Deer Ticks Don't Seem To Hibernate!

[Tradesmen4]

They are not just bad for humans. They are doing a number on our moose in the winter. We had a bull in the back yard this winter that was going threw the finale stages of life. It wasn't pretty.

[Jeremy]

Don, those are the reported and confirmed cases.  Only a fraction of cases are confirmed by testing and only a small percentage of those are reported.  My last doc didn't bother reporting anything   :rolleyes:  

The map is best used when viewed as a risk assessment.  The black legged tick is in MS, as well as a bunch of other ticks.  And all of them can carry a bunch of different nasties (and more than one at a time too)

Here's a neat series of maps showing the various tick distributions:
 http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/geographic_distribution.html

If you click on the disease links you can get info on reported cases around the US

[SEMO_HUNTER]

Originally posted by Rick Perry:
I have been fighting chronic fatigue and joint pain for nearly 10 years . About 8-9 years ago I went to a doc and I suspected Lyme . Test was inconclusive , not enough for the insurance to pay for IV antibiotics ....I have read that oral antibiotics wont cut it for a long term lyme infection..... My fatigue and joint pain have continued ever since . I have been to several docs and no one wants to put much into the lyme idea , but they have no answers for me .

Last month I had an appointment with a rheumatologst(sp ? ) and he p'd me off from the minute he walked into the room . He was plain arrogant and rude and told me that lyme , fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue were not even real worries ( in fact he said chronic fatigue doesnt even exist )and I walked out of his office . I have an appointment with another one next month . I have been living at about half speed for 10 years and no one seems to know why .

I literally feel your pain Rick. Although I have only had these symptoms for a year now, I cannot imagine how unbearable 10 years could  be.
Stay after your Dr. to persue this further and demand that he listen to what your telling him, or find another Dr. I brought this up long ago with my Dr. like 6 months ago and he prescribed a pain killer. I even mentioned Lyme disease and he told me that if I didn't have the rash then it could not be Lyme. Well it wasn't until I went to the CDC's website that I learned that the rash only shows up in 70-80% of Lyme cases and even if you were bitten by a tick months prior your symptoms can show up at any time.
My last Dr. appointment I "Educated" him by quoting facts that I had memorized from the CDC website then demanded that he give me the scrip for treatment. He didn't even argue with me.
Any Dr. that would scoff at your symptoms or disregard them like it's all in your head should have his license to practice medicine taken away.
I would have walked out too, but not until he had gotten an earfull from me in a voice loud enough that the entire waiting room would know what is going on.

Anybody who doubts the presence of or the severity of Lyme disease has obviously never had it or known someone who does. It's a debilitating condition and pure hell to go through.
Hang in there buddy and I hope you get treatment soon. I'll be fighting my own battle on this end.

[Don Stokes]

Thanks again, Jeremy. In my area we have the lone star tick and dog ticks for sure. I've never identified the black-legged tick here, but they're probably in my area. I've heard reports that the gulf coast tick is spreading northward, too.

In my experience, the more deer that inhabit an area, the more likely that tick-borne diseases are prevalent.

[highpoint forge]

I just pulled two ticks off my rear end and waistline after the long weekend hunt down in south Texas. Get em quick with surgical forceps or blunt tweezers, grab as close to the skin as possible and gently detach. Closely inspect bite for any mouthparts remaining. Clean area thoroughly.

[Michigan Mark]

Get the doc to take some x-rays, degenerative disc disease and degenerative joint disease with osteoarthritis can be the culprit if the Lyme tests are negative. Then again all tests are not as accurate as one might think. Thank you for the links Jeremy. Had removed so many ticks that were swollen at the end of a day (worse on property in the U.P., need the frost and freeze to put ticks to bed)and only 1 doc prescribed antibiotics over the years. Body in pain to move but docs say nothing to worry about. Now had to send the bow to the hospital for a weight reduction must have caught it from me. Good luck and healing for those suffering painful movement and degeneration.

[JParanee]

Originally posted by GMASIUK:
Doxicycline(sp)? 21 days of treatment. I was bit a few years ago and went untreated. I ended up in the hospital for five days on a IV. I thought I was a done for. It was no fun! If you do get bit see you doctor and demand the full treatment of 21 days. Don't let them give you the three day mini dose. The tests stink and are very ineffective. Take this from someone that has been there.

this is correct went thru same thing myself

    someone in my family did not treat in time went thru IV treatment then  very bad stuff

[ti-guy]

thanks for link and info  

[Al Dente]

I stand corrected.  After always doing it this way, and using a pair of forceps to grab the head, I used the vaseline or soap to help the tick release.  Now, they say not to do this.  OK, I'll listen when I find another tick.  

Two pro-biotics are L-Reuteri (lactobacillus reuteri), made by BioGaia and Culturelle.  Culturelle has a dairy free version.  I have found that they help your GI tract when taking AB's, and Doxycycline for three-four weeks is going to be tough going for your system.

[Keuka]

Well, I just finished the antibiotics today. They gave me 28 capsules @ 100mg of Doxycycline Hyclate. I was told to take two a day for 14 days. It's a rough antibiotic and I felt hung over for about 2-3 hours about 30% of the time after taking the capsule.

 One thing that seemed to bother me was drinking coffee after taking the capsule in the morning.  It took me a week to figure that out. Anyway it's over and it wasn't that bad.

Several years back I took a CPR course through the Red Cross. Included was a presentaion on Lymes Disease. Like someone said, the test for detecting it is VERY inaccurate. Another bad danger is you can get infected and the symptoms remain undetected for years. When they finally do show up, you can be in for a real rough deal and in some cases a real long range fight for life.

This tick was on me for about 5-8 hours, I think. The doctor told me I was at low risk because a Deer Tick needs to bite for 24 to 48 hours to transfer the bacteria. However, since it is a Deer Tick, she said, "lets do the meds" and I agreed.  

Like someone else said, I've lived with woods right up to my back yard for close to 60 years. I see deer and turkey in the lawn often and I've had a Wood Tick or two on me in the past. However, there seem to be way more ticks around now and the dead of winter doesn't kill them.

If you find one on you, research the web. There's loads of excellent information on tick identification and Lymes Disease

[Richard in OK]

Ticks are not too bad here in N. Oklahoma -- yet --. My friend is an entomologist with the USDA and says that some species of tick is active all year. I didn't say that very well. Ticks are active all year -- not always the same ones, but they're out there. I think we see them less in winter because there is less vegetation for them to climb and rub off on our clothes.

I also get bitten all the time. For me the signal is itching in a specific spot. Pay attention to that.

Richard