offshoot of the lyme doc thread (Bath: apartment complex, allergies, living)

[maestramommy]

I guess in order to avoid it, you have to avoid tick bites. But how do you do that? We lived in a concrete jungle (relatively speaking) in CA, and haven't done much hiking since the kids were born. Now our own property has bushes and grass galore, in addition to all this woodsiness on the perimeter. When I took the girls berry picking yesterday, I couldn't help but wonder if I should've done something to safeguard. My dh won't consider any bug repellent except those that contain deet. He maintains that it's been tested and studied up down and sideways. Whereas the new ones on the market that are supposedly natural and non-toxic are too new. "just because it's natural doesn't mean it's safe" is one of his favorite mantras.

So, what do you do to prevent tick bites on yourself and the little ones?

[miakelly]

Hi Maestra Mommy,

I have lyme disease, I was diagnosed this past December. I never saw a tick on, or even near me for that matter and I was always outside, in the woods, hiking, etc. but I never did tick checks either, I didn't really think about lyme very much because it wasn't talked about that much.

All I remember is a strange, small bite on my leg last summer. In hindsight, it may have looked like a very small bullseye rash, but at the time, I really didn't think anything of it because I was pretty uninformed about lyme disease and since I had not seen a tick, lyme didn't occur to me. This could have been a tick bite.

Also, I spent a few months in Maryland about 5 years ago. Maryland is VERY high for lyme cases. Again, I never saw a tick, but I got SO sick, sicker than I had ever been in my life. Think the worst flu ever-in late April! Again, no tick or rash that I recall. I haven't really ever felt the same since then, but I had 2 pregnancies since then so I attributed most symptoms to pregnancy and caring for 2 little ones.

I don't know when I got lyme, but I am paranoid about it now. I DON'T use deet on my kids and never would. I think it is potentially far too dangerous. To me, it is much easier to do a tick check each night. Also, when I dress or bathe my kids, I check for weird rashes/bites. I have pulled ticks out of my daughters hair (not attached to her scalp) this summer and I have found 2 ticks in our family room.

I have done a lot of reading on lyme. In addition to tick checks and rash/bite checks, I would say that if a child comes down with a severe unusual cold/flu out of season (middle of the summer) and no one else around is sick, you may want to talk to your doctor about doing a lyme test. If you catch it quick, it can almost definitely be cured.

Just my opinion, but I'd rather check my kids every night than use deet. I just don't feel comfortable spraying a toxic chemical all over them every time we go out. The chances of getting lyme are slim. If your are consistent about checking the kids, you will most likely find any ticks or bullseye rashes right away and go to the doctor immediately. Being informed is the key. I was not informed prior to my diagnosis.

[Rexicana]

Ditto on the tick checks, nightly thorough ones and quick ones after being in a high risk area. For what it is worth, we haven't found a tick on any of us since being in NH and we are outside in fields and woods a lot. We take it seriously though and check rigorously (we look for any pepper sized flake or larger).

Other things we do are: tuck pants in socks in fields and woods (when possible), use oil of lemon eucalyptus (OK'd by CDC as same effectiveness as DEET) - not on foreheads though!!, use tea tree oil soaps and shampoos, and try to wear light colors.

For your own yard, you can follow these guidelines to make your place more tick safe without chemicals: Tick Encounter Resource Center - Prevention

It took me a while to make a peace with the idea of ticks. One thing I learned is that they are all over CA. The next is that they can show up anywhere. We stayed at a soul-less apartment complex at the side of 93 last summer in MA and there was a tiny patch of woods between the pool and the highway. Several neighbors found ticks walking dogs and kids on the grass behind the pool and in the flowers around it. This was a place that had no problem zapping everything with pesticide. I'm much happier in this balanced ecosystem, free of chemicals, and with the kids out running around in nature. So far, no ticks, but we check!

[maestramommy]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I didn't know the CDC had okayed oil of lemon eucalyptus as being as effective as deet! Off to search for it!

Miakelly, I will take a look at the link you sent, thanks. It's funny about CA. I never saw a single tick the whole time we were living there, and we used to go rock climbing all the time at Idyllwild. Very woodsy out there

I will also check for unusual bites. My younger dd always shows up with a little bump here and there, which I attribute to allergies; esp. since she broke out in hives two days ago. But I'll keep the bullseye thing in mind. They almost never get sick, so the cold/flu thing will alert me as well.

[debbiej63]

So, what do you do to prevent tick bites on yourself and the little ones?

The CDC says that if the tick is on you less than 24 hours, your chance of contacting Lyme disease is slim. So I think the best prevention is doing tick checks twice a day. Bath time is a great way to check the hair while washing it. Personally, I would check everyone as soon as they come in from outside. Here are other ways to protect yourself.

DVBID: Avoidance | CDC Lyme Disease

Protecting Yourself