Bitten by deer tick
 

Hey guys,

I just wanted to remind everyone to be careful and thorough when checking yourself over after leaving the woods. I'm a tick freak, I hate them, I check myself over always after leaving the woods but this little bugger avoided detection. So far it looks like I'm lucky and have dodged the bullet.I have not had the typical bulleyes rash that is associated with lyme disease although I have scheduled an appiontment to have my blood tested. Hopefully all will remain well but I'll have to wait and see.

So, check yourself well. Get someone else to check you back side. This little critter bit my posterior. I never felt him at all and obviously overlooked him in my post woods ritual.

Adams

RE: Bitten by deer tick
 

It's good to get checked for Lyme disease from time to time. My father got Lyme disease and never had the "bullseye" rash. My coach also got Lyme disease from cutting his finger on a rib bone while guttingand infected deer. Like you, I'm not too fond of ticks. So I check myself over VERY well. Make sure all the bits, pieces, knooks and crannies are sorted through and tick free.

RE: Bitten by deer tick
 

Knuk? wtf is a Knuk?

RE: Bitten by deer tick
 

knook*

RE: Bitten by deer tick
 

I always check myself for ticks after I go through the woods. I also hate them, but I have my share of ticks on me. I am not worried about getting lyme disease because it is rare that people get them from ticks. To everyone that sees ticks kill them.

RE: Bitten by deer tick
 

I know what he meant.. I was giving him a hard time. He is my hunting buddy.

RE: Bitten by deer tick
 

You also must remember that the lyme disease enzyme is released by the tick when it removes it's self from the host (generally after three days of feeding). So even if you find a deer tick on you 1. It may not carry the disease and 2. If you remove it soon, EVEN if it has the disease it may not get to transfer the enzyme.

That being said,I still hate them and load up with deet whin I go in the woods during tick season.

RE: Bitten by deer tick
 

I just wanted to post this to let you all know that as long as you get them off within the first day you should be safe. Like I said it takes a while for them to transmit the enzyme to the host.........I still hate them![:@]

RE: Bitten by deer tick
 

BigJ,

That is great information and it really sets my mind at ease. I will still get tested of course but I think I caught he soon enough. For as much time as I spend in the woods I'm not very well versed on one of the biggest personal threats to outdoors people. I think it's time to do some research.

RE: Bitten by deer tick
 

some of y'all know that my husband has had lymes for a few years now...when he was infected he had hundreds of deer ticks on him...he had gone thru a nest or something...anyway he came home and i sat on the bathroom floor for what seemed like hours pulling them off with tweezers...a few days later he got a poison ivy like rash (never a bullseye) and then he thought he was getting the flu...he got better within a few days...we never thought about getting tested because being in central florida and being told that lymes was not around here we never thought about it....well a couple years go by and he starts having problems...we thought it was due to a previous stroke but all the tests came back negative...he was then tested for everything and anything but all tests were negative....one day i was handed a pamplet about lymes and bingo he had every sympton of having the late stages of lymes...since then it's been hell....right up there with cancer and aides...he's doing better now but it's still active...at least he's trying to live again...he spent over a year slowly dying....lost TONS of weight..he got down to 120...you could see bones everywhere....it's changed our lives tremendously....so PLEEEEEASE take it from me: GET TESTED ASAPcause if it's caught early chances are HIGH that it can be treated but if it's left undiagnosed it will be pure hell....and that's putting it nicely.


i'll say a prayer for you that your test comes back negative and i'm extremely please to hear that you care enough about yourself and family to get tested.

RE: Bitten by deer tick
 

Been Bitten twice , both times been given cyclosporin just in case.

RE: Bitten by deer tick
 

Sorry to hear about your husband flhuntress. In the past I have had the attitude " oh that little tick isn,t going to hurt you. " But after your post I think I will think twice next time I have a tick on me. I thought once you knew you had it that it was treated easily with antibotics but I see I was wrong again.

RE: Bitten by deer tick
 

Yeah, I pulled a lot of ticks off of me over my 46 years and never really thought about lyme disease until the last couple of years. Best thing that I have tried to keep them off of me is the Repel Permanone. I was out in the woods a lot over the 4th of July holiday, sprayed my clothes with that stuff and didn't find a tick on me except one. I think that one hitched a ride on my equipment and got me after I got my clothes off. Used it last year with only one tick getting on me, and that was on my hand, where I didn't have the protected clothing.

RE: Bitten by deer tick
 

Can't say I've ever had a deer tick on me, or even seen one. But I have hadthose other ticks, I dont know the name of them, but Ive had plenty on me before.

RE: Bitten by deer tick
 

DK,

You're probably thinking of a wood tick. They tend to be much larger in size and from for what I know they do not carry lyme.

RE: Bitten by deer tick
 

Yep. Thats it. Wood tick. Looked it up on google.

RE: Bitten by deer tick
 

I'm no expert, but I think I've heard that getting tested too early isn't good either. It may be recommended to wait a week or two to ensure the test will pick it up. I'm not sure how soon after being infected that blood tests will show that you've contracted the disease, maybe someone can answer that via this thread...

RE: Bitten by deer tick
 

RI,
The nurse said it takes anywhere from 3 days to 3 months to show up in the blood. They've instructed me to watch the bite and report any aches or fever symptoms. They don't want to see me right away but have scheduled me lab work on my next visit unless I show symptoms proir.

According to the nurse, 1 in 3 deer ticks will carry lyme disease.

RE: Bitten by deer tick
 

it takes 24-48 hours for a deer tick to transmit lymes!

i had a couple on me this year already, no big deal... if you want a sure fire way to remove them without breaking their heads, use alcohol... pure stuff works best in a shot glass seal it around the little bugger on the skin and let em have it.. they will usually back right out after a few seconds the longest i had one in me doing that was like 3 minutes.. he was tough ittle bugger.. but remember if you get it with a tweezers and you miss the head it can stil transmit lymes to you! so if you have any dout get checked!

here is a website! http://www.uwex.edu/ces/wihort/pests/DeerTicks.htm

RE: Bitten by deer tick
 

had lyme and I still feel the effects of it 9 years later. Bad stuff

RE: Bitten by deer tick
 

they freak me out,they are so small. i give my self a good checking over every time i come out of the woods.

RE: Bitten by deer tick
 

If you actually find the culprit on you can't you put him in a jar and get the tick itself tested?
I found one on me last year but was only crawling. That is the only deer tick I had ever saw other than a picture.
It's one thing after another that we have to watch out for. :(

RE: Bitten by deer tick
 

The picture in that link that was posted doesn't give a very good indication of how small they actually are. They are tiny little buggers. We're currently waiting for the 3 month period to pass , and my entire family is getting a blood test. After our last camping trip , my wife and two of my kids had flu like symtoms for a couple days after we got home. The doctor reccomended the entire family get tested after 3 months.

RE: Bitten by deer tick
 

Lyme is very scary stuff! It can mess you up bad.We have quite a few instances of people getting Lyme in our area.I had a great hunting spot in Dutchess county that I abandoned because I was pulling ticks off my clothing to frequently when I went over the Hudson River to hunt there.
You are lucky if you get the bulls eye rash,so at least you know that you have it! I typically get tested once a year out of pure precaution.I personally know two people who's lives were turned upside down because of their bouts with Lyme disease,it is serious stuff!!

RE: Bitten by deer tick
 

I was asking myself how common it is to get it and if the responses here are an indication, it's is fairly common.

Just wondering if all who have, or know of any that have had it are from any particular part of the country? If not, are there any similarities in your area's?

RE: Bitten by deer tick
 

How do they test you just take blood? I am in the woods every day and find 6 wood ticks on me daily. I however only have found one deertick on me and that was last year. I suppose as a precaution I should get tested.[:o]

RE: Bitten by deer tick
 

Lyme... I wonder why it exists. To answer Tribal, the test conducted here in PA is a blood test. My familyand I spend time in the woods and have always been aware of the tick threat. I've removed ticks from myself, but never found any on anyone else in any of our outings. Two years ago, my son woke up one morning with a severly swelled knee.

He was 11at the time and was active in a number of sports. We took him to the doctor and it was wrote it off as a sprain.As the days went onother symptoms emerged. Fatigue followed by a very high fever. We ended up at the emergency room and the examining physician suggested a Lyme test be conducted. The medical center drew a blood sample, but was unable to test it at the facitlity. It was mailed away and the results came back about 5 days later.

Diagnosis: Lyme disease.

The only "treatment" option, according to medical professionals in our area was a massize dose of antibiotics. We're talking about a young fellow under 100 pounds thatreceived 500 millagramsthree times a day for a period of thirty days. We observed aturn around in his condition after the 7th day, and have him checked regularly. He goes to the hospital immediatelyif any unexplained swelling of joints / unexplainable fatigue is experienced.

I've read and read on Lyme until my eyes hurt and have yet to find anything that concurs with what I've been told within a 100 mile radius in the local medical community. I'm told there is no known cure, but do strongly believe that ifdiagnosed early, and treated aggressively, Lyme can be put in check, so to speak.

I would advise anyone who spends time in the outdoors to be tested for Lyme, even if you've never found a tick attached to your person. To those who have been offered other treatment options, please post them, as I'd like to read them.