Ticks!

[Yotekiller]

I have picked over 50 ticks off of me in the last few days including 11 since last night. For the past week my lymph nodes in my arm pits have been swollen and painful and I have been running a fever off/on for the past few days and have been so fatigued and achy that I have came home after work every day and laid straight down which I never come in the house until bedtime. My best bud just got Rocky mnt spotted fever a week ago. Has me wondering if I have that or possibly lime disease since it is also here. Worst year I've ever seen for ticks....

 

[Torinodan]

Go get tested, I just got tested again myself. Results not in yet though but a lot of bullseye sores. No fever and lymph nods are normal. Digestive system is jacked up right now for two weeks. I got all my ticks this time 4 weeks ago. I already have Alpha Gal from Longstar ticks and don't need anything else.

 

[Sporto]

No Ticks here as it is snowing right now. But boy I hate ticks (season starting soon unfortunately )

 

[Bmyers]

Yes, get yourself tested. My wife suffers from Lyme disease thanks to a tick bite that went on treated. At the time, the common medical knowledge was with the rash, you were okay. Since that time studies show only about 2/3 of the people bitten develop the rash. Sadly, for her by the time the tested here, which was years later, she had all long term blood markers of long term Lyme.

I would also recommend making sure you are using some bug repellant. I use Sawyer Picaridin insect and tick repellent. It has served me well over the last four years of use.

 

[Yotekiller]

Thanks for the advice fellers! The ticks have been a mix between the Lone Star and the black legged tick which are two of the worst for diseases in my area. My sister called me in Doxycycline this morning which I will pick up after work. So hopefully, it will rid me of any of that bacteria the ticks have infected me with.

 

[PoTreeBoy]

I would also recommend making sure you are using some bug repellant. I use Sawyer Picaridin insect and tick repellent. It has served me well over the last four years of use.

Can you compare the Picardin to Permethin? I get good results with Permethin, haven't tried Picardin. I don't get near the woods without it.

 

[Bmyers]

Can you compare the Picardin to Permethin? I get good results with Permethin, haven't tried Picardin. I don't get near the woods without it.

Permethrin is NOT to be used on your skin. It is great to spray on clothes, hats, tents, etc. and let dry. It works for weeks and will withstand some washing.

Picaridin is a DEET replacement. It is based on chemicals found in some pepper plants and has been synthetically made to allow mass production. Generally, Picaridin is consider more effective than DEET against mosquitoes and equally effective against ticks. I know the Sawyer products, both spray and lotion, which I prefer the lotion, doesn't damage plastic/rubber such as your watch, which DEET will.

I actually use both products, permethrin and my hats, gloves, and boots I wear out to the farm. I use the Picaridin on my skin.

Hope that helps.

 

[GeoHorn]

I did not realize How Dangerous LYME disease was…. until we met another couple at an Airstream Rally… The wife was in a wheel-chair…and we assumed it was because of some childhood or other long-term / indigenous disability.

But NO! She had contracted lYME disease …and thought that treatment might only be temporary for symptoms…. that no long-term adverse effects would persist.

Wrong.

In fact, she had been a healthy person most of her life…and in her late 40’s was bitten by a few ticks on a hiking trip …which she only suffered an itching rash at the bite site.

She later …much later…. Month’s later… had recurring fevers and debilitating joint-pain….which ultimately was diagnosed as LYME.

She became wheel-chair-bound over the next year, and died prematurely from complications of LYME in her mid-50s…. it had shut-down her immune-system…with no other attributable reason.

WE (in central Tx) used to have huge infestations of ticks in the late 80s and thru the 90’s… but when we quit having cows on the place…. no more ticks.

 

[Amarillo]

If you have some acreage you might consider Guinea Fowl. They are supposed to be very good at taking care of ticks, mice and other pests. We had some but they kept venturing into the state highway in front of our place that has a 70 mph speed limit. We lost almost all of them to vehicles.

 

[skeets]

YES YES YES go see the Doc ASAP,,,, I found a target on my arm in the fall, they ran blood work and found antibodies for Lyme's disease wound up on meds and Doc says it aint goin away it has since settled in joints that have been damaged and along with the covid really messed with my lungs,,, Dont wait my friend geter done

 

[old and tired]

I had Lyme disease and put myself on Doxycycline. If you don't know, stay out of the sun. I work in cotton fields and tried to cover up as much as possible, needed my fingers to scout cotton bolls... Actually baked the skin between my fingers...

I waited a bit too long, had the bullseye at the tick bite. My neck started to lock up, I thought I was just sleeping wrong... finally my shoulder started to get tight and hurt. Went on Doxycycline for 2 weeks.

No problems now, in fact it cleared up in a couple of days... but finished out the 2 week supply, just in case.

 

[lugbolt]

definitely get tested

I know of at least 10 folks who have contracted alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) from tick bites, usually the lone star tick from what I am told. Coworker's wife just found out she's got it (and alpha gal fits her personality quite well...), she cannot eat red meat, breaks out in rashes, can't breathe, etc. GF's ex BIL also has it, same deal-allergic to red meat. Both of those folks are avid deer hunters, and they can't eat it or they'll break out-severely. Bad deal all around.

I've had tick fever. It feels like every part of the body is hurting. Tired all the time. Fever all the time. Then it is gone. Then it might come back-in my case it was here and gone several times. Just when you think you're well, it comes back. It sucks.

had an old girlfriend who died because of RMSF, from a tick bite.

Get yourself to a doctor asap. May be nothing, and probably is treatable-but it's almost torturing yourself if you don't know for sure what it is and wondering if it'll get any worse

 

[fatjay]

I knew a guy who got lyme disease. He got real bad for a long time, years it took him to recover.

Get a couple dozen chickens, let them go where you go, they love ticks. Ever since I got them a few years ago, I haven't had a single tick on anyone. They have really cleaned up the place.

 

[Yotekiller]

Thanks guys! Day 4 of Doxycycline and feeling a little better although, I have probably in the neighborhood of 150 tick bites on my body and they are still itching terribly and don't seem to want to heal up. I'm a guy who comes home from work and works outside until dark but for the last week I have came home and laid on the couch doing absolutely nothing. Haven't had the energy to do anything. I was able to get out and mow and weedeat yesterday, but that had to be done. Hopefully a few more days on this stuff and I will be back to normal.

 

[re54drider]

I feel for all of you suffering from tick borne disease. As I learned in forest entomology you should check yourself daily for ticks since it takes 18 hours for the disease to be transmitted once the tick is embedded. I got into a mess of "seed ticks" once which were the hardest ones to detect being so small as well as numerous.

 

[Torinodan]

Went to the dermatologist today, she wanted to know why my primary care didn't give me Doxycycline. She ordered that script and burned off several pre cancerous spots on my head at the same time. You all be safe out there.

 

[GeoHorn]

After reading this…. I’‘ve become a “concerned husband”…. and as soon as she gets home…. I”m going to THOROUGHLY CHECK THE WIFE FOR TICKS!

 

[Yotekiller]

Went to the dermatologist today, she wanted to know why my primary care didn't give me Doxycycline. She ordered that script and burned off several pre cancerous spots on my head at the same time. You all be safe out there.

Make sure you get a probiotics to go along with it.

 

[DustyRusty]

I recently heard of people using sticky tape and clothes lint removers to go over their bodies to pick up the tiny ticks that are difficult to see. Inexpensive method to rid yourself of ticks, unless you are hairy like a bear.

 

[Yotekiller]

I recently heard of people using sticky tape and clothes lint removers to go over their bodies to pick up the tiny ticks that are difficult to see. Inexpensive method to rid yourself of ticks, unless you are hairy like a bear.

I have heard that, too. That's probably half the problem is I am covered like a rug in hair. Well, except for my head... It's a solar panel for a sex machine.