how many of you have lymes?

[+scrapes]

I've been romping around central NJ for a month now, its been cold enough to slow down the ticks, but I can imagine what its like in summer.

 

How many of you guys have contracted lymes? My daughter who has never set foot in the woods got it from a tick on a soccer field, go figure. Its nasty.

 

I plan on treating my pants with permithrin. ExOfficio also makes treated clothes. What precautions do you guys take?

[+seldon]

I did last summer, western Wisconsin. Antibiotics took care of it.

Edited January 16, 2010 by seldon

[+krasota]

Not yet, though I've been tested quite a few times.

 

I did have a dog who tested positive for exposure. He died of kidney failure, likely Lyme nephritis.

 

And we end up finding tons of ticks every time we go to south Jersey. My folks-in-law live in a house which backs up to a wetland. Gorgeous views, but the dog picks up tons of ticks. They're usually dead by the time we find them (frontline).

 

I'm hoping the cold snap we just had here in VA was long enough to affect the tick and mosquito populations. I'm not holding my breath, though.

[+scrapes]

Not yet, though I've been tested quite a few times.

 

I did have a dog who tested positive for exposure. He died of kidney failure, likely Lyme nephritis.

 

And we end up finding tons of ticks every time we go to south Jersey. My folks-in-law live in a house which backs up to a wetland. Gorgeous views, but the dog picks up tons of ticks. They're usually dead by the time we find them (frontline).

 

I'm hoping the cold snap we just had here in VA was long enough to affect the tick and mosquito populations. I'm not holding my breath, though.

 

My dog has/had lymes to the point where I've had to carry him. Its amazing how dogs recover from it, one dose of an antibiotic and he looks like a new dog. I've got a fenced yard yet the ticks still come around.

 

I'm staying on top of the Frontline dose now cause I can't get out of the house without him.

 

Unfortunately ticks aren't really affected by the cold, below 30 degrees they basically become inactive. What is their purpose in the food chain?

[+Trekkin' and birdin']

Trekkin' has had it three times, and each time it has been worse. Western Wisconsin also and antibiotics treats it, but we know way more about the disease and all it's intricacies than anyone should really know.

[+Ambrosia]

I don't know what I have, but there's always a possibility that it's Lyme Disease. But at this point, I'm so far gone that it really doesn't matter anymore.

 

I know two people who have Lyme Disease or something similar, and it's hugely affected their lives and it's very sad.

 

It's not seen as much up the NW, but it happens. Plus, we've traveled quite a bit in areas that have it. I really feel for people who have to live in areas where it's prevalent. I'd hate to worry about spending time in the great outdoors.

[+flaffle]

I got it this past June after 6 months of caching. It worked out pretty well for me as I had gone in for feeling dizzy and the doctor saw all my tick bits (I had about 10 gnarly looking bites just on my stomach) and ordered the test. It came back positive and I did the antibiotics. Fortunately, I never got really sick.

 

As far as precautions, yeah, you can do EVERYTHING right and still walk out with a few little blood suckers. I use 100% DEET and always wear long clothing. The most important thing you should do is a thorough body search asap after you get out of the woods. The transmission rate goes down significantly if you can get the ticks off right away.

[+Harry Dolphin]

Lyme Disease. Not lymes!

I've had it two or three times. I'm North Jersey. Not pleassant. Antibiotics work well. Worst problem was getting poison ivy when suffering from Lyme. That turned into allergic dermatitis. Don't ever put me on prednisone again!

[+scrapes]

"Lyme Disease. Not lymes!"

 

What does that mean?

[Motorcycle_Mama]

The correct name is "Lyme Disease". There's no 's' in the name.

 

It was named after the town of Lyme, Connecticut.

[+briansnat]

As far as precautions, yeah, you can do EVERYTHING right and still walk out with a few little blood suckers.

 

You sure can. I treat my clothing with permethrin and use DEET on my skin. When I get home my clothing goes right into the wash and I check the body for ticks.

 

Even after doing all this I woke up one morning with a tick attached. I had fallen asleep on the living room couch that night. The same couch that I threw my pack down on when I got home.

 

My guess is that the tick was on the pack, hopped off the pack and onto the couch, then on to me when I laid down on the couch.

 

Now my pack gets treated with permethrin too.

[+cerberus1]

I sorta agree with Brian...

 

Just got over a TWO year bout with Lyme last May.

I was one of the unfortunate, who thought feeling sluggish and having a bit of arthritis was simply due to age. Was diagnosed WAY too late and antibiotics were no longer an option after an initial mega-dose.

Try having flu-like symptoms and severe arthritis for two years. It became all-out war on ticks !

 

Now, EVERTHING we wear is sprayed with permethrin and we also spray exposed skin with deet.

After having a similar incident to Brian's, we now also spray permethrin on our packs and hats.

-And we're very meticulous about it when headin' for North Jersey (where I got lyme.)

 

We put our clothes in the DRYER for about twenty minutes when we get home (not the wash), to kill any who "may" have made it aboard. Have seen one or two dead on the lint screen, that must have found a spot not treated. Wish I could torture 'em more.

 

Cache safe.

[+scrapes]

The correct name is "Lyme Disease". There's no 's' in the name.

 

It was named after the town of Lyme, Connecticut.

 

I am well aware of the origination, but it is a common vernacular used and technically its Lyme disease. The 'd' isn't capitalized. It is amusing that people have to correct verbiage in internet forums, yet they misspell words in their corrective post.

 

I'm new to this forum and geocaching, I now consider myself indoctrinated.

[+scrapes]

Thanks Brian and Cerberus, I never thought of treating my pack. That is good info. I'll be spraying it tomorrow.

[+natloh2]

I got it two years ago in Wisconsin, took six months to get it under control.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

What is their purpose in the food chain?

 

Favorite food of guinea hens. Everybody should have guinea hens, that'll take care of the ticks!

[+ZeLonewolf]

I once went caching in Lyme, CT, in the woods. Let me tell you, I have NEVER seen such a tick concentration! The tiniest contact with the woods yielded a bunch of ticks. I think I counted 20 ticks on a single cache in that area. It's not just the origin of Lyme disease, it's a feaking tick convention.

[+Max and 99]

I've been called a Tick Magnet because of the hundreds of ticks I've picked up geocaching (one reach into an Evergreen yielded about 200 on me!). Talk about freaking out! I've had so many tick bites and suspect one of these days I will get Lyme Disease. I sure hope I don't!

Great question to pose on the forums, by the way.

[+bobandrobin]

Here's a map showing which areas of U.S. have the highest risk, apparently the cold temps aren't a factor.

[+briansnat]

Here's a map showing which areas of U.S. have the highest risk, apparently the cold temps aren't a factor.

 

I've seen ticks out in January with snow on the ground.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

You should also note that the common (as many here have eluded to) wood ticks supposedly are not the carrier of Lyme Disease.

 

The culprit is the deer tick, a very tiny little beastie that is easily passed over in a cursory inspection.

They are smaller than the head of a pin.

Sure, any tick on your person gives one the shudders, and aids in shedding clothing quickly to look closer....

but don't just inspect for the obvious wood tick, think SMALL!

 

Not saying that one shouldn't worry about wood ticks, but the problem is the deer tick.

 

Prompt treatment when you notice the signature target-shaped concentric red circles that surround a bite that you did not know you got is crucial.

[+Packanack]

Not everyone gets the Bullseye Rash. Lyme is not all the same, there are several tick borne illnesses , so be aware that you can get more than one variety from a single tick. Babeosis should be of concern. After a tick bite, start drinking Tonic Water, seriously , it is thought that it may help as it contains quinnine which seems to have an affect in suppressing the parasitic bacteria.

 

Prophylaxis by doxycycline seems to be the norm after removal of an engorged tick, and engorged tick is pretty darn ugly in my view. My Doctor, said he would not even wait, gave me the RX and off I went. I am now more atuned to using spray on pants legs.

 

Try wearing light weight long underwear even in more mild temperatures and sock over, so when you peel you are taking them off too.

 

Lyme did not originate in Old Lyme Ct-- see link-- and put your aluminum foil hats on.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plum_Island_A..._Disease_Center

Edited January 18, 2010 by Packanack

[4wheelin_fool]

Lyme did not originate in Old Lyme Ct-- see link-- and put your aluminum foil hats on.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plum_Island_A..._Disease_Center

 

That IS odd that the Plum Island Animal Disease Center research facility, dedicated to the study of animal diseases, is the closest island just off the coast a little over 5 miles away..

Any wild mammal seen on the island is killed on sight.

hmmm.. Edited January 18, 2010 by 4wheelin_fool

[+Castle Mischief]

Lyme did not originate in Old Lyme Ct-- see link-- and put your aluminum foil hats on.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plum_Island_A..._Disease_Center

 

So says Dr. Carroll. But...

 

The disease is named after the village of Lyme, Connecticut, where a number of cases were identified in 1975.

 

The key word is "identified" which doesn't necessarily mean "originated".

 

For the record, in our house we only have lymons.

[+Snoogans]

Okay, who had 25th post in the when will Snoogans post it pool?

 

 

I made this motto as a joke. Too bad it's more true than just a joke.

 

I had a Lyme tider test once in 2004. Thankfully it was negative.

[+JesandTodd]

!!! Really? I never knew it was such a problem!! Here I am wishing I could move to someplace greener... But the thought of being infested with these ticks is disgusting!!! Bleh.

 

I guess scorpions are a waaay better critter. You can avoid them easily...

[+Hildy Boys]

Just an FYI to everyone, you can get Lyme Desease from moquito bites too.

 

Last year I took some of my cub scouts camping in the SE Wisconsin, and one of them contracted Lyme Desease from a mospuito bite. The family thought he just had a virus becuase he never had a tick on him, just a lot of mosquito bites. It wasn't until they went to the doctor and he was diagnosed that they found out that ticks are not the only way you can get it. You can also get it from fleas. He ended up in the hospital for a couple weeks, and now has a weaker immune system because of it.

 

I always spray heavily, and I actually avoid the woods in the spring when they are the worst. But I still get them fairly regularly. I have yet to find a deer tick though.

[+scrapes]

I have a good friend I hike/camp with, he uses hot sauce on everything, never gets a tick.

 

My worst encounter, while orienteering, I came across the freshly removed guts of a deer, thousands, I mean there were thousands of ticks on the remains. The ground looked like it was moving.

[+Too Tall John]

I've got a fenced yard yet the ticks still come around.

Yeah, I've noticed this, too. I think the ticks must be jumping the fence. . .

[The Whodunwhat Master]

I've had it once, got the big bull's eye but never was actually sick. Drugs seemed to do the trick.

 

I live in a tick hot zone. Once pulled about 50 off of me after a brief 10-minute trek to check on a cache. I have had maybe 20-30 ticks that have at least had an overnight feeding somewhere on my body so I'm pretty fortunate to have suffered no ill effects so far. Oftentimes the embedded tick is discovered days after my last hike in the woods.

 

The notion of wearing long pants and wrapping socks over them may seem sensible but I don't see it as a sound strategy. Ticks that get on your clothes are harder to spot unless you are completely dressed in white. Even in white, what are you going to do ... completely strip down before you get back in the car? There is a better chance some of those ticks will end up in your car or home or both and one day find their way onto someone's skin when no one is even thinking about them.

 

Bottom line - tick defense and detection ain't no easy thing. Just the same, your odds are good even where I live. First it has to be a deer tick, and it needs to be infected and it needs to find its home on you for at least a while, but then you still have hope that your body will fight it off even if infected. Even if not, you'll still probably notice it before it falls out, so you can get drugs. If that all fails, you still might get a bull's eye and then you’ll know you need the drugs. So what are the odds of actually getting seriously sick?

 

Of course that is easy to say for those of us who have not been sick. Good odds, yes, but real bad news if you are the one in a thousand, hundred thousand, million???

[+Tempestteapot]

I've got a fenced yard yet the ticks still come around.

 

How big are these ticks that a fence will stop them?

[+ZeLonewolf]

I have a good friend I hike/camp with, he uses hot sauce on everything, never gets a tick.

 

Thanks, but I'll stick with bug repellent

[+scrapes]

I've got a fenced yard yet the ticks still come around.

 

How big are these ticks that a fence will stop them?

 

Actually the ticks aren't big, the fence is really small.........

[+Too Tall John]

I've got a fenced yard yet the ticks still come around.

How big are these ticks that a fence will stop them?

Actually the ticks aren't big, the fence is really small.........

[+Marjis]

I've had it, sixteen years ago. Had a lot of antibiotics. I mean, really a lot. 100 days of treatment and six tablets per day. Urgh. Ticks and lyme disease are both unfortunately quite common here in Finland, especially in the archipelago and coastal areas. Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is here even worse disease than Lyme's, but fortunately not so common. There's no treatment for it. I live and cache in an area with both threats. Last summer I got one tickbite while caching, little beast of hell was biting my arm.