Tick Awareness and Prevention

[OverWyreGrower]

Over the weekend, I was speaking to people from BADA UK who were promoting Tick Prevention Week in April...

Seems a bit of an odd subject for the board, but as a lot of us have various pets and also spend quite a bit of time in the Great Outdoors, I thought it was worth a post!

The website is well worth a read, and although it does focus on the worst-case-scenario type stuff, it's very interesting. Tick bites can cause Borreliosis/Lyme disease in people and animals and one of the ladies who I was speaking to was in a wheelchair because of a tick bite

We often holiday in Scotland where we know there are ticks and we've become very careful at checking the dogs and ourselves for ticks. I found out that Calendula (essential) oil can be used on dogs and humans as a tick repellant, which is good, as I don't really like slathering us or the dogs in chemicals.

Just thought I would bring it to your attention!

[organic]

A reminder is always handy - thanks very much.

I've got a couple of the green tick forks. I've never needed to use one in anger but when I head out into the hills with my girlfriend we have them with us just in case.

It's really grim what these things can do. If you're regularly in an area that exposes you to ticks, it might be worth getting your GP to put a note to that effect on your records so if you get strange symptoms they check you for tick related illnesses. I've not got around to doing it yet (no good reason, I've just not) but know some who have.

[its hilly]

As someone who got bitten and ended up with Lymes disease, can I really encourage people to think about this.
If you are in tick country and get a bite (even if the tick doesnt stay in) which develops a red rash around it, or nearby do go and get antibiotics from the doc.
Despite knowing about Cumbria being a bad area for Lymes i didnt think when i got a bite, as I just assumed it was an ant bite at the time. Imagine having Flu (the real cant get out of bed, only walk 200m and collapse type) for TWO YEARS. Along with skin rashes like psoriasis that wont clear up, and arthritis. Yes seriously that is what it did to me.
In my case I was only diagnosed three years later when the skin rashes got so bad that i went to the doc, and the practise nurse recognised it. All my other symptoms had been put down to other things.

[Nicos]

Good thread!

I've had tick bites- and also my son- which have bulls eyed

Deer ticks from our garden.
My son went to his UK Dr to ask for antibiotics- and he thought my son was having a joke!!
Anyway- I'd scared him enough for him to sit tight until he had the appropriate dose of antibiotics given him- having insisted the GP looked up Lymes disease on the internet!

Remember to check your skin in the shower/bath peeps- they do sting if you scratch what you think is a small skin tag/spot- so it does feel different.
If you get a red area around the bite- go to the Dr IMMEDIATELY!!!!

More peeps are travelling abroad these days- it's certainly somethiong which peeps need to be aware of!

[Nicos]

Gosh hilly- I hadn't realised you'd had it.....it really is something to avoid at all costs isn't it??

[Nicos]

There are some huge bulls eye rashes if you Google- but you do need to get to the Dr well before then!

He're is a piccie of a bite starting to bulls eye...



can you see there is a slightly paler ring inside the outer one- then darker again in the centre??

[its hilly]

Still got it Nicos, im allergic to the antibiotics used to treat it, and would now need a seven day intravenous in hospital (so doc says) so as ive already had it so long ive learned how to control the symptoms mostly. Still flares up badly when Im stressed though.

[snohare]

Worth noting that 50% of cases don't have the rash, or have only a blotch rather than the classic bull's eye. Supposedly recent diagnoses in Scotland have risen by 600% nevertheless.
There are herbal treatments and so on that are used by some people - but one of the complications is that many people who do get antibiotics end up "herxing" (Herxheimer-Jarisch reaction) and doctors assume this is an adverse reaction to the drugs, rather than proof they are working, which is what it means ! Treatment protocols tend to be complex with this complaint.
Lots of big court cases about misdiagnosis and poor treatment protocols, over in the States; some insurance companies were actively getting any doctor who diagnosed Lyme's Disease in patients, struck off for malpractice, thus ensuring they did not have to pay out for long term treatments...one state medical board was forced to resign en masse by an investigation into bias and malfeasance in setting standards for testing and diagnosis.
If you want more info about "alternative" therapies, try the Lyme's Disease forum on Healingwell.com.