[leoto5Fm]

last tueday i got off the trator and walk a few feet into the woods and took a piss when i look down i seen a few ticks . i thought i got them all off well i didnt . the next night i had three all the way into me . my wife had to cut them out . once we got them out we look at them under a glass and they had spots . the next morning i started filling bad so i went to see my doc . will now i and taken some stuff for lyme disease . if your in the woods check yourself are have your wife take a look ..... be safe all

[sarasmid]

All the best mick, I hope you're going to be all right. Ticks suck, the few times I've had them in my skin I had a hard time getting them out. Make sure you clean the area really well after you pull them out.

[traithJah]

Consider this to be a warning that your overall health might be less than optimum. George Gordon had a program where he talked about sitting on a park bench with his wife for around 30 minutes. In that 30 minutes he said he must have picked off 30 ticks while his wife did not find a single tick on her. They all headed for him. Her comment? "You are one sick puppy."

[Prererularl]

What can be mind blowing is brushing or disturbing the right clump of grass/brush and see several hundred ticks come swarming like pissed off ants.

Mick be well!

[gghrdfffhfyj]

Yup be careful! Those ticks can carry alot more than just lyme! Most people end up getting babesia, bartonella, and a few other nasty infections along with the lyme. Makes it very difficult to treat. Good news is the earlier your catch it the better you're chances.

[eXC3Kvnn]

George Gordon had a program where he talked about sitting on a park bench with his wife for around 30 minutes. In that 30 minutes he said he must have picked off 30 ticks while his wife did not find a single tick on her. They all headed for him. Her comment? "You are one sick puppy." I listened to that program the reasoning was parasites are designed to attack sick animals.

Same reasoning why insects attack plants, healthy plants produce their own pesticide.

[Valdoyes]

The ticks have been ALOT worse this year. I've picked about 2 off me so far. I find them crawling on me all the time. They not only come from the tall grass, brush or ground, but they also fall from trees.

[Prererularl]

Are Ticks prone to be worse in wet or dry years? OR does that factor in?

Asking because of the rainfall anomalies that we seem to be experiencing.

To me it seems the dry years they are worse.

[sposicke]

Yes, yours is excellent advice to be in the habit of checking for ticks. Also, we are always picking ticks off of the dogs. They have been dog ticks, not Ixodes (Lymes) ticks. I know the difference but show them to my microbiologist routinely.

You should keep 500 mg caps of doxycycline in the refrigerator. If you ever pull a tick off you and you believe it has taken a blood meal (i.e. tick is engorged and firmly attached, surrounding skin red and itchy), just take one 500 mg doxycycline PO. This is about 90% effective and a single dose has virtually no side effects. Original study was in NEJM.

[sposicke]

All the best mick, I hope you're going to be all right. Ticks suck, the few times I've had them in my skin I had a hard time getting them out. Make sure you clean the area really well after you pull them out.

That is very interesting, very interesting.

[JohnTruels]

Never had a tick on me, I've seen 'em on people though...mostly the brown ticks....what I have had is "red-bugs", got 'em out in the woods hunting and shooting..VERY annoying...ITCH like Hell, and they burrow under the skin

[gghrdfffhfyj]

They have been dog ticks, not Ixodes (Lymes) ticks.
You should keep 500 mg caps of doxycycline in the refrigerator. If you ever pull a tick off you and you believe it has taken a blood meal (i.e. tick is engorged and firmly attached, surrounding skin red and itchy), just take one 500 mg doxycycline PO. This is about 90% effective and a single dose has virtually no side effects. Original study was in NEJM.

I don't want to start an argument, but.....LOL First off it's not "Lymes" its "Lyme disease". Secondly one single 500mg dose of doxy isn't going to do crap for Lyme. 200mg bid doxy for a minimum 4-6 weeks should get rid of it IF caught early enough. Unfortunately I've been "forced" to educate myself on Lyme after coming down with a mystery illness after a weekend camping trip a few years ago. I could go on and on.... The IDSA treatment guidlines and info about Lyme are a joke. Just another thing we are being lied to about.

[Prererularl]

I don't want to start an argument, but.....LOL First off it's not "Lymes" its "Lyme disease". Secondly one single 500mg dose of doxy isn't going to do crap for Lyme. 200mg bid doxy for a minimum 4-6 weeks should get rid of it IF caught early enough. Unfortunately I've been "forced" to educate myself on Lyme after coming down with a mystery illness after a weekend camping trip a few years ago. I could go on and on.... The IDSA treatment guidlines and info about Lyme are a joke. Just another thing we are being lied to about.

Chiggers/redbugs

[jobsfancy]

I got tick bit 25 years ago and that damn place on my head still festers, I know I prolly should have it cut out but haven't. If ya take a match or lighter to em' while they're sunk into ya they will let go without the head still remaining in, thus causing the infection.

[sposicke]

I don't want to start an argument, but.....LOL First off it's not "Lymes" its "Lyme disease". Secondly one single 500mg dose of doxy isn't going to do crap for Lyme. 200mg bid doxy for a minimum 4-6 weeks should get rid of it IF caught early enough. Unfortunately I've been "forced" to educate myself on Lyme after coming down with a mystery illness after a weekend camping trip a few years ago. I could go on and on.... The IDSA treatment guidlines and info about Lyme are a joke. Just another thing we are being lied to about.

Nadelman RB, Nowakowski J, Fish D, et al; Prophylaxis with single-dose doxycycline for the prevention of Lyme disease after an Ixodes scapularis tick bite. N Engl J Med. 2001 Jul 12;345(2):79-84. [abstract]

[DexOnenlyCymn]

I got tick bit 25 years ago and that damn place on my head still festers, I know I prolly should have it cut out but haven't. If ya take a match or lighter to em' while they're sunk into ya they will let go without the head still remaining in, thus causing the infection.

Never attempt to remove a tick by heating up its body. If you do this it will cause the tick to "puke" up all of its nasty stomach contents directly into your bloodsteam thus increasing the risk of picking something up. The proper way to remove them is either with a pair of tweezers getting all of the head and pulling the thing out as close to the skin as possible, or by covering the ass, where they breath from when engorged, with vasaline toothpaste etc. so the are forced to withdraw.

[jobsfancy]

We had two remedies for chiggars...Campho-phenic (sp?) when you were totally ate up or clear fingernail polish dabbed on the singular bites. It's a miserable son of a bitch to deal with...if ya got the itchin to stop and the someone said the word chiggars it would start right back up. FYI..blueberry/blackberry patches are prime real estate places for chiggars in the south.

[jobsfancy]

Hmmmm....never knew that. Thanks LastResort.

[Prererularl]

Chiggers are the gift that keeps on giving, Once bit the itch at least for me and the sore that develops will be with you for at least a couple of weeks/month. The less you scratch the better it is. Healing? no itch? scratch and the itch will come back.

Texas has the mocking bird as the state bird. And I believe the chigger is "Hells" state (?) insect.

[gghrdfffhfyj]

Nadelman RB, Nowakowski J, Fish D, et al; Prophylaxis with single-dose doxycycline for the prevention of Lyme disease after an Ixodes scapularis tick bite. N Engl J Med. 2001 Jul 12;345(2):79-84. [abstract]

I wouldn't doubt that study's finding for a second. However I have read many many other study's and talked to people with real world "anecdotal" evidence that says other wise.

Now being the busy guy I am I don't have time to bookmark or save every little thing I read so ya now I look like an asshat with nothing to back up my claims! I do however have the link for a few years outdated but good treatment info from one of the most prominent now retired lyme docs in the states.

http://ilads.org/lyme_disease/B_guidelines_12_17_08.pdf