15 ms·
Lyme Disease Is on the Rise Again
- overcast 8y agoIf you're a hiker, permethrin. Spray down your socks, pants, shirts. Let it dry. You're good to go for a dozen outings. Non toxic to humans, and orderless.
- michaelangerman 8y agoaccording to wikipedia permethrin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permethrin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permethrin kills bees...
- sp332 8y agoSure but how many bees are you rubbing up against on a hike?
- exhilaration 8y agoI'm pretty sure it kills all insects, but the bees would have to land on your treated clothing to be affected.
- retSava 8y agoOne can guess that the primary source of release of the chemical is not by rubbing yourself on things, but from washing your clothes. Thus, it would end up in the oceans.
- overcast 8y agoWhen the alternative is Lyme Disease? I'm not giving it up. My cousin is severely affected by it right now, in her brain, affecting everything. It's awful.
- MycroftJones 8y agoYou can get Japanese Knotweed powder from Montana Farmacy. It helped a friend of mine he is now functional. One or two tablespoons a day.
- ams6110 8y agoIt would be so dilute by that point that it would not be worth worrying about.
- maxerickson 8y agoMore important than the concentration it degrades fairly quickly in water.
- loeg 8y agoThe ocean has a lot of water in it, and it is unlikely to be deadly at such low concentrations.
- rileyphone 8y agoI think it only kills on contact with clothing, so as long as the bees don't run into you they're good.
- r00fus 8y agoIs it part of colony collapse disorder? I see it like antibiotics - local usage probably pales in comparison to agricultural/industrial usage (e.g. sheep dip [1] and neonicotinoid usage [2] ) Yeah, I don't think dousing yourself with insecticide is all that dangerous unless you're doing it constantly like the agricultural examples above. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheep_dip https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheep_dip [2] https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/study-strengthens-link-between-neonicotinoids-and-collapse-of-honey-bee-colonies/ https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/study-stren...
- Alex3917 8y agoPermethrin is definitely the best option. But if you're running out at the last minute and don't have time to pretreat your clothing, Consumer Reports has a good guide to the best bug sprays on the market: https://www.consumerreports.org/products/insect-repellent/ratings-overview/ https://www.consumerreports.org/products/insect-repellent/ra... E.g. both of these get high marks: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F8AMY92 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F8AMY92 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015KG5NK https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015KG5NK DEET seems to be more effective than the Picaridin for ticks, but if you have a sensitivity to DEET then Picaridin may be the next best option and supposedly doesn't smell as bad.
- 13of40 8y ago>doesn't smell as bad If you look up the MSDS for DEET, it's actually odorless. The classic smell of Off! isn't from the DEET, and you can get odorless versions of it. I found a very good one in Moscow a few years back that just smelled like hand cream.
- Tiktaalik 8y agoNot legal in Canada. Then again there's few ticks in Canada's north, so Canadian hikers should just explore the northern part of their provinces.
- Pxtl 8y agoYes, but Lake Huron has some of the best dunes and freshwater beaches in Canada. It'd be hard to give that up.
- vlan0 8y agoMight need to carry a flame thrower for the black flies though!
- overcast 8y agoThat's unfortunate, I still spray before I leave to hike in Banff from the US though :)
- jammur 8y agoNot legal to sell, but legal to possess. I go across the border and stock up at REI in Bellingham. No problems bringing it back across. Apparently this is quite common for lower mainland residents. When I brought 4 big bottles of the stuff up to the register, the first thing they asked was if I was Canadian.
- Tiktaalik 8y agoAh yeah that's a good distinction that I should have made. I think I read somewhere that it's used by the Canadian Forces as well, but not made available to civilians.
- jammur 8y agoI wonder why you can't sell it here. They even recommend it on the government's travel site: https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/health-safety/insect-bite https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/health-safety/insect-bite
- mobilefriendly 8y agoIf you live in a target area, on the first of each month May-August treat all outdoor running and hiking shoes for your whole family. Also for dogs and cats use Frontline.
- wes-k 8y agoAs long as you don’t get any in any water as it will kill fish.
- rectang 8y agoI wonder how widespread Lyme Disease has to get before the economic incentives to develop a new vaccine reach a tipping point. There used to be a vaccine but it was discontinued because of insufficient demand. https://www.niaid.nih.gov/diseases-conditions/lyme-disease-vaccines https://www.niaid.nih.gov/diseases-conditions/lyme-disease-v... "In April 2002, GSK announced that even with the incidence of Lyme disease continuing to rise, sales for LYMErix declined from about 1.5 million doses in 1999 to a projected 10,000 doses in 2002." How do we square this with the number of cases rising so much over the last few years?
- Glyptodon 8y agohttp://www.newsweek.com/lyme-disease-vaccine-valneva-fda-approva-641796 http://www.newsweek.com/lyme-disease-vaccine-valneva-fda-app...
- seren 8y agoStrangely enough you can get your dog vaccinated but not yourself. >As of December 2016, a Phase I clinical trial was announced for a new candidate vaccine developed by the French company Valneva. The vaccine is similar to the SmithKlineBeecham product, but the vaccine is multivalent, targeting six Borrelia OspA serotypes. The trial will test vaccine safety, and a later Phase II trial will test efficacy.[xi] Baxter, an Austrian company, had previously tested another vaccine candidate in a combined Phase I/II trial, but the company seems to have abandoned development.[xii] http://www.valneva.com/en/rd/vla15 http://www.valneva.com/en/rd/vla15
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- Glyptodon 8y agoFingers crossed there will be a vaccine back in production within a couple years.
- Alex3917 8y agoGiven that there are 16+ tickborne illnesses, the impact would be limited. If you get bitten by a tick then you should probably just go on antibiotics anyway, since there is no comprehensive test for tickborne illnesses.
- hiker512 8y agoThat is not a viable option for many people working in nature. Farmers, sheperds, folks working in a Zoo, etc. They not have to take antibiotics constantly. The fact that there are no good vaccines really makes me mad, especially as a hiker.
- DennisP 8y agoTrue, but according to the article, "Lyme disease accounts for about 80 percent of the tick-borne illnesses in the U.S." Plenty of people who get Lyme don't get the rash, and don't necessarily even know they were bitten by a tick. Deer ticks are tiny and you have to check yourself thoroughly to see them. An effective vaccine would be very helpful.
- Alex3917 8y ago> Lyme disease accounts for about 80 percent of the tick-borne illnesses in the U.S. I mean how would we actually know that though if we don't even know what all the tickborne illnesses are, and if there is no test for many of them?
- DennisP 8y agoThey probably mean the known tickborne illnesses. When illnesses are unknown it's often because they're rare, so it's probably a good estimate. In any case, Lyme disease is very common and on that basis alone, a vaccine would prevent a lot of suffering, regardless of what other suffering remains in place.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- cjslep 8y agoAs an American that moved to Europe, I was already aware of the Lyme disease risks of ticks here. What I didn't realize - and am in the 1 year process of getting vaccinated against - is that ticks here carry a virus that induces encephalitis. Tick borne encephalitis is not in the Western Hemisphere as far as I am aware, so it wasn't until this spring that I found out about it. The vaccine is not available in the USA and requires a year to complete, which makes me wonder how hikers or visitors spending only a few months in Europe fare.
- yread 8y agoGrandma got both. Encephalitis is definitely nastier (and can have permanent effects on brain if not caught in time). She also got bitten by the only poisonous snake we have around here. It still hasn't stopped her from hiking in the woods all the time
- rimliu 8y agoBut at least you can get vacinated against encephalitis. Where is no vacine against the Lyme disease.
- Tharkun 8y agoI got lyme disease after my first and only (as far as I know) tick bite. A round of antibiotics seems to have killed it, though I am still noticeably more tired than before the infection (anacdata, could just be because I'm getting older and under a lot of stress). I reported where and when the infection took place on a local website which tracks these things. I informed the city council (considering this happened in a very busy public park) and I was pretty much told that nothing would be done. More green spaces would help. Keeping certain animals (like chickens) might also help. Killing the fuckers outright is another possibility, but I have to admit to being relucant about spraying toxic crap in public parks.
- EODjugornot 8y agoI really hope you beat it. I know a couple different people that got it and it can be miserable. If you get it under control it's expensive, and if you cant afford it it's pretty much torture. Good luck!
- peterhadlaw 8y agoI too often feel fatigued but wonder what part of that is just lifestyle / age etc vs any lasting effects. The levels of exhaustion before I knew what I had and was treated, were insane. Often asked myself how I could be so tired.
- mobilefriendly 8y agoThey need to clear mice and mice habitat.
- wilsonnb 8y agoEncouraging a local opossum population, if they live in your area, would help. They eat a lot of ticks. Allegedly they eat 90% of the ticks that they encounter, which can be up to 5000 per opossum in a season.
- nonbel 8y ago>"up to 5000 per opossum in a season" It looks like a single tick may produce 500 - 15,000 ticks per "ovipostion" (egg-laying session). LABORATORY STUDIES ON THE OVIPOSITION, EGG-SIZES AND SHAPES AND EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT OF DERMACENTOR VA RIA BILlS, RHIPICEPHALUS SANGUINEUS AND AMBLYOMMA MACULATUM http://www1.montpellier.inra.fr/cbgp/acarologia/export_pdf.php?id=2424&typefile=pdf http://www1.montpellier.inra.fr/cbgp/acarologia/export_pdf.p...
- EODjugornot 8y agoPeople around here (Niagara Falls area, NY) get it all the time too. Last year was horrible for ticks. I have 3 German Shepherds and some days i was pulling 10 or more ticks off them of multiple species. Reading this post makes me feel more confident for this year because i just got myself more than 30 chickens, but already this year my oldest brought home a tick. Hopefully they aren't as bad this summer.
- js2 8y agoIn my neck of the woods you're more likely to be bitten by the lone star tick, which seems not to be able to communicate Lyme disease, but sometimes its bite can leave you with an allergy to red meat: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha-gal_allergy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha-gal_allergy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amblyomma_americanum https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amblyomma_americanum Parasites suck.
- mox1 8y agoThese also leave a "red bullseye ring" around the bite area, which is a common sign of a deer tick bite.
- Fomite 8y agoPlease note that the Lone Star Tick can transmit a number of other diseases that are quite scary (various Ehrlichia, Tularemia), as well as STARI (Southern Tick Associated Rash Infection) which is very Lyme-like.
- 4restm 8y agoOnce a tick has been removed, be sure to place it in a ziplock baggie and store it in the freezer. This way if anything crops up you'd be able to bring the tick in with ya to the doc
- EODjugornot 8y agoThis is good advice. Most people just flush them. It is important to remove ticks the proper way. Tick pullers are the best, and haven't failed me in removing the head after probably 50 removals from my dogs. Tweezers are a close second. Do not twist, and do not use the suffocation method or the burning method.
- jjeaff 8y agoIf you said this in the south, you would get a good long laugh.
- dailyrorschach 8y agoI see you in multiple places on this thread with comments like these. So here's something to consider, Lyme Disease is actually not at all that prevalent in the South. https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/stats/maps.html https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/stats/maps.html Where it is prevalent, this is standard good advice, advice that we even taught in the BSA 18 years ago in the NE. Lyme is a really nasty thing to get, and not everyone even realizes they were bit, or is symptomatic at first. My case was when I was 15, worked at a camp, got bit, came out before I could notice, no rash. At some point later that summer came down with flu like symptoms, which went away in a standard flu timeframe. Two months later I had extreme fatigue, I'm talking couldn't stay awake longer than 6 hours. Luckily a blood test confirmed it, but not before it had spread to my spinal fluid, requiring two hospitalizations, over 30 days of IV antibiotics and additional treatment. So perhaps what works for you down South doesn't work where this is an issue, and hopefully it won't ever be something you or your neighbors need to worry about the way we do.
- jjeaff 8y agoValid point. But mine was simply that the idea of careful removal and keeping of ticks would be laughable in the south. Find any outdoorsy kid in the south during the summer, and there is a good chance their legs look like this most of the summer: https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8241/29056330235_19aeb3585e_b.jpg https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8241/29056330235_19aeb3585e_b.... Imaging carefully removing each one and storing it and classifying it for future lab testing. The advice is only applicable in the NE.
- stevehawk 8y agoJust FYI - when I lived in Northern Virginia I discovered that in my area the main transmission method of Lyme disease was actually mice. So make sure if you find them in your house that you do something about it. Also be careful when you remove via tweezers. If you squeeze their body you're likely to cause them to regurgitate into you which almost guarantees an infection. I use a tick removal tool (actually used it yesterday while building a fence on the wooded side of my yard) that uses a tear drop shape to try and pinch the tick at the neck minimize regurgitation.
- mnctvanj 8y agoYou can deploy "tick-tubes" to use the mouse-based-transmission to mass-murder ticks in an area. Soak cotton balls in permethrin concentrate (you can get it on amazon) and when dry, put them in empty toilet paper tubes. Put the tubes around your yard in the spring. Mice will feather their nests with the cotton balls and the ticks will die in droves. Also - After finding an attached tick on myself this weekend (hiking in PA, including some bushwhacking) I found the following link full of good info and somewhat comforting. Check yourself for ticks after every outing in the woods - only 1.4% chance of catching Lyme if you actually find the tick attached: https://www.uptodate.com/contents/what-to-do-after-a-tick-bite-to-prevent-lyme-disease-beyond-the-basics https://www.uptodate.com/contents/what-to-do-after-a-tick-bi...
- MycroftJones 8y agoThis video shows an even better way to remove ticks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82n9-eAoLjE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82n9-eAoLjE You take a q-tip. Soak in alcohol. Use it to gently rotate/spin the tick around its axis. After a few 360 degree turns, it will release its jaws and pop out all by itself, leaving nothing behind.
- mrfusion 8y agoIt’s funny. I researched it and I could never find a good answer why you shouldn’t suffocate them with vasoline to remove them. All the articles just say it’s better to remove them ASAP even if you squeeze them.
- rb808 8y agoI've stopped hiking and camping largely because of this. Its just not worth it any more. This page has an uncommon photo of just how small the nymph deer ticks are. https://sectionhiker.com/backpacking-lyme-disease-prevention/ https://sectionhiker.com/backpacking-lyme-disease-prevention...
- beamatronic 8y agoCurious as to which geographic area?
- pera 8y agohttp://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0174428 http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal....
- baxtr 8y agoI recommend to have one of these on you at all times while you're hiking https://www.amazon.com/Life-Systems-34020-Lifesystem-Remover/dp/B00I43UR9E https://www.amazon.com/Life-Systems-34020-Lifesystem-Remover...
- craftyguy 8y ago> Credit card sized ... > $11.98 shipping is it wrapped in silk and gold leaf?.
- 8y ago
- loeg 8y agoIt's a good idea to check your groin and armpits after walking through high grass or other vegetation in a tick area.
- dbbolton 8y agoHere are some links to the CDC's statistics and maps on Lyme disease for those interested: https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/stats/graphs.html https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/stats/graphs.html https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/stats/maps.html https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/stats/maps.html https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/stats/tables.html https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/stats/tables.html As an aside, it's tricky interpreting certain stats regarding epidemiology. The incidence is the number of new cases in the population in a given time frame, and prevalence is the total number of people known to have the disease in the population. Sometime a disease can appear to be "on the rise" because there is increased surveillance and screening for the disease, or because diagnostic methods have improved, which naturally lead to an increased incidence and prevalence. Disclaimer: I'm not arguing that Lyme Disease isn't real, isn't serious, or anything along those lines. But from a medical perspective, we deal with fear of Lyme way more often than the actual disease. Some parents will bring their child into the clinic every time they think they may have seen a tick within arm's reach of them. And when someone presents with an attached tick, it's more often than not an adult wood tick (which can transmit RMSF and tularemia but are not B. Burgdorfi vectors). When you are bitten by a tick, or any insect, some inflammatory response is expected, i.e. your skin will probably turn red. It doesn't automatically mean it's erythema migrans (bull's eye rash). But to muddy the waters even further, as little as 50-80% of confirmed LD cases had the EM sign, and many don't recall a tick bite whatsoever. But if you are in an endemic area, clinical suspicion for LD is high, we should be able to prove you have the disease with lab tests, right? Well, unfortunately Borrelia are notoriously difficult to culture, so that's out. The CDC recommends a two-step testing process. Step 1 is the Enzyme Immunoassay (EIA). If your EIA is negative, LD is ruled out. If it is positive or "indeterminate" (2nd most common outcome after negative in my experience), you move on to the Western blot which looks for antigenic proteins associated with the disease. It is considered positive if 2 specific bands are visualized or if at least 5 of a list of 10 other bands are seen. The problem is that these bands can take up to 6 weeks after exposure to become detectable. If you have no idea when/if you were actually exposed, this test is a shot in the dark. To top it all off, it can also come back "mildly" to "moderately" positive for LD. So if your EIA is negative, or if your WB is 2/2 or 5+/10 positive, we can give you a definitive answer. Otherwise, it comes down to clinical judgment and weighing the risks and benefits of treatment. If you were bitten by a tick, got a rash, had no drug allergies, the safer play is to assume LD, give antibiotics, and forgo the serologic testing that may or may not give an answer. TLDR - Lyme Disease is complicated.
- simonsarris 8y agoTicks were bad last year in NH, but not 5 ticks on a stick bad: https://imgur.com/a/bGdAvLD https://imgur.com/a/bGdAvLD Photo taken yesterday. I bought some old farmland and it has been a completely insane year so far for ticks. I wish I could do a prescribed burn of the field but it's not well set up for that.
- cujo 8y agoThe good news there, is that none of those appear to be deer ticks (lyme carriers). If my amateur eye is correct, those are dog ticks.
- 24gttghh 8y agoI concur, and photo evidence backs this up: https://extension.umaine.edu/ipm/tickid/tick-photos/ https://extension.umaine.edu/ipm/tickid/tick-photos/
- lymeeducator 8y agoAny tick species can carry infections (Lyme, Bartonella, Babesia, etc), not just the deer tick.
- jamisteven 8y agoI have this and was un-diagnosed for years, ended up doing all the research and ordering the lab tests myself as western medicine doctors were proving useless. For anyone struggling I would highly recommend this protocol from Dr. Buhner. http://www.tiredoflyme.com/the-buhner-protocol-for-lyme-disease.html http://www.tiredoflyme.com/the-buhner-protocol-for-lyme-dise...
- jaequery 8y agoAnyone that have Lyme, please look into PEMF solutions such as Ampcoil or Ryfe. It seems to be highly effective in treating Lyme disease.
- cpncrunch 8y agoThese are scams by charlatans. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Rife https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Rife The best treatment for Lyme disease is a course of antibiotics.
- jaequery 8y agoit is for people where the antibiotic havent been effective, which accounts for almost a third of all lyme cases.
- cpncrunch 8y agoReference?
- lymeeducator 8y agoThe best treatment for Lyme is a balanced immune system. Some people can be treated by a single course of Doxycycline, most relapse after 6 months and CDC incorrectly indicates that the cause is unknown. It's still Lyme. 2 of the 3 Lyme forms are resistant to antibiotics. Proper treatment will take months, or longer if coinfected, and require multiple, pulsing of antibiotics or herbals (yes, they are quite effective on me and others).
- gamblor956 8y agoCouldn't find any published scientific results on the efficacy of "herbal" treatment for lime disease or "pulsed" antibiotic treatments from websites/doctors that weren't trying to sell the treatment. Do you have any actual scientific evidence to back up your claims or are you part of what the New Yorker has termed the lyme quackery?
- notadoc 8y agoThis article and many others focuses on Lyme in the northeastern US, but Lyme has spread to the interior and the west coast. It's in up to 25% of ticks in many western states and around the west coast. I find ticks constantly on dogs after taking walks/hikes in California/Oregon/Washington, even if they have tick/flea treatment. I've had one embedded in me that was so small and flush it looked just like a new tiny mole had appeared, it wasn't until it squirmed around after being brushed over a few times that I realized it was a tick. They can be quite a challenge to remove properly even with tweezers. The tick population has surged dramatically in the western states and east coast, largely from an overpopulation of deer, mice, and other rodents, and an increasing lack of predators to those common tick carriers. Ultimately we to allow predators to return to the natural landscape and in abundance, with birds of prey, foxes, coyote, etc to take out the mice and smaller carriers, and we many more large predators, bear, wolf, mountain lion, human hunters included, to reduce the dramatic deer overpopulation. And yes, thinning of known tick carriers like mice and deer is demonstrably proven to work. http://www.ct.gov/caes/lib/caes/documents/publications/fact_sheets/entomology/deer_&_ticks_fact_sheet.pdf http://www.ct.gov/caes/lib/caes/documents/publications/fact_...
- marmottus 8y agoGot bitten in 2010 while camping in Czechia, we failed to remove the tick properly and the head stayed in my skin so we had to butcher me a bit more and it left a tiny wound. Two days later I got the famous painful rash that I had no clue about, red circle, swollen and painful. I went to the doctor who immediately told me "you might have Lyme disease", I had never heard of this before but I understood that it required 3 weeks amoxicillin. I did several blood tests and got positive once to the borreliosis then negative after the treatment. So I thought everything was over but a month later I was feeling extremely tired, body and brain wise, I started to freak out that the disease was still there but blood tests were negative. This was during my exams period and as a student I was under high stress and the spot where I got bitten was still a bit swollen. The doctor told me that it was normal but the only way to be sure that the disease is completely gone at this stage (around 2 months after being bitten) is to do a lumbar puncture which I did (kudos to pregnant women who go through this ! I'll never do it again). The test showed negative, there was no way that I could still have the disease so it calmed me down and I accepted that it was just due to stress and hypochondria. Today I'm totally fine, this was my first bite and I hope the last one. This little bug is a pure nightmare.
- sydd 8y agothe sad thing about lyme disease is that we dont have a vaccine due to anti vaxxers: https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/5/7/17314716/lyme-disease-vaccine-history-effectiveness https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/5/7/17314716/lym...
- mmt 8y agoThe sadder thing is that this story isn't now trumpetted alongside every lyme-disease-is-growing story. I actually personally remember considering getting the vaccine when it was available, since I spent quite a bit of time outdoors, and declining because my doctor and I were bamboozled into thinking the risks were real (that we now know to be faked).
- graeme 8y agoSince the patent is expired, what stops is from being brought back as a generic?
- lymeeducator 8y agoThe vaccine caused a number of issues. Given the nature of the bacteria, it's DNA and multiple forms, two of which are resistant to antibiotics (biofilm, round body-starvation form), it is not too feasible to develop a vaccine. It's a very capable bacteria. Try reading "Healing Lyme" by Buhner.
- fletchowns 8y agoThere was an interesting segment about Lyme Disease on KQED's Forum the other day: https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101865065/lyme-disease-on-the-rise-in-northern-california https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101865065/lyme-disease-on-the...
- Rafuino 8y agoIs there a TL/DL for that segment? Going backpacking this weekend and this whole forum has me worried...
- aethertap 8y agoI live in tick central, and for anyone else in that situation who doesn't already have a tick mitigation strategy, here's what I do (and I'd love to hear other things that work that aren't on the list): 1. Clear all debris (wood chips, leaves, etc) from places people frequent, and keep the grass cut short 2. Permethrin-laced cotton balls inside PVC tubes scattered liberally around the area. Small animals pick these up and make nests out of them, which kills the ticks while they're on the rodent hosts. 3. Permethrin on footwear, and safe insect repellent (DEET or picaridin, also geranium oil seems to help) on skin and lower-half clothing 4. Chickens in the yard seem to eat more than they host 5. Daily checks for everybody in the house
- mmjaa 8y agoI have been suffering with this for the last year. I have to say, its really a heinous condition. First, I didn't think much of ticks - I thought they were a nuisance, but nothing serious. So, after I got particularly attacked one warm summer evening, I didn't really care much for it. 3 ticks in one day - okay, not ideal, but I wasn't going to freak (I've been stung by jellyfish, bitten by snakes, hundreds of spider bites, the odd encounter with a wasp or two .. Australian problems...) But, a few days after I brushed it all off, I noticed the tell-tale signs of the red bullseye targets .. and I did nothing. I simply was ignorant that it could get so bad. Three weeks later, I was feeling awful - just totally shit. I happened to mention that I was in an area known for ticks, and my friend said "well, have you been bitten recently?" .. I recalled the event, and they promptly sent me straight to hospital for a blood test. Yup, I came back positive for Borellia. 6 weeks of antibiotics, and real hellish symptoms - lethargy like no other I've ever experienced, headaches, lack of attention and sometimes real cognitive problems. Aches in every bone in my body. Take this one serious, folks. Get yourself tested within days of a tick bite. Its really not something you want to go through, believe me ...
- astura 8y ago>Get yourself tested within days of a tick bite Lyme Disease is very serious, but this is bad advice. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/what-to-do-after-a-tick-bite-to-prevent-lyme-disease-beyond-the-basics https://www.uptodate.com/contents/what-to-do-after-a-tick-bi... >There are many different types of ticks in the United States, some of which are capable of transmitting infections. The risk of developing these infections depends upon the geographic location, season of the year, type of tick, and, for Lyme disease, how long the tick was attached to the skin. >While many people are concerned after being bitten by a tick, the risk of acquiring a tick-borne infection is quite low, even if the tick has been attached, fed, and is actually carrying an infectious agent. Ticks transmit infection only after they have attached and then taken a blood meal from their new host. A tick that has not attached (and therefore has not yet become engorged from its blood meal) has not passed any infection. Since the deer tick that transmits Lyme disease typically feeds for >36 hours before transmission of the spirochete, the risk of acquiring Lyme disease from an observed tick bite, for example, is only 1.2 to 1.4 percent, even in an area where the disease is common. >The organism that causes Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, lies dormant in the inner aspect of the tick's midgut. The organism becomes active only after exposure to the warm blood meal entering the tick's gut. Once active, the organism enters the tick's salivary glands. As the tick feeds, it must get rid of excess water through the salivary glands. Thus, the tick will literally salivate organisms into the wound, thereby passing the infection to the host. >If a person is bitten by a deer tick (the type of tick that carries Lyme disease), a healthcare provider will likely advise one of two approaches: >●Observe and treat if signs or symptoms of infection develop >●Treat with a preventive antibiotic immediately >There is no benefit of blood testing for Lyme disease at the time of the tick bite; even people who become infected will not have a positive blood test until approximately two to six weeks after the infection develops (post-tick bite). >The history of the tick bite will largely determine which of these options is chosen. Before seeking medical attention, the affected person or household member should carefully remove the tick and make note of its appearance (picture 1). Only the Ixodes species of tick, also known as the deer tick, causes Lyme disease. ..... >Need for treatment — The clinician will review the description of the tick, along with any physical symptoms, to decide upon a course of action. The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) recommends preventive treatment with antibiotics only in people who meet ALL of the following criteria: >●Attached tick identified as an adult or nymphal Ixodes scapularis (deer) tick >●Tick is estimated to have been attached for ≥36 hours (based upon how engorged the tick appears or the amount of time since outdoor exposure) >●The antibiotic can be given within 72 hours of tick removal >●The local rate of tick infection with B. burgdorferi is ≥20 percent (known to occur in parts of New England, parts of the mid-Atlantic states, and parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin) >●The person can take doxycycline (eg, the person is not pregnant or breastfeeding or a child <8 years of age) >If the person meets ALL of the above criteria, the recommended dose of doxycycline is a single dose of 200 mg for adults and 4 mg/kg, up to a maximum dose of 200 mg, in children ≥ 8 years. >If the person cannot take doxycycline, the IDSA does not recommend preventive treatment with an alternate antibiotic for several reasons: there are no data to support a short course of another antibiotic, a longer course of antibiotics may have side effects, antibiotic treatment is highly effective if Lyme disease were to develop, and the risk of developing a serious complication of Lyme disease after a recognized bite is extremely low. ...... >Signs of Lyme disease — Whether or not a clinician is consulted after a tick bite, the person who was bitten (or the parents, if a child was bitten) should observe the area of the bite for expanding redness, which would suggest erythema migrans (EM), the characteristic rash of Lyme disease (picture 3). Approximately 80 percent of people with Lyme disease develop EM; 10 to 20 percent of people have multiple lesions. (See "Patient education: Lyme disease symptoms and diagnosis (Beyond the Basics)".) >The EM rash is usually a salmon color although, rarely, it can be an intense red, sometimes resembling a skin infection. The color may be almost uniform. The lesion typically expands over a few days or weeks and can reach over 20 cm (8 inches) in diameter. As the rash expands, it can become clear (skin-colored) in the center. The center of the rash can then appear a lighter color than its edges or the rash can develop into a series of concentric rings giving it a "bull's eye" appearance. The rash usually causes no symptoms, although burning or itching has been reported. >In people with early localized Lyme disease, EM occurs within one month of the tick bite, typically within a week of the tick bite, although only one-third of people recall the tick bite that gave them Lyme disease. Components of tick saliva can also cause a rash; however, this rash should not be confused with EM. The rash caused by tick saliva typically occurs while the tick is still feeding or just after the tick detaches, and usually does not expand to a size larger than a dime. >If EM or other signs or symptoms suggestive of Lyme disease develop (table 1), the person should see a healthcare provider for proper diagnosis and treatment. (See "Patient education: Lyme disease treatment (Beyond the Basics)".)
- IpV8 8y agoI grew up in Connecticut, not far from the town of Old Lyme where the disease gets its name from! Most people who spend any amount of time outside there know the symptoms well and doctors give away doxycycline prescriptions like their going out of style. I've gone through it three separate times. If you catch it quick, the antibiotics crush it and you're on your merry way. Ignore it and you'll suffer for life.
- cody8295 8y agoI live in Connecticut, where Lyme disease was discovered. I go hiking a lot and it's a big concern for many including me. I don't use sprays or anything I just wear light colored clothing and when possible (spring and fall) long pants. Wearing lighter colored clothing allows you to notice ticks before they get to your skin. And post hike, full body tick checks are mandatory. it's a good thing most don't bite until you've stopped moving and stay still for a while. I've pulled dozens of ticks off of my body, luckily only a few that dug in
- cody8295 8y agoForgot to mention, biggest tip I have is to avoid tall grass and don't touch any branches or bushes but if you do then check you hand and whole arm.
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