TICK Season

Depending on where you live, ticks ARE OUT.  I live in Virginia and found a "seed" tick attached to my back.  All of you know that ticks can carry Lyme Disease.  I have already had an episode 5 years ago, where I was bitten by an infected tick, went to the doctor with the tick (I called him Rocky, the tick) in hand and was examined.

I had the typical bull's eye circle and rash and was put on antibiotics right away.  Please be on the look-out as the weather gets warmer for those pesky little critters.  If you dip a cotton swab of alcohol onto the tick, it will let go, assuring that the chewing head releases from your skin.  Keep an eye on the bite and go to your doctor immediately if you notice any rash or bull's eye circle around the bite.

Lyme Disease can be cured if caught early and you receive the proper treatment.  If you are bitten by an infected tick, you should be followed up later with a Western Blot blood test, to make sure that the Lyme disease is cured.

Those of you suffering from neurological symptoms, with/without a diagnosis, certainly don't need to be fighting Lyme Disease too.  Check everywhere on your body for ticks, having your partner check areas that you cannot see.  Ticks are not normally found in your hair, but I am here to tell you, that they can and will attach there.  So check your head thoroughly.

If you have been outside and could have possibly picked up a tick in your clothing, make sure that you do not wear any of that clothing a second time, as we seem to do when we wear 'around the house' jeans.  Washing them in hot water, will ensure that any ticks in your clothing will die and drown.  Please do not take a chance with your health.

Lyme disease CAN be cured if treated early and appropriately.  Sometimes it can take a full month of antibiotics.  A follow up blood test is important.  Some people need a second round of antibiotics to totally rid their bodies of Lyme Disease.  This is why early detection is so important.  Catch it early before the tick borne illness can do damage to your body.  After the damage has been done, you are left with damage permanently.  Maybe a visit to the "Lyme" Forum would be helpful for any questions that you may have.

Enjoy your warm weather, but protect yourself....

Many Hugs to All of you,
Heather
Earth Mother

[Lulu54]

Heather,
Its the perfect time for your message - thanks for taking the time to share.

Also folks, don't forget to check your pets.  They can be innocent carriers of ticks and other insects.  

Be well,
Lulu

[Wobbly]

thanks Heather... good info for taking the ticks off...I didn't know that.. and I didn't realize to watch your pets either...thanks lulu..

hope you both are well

take care
wobbly
undx

[Heather3418]

Good tip dearheart.  Thanks for adding that.  May I add that there are flea and tick medications for your animals, that you can get from your vet.  It's liquid and is put on the back of the neck on the shoulder area.  I have found that the medications you buy in the pet departments, do not work as well, as what you can get from you vet.  Heartworm preventative is something else you can do for your beloved animals.  It is now given to cats.  It only used to be for dogs.  They found that cats were being found with heartworms.


Heather

[Amyloo]

Great info and great reminder Heather.  For those that don't know I am battling MS and Lyme, Bartonella and Babesia.  It's all very nasty stuff; avoid the tick borne illnesses at all costs, if possible.  Love to you, Amy

[sllowe]

Thank you Heather! We are all ticked up here too!

Hate the buggers.  

Thanks for the reminder!  Protect yourself best you can folks!

-shell

[wonko]

Great post.

Ticks can be as small as a poppy seed, the tip of a pencil, or period at the end of a sentence.  They are very easy to miss!

They like to hang out on borders between wooded and grassy areas.  They can be on the leaves of tall grass, where they wait to get picked up by a passing host.  If you hike, consider tucking your pants into your socks.

If you unlucky enough to be bitten, but lucky enough to be aware of it, you can even bring the tick to your doctor for testing.  

I contracted Lyme at some point in my life.  As an adult, I don't participate in any outdoor activities.  Seriously, I don't even go to picnics due to my dislike of bugs and lack of enjoyment of nature.  My symptoms appeared while I was living in West Philadelphia, which while infested with many things, is not a hot bed for ticks.  More and more cases are appearing in urban and other locations once considered "safe."

The number of reported cases of Lyme in my county in MD quadrupled between 2006 and 2007, and that's not counting all of the cases such as mine that fail to meet CDC qualifications.

If anyone has questions about Lyme, please stop by and visit us on the Lyme forum:

http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Lyme-Disease/show/148