[cool_mommy]

I've lived in CT all of my life and had my share of dealings with ticks. It really doesn't matter where you live in CT, ticks are to be found. They travel on animals such as deer as well as birds. So, you can imagine how easy it is for a tick to go from place to place. I have found them on my children, myself and of course on my pets. My cats will bring them into our home and pick them off, so yes, I have found them in my house. I use frontline on all of my animals. One of my dogs has had lyme disease. We realized the symptoms soon enough when she began limping. The vet treated her with medication and she is fine now. I don't bother with the vaccine for my pets as it is easy enough to treat, if found early on. I have a few friends who have suffered from tick borne illnesses. They have suffered from severe headaches and one friend was dizzy, sleepy and weak for about 2 months. They are both fine now. We always check ourselves after being outdoors. It is not that time consuming and second nature to us now. Remember, a tick has to spend at least 24 hours lodged on a host to give them lyme disease, and that is only if the tick is a carrier. The risk is minimal but it is there. Another thing to be aware of is West Nile Virus which is spread by mosquitoes. West Nile Virus is certainly not central to CT, it has become a nuisance throughout the country. Hope this information is helpful. Just use common sense when you are outdoors.

[salatheel]

The risk is real. I have Lyme disease. I caught it 3 years ago in Febuary when I didn't think the ticks would be active. There was snow on the ground and I took my dog for a walk through a path in a park. I found it on me the next day. Got the bullseye and all. I went immediately to the dr and was put on antibiotics. No symptoms till about 3 weeks in then it hit me. Lympth node swelled up all over my body. All my joints ached. My back ached. Instead of feeling 39 I felt 79. It took about 9 months to feel better. Many with Lymes never feel better. Once it is in your system it is always in your system. I have a cousin with it. My mother was diagnosed with it. A dog of mine died from Lymes and a co-infection. Several people at my work have had it. It is all over but Connecticut has had the most cases. It is severely under reported as well.

[Viralmd]

It's called LYME disease. NOT 'Lymes.' And, as I said, it's all over North America and Europe.

[FedUpInFtMyers]

I got Lyme Disease in NW Indiana (from hiking) 12 years ago. I only battled it for a couple of months as I was worsening with medical "treatment" and happened to catch a PBS show on natural medicine and a natural medicine doctor from Alabama (where my parents just happened to be vacationing at that time!) so I called my parents, and they went to see this man. They followed him out to his massive herb garden as he cut and dug things up for me. He even sent instructions, and if memory serves me correctly, it was all under $20! Can't find that anywhere these days. . .

Anyways, here's what really helped me come out of it. At first, it was slow, and I thought it wasn't working, then all of a sudden, each day I woke up, I felt stronger and better.

Oregon Grape Root and Yellow Dock Root (it was pieces of bark that I religiously chewed in my mouth - no swallowing) and also boiled and strained for an elixir that I kept in the fridge and drank this several times a day whenever I thought of it or opened the fridge. I did further research, and once I learned more about what Lyme is, I went for all the anti-bacterial and immune boosting things I could get my hands on. I believe I used Echinacea three times a day (3 capsules) and Bee Propolis as well. Lastly, I also drank Chlorophyll a couple of times a day. It sounds like A LOT, but I wasn't about to be 25 years old with joint pain for the rest of my life. I stayed on the Yellow Dock Root (some call it "Bitter root" - and it is bitter tasting) for probably a year even after the symptoms went away, and I still use it religiously now if I think I'm coming down with something (it works so very quickly!) or just feel like purifying my blood. Before I went on these herbs, my vision was blurry; I was very weak; and my joints hurt if I even walked through the frozen section of the grocery store. Even my toes hurt! I never thought any of the stuff would work, given the severity of my condition, so I know it wasn't The Placebo Effect.

I never had any side effects or interactions with any of these herbs.

[salatheel]

I also got better from a combination of herbs, diet change,and acupuncture. However when I get run down or sick the symptoms come back to a much lesser degree. The parasite is a spirochete. It most closely resembles the spirochete that causes Syphillis. They actually burrow into your bodies tissues. If you are well and rested they will be dormant.

[sticksnsniffles]

I very much appreciate the posts so far, and with people taking the time to share their experiences. I welcome more for this thread. Many previous posts have done this already, but one request that I have for any future posts is could you tell me what sort of setting you live in or the setting in which you are referring to (rural, suburban, etc.) whether you have had it or not had any dealings with it at all? Thanks very much.

[salatheel]

I live in Milford. It's inbetween Bridgeport and New Haven on the coast. It is a great town that is becoming a city. I am moving south because I am tired of the weather,taxes,electric bill, and just overall fast pace and high cost of living.

[charlives]

I live in the NE Ct woods. We have learned the ticks cycle/behavior. Having had Lyme twice, I've had to learn the temps at which they are active, what they look like at certain times of the year, what works best for dogs/cats, and adjust accordingly. We routinely do tick checks and take showers after treks in the woods. We have chickens now that seem to eat the ticks near our house. if you walk in our woods you'll have a better than not chance of having to remove a tick(s). I've had them on me WITH partial snow cover!

[sarwiz]

What is the name or contact info for that doctor in alabama? Fiance has lyme and , while we thought she beat it, it has come back to haunt her. I am looking for any help available. Thanks in advance.

[cool_mommy]

O.K. I just have to share this story as this is a recent discussion. I'm working at home today, as I'm looking at my computer screen I see a little speck on my glasses. I took them off to clean the speck only to discover it was a teeny tiny deer tick crawling across my lens. I quickly went to the bathroom to flush it but it fell off my lens. At this point I am practically blind and not willing to put my glasses back on just in case. So I ran to find my other pair and a flashlight. I am happy to say that I found the little S*O*B trying to escape my bathroom on a tile. I flushed him quickly. Now, I have not been outside yet today but my pets have, my cat probably picked it off its fur. This just goes to show you that they can end up anywhere...... I still have the heebie jeebies