Ticks

[KodaChuck]

Have had good success on both myself and the dog for tick removal by getting a tissue or cotton ball wet with a weak solution of soapy water and then massaging the tick until it backs out .... but the emergency bells should go off anytime a tick is embedded for 24 hours or longer especially with color or swelling. Some good advice on this thread.
Just don't remember ticks being a problem when I was a kid 50 years ago like they are now.

[katman]

Agree to have it managed professionally, also the tick can be identified to help guide the doc for possible diseases.

Permethrin/Permanone is our cologne for clothes here in the south until a couple hard frosts.

[maineac]

Once the ticks come to your area they are there.  Once they became established they were a constant concern.  I picked one up early this spring.  I usually find them before they get in the skin, but you need to take Lyme potential seriously.  I know of several people directly that have been affected by Lyme.

[Whitetail Addict]

Well, the verdict is in, it was a Deer Tic. The doc agreed that I must have picked him up a couple days ago, and that explained the swelling and purplish color around the bite.

He had a heck of a time getting it out, and ended up crushing it. Not a good thing, from what I've read, but It's gone. He got what he could with forceps, and had to cut out the rest.

I have the "ring" around the bite, he said it was from a Tic in a known disease area, and it had been in for more than 24 hours, so he put me on antibiotics. They took blood today, and I have to go back after a period of time for another blood test. If I get a rash, or get sick, I go back sooner.

They said they're seeing a lot of cases this year. Way more than usual. You'd think the colder than usual winter we had here would have cut them down some, but I guess not.

Hopefully the antibiotics do their thing, and this is the end of it, we'll see. Either way, I'm going to take Tics more seriously from here on out.

Thanks for all your advise, and the well wishes, I really appreciate it.

Bob

[Ron Vought]

Glad you went to the doctors office. Keep an eye on it.

Ron

[slowbowjoe]

Sounds a lot like a bite I got some years back. It was buried pretty well in my leg, felt a bump in the shower.
I didn't go to a dr., a buddy got it out as well as he could, but wasn't sure he got all of it. The tick also got real agitated in the process, while it was in one piece.
Never got the bullseye rash, and forgot about it. For a few months, anyway. Until I started having all sorts of random health issues, as well as swollen lymph nodes near the bite.

Long story shorter: after puzzling a few dr.'s, them having me get tested (biopsy) for lymphoma (negative), I got a full blood work up.
Lyme disease.

One thing I learned since then is it's a lot easier to get rid of if treated sooner, rather than later. And duration of antibiotic regimen may very well take more than the three week course they gave me, which didn't work.

[Whitetail Addict]

After reading all your tick stories I'm glad I went to the Dr's. I'm sorry to hear about all the problems some of you have had.

Permethrin seems to be the thing to use for ticks, so what do you use, liquid, powder? Which brand do you use? Thanks.

Bob

[SELFBOW19953]

I use Sawyers spray to coat all my clothes. I spray my feet and socks with Deep Woods Off also-chiggers are a problem in Delaware.  I have picked up ticks when the temps were in low 30's, below freezing, especially when that was a warm up.  I am a "tick magnet", I can go into the woods with ten people and have more ticks than everyone else combined.  So far I've been lucky, no dread diseases!!!!

[Whitetail Addict]

I'll check out the sawyers spray, thank you.

One of my buddy's is a tick magnet too. He has a camp about 60 miles south of here, and it seems like he can't go to the outhouse and back without picking up a couple.

The deer down there have had a lot of ticks the past eight or ten years. Sometimes when you roll one on It's back to gut it, the stomach is crawling with them. I haven't seen many on the deer here around home over the years, but this year may be different.

I'm glad to hear that they haven't caused you any health problems so far, and I hope they don't in the future.

I haven't felt right for the last two days. Just tired and run down feeling. My Grandsons have had some kind of virus, and they shared it with Grandma, so I imagine I'm coming down with that, and It's nothing to do with the tick bite. It does make me wonder at the same time though. Thanks.

Bob

[SELFBOW19953]

Check with your Doctor, Bob.  That's how Lyme's acts-you get to feeling puny out of the clear blue.  Hopefully, it's just what your grandkids are sharing-better safe than sorry!!

[John Scifres]

Wait 'til one of the little bass turds buries in your junk.  Then you'll know the true meaning of an "Oh Sheet" moment.  I've had the pleasure of that at least 3 times.  I am diligent about checking... to the point of sinfulness if I got caught  

I set up some bee hives in a strip of woods at work this year.  I swear I can't walk out there without getting at least 1 crawling on me.  Had 2 on me yesterday.  None have stuck yet.

[SELFBOW19953]

John,

You're okay as long as you aren't smiling while you're checking for ticks!!!!

[SuperK]

Those ticks are some nasty little buggers.  A co-worker found out he has that disease that makes you allergic to beef and pork, all from a tick bite!  It seems that every few years they "find" something new that ticks transmit.  I don't/won't go in the woods without treating my clothes with permithrin.

[stagetek]

I've cut them out a few times, and soak the area with peroxide. I was told it takes 45 days for lyme disease to be detected. Save the tick once you remove them. It can be tested and shorten the detection period.

[Shotkizer]

I'm a forestry consultant and ticks are just a part of life in the piney hills of MS.  Remove them immediately, even if the head breaks off, which is rare unless you miss them for a day. You have 36 hours before a deer tick with Lyme disease can infect you, so immediate removal is paramount.

[Scott Barr]

I am surprised of this amount of concern and response about ticks.  Yeah they are ugly and I don't like them one bit.  Especially if they are in me.  They typically take two or more days to bore in. So checking yourself over after being out on trails is just smart.  I guess I got used to them. For years I would pick off a dozen or so off my dogs daily during tick season just to try and stay ahead of their accumulating.  This was before all the sprays and pills that are available today.  Pulling with your finger nails pinching close to the bugger's head ensures that the body does not tear off and that the head comes out.

[stonewall]

I get ticks daily. I work in the pine woods of Carolina. My wife has picked them off of me nightly for the last 25 years. I've used permithrin , deet,  every other kind of spray and oil and I still get them on me. One thing that does work is if you get one stuck just pat it with an alcohol rag and they will back out.

[Sam McMichael]

Three things to consider here:

1. ALWAYS spray with permethrin before going into woods or fields.

2. Don't fixate on LYME disease only. There are a LOT of additional tick borne diseases to consider and discuss with the doctor.

3. Many doctors are not really up to date on the many diseases transmitted by ticks.

[Whitetail Addict]

My doctor tried an alcohol pad first, but it didn't work. I doubt he left it on the tick for a full minute, and that may not have been long enough though.

Like I said earlier, until now I've always thought of this whole deal with ticks as kind of a joke. I've been doing a lot of reading about it here, and on the net, and after hearing about all the health problems people have had, and with all the diseases they can transmit, I'm seeing things differently now.

I'm not going to lose any sleep over getting bit, but I'm going the preventative route from now on.  

Thanks again everybody.

Bob

[canuck4570]

went to see the vet with my dog that had a tick and he removed it this way
he putted a swab of cotton over it and dose it with alcohol and pull gently while all the time adding alcohol

he told me the purpose of this is to make the tick release its grip and not leave the claw in the skin and provoking a infection