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The wife and I have been pulling our socks over our pant legs to keep the ticks from getting under our pants. Plus wear light colored clothing and the ticks stand out.
That's what I use when I know I'm going to out during tick season brushing up against foliage. I tuck my pant lags into my socks and tuck my shirt into my pants. They're going to have to walk pretty far to find skin.
Quite a few years ago, I got two tick borne diseases when I lived in North Carolina. The first time, the doc thought it was Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. I'd had an embedded tick, a rash and flu-like symptoms. He said he wasn't going to wait for test results and proscribed antibiotics. That worked. When I moved back there a few years later, I picked up another blood sucking tick and had a suspected case of Lyme Disease. Again, the doc wasn't waiting for test results. She immediately put me on antibiotics. I was pretty freaked out because I was pregnant at the time. I'm pretty sure that worked, too.
That's what I use when I know I'm going to out during tick season brushing up against foliage. I tuck my pant lags into my socks and tuck my shirt into my pants. They're going to have to walk pretty far to find skin.
Quite a few years ago, I got two tick borne diseases when I lived in North Carolina. The first time, the doc thought it was Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. I'd had an embedded tick, a rash and flu-like symptoms. He said he wasn't going to wait for test results and proscribed antibiotics. That worked. When I moved back there a few years later, I picked up another blood sucking tick and had a suspected case of Lyme Disease. Again, the doc wasn't waiting for test results. She immediately put me on antibiotics. I was pretty freaked out because I was pregnant at the time. I'm pretty sure that worked, too.
My wife got one of the female nymphs on her and fortunately we found it - they are very, very small. We have a large, 6 inch in diameter, lighted magnifying glass lamp and that was the only way we could see it was a tick. It was not until we put it on a white sheet of paper, under the magnifying glass, that we could identify it as a tick.
So, of course, the next thing was to have it identified. That is a problem in itself. Our doctors did not know or who to contact. Our local agencies did not know who to contact. I then remembered that our local college had an article in the newspaper about identifying ticks - so I called them. They said they would identify the tick. So we took it down to them and were told that is was indeed the female nymph that carries the Lyme disease.
For free they examined the tick and told us how long it had been on before it was removed. But they could not tell us if it carried the Lyme disease. That was another series of test and would take several days and I forget how much it cost (I think it was around $50). They told us the tick had been on my wife for over forty hours. There is a time frame that the ticks need to pass the disease on to it's host and 40 hours was more than enough time.
So there we were knowing that the tick could have passed the disease to my wife and knowing that it would take a few more days to find out if the tick was indeed infected. So we called our doctor and told her. She prescribed a powerful antibiotic - which we immediately picked up hoping to thwart the disease before it would start.
If I recall correctly the antibiotic was one single pill. It came with the warning that it could cause nausea. So my wife took her one pill and promptly threw up - probably never got the medicine!
Fortunately, a few days latter the test came back on the tick; it was negative.
What I am trying to point out is this whole thing is a mess. If you like the outside you might want to see how the process works in your area - before you actually need these services.
NK, this thread is freaking me out ... you know I just started a new garden ... I've never been an outdoor person (would much rather stay inside and read!) so have not had to worry about this. Now I do.
No one to check me over either. I guess I'd better get good at examining myself!
We live right next to a long time deer trail. Even with a deer fence up we still find deer ticks on us all the time. Sometimes I do nothing more thasn stand in the mowed lawn and water my garden and find deer ticks on me. They fall from the trees and apparently are in the grass as well.
Our next door neighbors are Russian. She is a prominent physician at Duke. The first time she found a tick on her young son she panicked and took him to the ER! Can you imagine going to the ER for every tick? I feel sorry for people without a parent or partner who can check them for ticks. We keep tweezers in a case in the basket with all sorts of clippers and trowels and other hand tools. Even with spraying ourselves we almost always find ticks on us.
We have a lot of deer in our area and a lot of ticks.Fortunately NWA isn't known for ticks that cause Lime disease, but it still is scary to see them on our arms, legs, back whatever. It is especially bad for hubby, everything imaginable will get on him. He just sprays DEET or something similar on his arms and legs when he works in the yard. He still gets a few ticks. I just take them off him which is easy if we see them before they actually get inbedded in his skin. Next time I think we will try the tape thing.
I'm wondering...if people could tolerate taking the oral meds that my vet gives me for my dogs - I'd be willing to get dosed up on dog meds to keep ticks off me -
We have a lot of deer in our area and a lot of ticks.Fortunately NWA isn't known for ticks that cause Limedisease, but it still is scary to see them on our arms, legs, back whatever. It is especially bad for hubby, everything imaginable will get on him. He just sprays DEET or something similar on his arms and legs when he works in the yard. He still gets a few ticks. I just take them off him which is easy if we see them before they actually get inbedded in his skin. Next time I think we will try the tape thing.
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