Ticks

I found a tick crawling on my foot in my backyard yesterday. First time I've seen one in four years of living here. :mad:

Now it's time to rain down liquid death on my entire yard. The last thing I want to deal with during my considerable time spent in my backyard is a friggin' tick population.
 
TONYM this post is for YOU>



You May Have It And Not Know It
Lyme Disease Is No Walk In The Park

Find Out What You Need To Know
Lyme disease is a bacterial spirochete (organism) transmitted by ticks. The name of the particular bacteria is Borrelia Burgdorferi. Many people do not know how widespread the Lyme disease epidemic is and the high odds that someone they know may be affected. Please take a few moments to read the following facts that demonstrate the seriousness of the disease and how it can be prevented.

Misdiagnosis
Estimates state that only one out of every ten cases of Lyme disease is reported and that many people are misdiagnosed. Therefore, the 19,000 cases reported by the National Center for Infectious Disease (CDC) each year are more likely to be estimated at over 200,000 cases.

Lyme disease may be difficult to diagnose because many of its symptoms mimic those of other disorders. In addition, the only distinctive hallmark unique to Lyme disease, the "bulls eye" rash, is absent in almost half of the people who become infected. The inadequacies of today's laboratory tests make proper diagnosis difficult, and it can be extremely troublesome to treat the infection in its later phases.

Lyme disease can attack virtually any system in the body. Some of the first symptoms may include a flu-like condition, with fever, chills, headache, stiff neck, achiness, and fatigue. Other symptoms can include pain in various joints and muscles, neurological problems, heart involvement, problems with vision or hearing, migraines, low-grade fever or other symptoms. Lyme disease is often mistaken for other illnesses since the symptoms often mirror other medical problems, such as multiple sclerosis, arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, lupus or Alzheimer's disease. In the some cases, Lyme disease patients can become paralyzed and/or comatose. Lyme disease symptoms may come and go and be replaced by new symptoms. Symptoms may be subtle or pronounced.


Selection of Proper Physicians
When a patient with possible Lyme-disease symptoms does not develop the distinctive rash, a physician must rely on a detailed medical history and a careful physical examination for essential clues to diagnosis, with laboratory tests playing a supportive role.

The inadequacies of the current diagnostic tests and many physicians' lack of experience with the disease and in interpreting result often prevent a correct Lyme-disease diagnosis. In the first few weeks following infection, antibody tests are not reliable because a patient's immune system has not produced enough antibodies to be detected. Antibiotics given to a patient early during infection may also prevent antibodies from reaching detectable levels, even though the Lyme-disease bacterium is the cause of the patient's symptoms.

Physicians that have had proper training in regards to the diagnosis of Lyme disease are called "Lyme literate." If you are interested in finding a Lyme literate doctor in your area, please feel free to e-mail us at info@turnthecorner.org.

Please click here to read a true story of the frustration of being misdiagnosed and not finding a Lyme-literate doctor.

Hey, I only met you once at last year's April WSS GAthering up there in CT, along with everyone else that attended; and thought you were an ok guy to hang out with and practice skills. I don't want you developing Lyme Disease because you already have a family that you have to earn a living to support. I won't shut up until you go to a legit doctor and get more then one 'negative tests'.
 
That's good information, 1Tracker!

What I want to know is, how do you detect Lyme Disease if you have antibodies due to Lymerix (or Immunolyme) vaccine?

Doc
 
It's been years, but worse place I had one was on the scrote ... Happened back in the 60's, but I can still remember my Dad using a hot matchhead to try to get that bugger to back out. :eek:
 
Thanks Doc, glad folks could avail themselves of it. I am Dr Burrascano's biggest fan! He's the real deal when it comes to doctors who actually care about the care they are providing to patients!

I had heard about the Lymerix Vaccine, but then heard on the grapevine that it was not what it should be and stayed away from it. I think there was/is a Class Action lawsuit regarding folks who got it. I would jump online Doc and read some of the Forums on Lyme Disease. It's not a joke, as you know, and there is a large body of information to peruse.

The ticks are bad this year because it's been a very wet Spring. I just hope that 'token Grandson' of your's has gotten his butt to the doctor...Yeah YOU Mr TonyM! I want nothing less than to see a photocopy of your test results. This is serious crippling stuff, I implore anyone who finds a Lyme type tick embedded on them to seek medical attention and not be discouraged by the naysayer doctors who tell you 'you're fine' when they have'nt run a blood test, or tested the tick!!!

Just yesterday my mailman told me someone else on his route; had found one on his sack! And the guy had been jogging in the freakin' park when he got it?!! How the heck does a damm tiny a** tick get up there on a running man?!!
 
Hey 1Tracker,

Thanks for that. I have been aware of the class action law suit for quite awhile, but I don't think it includes me because I'm not of the genetic type that suffered the ill effects.

And GS, listen to the man. Lyme is no joke for sure, and you live in the same state as Lyme, Connecticut!!!

Doc

1Tracker, we're doing this all wrong. GS, do you know that Lyme Disease could prevent you from fishing???? Also it could prevent you from performing your husbandly duties????

Man, if that isn't enough incentive, there is nothing!
 
Oof..not looking forward to these guys...

What weather do minnesota ticks usually come out it?

That's what I like about the bitter MN winters...everything is DEAD!!
 
They have been out for over a month in Northern Wisconsin, so they are out in MN I am sure.

I am no fan of the little buggers, I have had Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and my mom had Lymes disease...which was misdiagnosed as an infected heart stint for about a month.
 
Masteroffajitas said:
Oof..not looking forward to these guys...

What weather do minnesota ticks usually come out it?

That's what I like about the bitter MN winters...everything is DEAD!!
Click to expand...

I usually notice them more when it's dry and hot.

This year though the little vampires are already everywhere it seems.:thumbdn:

I'm heading up to the BWCA for 5 in early June and I can only imagine what they'll be like up there.
 
Lots of excellent info in this thread, many thanks :thumbup: Haven't had one on me yet, but I know it's practically inevitable :(


Ugh. Ticks. They creep me out.:barf:
 
1Tracker said:
Just yesterday my mailman told me someone else on his route; had found one on his sack! And the guy had been jogging in the freakin' park when he got it?!! How the heck does a damm tiny a** tick get up there on a running man?!!
Click to expand...

I seem to recall something about how ticks like to sit on trees and drop down on a host from a perch. I wonder if that's true.
 
My understanding is that they often find a host by climbing tall grass. I was hiking near Saskatoon a few years ago, and despite the hot weather, the locals were wearing long pants for this reason. When we stopped for a water break, we found five ticks clinging to the pants of group members. They are tough little bastards! I actually had to apply some pressure to cut one of them in half with my Becker necker.

All the best,

- Mike
 
Mentor said:
My understanding is that they often find a host by climbing tall grass. I was hiking near Saskatoon a few years ago, and despite the hot weather, the locals were wearing long pants for this reason. When we stopped for a water break, we found five ticks clinging to the pants of group members. They are tough little bastards! I actually had to apply some pressure to cut one of them in half with my Becker necker.

All the best,

- Mike
Click to expand...

I think that is much more likely :thumbup:, I've always doubted the whole drop from a tree thing. I would think they just latch onto you when your leg brushes up against a bush or something.
 
Went camping last weekend here in VA and there were ticks everywhere. Way worse than I ever remember it. Between the 4 of us and our 2 dogs we must have killed 20-25 ticks in less than a 24 hour period. They were all over the tents, crawling up our legs, on my friends dog (mine didn't seem to get any fortunately, now hes had his Advantix so he should be good to go in the woods). Anyway, we were all wondering the same thing, why so many ticks this year...
 
rksoon said:
I seem to recall something about how ticks like to sit on trees and drop down on a host from a perch. I wonder if that's true.
Click to expand...

Sure is, I've been a witness to it on a few occasions.

Permanone is your friend.:thumbup:
 
DOC-CANADA said:
Hey 1Tracker,

Thanks for that. I have been aware of the class action law suit for quite awhile, but I don't think it includes me because I'm not of the genetic type that suffered the ill effects.

And GS, listen to the man. Lyme is no joke for sure, and you live in the same state as Lyme, Connecticut!!!

Doc

1Tracker, we're doing this all wrong. GS, do you know that Lyme Disease could prevent you from fishing???? Also it could prevent you from performing your husbandly duties????

Man, if that isn't enough incentive, there is nothing!
Click to expand...

Doc, sorry for you that you can't be part of that class action lawsuit.

I'm not saying I was a gym rat like our boy Kevin here:eek:; but i was in good enough shape to do anything and go anywhere last April. AFTER contracting Lyme Disease I was so disabled by the major symptoms that I could barely get out of bed, let alone go to work. The symptoms got worse and worse, and even complaining to my doctor she was clueless:confused::thumbdn: I had to figure it out on my own what the heck was wrong with me:confused: Once I realized I might have Lyme Disease I had blood work done; and even brought in a tick from the side yard to have tested, besides the initial engorged tick I had given my doctor. But once I was diagnosed it was too late for the meds to have much of an effect. I went through all the known treatments and still have symptoms:barf:


Hey TonyM, I honestly hope you do not have Lyme Disease, but for the sake of your family please get tested TWICE, a week apart. This thing can go dormant and not appear on blood work at times. Hence why you need to be tested more than once. Even the labs can screw up your tests:thumbdn:

Another thing, once you are disabled from LD your movement becomes MUCH reduced due to arthritis pain, only older folks can understand what I'm saying here. At first you gain weight and think eh, not that big a deal. But then it reverse's and you begin to have muscle atropication, where you lose muscle mass beyond your imagination. For those of you who have met Kevin in person, imagine him TonyM's size, yeah it's THAT BAD!:eek:
 
It's not necessarily that the ticks are dropping from the trees; but are IN the trees. How? they are being carried by birds up there. Laugh? Don't, it's how this Lyme tick is being spread around the Country to places that never had it previously. Birds hang around bird feeders on the ground, same place those little basturds mice hang at night, dropping off their little tick buddies. Yeah, then the ticks hitch onto the bird legs and take a ride to where? YOUR YARD!! Unless you're eating the birds at your feeder GET IT OUT OF YOUR YARD! I discovered this through a process of elimination. You heard it here first, this theory is not to be found anywhere online except here. The wind does not 'blow' ticks through the air! The ONLY way they are in the trees are getting on squirrels and birds, plain and simple.
 
1Tracker said:
It's not necessarily that the ticks are dropping from the trees; but are IN the trees. How? they are being carried by birds up there. Laugh? Don't, it's how this Lyme tick is being spread around the Country to places that never had it previously. Birds hang around bird feeders on the ground, same place those little basturds mice hang at night, dropping off their little tick buddies. Yeah, then the ticks hitch onto the bird legs and take a ride to where? YOUR YARD!! Unless you're eating the birds at your feeder GET IT OUT OF YOUR YARD! I discovered this through a process of elimination. You heard it here first, this theory is not to be found anywhere online except here. The wind does not 'blow' ticks through the air! The ONLY way they are in the trees are getting on squirrels and birds, plain and simple.
Click to expand...

1Tracker, it's been known here for quite awhile that birds are spreading the ticks. I'll see if I can find a newspaper clipping.

Doc
 
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