Ticks... Overreaction?

[Read1t48]

So I went on a hike after work on Friday afternoon. On Saturday evening I found a tick lodged in my back. I was able to carefully remove it and followed up with the doctor today to take a dose of antibiotics as a precaution against Lyme disease. I know spring is always worse than summer with regard to ticks.

Do you guys worry about ticks and do you get bit often? What is your protocol for dealing with them - particularly if you find one on you?

I usually give myself a good look over, but this one was a nymph and very hard to see. I also tend to use permethrin as a spray but did not this time.

Any suggestions? It honestly makes me think twice about going into the woods this time of year. I hate ticks!

 

[Bubblehide]

Permethrin, permethrin and permethrin. Always use it.

 

[Wyatt.Carter]

Permethrin, permethrin and permethrin. Always use it.

Do you spray this right on your clothing??

 

[Bubblehide]

Do you spray this right on your clothing??

Yes, and let it dry before wearing. Do not get in on yourself or anyone while spraying or wet.

 

[Chordeiles]

I spray EVERYTHING that I wear with permethrin. I spray my seats in the Jeep also.

Buy 10% concentrate and mix it by the gallon.

I’m more afraid of getting a tick than i am of getting Corona, but spring Gobbler season starts this weekend and I’m not staying out of the woods.

 

[Wyatt.Carter]

Yes, and let it dry before wearing. Do not get in on yourself or anyone while spraying or wet.

I'll have to get some! Order on Amazon etc??

 

[Bubblehide]

I'll have to get some! Order on Amazon etc??

Yes, but make sure the concentration is correct for applying to clothes.

 

[West.mass.hunter]

Permethrin, permethrin and permethrin. Always use it.

Yup couldn't agree more

 

[Read1t48]

So how often do you reapply the Permethrin to your clothing? Backpack, too?

When you sweat, because the Permethrin is dry, it’s not a big concern?

What’s your clothing process when you get home? Do you leave them outside or in a container for a few days so the tick eventually dies because it doesn’t have a host?

My buddy brought his dog, which sleeps in his house at night. I’m trying to figure out how one ensures it doesn’t go from his dog to someone else if it falls off in his house.

The idea of Lyme Disease scares the daylights out of me.

 

[Cdroot89]

First of all, I agree that preventing the ticks from getting on to you is the best way to prevent getting Lyme’s Disease. I think Permethrin is effective for about seven washes. Once it dries I don’t think there is a concern with sweating. I also use DEET on my skin. I think it is a good idea to leave clothing outside but not in a container. I think the tick will likely crawl away when it doesn’t have something to feed on.

When I was in College I did research in an infectious disease lab and I would go to the field to collect ticks. The professor I worked with always said to take as hot of a shower as you can stand as soon as you get out of the field. I don’t think this helps if the tick is already embedded though.

It helps to know a little bit about a life cycle of a tick to understand your risk of contracting Lyme’s disease. There is no vertical transmission of Lymes so a tick does not hatch carrying the disease. A deer tick hatches and is called a larvae. At this point it has six legs and can not have Lymes because it need a blood meal from an infected animal to carry the disease. So if the tick has six legs, you are safe. Once it gets its first blood meal it molts and becomes a nymph. After getting another blood meal it molts again and becomes an adult. I believe that you are at higher risk from getting Lymes from an adult because it has two opportunities to become infected vs one from a nymph. You stayed that you think the ticks are worse in the spring but you are actually at highest risk of contracting lymes in the summer. I will post the link to the CDC below.

As far as risk of getting Lyme’s Disease after a tick attaches, a tick must be attached for 36-48 hours before it spreads the disease. So if the OP knows for sure that he got the tick about 24 hours prior, he was at no risk of getting the disease and antibiotics were not indicated. The scary think is you might not know exactly when the tick attached so it is just safer to take the Doxy.

On a side note, remove the tick with a tweezers Or specialized tool by gripping at the head and pulling backwards. Please don’t try all of these different “remedies” or methods to remove the tick like a lighter. Those ways might actually inCrease your risk of getting disease because the tick may regurgitate into you.

Lyme Disease Charts and Figures: Historical Data | Lyme Disease | CDC

Information on Lyme disease. Provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

www.cdc.gov

 

[willfrye027]

First of all, I agree that preventing the ticks from getting on to you is the best way to prevent getting Lyme’s Disease. I think Permethrin is effective for about seven washes. Once it dries I don’t think there is a concern with sweating. I also use DEET on my skin. I think it is a good idea to leave clothing outside but not in a container. I think the tick will likely crawl away when it doesn’t have something to feed on.

When I was in College I did research in an infectious disease lab and I would go to the field to collect ticks. The professor I worked with always said to take as hot of a shower as you can stand as soon as you get out of the field. I don’t think this helps if the tick is already embedded though.

It helps to know a little bit about a life cycle of a tick to understand your risk of contracting Lyme’s disease. There is no vertical transmission of Lymes so a tick does not hatch carrying the disease. A deer tick hatches and is called a larvae. At this point it has six legs and can not have Lymes because it need a blood meal from an infected animal to carry the disease. So if the tick has six legs, you are safe. Once it gets its first blood meal it molts and becomes a nymph. After getting another blood meal it molts again and becomes an adult. I believe that you are at higher risk from getting Lymes from an adult because it has two opportunities to become infected vs one from a nymph. You stayed that you think the ticks are worse in the spring but you are actually at highest risk of contracting lymes in the summer. I will post the link to the CDC below.

As far as risk of getting Lyme’s Disease after a tick attaches, a tick must be attached for 36-48 hours before it spreads the disease. So if the OP knows for sure that he got the tick about 24 hours prior, he was at no risk of getting the disease and antibiotics were not indicated. The scary think is you might not know exactly when the tick attached so it is just safer to take the Doxy.

On a side note, remove the tick with a tweezers Or specialized tool by gripping at the head and pulling backwards. Please don’t try all of these different “remedies” or methods to remove the tick like a lighter. Those ways might actually inCrease your risk of getting disease because the tick may regurgitate into you.

Lyme Disease Charts and Figures: Historical Data | Lyme Disease | CDC

Information on Lyme disease. Provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

www.cdc.gov

This! Take a shower when you get home and pluck them off. You will be fine as it takes 24-48 hours to transmit the bacteria. Unfortunately there are some other “bugs” that you can get as soon as they bite (anaplasmosis, babesiosis)...but you would know if you got sick from this. And it’s ALL treatable! You can also look at the Lyme distribution map...it’s really not as widespread as you might think. And there is literally no such thing as as chronic Lyme disease to be afraid of. It is literally a made up disease that sketchy medical professionals have perpetuated in order to take advantage of people. Try to find it in a medical textbook and you will not. What you will find is that Lyme is caused by a whimpy bacteria that dies easily from a variety of antibiotics...ok getting off my soap box lol.

 

[BKhunter]

Along with Permethrin I'm trying out Rhino skin this year (think super tight long johns). Apparently they work well in preventing ticks and chiggers from getting on you.

 

[Packin_packout]

Save them, freeze them. That way if you come up w/ some weird reaction like fevers off and on for a few weeks you have a chance of figuring it out!

Tick borne reoccuring fever about two weeks over fevers and chills every reoccurring every other day. It sucked!

 

[J20Hunter]

Ticks are a serious problem ! Growing up in central IL I can remember getting ticks on us and not thinking anything of it . A couple years ago we bought 160 acres of timber ground in Central Mo. first trip on property was a wet spring and holy crap the Ticks were BAD . all I used was OFF outdoor spray . Two weeks later I developed Flu symptoms 7 days in I could not shake it so I went to Doctor . I told them a tick had bit me . They did a Lyme test it came back I had EHRLICHIOSIS a rare form of lyme disease . They sent me directly to ER where the infectious disease doctor told me they had to do a spinal probe because of sever headaches they thought I had developed Meningitis . NOT a fun thing to have done !! 2 month of massive doses of antibiotics and 30 pounds lighter . I still own property believe it or not . All that being said we use Sawyers tick spray on Underwear , Socks ,t shirts pants boots inside and out it works pretty good

 

[Read1t48]

Thanks for all the feedback, especially Cdroot89 - That sounds like really good stuff and I will follow those recommendations. Anyone who studies ticks should get his college paid for!

You’re exactly right… Since I couldn’t be certain that I got it on my hike because I also live in the country, I was prescribed a single dose of Doxy.

J20 -
Sorry to hear about your experience. That is no fun. And one reason why I really hate ticks! You’re a better man than me. I probably would’ve sold the property. LOL

 

[Bubblehide]

One last killer tip, aerosol hair spray works incredibly well at getting the tick to back out of the skin on its own. Just spray it on the embedded tick. The hairspray removes the oxygen and the tick backs out immediately. No need for tweezers, creditcard...

 

[Muddler]

Like others have said, permethrin and DEET and take it serious. I've had Lyme disease and it sucks, no doubt the most sick that I've ever been. I don't even remember 2 of the days that I spent on the couch. My Dad had it twice too. Scares the shit out of me.

For what it's worth, the tick was small and embedded in my hand for no more than 30 minutes. When I saw it, I just grabbed it with my fingers and yanked. I probably squeezed it's guts and made it puke into my blood. So make sure you use the right tool to get it off.

Also, the single dose of antibiotic only works if you take it within 24 hrs of the bite. I waited to see if I would get symptomatic which took about a week for things to get weird. I waited another 2 days after that to see a Dr when I started getting really bad (never got the rash). That Dr was arrogant and told me that he could fix me with one pill. I got better about 4 days post antibiotic. Then a month later it rebounded while we were on vacation in Yosemite, which also sucked. Couldn't do any hikes, etc. Had to get on a month long course of antibiotics to knock it out. Lyme is the real deal.

 

[Brendan]

Just a quick FYI: Pretty sure Permethrin is bad for DWR, and maybe waterproof membranes like Gore-Tex (I know DEET is)

But yes, I treat everything and let it dry. If I'm wearing nice rain gear, I treat and wear layers underneath it. I have a gallon of the concentrate that I dilute. As bad or worse than Lyme is the Lone Start Tick - nobody here wants a meat allergy...

 

[BeaverHunter]

Just a quick FYI: Pretty sure Permethrin is bad for DWR, and maybe waterproof membranes like Gore-Tex (I know DEET is)

But yes, I treat everything and let it dry. If I'm wearing nice rain gear, I treat and wear layers underneath it. I have a gallon of the concentrate that I dilute. As bad or worse than Lyme is the Lone Start Tick - nobody here wants a meat allergy...

Where you the gallon? It complicated to make your own mixture?

 

[Brendan]

Where you the gallon? It complicated to make your own mixture?

Amazon. No, you just dilute it with water to get the appropriate ratio.