to a man that had Lyme disease once.  That was the extent of our experience with the subject.


Looks like I'm in the HOT zone


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## ctswf

I have had it a few times. it can cause flu like symptoms, or not. at all, it can cause the bullseye rash at the bite or somehwere else, or not at all. it can showup false negative on tests. most doctors mistreat it and have totally false information about it. 

I personally can confirm it does not take a full 24 hours to get it. if the ticks in there you are at risk. Also dont let them test you immediately after the bite it will show up false anyway

im in CT though so as others have said its big around here


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## Andy S.

Wow... this thread brought back some memories. My 10 year-old son was stricken with Lyme several years ago. I won't use (hopefully) too much bandwidth but the story has been helpful to people in the past so I'll tell it here in case it is useful to others. He presented with what was originally diagnosed as a stomach virus. It kept getting worse - a process made gradual by the various medicines he was prescribed to treat his symptoms but worse all the same. He was tested for Lyme and the test was negative. Over a two-year period he had two colonoscopies, two endocscopies, was to GI specialists at CHOP and St Christophers, was referred to an infectious disease team (think "House") and just kept getting worse with no diagnosis but with docs starting to throw out "irritable bowel syndrome" which is often times a catch-all when no other diagnosis is available.

Due to extended family history (my Aunt) with Lyme, we kept on bringing it up during the process. The docs would throw in the test (Western Blot) with the other blood work orders to shut us up and it kept on coming back negative. After missing most of two years of school in favor of tutors to keep him with his grade and all activities, my aunt faxed me an article written by a "Lyme literate" doc (LLMD) on the subject of gastro-intestinal Lyme. It was like reading a story about our son.

My wife took it to his doc and the doc said that Lyme has been ruled out. On a whim, my wife called the LLMD and left a message on his VM. His practice was closed for Passover but she got a return call within an hour. After listening to the history, probing for detail and listening intently, the doc said he would open his office and urged her to bring him in right away. She put him in the car and drove the three hours to see him. 

They spent two hours together and my wife left with a prescription for Doxycycline and some specific blood tests (after a tearful hug much the one from the movie "As Good as it Gets" when that doc promised the mom her son would get better). The instructions were to start the Doxy right away, wait 10 days and then get the blood work done. We did as instructed. The blood tests showed Lyme and various co-infections. As it happens Lyme spirochetes "hide." The course of Doxy started attacking them and they jumped off the page when the bloodwork was done.

This doc then put our son on a specific course of several antibiotics that repeated over time. He is now Lyme-free, symptom free and trying to catch-up on the social aspects of missing two years of life.

The moral of the story? Lyme is often scorned by the mainstream medical community and certainly given short shrift by the CDC (an organization for which I have complete and utter contempt). It has given rise to the LLMD community and the internet is chock full of stories like the one I've told here. It can attack any part of your body, and present as anything from psychosis to MS to sore feet and it "hides." If you or a loved-one have ***ANY*** inexplicable symptoms for which you've been to a doc and cannot get relief or a diagnosis, do yourself a favor and do research on "Lyme literate" along with the unexplained symptoms and then get yourself to the closest LLMD you can find. Sorry to run on but this story has been helpful in the past and I share it in hopes it may help someone now.


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## Fred Wright

Deer ticks are bad in Delaware and Lime diagnoses are common in pets and people. We're in the high risk zone. I've gotten a few attached to me over the years while cutting trees but they get pulled with the device Applesister mentions. We got it for the dogs but it works well for people, too.

I won't even walk in the woods during seasons when ticks are active. Spread flea and tick treatment around the doggie run perimeter every year, haven't seen a tick on the pudder dogs in a long time. I used to kill snakes 'til I read that snakes keep the field mouse population under control. Having some barn cats around helps.


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## Applesister

warbonnet said:


> Go to wally world and buy some " sawyers" treat a set of clothes you plan to wear when out in the woods. The stuff flat out works.


Can you explain a little more? Im not up on this one?
Sawyers?
I guess Im gonna have to go with sprays for a while here, I have alot of outside work to do yet.
Threw all my outdoor clothing in hot wash. Im wigged.
Wished they had Advantix for people.


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## MJSully

Sawyer's is Permethrin.  Synthetic chemical for control of ticks and other insects.  You can treat your clothing and supposed to last through several washing.  Good idea to treat boots as well.


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## DougA

Andy S. said:


> Wow... this thread brought back some memories.


That is an amazing story Andy and I thank you for taking the time to post it here. I hope others will read it and perhaps it should be copied to a 'sticky' where others can find it easily.  I agree completely that DRs miss so many things and people spend years suffering because of it.
That's why I posted earlier to make sure you have multiple Lyme tests done if the first comes back negative.


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## saskwoodburner

Applesister said:


> Can you explain a little more? Im not up on this one?
> Sawyers?
> I guess Im gonna have to go with sprays for a while here, I have alot of outside work to do yet.
> Threw all my outdoor clothing in hot wash. Im wigged.
> Wished they had Advantix for people.



Another option for permethrin is to find a bulk jug of concentrate, and dilute it yourself. the stuff I bought a few years back ended up being about $25/liter for 33? or 38 % strength. I need to mix water at a 65 to 1 ratio! I've no doubt praised permethrin in other threads, but this stuff is magic. I treat carpet sparingly, dog beds, my clothing, my bedding (sparingly), and even the hallway carpet runners. I even spray it in the yard.

We never had ticks at all, and suddenly they showed up 5-6 years ago. Needless to say, we don't worry about ticks much now. Even with advantix, ticks will still hitch a ride inside on dogs, that was our biggest transmission. Now they come in on the dogs, jump off onto the floor, and die. That's all you find....dead or dying ticks.

My outdoor clothing is usually sprayed a bit heavier with the stuff at the .5% ratio, and if you keep a tick on these clothes, it will be dead to the world in about 10 minutes. I mean, it will be alive, but trying to do handstands and going in circles, and then onto its back.

Look into it, and take the war to those lil buggers.


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## peakbagger

One major caveat with permethrin,  its toxic to cats http://www.vetprof.com/clientinfo/permethrincats.html


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## Andy S.

DougA said:


> That is an amazing story Andy and I thank you for taking the time to post it here.


You're welcome and thanks for the kind words. Everybody has their "stuff." I'm convinced that trying to help prevent it from becoming someone else's "stuff" is a sign it hasn't gotten the best of you.


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## ctswf

Andy S, thanks for sharing your story, unfortunately there are so many people with similar storys. I was misdiagnosed, then under medicated, then finally medicated correctly. got it again the next year... this time bit next to my balls by the way!( if anyone isnt scared enough yet). that was a few years ago.

got bit again this spring, fully embedded tick, bad rash rash. I demanded the doxi, 3 weeks no ifs and or buts, no tests. im not getting sick again... im fine now


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## hamslam42

For all you out there using those tick twister devices, will those work on the small deer ticks that are about the size of a sesame seed? I had one this past summer on my shoulder that I pulled off w/ tweezers, that was before I knew it was a tick. I thought it was a small piece of metal shrapnel that got lodged in there from some other work I had been doing. I had no idea the deer ticks were so small...and I'm wondering if those devices will actually work with the small ticks.


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## DougA

hamslam42 said:


> I'm wondering if those devices will actually work with the small ticks


I've seen different sized ones. The ones we got from the vet were quite small.
I pulled a tick off the dog this morning. We normally stop applying Advantix in Nov. but she got another dose this morning after I found the tick.


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## mwhitnee

The classic bulls eye rash happens to only about 10% of people who have been infected.

I was bitten by a tick for the 1st time around 2 1/2-3 months ago after 30 +years of not having one.  I think I probably had it on me for about 5 days.  How do I know? Because I was scratching my head and arms off. It was so bad it was waking me up at night.

Then I found it on a Sunday on my stomach and shortly after the symptoms started fading. But they lingered.  I had hives- horrendous itching on my wrists and hands for about a month which slowly faded to nothing. Cortisone hardly touched it but Prednisone helped.

I was tested immediately and about 6 weeks later with negative results.


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## ctswf

mwhitnee said:


> The classic bulls eye rash happens to only about 10% of people who have been infected.
> 
> I was bitten by a tick for the 1st time around 2 1/2-3 months ago after 30 +years of not having one.  I think I probably had it on me for about 5 days.  How do I know? Because I was scratching my head and arms off. It was so bad it was waking me up at night.
> 
> Then I found it on a Sunday on my stomach and shortly after the symptoms started fading. But they lingered.  I had hives- horrendous itching on my wrists and hands for about a month which slowly faded to nothing. Cortisone hardly touched it but Prednisone helped.
> 
> I was tested immediately and about 6 weeks later with negative results.



never forget this happened to you, you may develop symptoms in the future, joint pain/weakness and other weird stuff, the tests are often incorrect.


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## mwhitnee

Yes its important to remember, false positives and false negatives are common. Good thing is I know they were hives, like an allergic reaction to a bug bite. The hives moved around my hands and wrists. 
	

		
			
		

		
	

View attachment 169653
View attachment 169653





ctswf said:


> never forget this happened to you, you may develop symptoms in the future, joint pain/weakness and other weird stuff, the tests are often incorrect.


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## gerry100

LocustPocust said:


> I didn't find any ticks on me all summer. Then the woods were infested once the deer started moving in September. They go dormant below 40 degrees so it's been boom times for them lately.
> 
> Lyme is epidemic here, but there's also been a spike in cases of Anaplasmosis recently in Rensselaer County, NY according to the Department of Health.
> 
> I know many (myself included) who have contracted Lyme, and a few are suffering permanent health effects because of it. It's absolutely ridiculous. I never even knew what a tick looked like until I found one on me for the first time in 2001. Now I'm regularly checking myself for ticks while I'm in the woods and I've literally picked dozens off my clothes after being in the woods for only a few hours.
> 
> Spraying bug spray on my winter hat and jacket is still a very strange thing for me..



Had one of the earliest cases in Rennsselaer county in 1990, luckily the Doc I went to picked it up and got me on the antibiotics ( in those days it  was often missed)

Again in  2012, no bullseye rash this time either, But my current Doc tested and got right on it. 3 weeks of antibiotics took care of it.

Docs are aware these days and getting the antibiotics early works. ( BTW - x Gov Pataki had it 4 times and he looked pretty good on the debate stage)

First time felt like a sudden severe flu, but different somehow. After a week of dragging myself around on a business trip, I developed a red "T shirt rash" that sent me to the Doc.

Second time, I got shoulder aches/pains and fatigue that again felt somewhat different than the usual 62 y.o. wood choppin' fool soreness.

Never saw a tick either time.

Be sensitive to how your body feels and act on it.


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## Andy S.

mwhitnee said:


> Yes its important to remember, false positives and false negatives are common. Good thing is I know they were hives, like an allergic reaction to a bug bite. The hives moved around my hands and wrists.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 169653
> View attachment 169653


Please Google 'Lyme rash" images and compare your photo to some of the examples you see. Based on your story and that picture I would bet a cord of seasoned Oak against a bundle of sopping wet grocery store wood the you have Lyme or one of the many co-infections. LLMD - as soon as possible.


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## Phoenix Hatchling

Pennsyltucky Chris said:


> I have Lyme's. If you contracted it it, within a few days you will notice a red and purple "target" around the bite and you will develop flu-like symptoms. If that happens, get to a Doc's ASAP. They can stop most of the symptoms from being a lifelong issue, but I still have a burning nerve pain where I was bit. It's like someone stabbed me with a fork and twisted it.



Actually, only one in ten get the bulls eye. I got lucky...


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## mwhitnee

Andy S. said:


> Please Google 'Lyme rash" images and compare your photo to some of the examples you see. Based on your story and that picture I would bet a cord of seasoned Oak against a bundle of sopping wet grocery store wood the you have Lyme or one of the many co-infections. LLMD - as soon as possible.



I know all about them. Rashes don't randomly move.


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## LocustPocust

gerry100 said:


> Gov Pataki had it 4 times and he looked pretty good on the debate stage)



Funny you say that.. I commented to my father during the debate on how good George looked.


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## LocustPocust

It kind of frustrates me that Lyme is considered a "trendy disease", dismissed as paranoia. I read an article declaring Lyme and some other diseases "Fake", and accusing people of not wanting to be "healthy or normal". 

My particular case of Lyme was mild, but I know a man who's "Fake" disease turned into Bell's Palsy which lingered on and off for years. I also know a man who suffered permanent tissue damage and now is in a wheelchair. 

Major complications are rare, almost always from someone not getting treatment early. Doxycycline is a great medication.


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## gerry100

LocustPocust said:


> Funny you say that.. I commented to my father during the debate on how good George looked.



My understanding is that he's a hobby farmer up here somewhere


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## Phoenix Hatchling

LocustPocust said:


> It kind of frustrates me that Lyme is considered a "trendy disease", dismissed as paranoia. I read an article declaring Lyme and some other diseases "Fake", and accusing people of not wanting to be "healthy or normal".
> 
> My particular case of Lyme was mild, but I know a man who's "Fake" disease turned into Bell's Palsy which lingered on and off for years. I also know a man who suffered permanent tissue damage and now is in a wheelchair.
> 
> Major complications are rare, almost always from someone not getting treatment early. Doxycycline is a great medication.



Yeah fake.  I'm 49 and my fake bout with it had me hobbling like a 90 y.o. man. Would walk a hundred yards and be ready for a nap. Can't stand the beasties and the new tick borne illness originated ten miles from where I am located in CT.


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## mwhitnee

Phoenix Hatchling said:


> Actually, only one in ten get the bulls eye. I got lucky...
> View attachment 169668



My bite location was fine (unlike yours), just the tiniest red dot that went away.


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## Andy S.

mwhitnee said:


> I know all about them. Rashes don't randomly move.


Glad to see you're on top of it. Sorry for the unsolicited advice, I should have known better...


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## mwhitnee

Phoenix Hatchling said:


> Actually, only one in ten get the bulls eye. I got lucky...
> View attachment 169668



My bite location was fine (unlike yours), just the tiniest red dot that went away.


Andy S. said:


> Glad to see you're on top of it. Sorry for the unsolicited advice, I should have known better...



Lol that's hilarious!!  I appreciate your concern, and thank you for the advice.


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## warbonnet

Applesister said:


> Can you explain a little more? Im not up on this one?
> Sawyers?
> I guess Im gonna have to go with sprays for a while here, I have alot of outside work to do yet.
> Threw all my outdoor clothing in hot wash. Im wigged.
> Wished they had Advantix for people.



I chase mature whitetail bucks with archery equipment. It involves an incredible amount of time in the woods 12 months a year. Running cams, scouting , blah, blah, blah. I  have been infected twice, no picnic. I started with sawyers a few years ago and ticks on me have become nonexistent. I've watched ticks crawl up my pants leg and just drop off. That said it is a chemical and I wear the clothes as short a time as possible. On right before i go in the woods and off immediately after. Like anything else do your homework before using the stuff. Not good for cats or fish.


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## Phoenix Hatchling

warbonnet said:


> I chase mature whitetail bucks with archery equipment. It involves an incredible amount of time in the woods 12 months a year. Running cams, scouting , blah, blah, blah. I  have been infected twice, no picnic. I started with sawyers a few years ago and ticks on me have become nonexistent. I've watched ticks crawl up my pants leg and just drop off. That said it is a chemical and I wear the clothes as short a time as possible. On right before i go in the woods and off immediately after. Like anything else do your homework before using the stuff. Not good for cats or fish.



I have started using clothing from Insectshield™ which has the permethrin in the actual material. It's effective for something like 70 washes, and has the same effect as you are speaking of, but without the hassle of spraying your clothing outdoors and trying to avoid it blowing back on you!


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## Dobish

I got Lyme in 2003, and it sucks. I was living in Lyme CT at the time, and pulled a tick off of myself, but never got the classic bulls eye. Definitely get multiple tests, as false positives are a very common occurrence. I also lost a dog to Lyme, not realizing he had picked it up when we traveled back to visit the family one summer. Lots of deet is the answer.... just not on synthetic materials, it will eat through it!

Check check check!


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## Lee Fontaine

The University of Rhode Island Tick Encounter Resource Center has a wealth of information about ticks. http://www.tickencounter.org
My back yard is a wooded half acre surrounded by a stone wall.  There are lots of tick carrying critters parading through it including deer and mice.  I followed the Tick Encounter Resource Center's advice about controlling ticks using a perimeter spray and tick tubes. It works.  I haven't seen any ticks on my dog since I started spraying.


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## gerry100

Had lyme twice contracted in my back woodlot.

Luckily there's 100s of wooded acres adjacent which means there's plenty of room for me and the wildlife to avoid each other.

My loudmouth dog harasses any deer that get on the lot and I relieve myself out there.

Stats show the if the deer density gets low enough it breaks the repro cycle.

I think I'm good w/o/any chemicals


----------



## Lee Fontaine

Yeah, I hear ya regarding the chemicals.  The stuff that URI recommends is a chrysanthemum extract called permethrin.  It's the same stuff with which tick repellent clothing is treated.  I use is sparingly and in very low concentration.  The tick tubes, are made with cotton balls treated with permethrin that the mice take to line their nests.  It's supposed to kill the ticks but not the mice.  They seem to work.  Most of the cotton balls disappeared along with the ticks.


----------



## VAfarmer38

I was diagnosed with Lyme disease when I was 15 years old. Had the signature mark on my Achilles and went to get checked. About three years ago I started having some health issues that I couldn't explain. Went to different DRs and finally ended up with a Lyme specialist in Lexington VA. She basically said there are co-infections that can accompany Lyme disease that ticks in different areas carry. She put me on a long regimes of abx and some other meds and advised me to watch my diet, especially my sugar intake. I have some symptoms that Coke and go every few months but all is good for the most part. There's no real sure fire way to steer clear of these things when you're in the woods a lot.


----------



## neverbilly

saskwoodburner said:


> Another option for permethrin is to find a bulk jug of concentrate, and dilute it yourself. the stuff I bought a few years back ended up being about $25/liter for 33? or 38 % strength. I need to mix water at a 65 to 1 ratio! I've no doubt praised permethrin in other threads, but this stuff is magic. I treat carpet sparingly, dog beds, my clothing, my bedding (sparingly), and even the hallway carpet runners. I even spray it in the yard....



Do you have any idea if one can spray in the yard and having free range laying hens? We let the chickens out each day for an hour to roam around and scratch for bugs. Then again, maybe just having the chickens is enough! We have ten and soon, five more.


----------



## saskwoodburner

neverbilly said:


> Do you have any idea if one can spray in the yard and having free range laying hens? We let the chickens out each day for an hour to roam around and scratch for bugs. Then again, maybe just having the chickens is enough! We have ten and soon, five more.



I really have no idea on safety when it comes to chickens. I've talked to others on different forums, and they  said chickens eat ticks, and something called guinea fowl (whatever that is) will take care of ticks really well in an area.

 Best bet is to ask at your local farm supply store as to the safety for this product. I think they use it in chicken lice spray, but that's for wipe on use, not on a food source.


----------



## Ashful

Is Lyme disease often carried by regular ticks?  Around here, it seems only the itty bitty deer ticks are of major concern.


----------



## neverbilly

Ashful said:


> Is Lyme disease often carried by regular ticks?  Around here, it seems only the itty bitty deer ticks are of major concern.
> 
> View attachment 173111



That is a good photo.

I think I have read that the deer tick is the one carrying Lyme disease. Around here, I don't even know if we have them but I will have to find out. The ticks I see, and I have seen and pulled off a thousand of them in my life, are the ones with a white dot on their back.


----------



## Oldman47

neverbilly said:


> Do you have any idea if one can spray in the yard and having free range laying hens? We let the chickens out each day for an hour to roam around and scratch for bugs. Then again, maybe just having the chickens is enough! We have ten and soon, five more.


Check the label cautions on that chemical. As far as permethrin, I thought it was only useful as a repellent, not to actually kill the ticks. Lyme is spread by deer ticks, the little ones.


----------



## saskwoodburner

Oldman47 said:


> Check the label cautions on that chemical. As far as permethrin, I thought it was only useful as a repellent, not to actually kill the ticks. Lyme is spread by deer ticks, the little ones.



As a clothing treatment, they don't usually stick around long enough and just drop off. If they're trapped inside your shirt or whatever, it kills them. As an area treatment, it eventually kills them as well. If they crawl on treated carpet for 10-20 minutes, and you remove the tick, it may not be physically dead, but it's dead to the world. They start getting agitated or excited, walking in circles, and trying to stand on their head or get on their back and die eventually.


----------



## fran35

They are terrible here. When I first moved here, I wasnt aware of the epidemic. Our lot had woods and about an acre of wild raspberry bushes. It was great to have the raspberry, then my wife got lyme and ended up in the hospital for 2 weeks. They misdiagnosed her twice and she used 4 antibiotics in a month's time frame. She then ended up with C Diff, which was amazing. It was terrible. Then I got bit and had the red ring. I went to my doctor and insisted they give me the 2 week course of Doxcycline. The tests for Lyme are very unreliable until the disease has been present for about 4 weeks. By that time, you are really sick. I read enough about the disease to know that taking a 2 week cycle of the Doxy early will knock out Lyme if it is present. I then proceeded to apply Agent Orange to all of the underbrush. The trees all stayed, but the underbrush is where they hang out. I have alot of deer, but I found out that mice are a primary vector. I then waged Jihad on the mice, with the help of my cat whom I starved to motivate(joking of course).


----------



## Hasufel

fran35 said:


> I have alot of deer, but I found out that mice are a primary vector. I then waged Jihad on the mice, with the help of my cat whom I starved to motivate(joking of course).


It's no coincidence that cats were also good at keeping bubonic plague in check. That's why I keep a goodly supply of felines on hand! 

I just heard recently about a new form of Lyme disease that's found in Wisconsin and Minnesota...apparently this one doesn't come with the characteristic bullseye rash. Be careful out there!


----------



## LocustPocust

I'm hoping this crazy cold blast we just got over in the Northeast cut down further on the tick population. It didn't get about 5 around here for 2 days and it went down to -15 to -20 below zero two nights in a row. We didn't really have any snow on the ground to help insulate them either. 

This past summer was the first summer in a very long time that my area wasn't infested with ticks though I found more once the deer started moving in September. We had two very harsh winters in a row, 2013-2014-2015.


----------



## blades

Hasufel said:


> It's no coincidence that cats were also good at keeping bubonic plague in check. That's why I keep a goodly supply of felines on hand!
> 
> I just heard recently about a new form of Lyme disease that's found in Wisconsin and Minnesota...apparently this one doesn't come with the characteristic bullseye rash. Be careful out there!


Just read that article a couple weeks ago. It referenced Black Foot Deer Tick as primary carrier.


----------



## Hasufel

neverbilly said:


> That is a good photo.
> 
> I think I have read that the deer tick is the one carrying Lyme disease. Around here, I don't even know if we have them but I will have to find out. The ticks I see, and I have seen and pulled off a thousand of them in my life, are the ones with a white dot on their back.


You might be describing the Texas Lone Star tick. I don't think it spreads Lyme disease but its bite has been found to trigger an allergy to red meat.

You are correct, deer ticks are the ones linked to Lyme. I just picked one off myself today. Seems wrong--it's only February after all, and we were getting snow and ice just a week ago. I hope this doesn't mean it's going to be a bad year for them...


----------



## EPS

The county in nh in which we live has the highest incidences of tick bites and Lyme disease in the country. I have it on my mind each time I go outside, let alone in the woods.


----------



## MJSully

. Nice little tick bit in my back


----------



## saskwoodburner

LocustPocust said:


> I'm hoping this crazy cold blast we just got over in the Northeast cut down further on the tick population. It didn't get about 5 around here for 2 days and it went down to -15 to -20 below zero two nights in a row. We didn't really have any snow on the ground to help insulate them either.
> 
> This past summer was the first summer in a very long time that my area wasn't infested with ticks though I found more once the deer started moving in September. We had two very harsh winters in a row, 2013-2014-2015.



Not trying to be a gloomy Gus, but if cold weather kept them in check, I don't think they would be constantly expanding their territory around here.


----------



## BradleyW

We have 14 acres of overgrown pasture--it's a tick heaven. Get them all the time in May and June. I've read that the weather might have some effect on tick populations, but the effect has a one year delay. The reason is that the cold weather doesn't kill the ticks--it kills the mice. So after it's cold, the ticks that overwinter are still there for the spring. However, they have fewer small rodents to live off of that year, so their population for the following spring is reduced.


----------



## saskwoodburner

BradleyW said:


> We have 14 acres of overgrown pasture--it's a tick heaven. Get them all the time in May and June. I've read that the weather might have some effect on tick populations, but the effect has a one year delay. The reason is that the cold weather doesn't kill the ticks--it kills the mice. So after it's cold, the ticks that overwinter are still there for the spring. However, they have fewer small rodents to live off of that year, so their population for the following spring is reduced.



In a general area, I would think that most critters (either mice or ticks) would be climatized for the weather. Obviously more things die in a harsh winter, but the only thing I noticed is the ticks come out later if the weather stays cold longer.


----------



## billb3

saskwoodburner said:


> Not trying to be a gloomy Gus, but if cold weather kept them in check, I don't think they would be constantly expanding their territory around here.



Their area expands because they use the foraging patterns of  animals ( like deer ! ) to hitch rides on. If deer territories weren't so large their expansion would be a lot smaller.
If deer populations weren't so large they would have much smaller foraging territories.
If everyone lived in the city instead of on acre lots in ticky tacky houses there would be a lot less contact.

... hoping some disease like avian flu strain doesn't break out that uses mosquitoes and wild turkeys  or domesticated canada geese that don't migrate.  Especially if the tree huggers decry combatting the over extended turkey and geese populations.


----------



## Lumber-Jack

Reading this thread reaffirms why I only like to cut firewood in the fall,,,,, NO TICKS!


----------



## sequoia

After looking at all these pictures I now ITCH ALL OVER!


----------



## saskwoodburner

sequoia said:


> After looking at all these pictures I now ITCH ALL OVER!



We're hearing reports locally of ticks, so now the heebie-jeebies begin. I have the spray, but it's still a bit cool to kick the cat out overnight, and the missus got a fish last week. Permethrin is supposed to be really bad for fish.


----------



## jaoneill

Nasty stuff, Lyme's is. It will mimic a dozen different diseases, symptoms can be all over the map. I got what appeared to be the flue in early November last year. Doctor tried every drug possible but I just kept getting sicker. Lost 25 pounds in five weeks and could barely get up and walk across the room. They were about to throw me in the hospital when the results of the Lyme's test (done at my insistence) came back; high positive. It took two 3 week courses of doxy (100 ml 2x a day) to knock it and a couple of months more to regain muscle strength, balance, etc.. I ended up losing almost 5 months and was unaware of ever having been bit. 

My doc keeps a bottle of Doxy in his office and now tells everyone "if you get a tick bite come in right away and we give you two pills that will prevent a Lyme's infection in 99% of cases".

I have a friend whose wife was being treated for MS, was hospitalized and was on death's doorstep before he insisted she be tested. She was positive and responded to treatment but will suffer the rest of her life from the damage that was done to her system.

Nasty stuff.......


----------



## DanburyTreeCT

Has anyone ever tried the spray?  It's supposed to wipe out ticks that fall from the trees in your backyard.


----------



## Ashful

Not sure about any above-mentioned spray, but I do hit my lawn each year with a pesticide, usually Allectus.  While all of my neighbors' households have been hit by lyme disease, we have not had any tics, and I spend far more time (possibly by 10x) outdoors than any of them.  Spray date is usually early- to mid-June, with the primary target pest being sod worm, but it will wipe out anything living on the lawn at that time.  There is always a chance of re-introduction of tics by animals, after the efficacy period, but I've not seen it here.

Most of these products are available in granular form, as well, for those who don't own sprayers.  Some will be quick to point out that these products can be damaging to bee populations, thru ground clover, but if you're taking proper care of your lawn you won't have any clover.


----------



## sportbikerider78

Have any of you guys with tick in your yards or around your country houses thought about having chickens?  My cousin has about 20.  They pick his lawn clean of all bugs and eat ticks.


----------



## Ashful

sportbikerider78 said:


> Have any of you guys with tick in your yards or around your country houses thought about having chickens?  My cousin has about 20.  They pick his lawn clean of all bugs and eat ticks.


How many chickens to keep 4 acres of lawn clean?  I probably can't eat that many eggs.


----------



## sportbikerider78

My cousin has about 20 acres and about 20 chickens.  Also has a small fluffy fu-fu dog they nicknamed "tick mop".  Dog has been clean ever since they got the chickens.  

I'm not sure what your concentrations of tick to acre are....nor his...but I'd give 5-6 a try and see what happens.  

Their wings aren't clipped and they really get around the property.  They are actually kinda cool and keep to themselves.


----------



## OldLumberKid

Seanm said:


> Wow. Be safe Applesister! Will you get tested after this find? How did you remove the little buggers? Ive never had to remove one although they are in the Rockies as well and see them around. Tundra (avatar) gets treated every year so she doesnt get sick. Each treatment lasts about a month.



Thanks ... I will definitely keep my dog's vaccination up to date on Lyme, too. Not to mention the treatment.

I saw more ticks than usual in spring/early summer down here on L.I.


----------



## CheapBassTurd

Our side lot/ woods is a three acre grow-over of past cow pasture.
High trees are at a minimum and the undergrowth was literally impassable.
It took two summers and one destroyed frankentractor but it worked.

We pulled more than a tick daily from our three dogs, and always had a few
in the house, and at least one freaking people out in the bedding.  They were
the big ones that got the size of an M&M in one day of attachment.

The forest floor is groomed, plenty of free wood, and literally no ticks last two years.
The exception being the one dog we let run loose.  She gets a hitchhiker from
time to time.  We've all gotten very good at tick removal without tools.  lol
(It's a twist/ gently wiggle thing.  They pop right out, head attached.)

CheapMarkWithBlueFont


----------



## Firewood Bandit

Longstreet said:


> View attachment 169489
> 
> 
> Very interesting subject.  To be honest, when I first read this thread, I thought you all were crazy to even think about seeing a doctor for a tick bite.  I mean seriously, treatment for a tick bite removed before it's full of blood and without any symptoms!!    What a bunch of pansies!
> 
> Well, jokes on me.  Looks like NE is an entirely different world when it comes to risk.  Just one more sign that God loves the South.
> 
> For the record, when we were building our family's lob cabin, I had dozens of ticks removed from me over the years.  No one even thought about having a Lyme test done if they got removed within a day or two and you had no symptoms.  My parents knew somebody that knew somebody who had a friend who lived next to a man that had Lyme disease once.  That was the extent of our experience with the subject.




Great map, FWIW I live in one of the high risk areas of Wisconsin.  I was treated for my 4th case of lyme 2 months ago.  Ticks are very bad here and just something you need to be aware of.


----------



## greebas

Andy S. said:


> Wow... this thread brought back some memories. My 10 year-old son was stricken with Lyme several years ago. I won't use (hopefully) too much bandwidth but the story has been helpful to people in the past so I'll tell it here in case it is useful to others. He presented with what was originally diagnosed as a stomach virus. It kept getting worse - a process made gradual by the various medicines he was prescribed to treat his symptoms but worse all the same. He was tested for Lyme and the test was negative. Over a two-year period he had two colonoscopies, two endocscopies, was to GI specialists at CHOP and St Christophers, was referred to an infectious disease team (think "House") and just kept getting worse with no diagnosis but with docs starting to throw out "irritable bowel syndrome" which is often times a catch-all when no other diagnosis is available.
> 
> Due to extended family history (my Aunt) with Lyme, we kept on bringing it up during the process. The docs would throw in the test (Western Blot) with the other blood work orders to shut us up and it kept on coming back negative. After missing most of two years of school in favor of tutors to keep him with his grade and all activities, my aunt faxed me an article written by a "Lyme literate" doc (LLMD) on the subject of gastro-intestinal Lyme. It was like reading a story about our son.
> 
> My wife took it to his doc and the doc said that Lyme has been ruled out. On a whim, my wife called the LLMD and left a message on his VM. His practice was closed for Passover but she got a return call within an hour. After listening to the history, probing for detail and listening intently, the doc said he would open his office and urged her to bring him in right away. She put him in the car and drove the three hours to see him.
> 
> They spent two hours together and my wife left with a prescription for Doxycycline and some specific blood tests (after a tearful hug much the one from the movie "As Good as it Gets" when that doc promised the mom her son would get better). The instructions were to start the Doxy right away, wait 10 days and then get the blood work done. We did as instructed. The blood tests showed Lyme and various co-infections. As it happens Lyme spirochetes "hide." The course of Doxy started attacking them and they jumped off the page when the bloodwork was done.
> 
> This doc then put our son on a specific course of several antibiotics that repeated over time. He is now Lyme-free, symptom free and trying to catch-up on the social aspects of missing two years of life.
> 
> The moral of the story? Lyme is often scorned by the mainstream medical community and certainly given short shrift by the CDC (an organization for which I have complete and utter contempt). It has given rise to the LLMD community and the internet is chock full of stories like the one I've told here. It can attack any part of your body, and present as anything from psychosis to MS to sore feet and it "hides." If you or a loved-one have ***ANY*** inexplicable symptoms for which you've been to a doc and cannot get relief or a diagnosis, do yourself a favor and do research on "Lyme literate" along with the unexplained symptoms and then get yourself to the closest LLMD you can find. Sorry to run on but this story has been helpful in the past and I share it in hopes it may help someone now.




Thought I was reading my own story. My son was 10 as well and we were living in Southern Pa when he got infected. He ended up having placement of a PIC line with 2 months of antibiotics. One of the many unfortunates issues with Lyme disease in the pediatric population is the unknown neurological ramifications. Although mild, my son to this day lives with some of those ramifications. Glad your son is doing well.


----------



## Dinnerbellmel

My 13 yo daughter caught Lyme's Disease in July.  She was very sick and they didn't know what was up with her.  Then she developed Bell's Palsy which was the telltale symptom they needed to confirm LD.  To this day, she is still suffering from symptoms.  She was completely fine before and now she has constant medical issues.  It is a nasty bacteria.  She never had any sign of a bite or tick on her but tested positive.  Only a small percentage of folks with Lyme's develop the bullseye rash.


----------



## Deeje

I haven't heard of Lyme disease occurring where I live in KY, but I did meet a man writing his thesis on the matter who said it is spreading and will further infect southern states in a matter of years. 

The ticks we get around here are fairly large, probably ranging from 1/8" to 1/4". I was hiking through Connecticut a few years back, near the epicenter of Lyme disease, and I was amazed at how small the ticks were! I probably pulled half a dozen off my legs that were about the size of the head of a needle. Smaller than a freckle. 

Scary, scary stuff.


----------



## weatherguy

Deeje said:


> I haven't heard of Lyme disease occurring where I live in KY, but I did meet a man writing his thesis on the matter who said it is spreading and will further infect southern states in a matter of years.
> 
> The ticks we get around here are fairly large, probably ranging from 1/8" to 1/4". I was hiking through Connecticut a few years back, near the epicenter of Lyme disease, and I was amazed at how small the ticks were! I probably pulled half a dozen off my legs that were about the size of the head of a needle. Smaller than a freckle.
> 
> Scary, scary stuff.


Those are the deer ticks that carry Lyme. No matter how careful I am I get a couple every year Embedded somewhere on my body. I've had them on just about every part of my anatomy.


----------



## Ashful

weatherguy said:


> Those are the deer ticks that carry Lyme. No matter how careful I am I get a couple every year Embedded somewhere on my body. I've had them on just about every part of my anatomy.


It is correct that those dangerously hard to find miniature deer ticks are the most frequent carriers of lyme, but I believe any tick can carry it.


----------



## Deeje

Someone mentioned pets on here. Can they catch it too, or is there just a risk that they'd spread it to humans somehow?


----------



## weatherguy

Deeje said:


> Someone mentioned pets on here. Can they catch it too, or is there just a risk that they'd spread it to humans somehow?


Pets can get Lyme, 2 of my dogs had it but you can't get it from your pet. Of course pets can carry the ticks into the house then the tick can find its way to you.


----------



## valleycat

FYI 
"Lyme disease was first recognized in Georgia in 1987. While cases occur all over the state, the largest numbers occur in the northern half of the state. The black-legged tick is the primary vector, especially in the nymphal stage. Its small size (1/16 inch) probably contributes to the failure to detect the nymph while feeding."
~ http://extension.uga

Also, since the disease has had more attention in the northeast, there are few considering it in the 'so called' less affected states... 
I have experienced first hand the complete disregard to consider Lyme disease as a possibility in North Georgia from the medical community. After much insistence the Lyme test was given... but as many of you know, it often goes undetected. And therefore, areas that do not think to test at all etc., go on to appear in maps like this as if there is a less of a threat. Data isn't always as clear as it appears.... 





Longstreet said:


> View attachment 169489
> 
> 
> Very interesting subject.  To be honest, when I first read this thread, I thought you all were crazy to even think about seeing a doctor for a tick bite.  I mean seriously, treatment for a tick bite removed before it's full of blood and without any symptoms!!    What a bunch of pansies!
> 
> Well, jokes on me.  Looks like NE is an entirely different world when it comes to risk.  Just one more sign that God loves the South.
> 
> For the record, when we were building our family's lob cabin, I had dozens of ticks removed from me over the years.  No one even thought about having a Lyme test done if they got removed within a day or two and you had no symptoms.  My parents knew somebody that knew somebody who had a friend who lived next to a man that had Lyme disease once.  That was the extent of our experience with the subject.


----------



## jetsam

2017 may be extra-Lymerrific.  (Not keeping me out of the woods!)


----------



## Carlv123

Make tick tubes get 1 1ft piece of 3/4 pvc and soak cotton balls on pymethrin. When it dries stuff into tubes and leave by wood piles etc... when the mice make homes, it kills all the ticks. Mice are the biggest carriers.


----------



## jetsam

Carlv123 said:


> Make tick tubes get 1 1ft piece of 3/4 pvc and soak cotton balls on pymethrin. When it dries stuff into tubes and leave by wood piles etc... when the mice make homes, it kills all the ticks. Mice are the biggest carriers.



That's a good idea if no cats are around.

Pymethrin is a neutorotoxin that is very dangerous for cats.  Cats die every year because their owners apply pymethrin tick control products (which are sold for use on dogs) on them.  I would think that a nest full of pymethrin soaked baby mice would probably not be good for a cat.


----------



## Ashful

Carlv123 said:


> Make tick tubes get 1 1ft piece of 3/4 pvc and soak cotton balls on pymethrin. When it dries stuff into tubes and leave by wood piles etc... when the mice make homes, it kills all the ticks. Mice are the biggest carriers.


I believe the ticks make the leap from mice to deer as they reach adulthood.  This makes them much harder to battle, as even broadcast applications of pesticides (eg. Mallet) can be subjugated by traveling deer.


----------



## Carlv123

I completely forgot about the cat thing as I dont have one but yes, NEVER get that around cats. 

There was a study done in the NE about the tick tubes and it has great results. There is also a deer feeder that swipes their neck with a insecticide that combined dropped the tick population by 90%.


----------



## Dmitry

Carlv123 said:


> Make tick tubes get 1 1ft piece of 3/4 pvc and soak cotton balls on pymethrin. When it dries stuff into tubes and leave by wood piles etc... when the mice make homes, it kills all the ticks. Mice are the biggest carriers.


Can you elaborate on this? I want to try it . Size of the tubes, amount of Permetrin to soak the cotton balls etc


----------



## Carlv123

I get those pre-cut 12" 3/4 PVC and buy 25% Permethrin online. Mix according to direction and put in a spray bottle. Soak a bunch of cotton balls with the liquid and let them dry. Then just stuff the cotton in the PVC and put it by your wood pile or any other place where mice may be. You'll see the mice take the cotton to make nests.


----------



## VirginiaIron

Unfortunately, my doc wouldn't test me. She, and later he said I do not have any symptoms. However, I have had many red reactions similar to those on google, although I never had a target bulls-eye. I had one similar to the posters and it seems I would take a pen and circle the infected area and it always seems to retreat. I guess we need to run to the doctor, with the tick, every time a tick bites me/us-no way. Sometimes we walk through a nest and find upwards of a hundred, then we might end up with three or four attaching themselves. I read it takes 24 hours to communicate the disease if the tick has lymes. Generally I feel the tick bite similar to pulling on one hair- but it feels like it is going into the skin. I got into the habit of using a dish scrunge every night in the shower- sometimes the there is a reaction, that I know is tick related, but I never saw it. I have a reaction similar to a mosquito bite that itches and lasts for months. This is the second year that I have been using a lot of curry spice in  my food. The first year I noticed low/no tick attachments on me. This year is sort of a confirmation experiment to see if the curry/tick association is a coincidence or it actually might repel ticks- I love the curry spice.


----------



## jetsam

VirginiaIron said:


> Unfortunately, my doc wouldn't test me. She, and later he said I do not have any symptoms. However, I have had many red reactions similar to those on google, although I never had a target bulls-eye. I had one similar to the posters and it seems I would take a pen and circle the infected area and it always seems to retreat. I guess we need to run to the doctor, with the tick, every time a tick bites me/us-no way. Sometimes we walk through a nest and find upwards of a hundred, then we might end up with three or four attaching themselves. I read it takes 24 hours to communicate the disease if the tick has lymes. Generally I feel the tick bite similar to pulling on one hair- but it feels like it is going into the skin. I got into the habit of using a dish scrunge every night in the shower- sometimes the there is a reaction, that I know is tick related, but I never saw it. I have a reaction similar to a mosquito bite that itches and lasts for months. This is the second year that I have been using a lot of curry spice in  my food. The first year I noticed low/no tick attachments on me. This year is sort of a confirmation experiment to see if the curry/tick association is a coincidence or it actually might repel ticks- I love the curry spice.



Eating lots of chipotle peppers  does not work!

I got my first tick yesterday in the northeast.


----------



## Ashful

One of my coworkers found one on him yesterday.  It has begun.


----------



## Carlv123

If you don't have cats, you can spray your pants in 25% Permethrin and wear them after they dry. I think it even lasts after a few washings. A lot of hunters do that.


----------



## weatherguy

You don't have to get the bullseye to get Lyme. Thankfully my doctor is thorough and will always test. It's very prevalent here. I still know people that get it and the doc doesn't test until it's a few months In, really no need for that as its a simple test.


----------



## Ashful

Remember, the common test is not looking for the bacteria itself (which is too weak to register using common testing methods), but your immune system's reaction to the bacteria.  Unfortunately, not all of our immune systems react appropriately, leading to some false negatives.  A coworker had it bad enough (and long enough) to have pretty substantial symptoms, and still managed to test negative, more than once.  Convinced he must have it, his doc put him on the prescribed antibiotics anyway, and it indeed cleared up all of his symptoms.


----------



## ksks

VirginiaIron said:


> Unfortunately, my doc wouldn't test me.



Here's an option if your MD won't cooperate:

https://www.shtfsource.com/collections/all-medications/products/fish-doxy-doxycycline-100mg-60-count


----------



## VirginiaIron

ksks said:


> Here's an option if your MD won't cooperate:
> 
> https://www.shtfsource.com/collections/all-medications/products/fish-doxy-doxycycline-100mg-60-count


Thank you


----------



## Hasufel

Just saw a scary article on CNN that tick-borne diseases are expected to rise, including some nasty condition caused by the Powassan virus (which I had never heard of before). And of course, regular old Lyme disease is still going strong. Those of you in and around Connecticut should be extra wary, because the article notes that tick reports there are way up this year and up to half of the ticks tested carried Lyme!


----------



## weatherguy

I can attest to that, i live on the MA/CT border and its really bad this year, ive already have had 4.


----------



## jetsam

I'm getting them every day now. Doesn't seem much worse than last year so far.


----------



## Ashful

I have an employee out with it now.  Second time for him in about 8 years.


----------



## Woody5506

Got my first one ever yesterday...in about the worst spot any of you..guys...can imagine.


Needless to say I went to urgent care so they could get me a dosage of antibiotics. Other than  that it appears nothing even happened. No bite mark, no swelling. I assume that means the tick wasn't on me very long. It sucks because I was just out in my back yard, not in the woods or anything.


----------



## VirginiaIron

I've been using permethrin on my boots and I've only had four to date. I am thinking of using the permethrin on some select outdoor clothing. 

So Can you have lymes with no symptoms?


----------



## jetsam

Woody5506 said:


> Needless to say I went to urgent care so they could get me a dosage of antibiotics.



Needless to say?  One should be mindful of Lyme disease, but it was irresponsible of them to prescribe a course of antibiotics because you found a tick on yourself. The more you take antibiotics for nothing, the less chance you have of them being effective when you do need them. 

I get ticks every day... it's not a medical emergency. Pick 'em off that night. It takes 36-48 hours for Lyme transmission.  If you have too many to pick off (ever fall into a nest of baby ticks?), a bath with lye soap and a scrub brush gets them off.

I wouldn't go back to that place... they should have spoken up instead of just agreeing to something they could bill you for.
https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/resources/brochure/lymediseasebrochure.pdf
https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/resources/brochure/lymediseasebrochure.pdf


----------



## Woody5506

Dude, it was on my pecker.


----------



## VirginiaIron

jetsam said:


> Needless to say?  One should be mindful of Lyme disease, but it was irresponsible of them to prescribe a course of antibiotics because you found a tick on yourself. The more you take antibiotics for nothing, the less chance you have of them being effective when you do need them. I get ticks every day... it's not a medical emergency. Pick 'em off that night. It takes 36-48 hours for Lyme transmission.  If you have too many to pick off (ever fall into a nest of baby ticks?), a bath with lye soap and a scrub brush gets them off.
> 
> I wouldn't go back to that place... they should have spoken up instead of just agreeing to something they could bill you for.
> https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/resources/brochure/lymediseasebrochure.pdf


 I've heard 48 hours, but I can actually say I've never read that. And usually within a couple hours, overnight max, I know I've got some kind of parasite on me by feeling a crawling, a slight stinging sensation, or some lump/appendage that wasn't there before on my body.
 According to Dr. Google "Ticks need to be attached for at least *24 hours*before they can transmit Lyme disease. However, just to be safe you should check your health closely for one month after a tick bite and call your doctor if you have any of the early signs of Lyme disease."  There I just read it.


----------



## VirginiaIron

According to Dr. Mayo you're less likely to have lymes transmitted if the tick is on you less than 36 to 48 hours. 

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lyme-disease/basics/symptoms/con-20019701

*"Symptoms*
By Mayo Clinic Staff
The signs and symptoms of Lyme disease vary and usually appear in stages.

*Early signs and symptoms*
A small, red bump often appears at the site of a tick bite or tick removal and resolves over a few days. This is normal after a tick bite and does not indicate Lyme disease.
However, these signs and symptoms may occur within a month after you've been infected:


*Rash.* From 3 to 30 days after an infected tick bite, an expanding red area might appear that sometimes clears in the center, forming a bull’s-eye pattern. The rash (erythema migrans) expands slowly over days and can spread to 12 inches (30 centimeters) across. It is typically not itchy or painful.

Erythema migrans is one of the hallmarks of Lyme disease. Some people develop this rash at more than one place on their bodies.


*Flu-like symptoms.* Fever, chills, fatigue, body aches and a headache may accompany the rash.
*Later signs and symptoms*
If untreated, new signs and symptoms of Lyme infection might appear in the following weeks to months. These include:


*Erythema migrans* appearing in other areas of your body.
*Joint pain.* Bouts of severe joint pain and swelling are especially likely to affect your knees, but the pain can shift from one joint to another.
*Neurological problems.* Weeks, months or even years after infection, you might develop inflammation of the membranes surrounding your brain (meningitis), temporary paralysis of one side of your face (Bell's palsy), numbness or weakness in your limbs, and impaired muscle movement.
Signs and symptoms caused by the bacterium Borrelia mayonii may also include:


Nausea and vomiting
Diffuse rashes (rather than a single bull's-eye rash commonly associated with Lyme disease)
*Less common signs and symptoms*
Several weeks after infection, some people develop:


Heart problems, such as an irregular heartbeat. Heart problems rarely last more than a few days or weeks.
Eye inflammation.
Liver inflammation (hepatitis).
Severe fatigue.
*When to see a doctor*
*If you've been bitten by a tick and have symptoms*
Only a minority of blacklegged tick bites leads to Lyme disease. The longer the tick remains attached to your skin, the greater your risk of getting the disease. Lyme infection is unlikely if the tick is attached for less than 36 to 48 hours.

If you think you've been bitten and have signs and symptoms of Lyme disease — particularly if you live in an area where Lyme disease is prevalent — contact your doctor. Treatment for Lyme disease is more effective if begun early.

*See your doctor even if symptoms disappear*
It's important to consult your doctor even if signs and symptoms disappear — the absence of symptoms doesn't mean the disease is gone. Left untreated, Lyme disease can spread to other parts of your body from several months to years after infection, causing arthritis and nervous system problems. Ticks also can transmit other illnesses, such as babesiosis and Colorado tick fever."


----------



## Woody5506

80% of ticks in our county carry Lyme, so they say. That figure combined with it being a deer tick combined with it being buried in my prick for well over 12 hrs i figured were all reasons I chose to get the one dose antibiotic for it that ran me a whopping $2.50.

Anywhere else, I would've pulled it out and carried on business as usual.


----------



## sportbikerider78

Got my first tick on me this weekend.  It hadn't bitten yet.  

Thinking about getting chickens just for their ability to decimate the tick population.


----------



## Woody5506

They say upstate NY will be terrible this year for ticks. I'd never gotten one either until then. I flicked one off my arm earlier in the week but it hadnt bitten me. 

I've spent countless hours in the woods - hiking, fishing, camping. Never had one. I always figured they didn't like me much. I'll be second guessing that from now on.


----------



## Ashful

Those of you getting ticks in your yard may want to check out Allectus.  My neighbors, all of whom spend far less time outdoors than me, tell me they find them weekly.  I've been here 6 years, and not a single tick.  I also don't put anything on my dogs, and they haven't had a tick in 6 years, either.  I put down a fertilizer product containing Allectus once each year in early June, and that seems to be doing the trick.


----------



## Woody5506

Ashful said:


> Those of you getting ticks in your yard may want to check out Allectus.  My neighbors, all of whom spend far less time outdoors than me, tell me they find them weekly.  I've been here 6 years, and not a single tick.  I also don't put anything on my dogs, and they haven't had a tick in 6 years, either.  I put down a fertilizer product containing Allectus once each year in early June, and that seems to be doing the trick.



Interesting. Never even heard of Allectus.

The problem is i have this big brush pile/pit I have been working on burning off since I bought the house in the fall. I have to do a little at a time, can't just torch the whole thing like I would like to due to being in such a residential area plus power lines right above it. That's where all the ticks have been. I know there are a lot of mice in it too, so it's no wonder.


----------



## weatherguy

Woody5506 said:


> 80% of ticks in our county carry Lyme, so they say. That figure combined with it being a deer tick combined with it being buried in my prick for well over 12 hrs i figured were all reasons I chose to get the one dose antibiotic for it that ran me a whopping $2.50.
> 
> Anywhere else, I would've pulled it out and carried on business as usual.


I don't blame You, those little buggers will attach anywhere. You name a part of the body and I've had to pull a tick off said part. Yes, even my arse, had an itch on my arse for 3 days, I normally don't like to look at my naked arse in the mirror so it took 3 days before I noticed the little bastage. Doc usually just gives me 2 doxy tabs in that situation and to be cognizant of any symptoms.


----------



## Hasufel

More tick-related nastiness: Tick-borne disease suspected in 2-year-old's death


----------



## BrotherBart

Two nights ago I felt something on my leg. Biggest tick, not just engorged, I have ever seen. Two hours later after I went to bed I felt something and it was another one just like it.


----------



## HisTreeNut

Spent the day trimming tall grass around the property.  Have not seen any ticks yet... Doesn't mean that are not there.  Although the gnats are awful this year and never had them since we moved into our house.  Unfortunately, my one son is a magnet for mosquitos.  Over 30 bites on his legs the other day...he's getting garlic & vitamin B every day now and has his own personal bottle of Deep Woods Off.  Missing winter a little bit.


----------



## jetsam

I am running about one a day here, same as last year. The Big Tick Plague appears to have bypassed Long Island.

Actually, I really should have more ticks, not less, as we decided not to mow the yard this year until late fall. (It is about waist high now and very pretty!)


----------



## Ashful

Careful the county doesn't slap an "abandoned" notice on your front door, jetsam.  [emoji14]


----------



## peakbagger

One of the approaches to tick control is to put out tick traps which are tubes full of cotton balls soaked with permethrin. Mice apparently like to use cotton for nesting and will haul it quite a distance. The mice (and other small rodents) will nest in it killing the ticks. They are the intermediate host for ticks so effectively the ticks are stopped from reproducing. Probably worth trying before nuking the lawn with permethrin which kills other beneficial insects like spiders.


----------



## jetsam

Ashful said:


> Careful the county doesn't slap an "abandoned" notice on your front door, jetsam.  [emoji14]



There's nobody to complain. The yard is bordered on two sides by wooded parkland, on one side by the neighbor's woods, and the front is the house (which has woods and driveway out to the road in front of it).

I mowed it last year when we had kids visiting, but it looked like.... a lawn. 

Not only is it awesome looking, but it also requires zero poisonings per year to keep it that way.

I tend to get my ticks from the woods, not the tall grass.  Maybe the turkeys are taking care of the ones in the yard for me!


----------



## jetsam

peakbagger said:


> One of the approaches to tick control is to put out tick traps which are tubes full of cotton balls soaked with permethrin. Mice apparently like to use cotton for nesting and will haul it quite a distance. The mice (and other small rodents) will nest in it killing the ticks. They are the intermediate host for ticks so effectively the ticks are stopped from reproducing. Probably worth trying before nuking the lawn with permethrin which kills other beneficial insects like spiders.



It's also deadly to cats, so don't use it if you have cats about. It is safe enough for dogs that it's a common flea and tick control product there.

It's pretty great at getting rid of mosquitoes and ticks though.


----------



## peakbagger

jetsam said:


> It's also deadly to cats, so don't use it if you have cats about. It is safe enough for dogs that it's a common flea and tick control product there.
> 
> It's pretty great at getting rid of mosquitoes and ticks though.



Concentrated liquid permethrin when applied is deadly to cats. Most of the flea and tick baths are a far higher concentrations than that used for clothes treatment.  The diluted product used for treating clothing is not as the active ingredient binds to the fabric (which is why it lasts through multiple washings). Cats get poisoned by directly grooming the product off their fur or grooming other animals like dogs in the household. Cats don't groom clothing or cotton balls in plastic tubes in the lawn set for tick traps.

Unfortunately pesticides in general are easy to buy and many amateurs are unable or unwilling to read the directions and apply per the recommendations. Its not just amateurs that do that, some farmers are somewhat infamous for cutting corners on application and pay the price in the long run. The general  by the public is if a little works a lot better works better. Folks also like a "quick kill" on pests which usually means over application.

Like many pesticides, the highest potential abuse and exposure is during the mixing and application. For someone who wants the benefits and minimize exposure there is at least one firm that you can send clothing to have it treated. A benefit to the treatment is that the application lasts longer. Some aid agencies require their workers to have this treatment applied prior to visiting areas with high pest potential.


----------



## jetsam

The Big Tick Plague of 2017 still hasn't materialized here. I quit using bug spray unless I'm going out in the woods, and zero ticks for weeks now (which is abmormally low even with bug spray).

We have had ramped up turkey and chicken patrols, so maybe that explains it.


----------



## Ashful

After six years of bragging we have no ticks in my yard, I picked up my first one last Saturday.  It was on my forearm, after mucking about with a bad GFCI receptacle in one of my larger gardens.  I was waste deep in ferns, and under a low Mulberry tree that the deer love to feed from, so not a huge surprise.  I was carrying him up to the house for proper disposal, when he got away from me and fell into the grass.  Hopefully there's enough residual Allectus from the June application to end him there, before he finds one of my dogs.


----------



## tnroadkill

terrible ticks this year just test positive for Rocky mt, spotted fever on antibotics


----------



## JRHAWK9

Here's a documentary we all need to watch.
http://underourskin.com/

Sister was recently diagnosed after 5.5 years of battling with the MD's.


----------



## jetsam

We had exceptionally few ticks this year. I picked up far less than usual in the woods, and zero from the yard.

The yard did have more chickens and turkeys than in past years, but the chickens don't go far out into the woods.

Tough to say if the dogs got any because they get Bravecto in the spring, so any ticks that bite them die.


----------



## zambien

Lots of them here in high country North Carolina this year.  In the upper elevations (4000+) most folks say this is the first year they have seen ticks.  There are tons of deer ticks this year.  Last year I was out in the deep woods and neither me nor my dog got any on us.  This year it is lousy.


----------



## They Call Me Pete

Dealing with this right now. On Doxy for preventative measures. Just a way of life on the farm. Pulled 12 ticks off our dog after she was up back of our property with me. This would be the 4th or 5th time I would have it if I didn't catch it early....sigh


----------



## Birdbrain

Here in Ohio I went to the health department for sceptic permit this summer.  They had a brochure on ticks facts for Ohio.  There are more kinds then I thought.  Lymes is carried by more than one kind of tick and Rocky Mountain spotted fever is in Ohio also, and there are other tick born diseases her also.  Yucky little things. 

I have two grandchildren diagnosed this summer.  11 year old granddaughter has lymes.  Her eyesight was getting so bad they went to naturalpathic who has asyra testing machine.  Dr. John Mulliken in eastern PA gave her homeopathic remedies and she is much improved, but he wants her to go to a Lyme specialist also.  Her brother has Pandas, specialist in New York has been testing and has not found reason, but has been doing very expensive treatments to get his brain inflammation down and detox his body.  My daughter recently had the naturalpathic doc test grandson on the asyra, showed he had lymes in the brain.  The specialist office was glad and is going to go after it.

Doc said, get immune system in top shape to reduce chance of infection taking hold.


----------



## Birdbrain

Also, my son has guineas, they eat tons of ticks.....essential oils work well for pets and people without being toxic.  My son in Northern Michigan near Lake Superior found multiple imbedded deer ticks in two of his sweet little girls..  They felt panicky, natural Doc sent them a natural remedy to help prevent any bacteria from taking hold, 3 years later till no effects.


----------



## VirginiaIron

This year we have probably had more problems with the nymph and or seed tick on the tender back side of the knee and ankle. Looked like the tiniest dark spot which reminded me of fine beach sand. Unknowingly scratch it off then it Itched like crazy until I drew blood or sprayed some DEET on it.

http://underourskin.com/


----------



## Ashful

After six years of never getting a tick on my own property, I’ve found two in one summer.  

Yesterday, while pulling on my pants, I felt a sore bump on my hip.  Thought it felt like a pimple, but looked and it was an embedded tick.  Must have been there about 24 hours, based on my activities of the prior day.   I pulled him out and crushed him with some heavy steel tweezers.

Advice?  See a doc now, or wait a few weeks and get tested?


----------



## VirginiaIron

Ashful said:


> After six years of never getting a tick on my own property, I’ve found two in one summer.
> 
> Yesterday, while pulling on my pants, I felt a sore bump on my hip.  Thought it felt like a pimple, but looked and it was an embedded tick.  Must have been there about 24 hours, based on my activities of the prior day.   I pulled him out and crushed him with some heavy steel tweezers.
> 
> Advice?  See a doc now, or wait a few weeks and get tested?


I heard that one should hold on to the tick, date a container, and stick in the freezer so you can bring it to the doctor if you get infected or sick since it is easier to test the tick.


----------



## Ashful

VirginiaIron said:


> I heard that one should hold on to the tick, date a container, and stick in the freezer so you can bring it to the doctor if you get infected or sick since it is easier to test the tick.



Yeah, I thought of that.  Unfortunately, the thought came to me about 4 seconds after washing him down the sink drain.


----------



## jaoneill

My doctor keeps a bottle of 100ml Doxy in his office. If one gets an imbedded tic we give him a call and he provides 2 pills to be taken together at once. Apparently this is a very successful protocol that stops the Lymes from gaining a foothold.


----------



## LocustPocust

Powassan is an emerging disease in my area, and there have been cases of tick borne Babesiosis. Both can cause sudden cardiac arrest in healthy people. I don't know WTF is going on but it's getting so I don't like going into the woods anymore.


----------



## jetsam

Don't worry about it if it's 24 hours or less; they usually need 36-48 hours to transmit.

I wouldn't personally go to a doctor (they'll sell you antibiotics under the banner of 'better safe than sorry')- which is bad for you in terms of existing bugs potentially developing resistance to that antibiotic.  It's not the end of the world if going makes you feel better, but you're paying for a potentially harmful treatment.  If you take antibiotics for every little thing, you can wind up needing exotic antibiotics once your local bugs are resistant to all the common ones.

If you're worried, keep an eye out for Lyme symptoms, which is good advice for everyone anyway.


----------



## Birdbrain

@Ashful 
Advice? See a doc now, or wait a few weeks and get tested. 

Depending on your medicinal bend, there are natural remedies for immediately after bites to prevent bacteria from getting hold, Naturalopathic docs.   Medical docs will give you antibiotic.  But now  the best time to beware.  Natural doc near Philadelphia has $40 preventive remedy.  

I do not like antibiotics, if you take them, take good quality probiotics and enzymes.  Sometimes antibiotics out weigh possible consequences.  Build up immune system, best defense.  Plenty online on how to.  Draxe.com has good database.

Do watch it, 1st 30 days best window for treatment, after that the bacteria goes into hiding to brew trouble.


----------



## BlueRidgeMark

Applesister said:


> I love your pics by the way, the ones you took at the lake. The dog is perfect. Has Lyme disease reached your area?
> For quite some time it was contained to CT.




Lyme has been reported in 50 of our 57 states.   The risk is lower some places than others, but there is no place that has zero risk.


----------



## Ashful

BlueRidgeMark said:


> Lyme has been reported in 50 of our 57 states.


Huh?  I know some folks like to count Puerto Rico... but 57?


----------



## Sodbuster

Ashful said:


> Huh?  I know some folks like to count Puerto Rico... but 57?



He must be eating a steak, that's overcooked.

It's interesting though, we have friends in the Upper Peninsula of MI that tell us the ticks are so back they and the dogs can barely go in the yard. I can honestly say I've never seen a tick on our property.


----------



## BlueRidgeMark

Ashful said:


> Huh?  I know some folks like to count Puerto Rico... but 57?




Well, to be accurate, it was 57 and a few more to go, so nobody really knows the total number.


----------



## paredown

Well, we live in a hot zone--lower Hudson--with lots of deer, lots of deer ticks, and (from testing), a high percentage of ticks that carry Lyme and related co-infections.

There's some good info in this thread, but also a few posters who think it is prudent to avoid the antibiotics. My personal opinion--if you have been bitten, take the Doxy immediately--and then take a probiotic to keep your digestive tract in order. I can't stress this enough--the consequences of leaving the Lyme spirochete in your body untreated are far worse than the disruption of the antibiotic. And the doctors in the 'hot zones' know this, and know that the first "test" will come back negative, and by the time the (inadequate) test comes back positive, the little bastids could have gone anywhere.

As my doc says, Lyme is the new syphilis--and it can infect internal organs, joints, brain (one friend has permanent memory problems from an untreated infection).

So don't be "manly" about it--if you have been bitten by a deer tick, and you live where Lyme is prevalent--get the Doxy and take it! (Dog or brown ticks do not carry the infection). Second--if you start to feel crappy and live where ticks are prevalent, insist that your doctors do a Lyme test as part of your blood panels--you may have to argue the point, but tell them that you spend a lot of time outside.)

I'm at four infections and counting--first was classic (bullseye rash) and it laid me low for months, and took over a year for me to recover to a functional state (and the first test came back negative!), and took me a lot longer to really feel like myself.

Second was another full-blow co-infection (Babesiosis) that attacks your white blood cells--no visible signs, I just kept getting weaker and feeling worse until my wife piled me into the car and took me to Emergency (Never saw the tick, never had a rash). They tested, it came back positive for the Lyme coinfection and they started me on blood transfusions immediately. (Good news--Doxy kills the co-infections as well).

Third was no rash/bullseye, just slow decline with flu-like symptoms. I preemptively started on Doxy that time, and it seemed like it did not get a real foothold.

Fourth was this summer--I was outside a lot painting the house, was bitten, never saw the tick, no rash, no real catastrophic symptoms--I was just getting slower and feeling more tired (which I put down to the hard work of painting the house)--until I finally went to the doctor, and almost as an afterthought asked if they would run the Lyme test--and it came back positive/active infection yet again. Twenty one days of Doxy, and I am still feeling the after-effects with arthritis-like symptoms. Already checked in with the Doc, and it is in reversal, and I'll do a followup checkup at the 6 month stage.

Don't mess with Lyme, it will destroy your health if you let it.

On this page (Loudon County VA) is a great brochure that they issued--on the RH side, click on the image with the picture of the tick) and it will open a PDF that is the best single document that tells you what you need to know:
https://www.loudoun.gov/index.aspx?NID=1273


----------



## blades

lost a friend this past summer due to complications from Lymes and associated infections. Dang tics are like scorpions you can freeze them thaw them out and they will crawl off.


----------



## jaoneill

paredown said:


> Don't mess with Lyme, it will destroy your health if you let it.
> 
> On this page (Loudon County VA) is a great brochure that they issued--on the RH side, click on the image with the picture of the tick) and it will open a PDF that is the best single document that tells you what you need to know:
> https://www.loudoun.gov/index.aspx?NID=1273


I was raised in the Harlem Valley (Dover Plains) and still have six siblings in that area so have been well aware of Lymes for 40 years. It has only recently reached as far north as we are now but I would reitterate your warning above. I went through a nasty bout with it 2 years ago and was a year recuperating; took three courses of Doxy to knock it. I have never been one to take medications and don't think I had taken more than a half dozen asprins in my entire life until then. Although I have no recollection of being bit since then, it has recurred twice but I now recognize the initial symptoms and fortunately have a doc who doesn't hesitate to call in a Doxy scrip when I call him.


----------



## Birdbrain

Well said Paredown.


----------



## Jotel me this

LocustPocust said:


> I didn't find any ticks on me all summer. Then the woods were infested once the deer started moving in September. They go dormant below 40 degrees so it's been boom times for them lately.
> 
> Lyme is epidemic here, but there's also been a spike in cases of Anaplasmosis recently in Rensselaer County, NY according to the Department of Health.
> 
> I know many (myself included) who have contracted Lyme, and a few are suffering permanent health effects because of it. It's absolutely ridiculous. I never even knew what a tick looked like until I found one on me for the first time in 2001. Now I'm regularly checking myself for ticks while I'm in the woods and I've literally picked dozens off my clothes after being in the woods for only a few hours.
> 
> Spraying bug spray on my winter hat and jacket is still a very strange thing for me..




3 years later you get a reply..

its insane how bad ticks are when there is a CURE available for lyme disease! the issue is that the drug companies wont make the cure because theres no money in it for them (which makes no sense because there would be).


----------



## weatherguy

Jotel me this said:


> 3 years later you get a reply..
> 
> its insane how bad ticks are when there is a CURE available for lyme disease! the issue is that the drug companies wont make the cure because theres no money in it for them (which makes no sense because there would be).


What's the cure?


----------



## jaoneill

Again late this summer I began feeling the usual symptoms, mostly extreme fatigue, my Doc was on vacation so went to the local clinic. The doc there was a reasonable sort and called in a doxy script, but only a 10 day course. She also sent me for a blood test. Results came back negative for Lymes but positive for anaplasmosis, a similar tick curse. 10 days wasn't enough doxy and as soon as my doc got back in the office he wrote me another 21 days worth; that seems to be what it takes.


----------



## Ashful

Jotel me this said:


> 3 years later you get a reply..
> 
> its insane how bad ticks are when there is a CURE available for lyme disease! the issue is that the drug companies wont make the cure because theres no money in it for them (which makes no sense because there would be).



Where’s my tinfoil hat?


----------



## Jotel me this

Ashful said:


> Where’s my tinfoil hat?



Apparently youve never heard of LYMErix which came out in the 90s and cured pretty much 80 to 90% of all infections.
it was taken off the market due to 'fears of side effects'.

Dig deeper and you see big pharma loves profit.. not curing people. They saw it as a waste of time creating a drug that cures a few thousand people a year when there are billions to be made in other diseases and infections.

https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/5/7/17314716/lyme-disease-vaccine-history-effectiveness
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2870557/

*"Despite these limitations, the vaccine offered an effective prevention strategy for those at high risk for Lyme disease."*


----------



## Jotel me this

weatherguy said:


> What's the cure?



They dont make it because of red tape but its 80 to 90% effective..

https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/5/7/17314716/lyme-disease-vaccine-history-effectiveness
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2870557/


----------



## Ashful

Jotel me this said:


> Apparently youve never heard of LYMErix which came out in the 90s and cured pretty much 80 to 90% of all infections.
> it was taken off the market due to 'fears of side effects'.
> 
> Dig deeper and you see big pharma loves profit.. not curing people. They saw it as a waste of time creating a drug that cures a few thousand people a year when there are billions to be made in other diseases and infections.
> 
> https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/5/7/17314716/lyme-disease-vaccine-history-effectiveness
> https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2870557/
> 
> *"Despite these limitations, the vaccine offered an effective prevention strategy for those at high risk for Lyme disease."*



I still don’t follow.  Lyme is 100% curable with existing drugs, I know several people who have had it, and have been cured.  The trouble with Lyme disease is the difficult diagnosis, and permanent effects when it goes undiagnosed, not the cure.


----------



## af2018

Ashful said:


> I still don’t follow.  Lyme is 100% curable with existing drugs, I know several people who have had it, and have been cured.  The trouble with Lyme disease is the difficult diagnosis, and permanent effects when it goes undiagnosed, not the cure.



Right. you said it. "permanent effects when it goes undiagnosed".. thats the problem. getting it diagnosed. doctors are sick of constantly hearing patients say they think they have lyme disease so the doctor just brushes it off to the common cold or flu.

it is curable but only for a VERY select few around 20% of people in the VERY early stages AND got diagnosed with it fast enough where they could get on antibiotics. the problem is most people never get a rash, never see the tick, and worst of all doctors today think they are demigods and many refuse to give you the ELISA test to see if you even have lyme disease in the first place. the majority of people who get it never fully recover. Those several people who have it were extremely lucky with good doctors.


----------



## bholler

af2018 said:


> Right. you said it. "permanent effects when it goes undiagnosed".. thats the problem. getting it diagnosed. doctors are sick of constantly hearing patients say they think they have lyme disease so the doctor just brushes it off to the common cold or flu.
> 
> it is curable but only for a VERY select few around 20% of people in the VERY early stages AND got diagnosed with it fast enough where they could get on antibiotics. the problem is most people never get a rash, never see the tick, and worst of all doctors today think they are demigods and many refuse to give you the ELISA test to see if you even have lyme disease in the first place. the majority of people who get it never fully recover. Those several people who have it were extremely lucky with good doctors.


This summer my father mother wife and daughter all went through treatment for lyme disease.  It was my wifes 4th time.  Only my wife and daughter had the bullseye and without that my parents had to push hard to get tested and insurance wouldnt cover the test.  It is totally ridiculous.


----------



## af2018

bholler said:


> This summer my father mother wife and daughter all went through treatment for lyme disease.  It was my wifes 4th time.  Only my wife and daughter had the bullseye and without that my parents had to push hard to get tested and insurance wouldnt cover the test.  It is totally ridiculous.



it absolutely is. you go to the doctors wanting help and the doctor looks at you like, "HOW DARE YOU NOT BELIEVE MY EXPERTISE!"

Lyme disease could be as easily treatable as bronchitis. Governments know it, your doctor knows it.. and the sick thing is DOCTORS hand out antibiotics left and right EXCEPT for when you tell them its lyme disease! i went to the doctors not feeling well and within 30 seconds he said, "Ill write you a script for whatever it was." I asked him if he was even going to look at me. even sicker is that its the doctors who are causing antibiotic resistance super bugs.

makes me sick

its curable for dogs because vets hand out doxycycline immediately. human doctor refuse to.


----------



## Hasufel

Here's a recent article from our local news station: https://wtop.com/health-fitness/2018/11/us-officials-report-a-record-number-of-tick-diseases/ .

Basically, the number of tick-borne diseases reported to the government last year (59,000) jumped 22% from the year before. About 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported each year but experts think that the real number of new cases is closer to 300,000. Stay safe, friends.


----------



## Ludlow

A guy I know suddenly fell ill and was in ICU for awhile with encephalitis and Bell's Palsy. Found out he had Lymes. Had a PIC line in his chest for awhile. His face is still paralyzed on one side. Never knew he was bitten. Wonderful.


----------



## Jotel me this

Hasufel said:


> Here's a recent article from our local news station: https://wtop.com/health-fitness/2018/11/us-officials-report-a-record-number-of-tick-diseases/ .
> 
> Basically, the number of tick-borne diseases reported to the government last year (59,000) jumped 22% from the year before. About 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported each year but experts think that the real number of new cases is closer to 300,000. Stay safe, friends.



when i go in the woods im literally doused in chemicals from head to toe. i could care less what people think of how i look. with those numbers its going to millions a year


----------



## Kevin Weis

Have a a coworker that has A daughter that was diagnosed with Lyme's but a few months after she was bitten.  Went to her brain.  She has a problem with memory and other not so nice issues as a result.  They got her to Hopkins in Baltimore quickly after diagnosis and is able to "live with it" but was told she will probably never be rid of it.  The bite happened in the backyard of the house in Maryland.  Actually I think Hopkins made the diagnosis that others could not.  Please check yourselves over after being outside.  Nothing to play around with.  Kevin


----------



## PelletOhio

A friend of mine was bit while hunting outside Carrollton Ohio in 2017/18.  Wasn't aware of a tick bite, but thinking back I guess he had a rash, but no bullseye so he brushed it off.  Knew something was wrong when his face started to go paralyzed and claimed his whole body started to ache.  Went to ER.

The strange thing was that the doctors didn't want to test for lyme and just diagnosed him will Bells Palsy.  A staff member from the ER room later called him on a personal cell phone and stated that he probably had lyme disease.  Odd!  Pushing a little harder and reexplaining that he had been in the woods (near PA) and possibly bitten by a tick they finally agreed to test for lyme.  He tested positive (they acted shocked.  ??) ....and was given few rounds of antibiotics and seems to have no lingering effects luckily.

Didn't read the whole thread, but just thought I'd share this.  Read a few posts about conspiracy theories and tinfoil hats.  I'm not sure about anything, but do know these doctors in Ohio were very reluctant to do anything other than diagnose the bells palsy.

Shortly after this occurrence I've been seeing tick billboards all over the place so I guess they are warming up to the idea that people are being infected with lyme in this area.


I've pulled hundreds off my dogs and stopped going to the country property because it was so bad the last few years.  Finally gave them bravecto chew and no longer find swollen ticks on the dogs.  I'd find dozens of tiny ticks crawling up me.  Pulled a few out of me unfortunately that I didn't get in time and the bite area looked pretty bad for a couple days.

One of the dogs tested positive for lyme and was given some doxy, but I haven't returned to retest.


----------



## weatherguy

I use the seresto collar for my dog and she hasnt had a tick for two years. That doctor sounds like it was up here 10-15 years ago, now that's one of the first things they look at. I've been bitten by deer ticks several times and my doctor gives my doxycycline right away just in case.


----------



## weatherguy

Applesister said:


> Thought I'd share this with the community.
> View attachment 169441
> 
> The only downside to the mild temps. I feel these things biting and this was on back of my shoulder. I couldnt see it no matter what I did in mirror so I tried the phone.
> Up close this thing is buried. The bites take a really long time to recover from.
> I had a hard time convincing a doctor to do a Lyme test for me once. He argued that my exposure was minimum to the possibility of getting Lyme disease. I said, just do it.


The shoulders a popular spot for those little buggers, that's a female. I hope he gave you a couple doxy.


----------



## ispinwool

I'm really glad this thread is available!  I learned a lot.  (I'd talked with our veterinarian and he was much less helpful!)

I have been  pondering my predicament over the last few weeks---we own 30 acres of hunting property
that's infested with ticks.  The last time hubby went out hunting, I picked 8 off of him!
**Cue the music for the country/western song: "I wanna check you fer ticks!"**

 I thought maybe I could release a few Guinea Fowl but they wouldn't last long
with the coyotes.  They'd think I'd provided them with a buffet.
  I'm in the process of setting up a camping trailer so we'll be spending more
time there;  after reading through this thread I believe I'm going to try the  recommended "tick tubes" and as an added
protection, 'gaiters' sprayed with the permethin  (sp?) for my/our legs.

I have enough aches and pains --I don't want to compound it with 'flu-like' symptoms for an indeterminate amount of time!
I'm too old for crap like that!  

(p.s.--Thanks to all who posted!)


----------



## Ludlow

Since I began spraying my camo and boots with Permethrin every year I have yet to see a tick on me. Before that I had them on me at every outing.


----------



## weatherguy

Permethrin is not sold here so I've been using deet, haven't got 1 for a while. we took our dogs for walks in the woods all summer and my brother had 8 on him in one day.


----------



## Grizzerbear

I've always heard pantyhose kept ticks off good. Guess they dont like the material. I cant imagine pantyhose in woods while hunting but then again I knew a guy that got lymes disease and his kidneys shut down before doctors figured out what it was. Luckily he lived but it makes me think pantyhose wouldn't be so bad to try all of a sudden


----------



## Sodbuster

weatherguy said:


> Permethrin is not sold here so I've been using deet, haven't got 1 for a while. we took our dogs for walks in the woods all summer and my brother had 8 on him in one day.




Try Amazon, they sell Permethrin.


----------



## Ashful

Grizzerbear said:


> I've always heard pantyhose kept ticks off good. Guess they dont like the material. I cant imagine pantyhose in woods while hunting but then again I knew a guy that got lymes disease and his kidneys shut down before doctors figured out what it was. Luckily he lived but it makes me think pantyhose wouldn't be so bad to try all of a sudden



Overheard between two hunters in the woods, voice of Harry from Home Improvement, “Hey Bob, have you lost weight?  Just sayin’, you’re looking good, today.”


----------



## Grizzerbear

Ashful said:


> Overheard between two hunters in the woods, voice of Harry from Home Improvement, “Hey Bob, have you lost weight?  Just sayin’, you’re looking good, today.”


Lol....I should a seen that comin


----------



## Ludlow

You wouldnt believe how warm a pair of pantyhose is under your camo pants.


----------



## weatherguy

Sodbuster said:


> Try Amazon, they sell Permethrin.


I bought some in Maine last time I was there but it's very toxic to cats and we have 4 so I've just been using deet.


----------



## Ludlow

weatherguy said:


> I bought some in Maine last time I was there but it's very toxic to cats and we have 4 so I've just been using deet.



I saturate my camo with permethrin but I do it outside and let them hang until dry. Then they stay in the back of my Jeep for when I go out hunting. I dont take them in the house where the cats are. They would be laying on the clothes in a heartbeat. (nosy cats). I heard that about being extremely toxic to cats.


----------



## Locust99

Permethrin is extremely toxic to cats when it is wet and can be absorbed into their skin. When it is dried on your clothing it is fairly safe to pets. Obviously safer though to take your treated clothing off outside before coming inside with the cats.  

I treat all my exterior hunting wear with it and haven’t had any trouble with ticks. I also treat my chainsaw chaps with permethrin, and spray with picaridin bug spray. That has been working good so far.


----------



## Johnny_Fiv3

A few times a season I load up the pets and bring them to my in-laws house. I cut the grass nice and short and have the wife follow me with the sweeper to pick up the clippings. Then I fill the ATV mounted tank sprayer with the Permethrin SFR mix and drive around the entire open yard space. I made a sprayer bar with some PVC that mounts to the hitch on the ATV and hooks up to the pump on the tank. After that I put the wand back on and drive around spraying around the bushes, flower beds, fences, buildings, etc, etc. I have 5 acres so it takes a while. Once that's complete I hook the spreader to the ATV and drive around spreading Diatomaceous Earth on to the acre surrounding the house, pool, and playground. Also spread it by hand in the flower beds around the house. Haven't had a tick or flea on a kid or pet in a decade. Also don't really have issues with other unwanted insects either. I live in an agricultural district and have a feed/supplies distributor 5 miles from my house that sells both the Diatomaceous Earth and Permethrin SFR for way cheaper than you could get it anywhere online.


----------



## Ashful

Johnny_Fiv3 said:


> A few times a season I load up the pets and bring them to my in-laws house. I cut the grass nice and short and have the wife follow me with the sweeper to pick up the clippings. Then I fill the ATV mounted tank sprayer with the Permethrin SFR mix and drive around the entire open yard space. I made a sprayer bar with some PVC that mounts to the hitch on the ATV and hooks up to the pump on the tank. After that I put the wand back on and drive around spraying around the bushes, flower beds, fences, buildings, etc, etc. I have 5 acres so it takes a while. Once that's complete I hook the spreader to the ATV and drive around spreading Diatomaceous Earth on to the acre surrounding the house, pool, and playground. Also spread it by hand in the flower beds around the house. Haven't had a tick or flea on a kid or pet in a decade. Also don't really have issues with other unwanted insects either. I live in an agricultural district and have a feed/supplies distributor 5 miles from my house that sells both the Diatomaceous Earth and Permethrin SFR for way cheaper than you could get it anywhere online.


Check out Allectus, available as a granular mixed with fertilizer product.  I haven't done the research to compare, but I suspect it has a longer barrier life on the ground, versus the permethrin.  In any case, it's been working great for me, on both grubs and tick control.


----------



## Joe3532

I got bitten by a tick yesterday, and I had to pull hard to remove it from my skin. It had only been there for an hour maximum, and it was completely flat so it hadn't drawn blood. I don't see any marks on my skin where it was. I'm in Ohio, where Lyme disease is rare. Although now I'm a little worried.


----------



## Ashful

Joe3532 said:


> I got bitten by a tick yesterday, and I had to pull hard to remove it from my skin. It had only been there for an hour maximum, and it was completely flat so it hadn't drawn blood. I don't see any marks on my skin where it was. I'm in Ohio, where Lyme disease is rare. Although now I'm a little worried.



I believe your risk is low, they usually need a much longer attachment to transmit Lyme, from what I’ve read.  Google is your friend.


----------



## Ludlow

Ashful said:


> I believe your risk is low, they usually need a much longer attachment to transmit Lyme, from what I’ve read.  Google is your friend.



Provided you pull it from the head and dont squeeze the body. When we find an attached tick we go to MedExpress and the give a dose of Doxy as a prophylactic.


----------



## TreePointer

I'd stop by a local urgent care for a dose of doxycycline.  If you catch it within a short period (within 36 hrs if I recall correctly) you only need a single dose.


----------



## firefighterjake

Worked on a new ATV trail last weekend . . . found five ticks during the course of the day on my clothing and on my stomach. 

When I returned home I stripped off the clothing outside and asked my wife to do a tick check on me . . . I found some without my wife's assistance as I had seven or eight around my ankle/calf. 

Ended up with a total of 15 ticks on me by day's end.

I've never seen so many or had so many on me at one time. 

This seems to be a banner year for mosquitoes and ticks up this way this year.


----------



## Ashful

Wow... I had no idea they were so bad, up your way.  I find maybe one on me each year, often none in a whole year, and I spend a lot of time outdoors.


----------



## weatherguy

Ashful said:


> Wow... I had no idea they were so bad, up your way.  I find maybe one on me each year, often none in a whole year, and I spend a lot of time outdoors.


My brother walked his dog on an abandoned golf course near our house and had eleven on him. They're working their way north from conn/ma to northern new england.


----------



## JotulOwner

Applesister said:


> Supposedly theres a lab testing facility on an island off the coast of Lyme CT where the first cases of childhood arthritis was diagnosed. In 1972. And it is inaccessable and also supposedly owned by a German company. Where they lab test animals. It has been speculated to the possibility of some kind of containment breach. I read this in a magazine years ago.
> Just saying...lol.



I think they are referring to Plum Island off Orient Point, NY. It is owned by the US Government and was an animal disease research facility, but I think they moved it to another state. Anyway, I heard stories about lime disease originating there. I am not sure how true it is.


----------



## Montanalocal

An interesting book on lyme disease.

https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?li...BxrdIgkAt&asin=B07DTCDQNX&tag=hearthamazon-20


----------



## paredown

Glad I weighed in on this thread before--be careful out there. Remember--there is no such thing as a "summer Flu" -- so if you have Flu-like symptoms in the summer, there is a high likelihood that you have been bitten and are feeling the effects of a Lyme infection. A fairly significant percentage of people will NOT get the classic bulls-eye rash to alert them. (some estimates place it as low as 27%! :








						LYMEPOLICYWONK: How many of those with Lyme disease have the rash? Estimates range from 27-80%. - LymeDisease.org
					

Have you ever wondered how many patients with Lyme disease have a rash? You would think the answer would be straight-forward. It’s not. Estimates range from 27-80%.




					www.lymedisease.org
				




The best book I have read about treating the effects is this one if anyone is fighting after effects:





						Why Can't I Get Better? Solving the Mystery of Lyme and Chronic Disease: Solving the Mystery of Lyme and Chronic Disease: Horowitz, Richard: 9781250019400: Amazon.com: Books
					

Why Can't I Get Better? Solving the Mystery of Lyme and Chronic Disease: Solving the Mystery of Lyme and Chronic Disease [Horowitz, Richard] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Why Can't I Get Better? Solving the Mystery of Lyme and Chronic Disease: Solving the Mystery of Lyme...



					tinyurl.com


----------



## Grizzerbear

A guy I work with came in today. He was off sick yesterday. Apparently him and his son hung deer stands late last week and he got ticks on him.....no big deal. He said him and wife went out and ate.....sick all weekend. Went to hospital yesterday....ran tests. Apparently he has alpha-gal syndrome from tick bite which is a red meat allergy. He said he has to go back in a month or so for more test but doc said allergy should go away. I hope so because I couldn't imagine not being able to eat a steak.


----------



## MichaelAL

Applesister said:


> Supposedly theres a lab testing facility on an island off the coast of Lyme CT where the first cases of childhood arthritis was diagnosed. In 1972. And it is inaccessable and also supposedly owned by a German company. Where they lab test animals. It has been speculated to the possibility of some kind of containment breach. I read this in a magazine years ago.
> Just saying...lol.


Its called plum island and I grew up looking at it across the water everyday. It is indeed an animal disease research facility, but the idea that lyme originated there is a non-truth. The disease had been prevalent in many areas around the country, but it wasnt until a physician in Lyme, CT recognized the pattern in symptoms and realized this was an as yet unknown virus. Hence it became known as lyme disease and plum island is a coincidental occurence that conspiracy theorists love to point at from ferry boats.


----------



## weatherguy

No truth to the rumor the long island beast was created on plum island either.


----------



## Dobish

MichaelAL said:


> Its called plum island and I grew up looking at it across the water everyday. It is indeed an animal disease research facility, but the idea that lyme originated there is a non-truth. The disease had been prevalent in many areas around the country, but it wasnt until a physician in Lyme, CT recognized the pattern in symptoms and realized this was an as yet unknown virus. Hence it became known as lyme disease and plum island is a coincidental occurence that conspiracy theorists love to point at from ferry boats.


I used to live across from here too!


----------



## spitfire557

Lots of good information in this thread!

About a year ago, I fell victim to the "summer flu" and a few work buddies insisted I get checked for Lymes. My doctor did not support that theory but agreed to have the blood work done. About 24 hours later I get a phone call from their office telling me I tested positive for Lymes.

FYI - I've pulled plenty of ticks off me prior to this, but none that were bitten/latched onto me. I also did NOT have the classic bulls eye mark.

In the weeks following, I began experiencing chest pain and numbness of the hands/feet. A few trips to the cardiologist cleared any possible issues with the heart, but confirmed that the Lymes was effecting particular muscles in my chest, causing the discomfort.

A year later and I'm mostly recovered, but still experience occasional numbness in my hands, and occasional chest discomfort.

This year - I'm still pulling ticks off of my dog (even yesterday, November 2nd) despite having a few cold nights in the books. Be careful out there and make sure you check yourselves!


----------



## Seasoned Oak

My property has a lot of whitetail deer and has deep woods on 3 sides. Fortunately iv never even seen a tick there in the last 10 yrs since iv been looking for them. I always ck myself after working outside. I avoid low hanging tree branches and tall weeds were they may be lurking but i guess iv been lucky. Im sure they are there in big numbers .


----------



## weatherguy

Its suprising your doctor wasn't on board with your Lyme theory, I know people that have severe repurcussions from their doctor not testing for lyme. It such a simple test they should do it automatically. Glad you caught yours early and should be ok.


----------



## Ashful

weatherguy said:


> Its suprising your doctor wasn't on board with your Lyme theory



Seems to be a trend. I’ve experienced the same.


----------



## bholler

weatherguy said:


> Its suprising your doctor wasn't on board with your Lyme theory, I know people that have severe repurcussions from their doctor not testing for lyme. It such a simple test they should do it automatically. Glad you caught yours early and should be ok.


My father had exactly the same experience last year.  His insurance also refused to pay for the testing because he didn't have the typical indicators that call for testing.  They did pay for the treatment though.


----------



## paredown

I've found that you can sometimes piggyback on an annual checkup if they are doing blood panels anyways. Depends on the insurance but I have had included or I've had to pay.  If you are there and they are already drawing blood it's trivial to draw a little more.

Even if you have to pay, it's relatively cheap insurance--and if you test positive, you can argue for a reimbursement.


----------



## Sodbuster

bholler said:


> My father had exactly the same experience last year.  His insurance also refused to pay for the testing because he didn't have the typical indicators that call for testing.  They did pay for the treatment though.



It and interesting phenomenon that insurance won't pay for a test or a scan, but will pay through the nose for treatment after the fact. Would have been cheaper and better for the patient if they just would have paid for the test/scan sooner vs later.


----------



## jetsam

Keep Lyme symptoms in mind even if your bloodwork comes back clean; the most common test is something like 30% accurate in the first 3 weeks of infection, and there are a bewildering profusion of different testing methodologies out there.


----------



## Sodbuster

The cure is 14 days of Doxycycline , which is old and cheap, I'm not sure why Dr's are timid to use it, especially with a confirmed tick bite. The best treatment is to get ahead of it, or it can lead to lingering problems.


----------



## jetsam

Sodbuster said:


> The cure is 14 days of Doxycycline , which is old and cheap, I'm not sure why Dr's are timid to use it, especially with a confirmed tick bite. The best treatment is to get ahead of it, or it can lead to lingering problems.



Because the more you use antibiotics the less you can use antibiotics.  Evolution at work.

Also because some of us get "confirmed tick bites" hundreds of times per year and I don't know if they sell it in 5 gallon pails.


----------



## Sodbuster

jetsam said:


> Because the more you use antibiotics the less you can use antibiotics.  Evolution at work.
> 
> Also because some of us get "confirmed tick bites" hundreds of times per year and I don't know if they sell it in 5 gallon pails.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> jetsam said:
> 
> 
> 
> Because the more you use antibiotics the less you can use antibiotics.  Evolution at work.
> 
> Also because some of us get "confirmed tick bites" hundreds of times per year and I don't know if they sell it in 5 gallon pails.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> True, but if you get the rash or other symptoms you should get treated right away.  Long term effects can be debilitating.
Click to expand...


----------



## Ashful

Sodbuster said:


> It and interesting phenomenon that insurance won't pay for a test or a scan, but will pay through the nose for treatment after the fact. Would have been cheaper and better for the patient if they just would have paid for the test/scan sooner vs later.


Insurance companies don’t do anything on a whim, statistics is the very basis of their business.  From their stance on this, you can rest assured that the cost of treating a few cases is less than the cost of testing many.


----------



## Sodbuster

Ashful said:


> Insurance companies don’t do anything on a whim, statistics is the very basis of their business.  From their stance on this, you can rest assured that the cost of treating a few cases is less than the cost of testing many.



You are probably right it's all base on actuarial tables. Unfortunately  some will die, so others can live.


----------



## LiamFitzpatrick

Side note that I just had a serious tick bite 10 days ago.  Virtually the first of December!  We were out gathering deadfall and I found my little hitchhiker while I was in the bathroom that evening.  Clean extraction and thorough cleaning but we're still watching for any symptoms.  Be careful out there.


----------



## bags

The ticks, especially the little bastards AKA: Deer Ticks have been awful this year in KY. We have had a couple of mild winters the last two years so...... I have never dealt with so many or pulled them off crawling up or on my clothing. I make sure I give them a good sunburn. AKA: They get the map gas torch treatment. Call me sick but I make sure they do not turn into repeat offenders nor their offspring. It's a one and done policy here. LOL!


----------



## LiamFitzpatrick

bags said:


> The ticks, especially the little bastards AKA: Deer Ticks have been awful this year in KY. We have had a couple of mild winters the last two years so...... I have never dealt with so many or pulled them off crawling up or on my clothing. I make sure I give them a good sunburn. AKA: They get the map gas torch treatment. Call me sick but I make sure they do not turn into repeat offenders nor their offspring. It's a one and done policy here. LOL!


I find a way to make sure any ticks don't return: swimming lessons or a crushing treatment works pretty good.


----------



## enordy

Contracted Lyme about 15 years ago, they though it was mono at first 

Fwiw, I make my own tick tubes now and spread them out over the 2 acres I worry about....probably about 40 or so in total...once in the spring and once in the fall....it all but eliminates the nasty buggers.

Just save the TP tubes and dryer lint (or use cotton balls) - I bought concentrated permethrin on Amazon for less than $30, probably enough for at least 10 years. Dilute to 7-10%  in a good spray bottle - hide the tubes under leaf litter, stone walls, etc.,  the mice  and chippies use the treated lint for thier nests, and it kills the ticks. Apparently rodents are the primary hosts for the ticks....










						Homemade DIY Tick Tubes – an Illustrated Guide | Growit Buildit
					

Ticks, we all hate them. Nobody likes picking ticks off themselves, their children, or their dog after playing in the yard. If your yard backs…




					growitbuildit.com


----------



## CatfishHunter

My brother-in-law got Lyme Disease not long after they diagnosed him with testicular cancer. He beat the cancer for a while but then it traveled to his brain. Mayo Clinic did four brain surgeries before it finally took him down. The doctors were extremely interested in his case as they had never seen it travel the way that it did from crotch to brain. I'm convinced that Lyme Disease was the catalyst, but it's kind of moot at this point.

I roast every tick that I find until it pops, or cut them in half with a knife. Those suckers deserve a terrible death for latching onto me.


----------



## NickW

Yep. Roast them buggers! My wife got Lyme's disease this past summer. Never realized it was a deer tick instead of a wood tick. Had never seen one before. Luckily our doctor recognized the symptoms even though it wasn't the traditional bullseye rash.


----------



## CatfishHunter

The disease can manifest in so many ways, and it can really perplex a lot of doctors. It's good to hear that the doc recognized it.


----------



## johnhi77

I once got 3  ticks at the back of my head. It was summer that time so I totally get it.


----------



## MrCool1

the ticks got crazy bad here in 2018 - I just turned the chickens loose for about a month, spotting them (the ticks) became tough, as the numbers went down fast. and now the girls have a HUGE pen. they basically have the barrier between us and the woods - double benefit, they are also my firebreak crew, and they make my breakfast. Triple benefit!
 I should go give them a treat. I haven't seen a tick in a couple years 
I had always heard that guinea hens are the best at clearing out ticks, but they are such a noisy bird if you have neighbors - they alert on predators and things they don't recognize - and the chickens exceeded expectations.


----------



## ispinwool

....since this group is all about asking questions:  we have 30 acres
we hunt on and it's thick with ticks.  Do any of you have any suggestions for killing ticks in such a
big area?


----------



## peakbagger

Guinea Fowl will eat ticks but they will drive you crazy while they are doing it.


----------



## MrCool1

ispinwool said:


> ....since this group is all about asking questions:  we have 30 acres
> we hunt on and it's thick with ticks.  Do any of you have any suggestions for killing ticks in such a
> big area?


Peakbagger is so right on both counts, but maybe then hunt guineas later?  a crazy hard freeze for a few months might slow them down. the ticks. I don't know if there is a "safe" for us spray for them like we used for the filbert moth. BT is what helped there and stay tilth, if memory serves. we paid a helicopter service to spray a little over 100 acres.
 i have no idea but I doubt the same stuff would get the nasty ticks.
guineas are crazy prehistoric looking birds.  crazy loud.
just saw in your signature - 1st grandbaby in september - congrats! I tell everyone that if I had known how much fun the grandkids would be, I would have skipped all the bother in the middle!


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## ispinwool

MrCool1 said:


> Peakbagger is so right on both counts, but maybe then hunt guineas later?  a crazy hard freeze for a few months might slow them down. the ticks. I don't know if there is a "safe" for us spray for them like we used for the filbert moth. BT is what helped there and stay tilth, if memory serves. we paid a helicopter service to spray a little over 100 acres.
> i have no idea but I doubt the same stuff would get the nasty ticks.
> guineas are crazy prehistoric looking birds.  crazy loud.
> just saw in your signature - 1st grandbaby in september - congrats! I tell everyone that if I had known how much fun the grandkids would be, I would have skipped all the bother in the middle!


THANKS!!  She's sooooo precious 
My hubby's dad said the same thing! "if I'd known how much fun grandkids were, I'd have had them first!" LOL  

And I haven't ever heard of anything that's safe for groundwater sources/us/domesticated critters to spray such a big area
to kill ticks...  I've also heard that Guineas aren't very smart; If we turned some loose, I'm betting they wouldn't live long.  But
I don't know much about them...might be worth it...


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## clancey

Gosh I am glad that I do not have that problems and my birdies would be worthless..(pigeons)..clancey


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## ispinwool

ispinwool said:


> THANKS!!  She's sooooo precious
> My hubby's dad said the same thing! "if I'd known how much fun grandkids were, I'd have had them first!" LOL
> 
> And I haven't ever heard of anything that's safe for groundwater sources/us/domesticated critters to spray such a big area
> to kill ticks...  I've also heard that Guineas aren't very smart; If we turned some loose, I'm betting they wouldn't live long.  But
> I don't know much about them...might be worth it...


I continue to forget that double exclamation points show up as "shocked"... I am NOT shocked that 
my Granddaughter is precious... **face palm**


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## weatherguy

ispinwool said:


> ....since this group is all about asking questions:  we have 30 acres
> we hunt on and it's thick with ticks.  Do any of you have any suggestions for killing ticks in such a
> big area?


Best thing to do in  your case is preventive measures with deet or some other spray when you walk into the woods. You can spray around the house but 30 acres it way too much to keep spraying. Or you can get guinea hens to roam.


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## CatfishHunter

Napalm. Agent Orange. Nothing is going to "knock out" the ticks where you hunt and anything that does, is likely going to have other unintended effects that aren't good for the environment.

When the ticks are bad and I'm spending time in the woods, I wear a pair of thin white jeans that are my "tick" jeans. I tuck the bottoms into my socks, where a white long sleeve that hugs my wrists, and tuck that long sleeve into my pants. I can catch 99% of the wood ticks that way. Deer ticks are obviously harder. If you are hunting, go blaze orange everything and again keep on the lookout for ticks crawling on you.

This summer, I came home from the woods and found a deer tick on the underside of my forearm a few days later. I plucked it and it stayed red for a week or two. I mentioned it to my doctor who put me on the tick medicine just in case. I never got the bullseye or anything else thank goodness.


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## rottiman

TICK"S SUCK....................................  Had to put my dog thru TWO 
                                                                                                 rounds of heavy duty treatment to beat a severe case of Lyme.
                                                                                                 3 months of treatment and 2300 bucks later she is Lyme free


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## clancey

That's terrible and my all these vet's are so so expensive but your doggy is still alive and we all love our dogs...Sometimes I have to take pigeons to FT Collins Vet Hospital for surgery and the price is just as bad...when they have to have surgery but it is so good to see them flying and walking when they would have not  be able to and your vet bills will become a thing of the past when you dog gives you a good tail wag...Ticks are really terrible and be careful and save all the medicine for it might come in handy some day....But yes lots of money spent..and suck ticks--terrible..clancey


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